Tibetan Greetings

Miao silver bracelet

Silver accessories are a standard for the Miao people. For more than 400 years, it’s been the custom to decorate oneself head to toe, with silver. A full set can weigh up to ten kilograms. The purpose of wearing all this silver is of course primarily aesthetic, but they are also worn as amulets to ward off evil, and as symbols of wealth. The clothes bear strong cultural message. The patterns range from ancient totem to historic legend. Historians view it as the “Wearable History Book”.

The tradition of wearing silver is preserved by a great number of craftsmen, scattered through the Miao villages. Most of the silver accessories are made by hands in a traditional way. A silver head-piece takes a couple of months to finish. In some villages, every male is trained in silver-work. Each ornament is an exquisite work of art and sparkles with the wisdom of the Miao people. The fancy Miao silver accessories include silver hat, silver horns, silver comb, silver ear-rings, neckband, necklace, bracelet, etc.

It is a tradition that, when a girl is born, her parents will start saving money to make and collect fancy silver ornaments that can weigh several kilograms. And on the wedding day, the girl will be wearing these beautiful silver accessories, adding joyful atmosphere to the happy event.

Miao silver bracelet

The Miao people have been deeply enamored with silver since ancient times. Silver takes special importance in Miao culture. The craft has developed into a unique art form, and a carrier of the culture. Now besides for their own use, the Miao costume and accessory have developed into unique form of folk art and become a collector’s item and tourism souvenir.

sun god pendant

The sun god is one of the primary divinities to many peoples. The cult of the sun god has a long and strong tradition in both the east and west. Surya is the sun god in the Indian tradition. The image of the sun god appearing in the Buddhist context illustrates links between the Buddha and the sun worship.

The sun god radiates a thousand rays of light. The life of the sun god is very pleasurable and his life span is 500 years. On one hand, the sun and the moon god function as protective deities, while on the other hand, the presence of the sun and the moon together in visual depiction reinforces the cosmological quality of the central figure. This formula, actually, is an old pictorial tradition ubiquitous in the ancient world in both the east and west. In China, the symbolic depiction of the cosmological sun and the moon images, instead of an anthropomorphic sun god and moon god, were used to flank either side of the tops paintings. This was already common during the Han dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) and later became common in Tibetan Tantric paintings.

sun god key chain

8 sacred symbols ring

Girls in Tibet are initiated ceremoniously into adulthood, selecting a lucky date according to the Tibetan calendar. Her hair will be plaited from a single to many braids and she will begin wearing a colorful “apron”, indicating her availability for marriage and male friendships.

Public gatherings are considered appropriate occasions for boys to meet girls. Romantic bonfires in the moonlight draw boys and girls together to sing and to worship. After a period of courtship and permission, each family has granted to the marriage. An elderly gentleman is asked to propose the marriage to the bride-to-be’s parents. According to tradition, only the maternal uncle of the girl has the right to approve. Suitable gifts are presented to the bride’s family once approval has been given.

The day before the wedding, the maternal uncle of the groom takes gifts and often a white horse for the bride to ride on to the bride’s house or tent. Two maidens from the bride’s family greet the uncle and they share three wedding toasts of beer. The uncle presents a ceremonial scarf to the bride’s parents and blesses the household and all of its members. On the wedding day, the groom’s house or tent is refurbished. Bowls are painted with eight auspicious emblems ready for use, and a square carpet of white wool is laid to welcome guests. The bride puts on a white woolen wedding gown and rides a white horse to the groom’s house, escorted by her uncle and her groom’s uncle. His uncle rides ahead to announce her arrival. Another ‘wedding toast’ is sung by two maidens who are from the groom’s family while the bride dismounts in front of the groom’s house, stepping precisely in the middle of the white mat, on which an emblem is formed from grains of barley. The groom’s family asks him to dismount and come in. Another ceremonial scarf is exchanged, and blessings are invoked. The groom’s uncle formally begins the wedding ceremony, during which the bride and groom kneel in front of the groom’s uncle and a picture of Buddha while monks chant. The bride serves milk-tea to her future in-laws and flicks a fingertip of the tea above her head to salute heaven, earth, and Buddha.

endless knot ring

The wedding ceremony is followed by a joyful wedding feast, which is liberally interrupted by many presentations of ceremonial scarves, blessings, and gifts — so many that sometimes the groom and bride are nearly buried beneath the large number of scarves tied around their necks!

