Tibetan Buddhism: Sacred traditions have down-to-earth side

Source: Xinhua | 03-10-2009 11:12

LHASA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- He played and joked with a friend on the way, like any other young man might do, but when the scarlet-robed lama arrived at the monastery, he suddenly became quiet and serious.

Tibetan Buddhists attend a Buddhist ceremony at the Zhaibung  Monastery in the suburb of Lhasa, capital of southwest China's  Tibet Autonomous Region, March 4, 2009. (Xinhua Photo)

He began chanting mantras in chorus. "All lamas must do this, and I must do it well," said Losang Zaxi, 20, who joined the Tashilhunpo Monastery of Xigaze in 2000.