探祕異域人文 西藏是一個什麼樣的世界

TIBET, MAY— JUNE 2001 - What makes Tibet so special ? Its people. This story tells the tale of the people of Tibet I've encountered on my travels through this amazing part of the world, and is meant as a tribute to their faith and courage. I try to evoke the scenes I've seen, but you have to see it yourself to believe it.
2001年5至6月，西藏 — 是什麼讓西藏如此特殊？ 答案是其人。這個故事講述了我在西藏這片神奇的土地上旅行中所遇到的關於西藏人民的故事。 是指對他們的信念和勇氣地讚頌。我試圖回憶起我所見過的場景，但是你非得你自己去親眼見證才能真正地相信我所說的。

Lhasa
拉薩
Let's start in the capital, Lhasa in the barkhor area, near the Jokhang temple. Take a moment to relax and sit down on the square in front of the Jokhang, and observe the people. The most obvious are the owners of the souvenirs stalls , which try to attract your attention. Filter these ones out, and what you see is the real heart of Tibet : the pilgrims, monks, nuns, children, women going to the market place,... See the pilgrims prostrating in front of the Jokhang - some have been traveling for months from their home, or see them chanting and rotating their prayer wheels.
讓我們從它的首府開始說起，拉薩在八廊街地區，臨近大昭寺。花一點時間在大昭寺前面的廣場放鬆和坐下休息一下，觀察着路過的人羣。最明顯的是賣紀念品的小攤主，他們試圖引起你的注意。過濾掉這些，你看的將是西藏真正的核心：朝聖者，僧侶，尼姑，孩童，女人緩緩地走向集市…看那朝聖者們匍匐在大昭寺的前面—其中的一些已經花了幾個月的時間從他們家鄉旅行到這，或者看他們詠唱和轉動經輪。

Now do some 'koras' on the Barkhor. Again avoid the souvenirs sellers, but go into the side alleys, and discover the horn-and-cymbals-playing-monks and the chanting nuns; let the prayer wheels rotate that are placed on several spots along the way, discover a crowded courtyard full of ordinary people drinking yak butter tea... Do the same walk many times; everytime something else will be around the corner. Then enter the darkness of the Jokhang (where only tourists buy tickets), smell the yak butter lamps and queue in line with the hundreds of Tibetans to see the Jowo. Go into the different chapels and look and listen... This is all too much for your senses; it's not a museum you visit, you're part of the daily life of Tibet now, this is living culture you experience. Then when it becomes all too much, go to the roof and see the beautifull sights, and bathe in the light, be surrounded by goldplated roofs. If you're lucky, discuss with some of the monks. It will be hard to leave this place because you just can't figure out what is realy happening and want to understand, experience it all again...
現在讓我們在八廊街遊索一番，記得二度避免賣紀念品地小販們，但是進入側邊的小巷，發現用角和鈸演奏地僧侶和詠唱地尼姑；沿途地幾個點上放置着可以讓行人轉動的祈禱輪，發現在一個擁擠地小院裏許多地普通民衆正在品着酥油茶…多次走同樣的小道，每次總有一些其它的東西出現在轉角周圍處。然後進入大昭寺的黑暗當中（只有遊客需要買票），聞着用酥油點的燈，和數以百計地西藏人民一起排着長隊去看佛陀等身像。進入不同地小房間中凝視聆聽着…耳目所不能及也；你不是在參觀一個博物館，現在你是西藏日常生活地一部分了，你經歷的這是活生生的文化。然後當漸覺疲憊之時，去屋頂觀光美景，在陽光下沐浴，被鍍金的屋頂所環繞。如果你足夠幸運，和其中的一些喇嘛討論。這是一個讓人很難離開的地方，因爲你還不能弄清楚什麼是真正地發生了，什麼是你想要明白的，而這一切你似乎都不能再次地去經歷…

Villages and nomads
村莊和牧民
But there is more than religion alone. When you go into the 'true wilderness' of Tibet, you will encounter the people in the little villages and the nomads with their yaks, and the horsemen along the way. If possible your guide can bring you into a Tibetan home where you can have some yak butter tea with the family... Go to the local restaurants, where the cook first comes taking to you (a phrase book is handy) and then starts cooking. The other locals will come and look while you have your diner, as if they've never seen someone eating noodles. Or you will encounter the sales men and women, who still travel like they used to do in medieval times, on foot and with mules and donkeys. In any of these encounters the children will encirle in large numbers, and if you have cameras (who hasn't ?), you will be very popular. It made me happy to meet at some occasion children that were just curious and playfull and not only beggars.
但是不僅僅只有宗教。當你走入西藏真正的野外，你將會遇到小村落裏的人們、牧民以及他們的犛牛，還有沿途地騎馬的人。如果可能的話，你的導遊能將你帶到藏民的家裏去，那你將能在那裏和他們一起品嚐酥油茶…去到當地的餐廳，那裏的廚師會首先來跟你交談（有一本短語書會很方便），然後纔開始烹煮。當你在用餐時其它的當地人會來看你，就好像他們從來沒有見過別人吃麪條似的。或者你會遇到推銷的男人和女人們，他們仍像中世紀過去的那樣，帶着螺子和驢徒步旅行。在這些遭遇者當中孩子們將會佔據大部分，如果你有相機的話（誰又沒有呢？），你將會變得很受歡迎。在一些場合遇到的一些孩子們讓我十分開心，他們大多是出於好奇和玩耍心而不僅僅是因爲乞討。

It's impossible to forget the people of Tibet. It's amazing how they still have preserved their culture. You will leave Tibet with an ever lasting impression.
要忘掉西藏的人民是不可能地，他們仍然那麼的努力地去保存他們的文化，是那麼地讓人驚奇。你將帶着從來沒有過的印象離開西藏。