Dzi beads mala

The Buddha described Nirvana as the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger and other afflicting states. It is also the “end of the world”; there is no identity left, and no boundaries for the mind. The subject is at peace with the world, has compassion for all and gives up obsessions and fixations. This peace is achieved when the existing volitional formations are pacified, and the conditions for the production of new ones are eradicated. In Nirvana the root causes of craving and aversion have been extinguished, so that one is no longer subject to human suffering or further rebirth in Samsara.

The Buddha says of Nirvana that it is “the highest happiness”. This happiness is an enduring, transcendental happiness integral to the calmness attained through enlightenment or bodhi, rather than the happiness derived from impermanent things. The knowledge accompanying Nirvaṇa is expressed through the word bodhi.

beaded bracelet

The Buddha explains Nirvana as “the unconditioned” mind, a mind that has come to a point of perfect lucidity and clarity due to the cessation of the production of volitional formations. This is described by the Buddha as “deathlessness” and as the highest spiritual attainment, the natural result that accrues to one who lives a life of virtuous conduct and practice in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path.

rustic leather bracelet

Typical Tibetan clothes are made of sheepskin or wool. It is usually home-made by man. In the agriculture area the wool will be made ‘pulu’ first. Then the `pulu’ or sheepskin will be made into a gown with cloth or silk exterior cover. In the grassland, sheepskin is common. A sheepskin will be sun baked and then cleaned. It will be soaked for a few days in the liquid of milk after butter is extracted. Then it is ready for men to tailor.

The Tibetan robes, which serve as blankets at night, are very long and are worn down to the knees with the extra length tucked and held up by a waistband or belt. The robe produces two large pockets, one in front and another at the back, for people to carry things, including baby. When it is hot in the daytime, Tibetans will undress the right arms to disperse heat. If it is even hotter, then one may undress both arms and tie the sleeves around the waist.

For good clothes, the collar and hem are made of special materials. For man, the collar is sometimes made of leopard belt, fox belt. For woman, the collar is made of red cloth or several strips of bright colored cloths or corduroys. For hem, otter belt and silk will do.

It is necessary to have belt to tie up the Tibetan dress. Usually the belt is made of red, yellow or light green (young female may use pink) silk. The belt is well decorated. Man hangs flint box, needle box and Tibetan knife on it. Woman hangs copper or silver hook with butterfly and water lily designs. The belt is usually around the waist twice and then is tied behind with a knot. For a person in mourning of the dear ones, the knot is tied in front.

yak bone earrings, Buddha eyes

Pure Land Buddhism is based upon the Pure Land sutras that were first brought to China around 150 CE by the monks An Shih Kao and Lokaksema. The Pure Land sutras center on the figure of Amitabha (Amida in Japanese), one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, and his Pure Land paradise, called Sukhavati.

The Pure Land school first came to prominence with the founding of a monastery on Mount Lushan by Hui-yuan in 402 CE. It quickly spread throughout China and was later systematized by Shantao (613-681). The central teaching of Pure Land Buddhism is that nirvana is no longer practical nor possible to attain in our present day. Instead, one should focus on devotion to Amida, which will gain one enough karmic merit to go to the Pure Land (a Heaven or Paradise). The Pure Land is not an eternal destination, but a pleasant place in which all karma disappears and nirvana is simple to attain.

brass Buddhist ornament

Most Pure Land Buddhists focus on chanting or repeating a mantra of devotion to Amida, “Namu Amida Butsu,” as often as possible to reinforce a proper and sincere state of mind and gain admission to the Pure Land at death. This simple form of religious practice has contributed greatly to its popularity, especially in Japan.

Miao silver bracelet

The Miao are one of the most ancient of China’s nationalities, tracing their origins back more than 4,000 years. Prior to modernization of farming methods, they grew millet and buckwheat using the slash-and-burn methods. The Miao language has three main dialects, but there was no unified written script until 1956. Religions include nature and ancestor worship and Christianity.

Dispersed from southern China across northern Vietnam, Laos, and into Thailand, the Miao (also known as the Hmong), vary in dialect, styles of farming, and designation: Black, White, Red, blue, Flowery, and Cowrie Shell Miao among others. Forced southward by the Han, often despised and exploited, many settled in distant mountains, raising millet and buckwheat by slash-and-burn farming, their diet supplemented by domestic animals and hunting. Modernization, improved farming methods, organization of communes, and road building has been made difficult by the ragged terrain in which the Miao are scattered. The Miao are found in the Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Sichuan, Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai, Hunan, Guangdong, and Yunnan Provinces and the Guangxi Autonomous Region. They are part of the Hmong-Yao language family linguistic group.

