Ladakhi Monk

Ladakhi Monk, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.


As a Theravada Buddhist, Tibetan/Ladakhi Buddhism (Mahayana Branch) has always been very foreign to me. I do have to admit that it is amazing to see a society so devoted to Buddhism. I love seeing the praire wheels and how integral monks are to everyday society. I have heard from several people that Ladakh is more Tibetan than modern day Communist controlled Tibet is. I had the opportunity to talk to a Monk originally from Tibet. He had previously snuck back into Tibet as a layperson in order to visit his parental home. He told me about how saddened he had become to witness the infiltration of the state into Buddhism, there are secret police everywhere. What was heartening to hear was how the spirit and devotion of many Tibetans could not be crushed by the authoritarianism of the Chinese government. Sadly they are being turned into a minority in their own land, as Han settlers have been moving into Tibet turning it into a cultural "Disneyland".