My passage through Kham, China. The five things that struck me most...

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Kham IN SHORT: 5 THINGS THAT I HAVE AFFECTED
by Kristin Blanck
-Landscapes: Unlike most other Tibetan areas so far visited, the lower part of the Kham (always in excess of three thousand meters ...) is very "alpine": very green, with many many flowers, and a preponderance of blue grass, rolling hills and beautiful houses, which resemble almost a Swiss chalet. Each village has its own architectural features, with slight differences in the use of colors and decorations in the wood. Even when there rises to over 4000 meters is still a bit of vegetation, villages disappear here, and there is found among large meadows with nomad tents. While the vegetation at relatively lower altitudes is of course very beautiful, a lover of the Highlands as I prefer these places higher, with their vast spaces so studded with tents of nomadic, flocks of sheep and goats, horses and yaks; many yak ....
-The monasteries in Kham Wherever you feel a great desire for reconstruction. Of the hundreds of monasteries still quite old, all destroyed by Muslims or during the Cultural Revolution. But now it rebuilds. Much work has already been done in the last decade, many other monasteries seems to be in a shipyard. Particular attention is given to the painting of the frescoes, with bright colors, for our tastes a little kitsh.
The monks-but then there are all those monasteries? In some places there is a sense of desolation, abandonment, many times we were told that if the Dalai Lama does not return the monks feel lost, and many, many trying to escape to India, legally or illegally, to find the monastery - mother-in-exile. The monks are elderly and sick. In other places however, where there is considerable support for Rimpoche who reside abroad, you hear a great religious fervor. Dzogchen is an example. A charming place, located at 4,000 meters, up to a wall-hands from a village with few houses and shops, past the wall and you come in a wide valley dotted with temples. At the bottom of the valley in a huge temple with wooden floor, were under the teachings of Longchen Nyingthik. We arrived at the break. Hundreds of monks outside tip for a moment of relaxation. We noticed a row of motorcycles parked neatly to one side to another. And here we see the monks jump over .... the other side of the valley a beautiful building houses a 'shedra', an institute for studies, and a little farther, in a huge new temple, is given a ' tantric initiation - denied admission to women. Here too many monks, one of them has been around in Europe, as part of a troupe of monks who did the Chams, - the ritual dances of the monks. " He spent a period of time to Dzogchen Monastery in South India, and at that moment she made her journey.
Sershul Gompa is another place of great inspiration. Also this monastery is situated in a secluded spot in the mountains, for some thirty kilometers from the capital of the county, Jumang. We arrive in the evening, after a long rainy day, and we have received in the monastery guest house: nice, clean, simple but welcoming, with a restaurant and room-living room with a large window overlooking the valley. Finally, after all the Chinese-hotels parecchio "anonymous" - so far visited, is somewhat of "human warmth"! The visit of the monastic complex on a sunny morning, met with a pleasant walk, a pleasant surprise: a series of buildings scattered on the surrounding hills, including a shedra (institute of study for monks), a temple, and some "tends school "(nomad tents are full of kids around the villages). We meet a monk who studied in Dharamshala, and who now lives in Sershul Rimpoche to help as a translator when the guests arrive: Taiwanese Singapores, Westerners, who come into this place, lost to follow any course of meditation.
-I "devotees", laity and monks along the way we meet another very special place. Our drivers speak there while we are on a pace of 4600 meters. We are told that just before you find a place to live 10 000 nuns from one side of the river, 10,000 monks on the other, the result of a great teacher (the figure is certainly exaggerated). The Lama is well known to show miracles on your body: if you have the eye of faith (!), You can see on his chest all the teachers who gave him lessons, with the Dalai Lama on his head. Just a detour of a few kilometers to get to this site. Awesome! Immediately we see a building, hangar type, with in many monks and nuns, who are following a religious service, a puja at the day of Yeshe Sogyal (the Tibetan consort of Guru Rimpoche). But looking around we see a huge yard, a temple more or less finished, and many buildings. Hundreds of shacks where people live, came here from all parts of Tibet to follow this master. Monaco says, a native of Lhasa, "We come here because we can really learn to meditate, to study not only the debate, but to meditate, with the help of a teacher who shows the signs of his achievement!"
-The city and the people: Pelyul, Derg, Kanz towns are small, quite nice, with construction characteristics of wood. Yushu is contrary to a fairly large city, predominantly Chinese. Hotels strictly the property of Chinese personnel in Tibet. In town a mix of ethnic groups, including Tibetans colored cowboy kind of far west with their women beautifully decorated, and all Chinese who run the business. I was struck by the complete lack of class' business' of Tibet. Where are the cute and cunning shopkeepers who gathered in other parts of the world Tibet? It seems that in these parts have remained the Tibetan farmers and shepherds and street vendors, or to kinds of low quality, while all the commercial activity of some significance is in the hands of the Chinese. The lingua franca, in cities as in villages, is the Chinese, Tibetans also among different regions. Funny to be in a situation where we want to explain a triple translation from Tibetan to my Tibetan guide, who being of Lhasa does not understand the local dialects, and must use the Chinese ... Sometimes not enough either, and should take action to Khampa drivers home! I have the impression that in general among the people there lay an atmosphere of quiet resignation: this region is part of China for a long time! The proof is the opening of the festival in Yushu horses: China's top military parade, military parade at the end, soldiers on foot and on horseback military; wagons with Chinese advertising. But the portraits of the Dalai Lama can be found everywhere, we do not need to hide them!
Dharamsala 16 July 2006