About 195 km almost directly east of Guiyang in the town of Kaili. Kaili is a fairly uninspiring place but the area is host to a large number of minority festivals, over 130 annually. One of the largest is the Lusheng Festival, held from the 11th to the 18th of the first lunar month. The lusheng is a reed instrument used by the Miao people. Activities include playing the lusheng, dancing, drumming, bull fighting, and horse racing. Participants are said to number 30,000. The festival is held in Danxi. Other festivals are held midway in the 7th lunar month and in their New Year. Their New Year is celebrated in the first four days of the 10th lunar month by some 50,000 people.

dragon carved bracelet

About 752,000 Miao live in Yunnan Province scattered over eighty-seven counties. They are good at weaving, embroidery and Batik. Their excellent craftsmanship is well known.

The Tibetan calendar, a kind of almanac created by Tibetans has a history of 1300 years. The Tibetan calendar is mixed with the calendar of Yin and Yang, which is divided one year into four seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn. The first month of the twelve is Yin (correspondent to March). The big months alternate with the small months. After every two or three years an intercalary month is added to regulate the seasons. It is quite different between the intercalary time and agricultural calendar. Due to being influenced by the Han calendar, the heavenly stems have always designed the Tibetan calendar and Earthly branches as annuals. Its difference is used the Five Elements to go instead of ten Heavenly stems. Jia yi (the first and the second of the ten heavenly stems) is symbolized of wood. Bing ding (the third and the fourth) is symbolized of fire. Wu ji (the fifth and the sixth) is symbolized of earth. Geng xin (the seventh and the eighth) is symbolized of gold. Ren gui (the ninth and the tenth) is symbolized of water. Any of the twelve animals goes instead of the twelve Earthly branches such as Zi is symbolized of the rat. Chou is symbolized of oxen and so on. For instance, Jia zi year in lunar calendar is called the year of fire tiger in Tibetan calendar. A cycle of sixty years is called “Rabchung” in Tibetan calendar, which is similar in content to “the sixty year-old” in the hinterland of China.

yak bone amulet

rustic leather bracelet

The Tibetan people call their folk opera “Lhamo,” meaning “Sister Fairy.” It employs singing and dancing to tell stories.

Tibetan opera dates back about 1,400 years. Compared with the few other folk operas of Chinese ethnic minorities, it has the longest history. According to Tibetan historical records, King Songtsan Gambo greatly admired the costumes, music and dancing of the Tang Dynasty introduced to Tibet by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty when she married the Tibetan king. He arranged for the training of 16 beautiful girls in a combined art form of the Tang-style and Tibetan folk music and dancing in order to entertain the princess. Later, this entertainment developed into a more clearly defined form of dancing, singing and facting.

Tibetan operas reflect the Tibetan people’s lives of various periods. The original scripts from which the operas were adapted have remained popular readings among Tibetans for centuries. There are about 20 traditional programs, but unfortunately some of the play scripts have been lost, and only the names, and sometimes the plots, are known today. The remaining repertoire of the traditional programs centers on historical tales and legends, romantic fables and social life.

Tibetan operas call for skills in singing, dancing, elocution and martial arts. The singing is sonorous and marked by drawls at the end. Frequent use of ensembles and choruses both on-and off-stage add more impact to the singing. The dance movements are exaggerated and very energetic. Scenes that occur in everyday life, such as when two persons meet or when they bid farewell to each other, are also projected in a dancing style.

carved yak bone earrings

Both the words “Zen” (Japanese) and “Chan” (Chinese) derive from the Sanskrit word Dhyana, meaning “meditation.” Zen Buddhism focuses on attaining enlightenment through meditation as Sakyamuni did. It teaches that all human beings have the Buddha-nature, or the potential to attain enlightenment, within them, but the Buddha-nature been clouded by ignorance. To overcome this ignorance, Zen rejects the study of scriptures, religious rites, devotional practices, and good works in favor of meditation leading to a sudden breakthrough of insight and awareness of ultimate reality. Training in the Zen path is usually undertaken by a disciple under the guidance of a master.

yak bone amulet

Zen began in China (where it is called Chan) in the 6th century CE. Its introduction to China is generally attributed to Bodhidharma, a South Indian monk who arrived in China in about 520 CE. Its philosophical background can be found in the Lankavatara Sutra, which was composed in the 4th century or earlier in India. As it developed in China, it was also influenced by Taoist concepts. This is especially apparent in the Chan emphasis on spontaneity and naturalness in all things, which significantly influenced Chinese painting, writing, and other arts.

silver pendant

Thangka is a uniquely Tibetan traditional art that evolved between the 7th and 12th centuries. Its origins lay in Indian religious art, but Nepalese, Chinese and Kashmiri styles also influenced its development. Painted on canvas and mounted in silk brocade, a thangka is more than just a work of art. It is an object of devotion, an aid to spiritual practice, and a bringer of blessings.

Thangkas come in a huge variety of styles, depicting various subjects. A thangka may portray the Buddha or some other deity, or a concept in Tibetan cosmology, astrology or medicine. The iconography of the thangka is rich in information about the spiritual practice of Buddhists and the Tibetan worldview. A thangka can help a meditator to learn and emulate the qualities of a particular deity, or to visualize his or her path towards enlightenment. It can bring blessings on the household and serves as a constant reminder of the Buddha’s teachings of compassion, kindness and wisdom. Thangkas of particular deities may be used for protection or to overcome difficulties such as sickness.

Thangka painting involves mastery of many demanding techniques: mastery in sketching the illustrations and numerous deities according to formal iconography rules laid down by generations of Tibetan masters; learning to grind and apply the paints, which are made from natural stone pigments; and learning to prepare and apply details in pure gold. From the canvas preparation and drawing of the subject, through to mixing and applying colors, decorating with gold, and mounting the finished work in brocade, the creation of a thangka painting involves skill and care at each stage and displays meticulous detail and exquisite artisanship. Thangka painting requires extended concentration, attention to detail, and knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, and must be carried out in a peaceful environment.

Buddha protection talisman

The first significant event in the history of Tibetan Buddhism occurred in 641, when King Songtsen Gampo unified Tibet and took two Buddhist wives (Princess Wencheng from China and Princess Bhrikuti Devi from Nepal). Before long, King Gampo made Buddhism the state religion and established a network of 108 Buddhist temples across the region, including the Jokhang and Ramoché temples to house the Buddha statues his wives had brought as their dowries. Conflict with the former national religion, Bön, however, would continue for centuries.

The most important event in Tibetan Buddhist history was the arrival of the great tantric mystic Padmasambhava in Tibet in 774 at the invitation of King Trisong Detsen. It was Padmasambhava who merged tantric Buddhism with the local Bön religion to form what we now recognize as Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to writing a number of important scriptures (some of which Tibetan Buddhists believe he hid for future monks to find at the right time), Padmasambhava established the Nyingma school from which all schools of Tibetan Buddhism are derived.

Tibetan Buddhism exerted a strong influence from the 11th century AD among the peoples of Central Asia, especially in Mongolia and Manchuria. It was adopted as an official state religion by the Mongol Yuan dynasty and the Manchu Qing dynasty of China.

Buddha statue

In common with Mahayana schools, Tibetan Buddhism includes a pantheon of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and Dharma protectors. Arya-bodhisattvas are able to escape the cycle of death and rebirth but compassionately choose to remain in this world to assist others in reaching nirvana or buddhahood. Dharma protectors are mythic figures incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism from various sources who are pledged to protecting and upholding the Dharma. Many of the specific figures are unique to Tibet.

BaBao copper talisman

The Theravada form of Buddhism is dominant in southern Asia, especially in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. For this reason it is sometimes known as “Southern Buddhism.”

Theravada means “The Way of the Elders” in Pali, reflecting the Theravadins’ belief that they most closely follow the original beliefs and practices of the Buddha and the early monastic Elders. The authoritative text for Theravadas is the Pali Canon, an early Indian collection of the Buddha’s teachings. The later Mahayana sutras are not recognized.

The purpose of life for Theravadins is to become an arhat, a perfected saint who has acheived nirvana and will not be reborn again. As a result, Southern Buddhism tends to be more monastic, strict and world-renouncing than its Northern counterpart, and its approach is more philosophical than religious.

dorje prayer box

Because of this focus on personal attainment and its requirement that one must renounce the world to achieve salvation, Mahayana Buddhists refer to Theravada Buddhism as the “Lesser Vehicle” (Hinayana). In Theravada, it is thought to be highly unlikely, even impossible, that a layperson can achieve liberation. Because Mahayana disagrees, it regards itself as providing a “Greater Vehicle” to liberation, in which more people can participate.

brass talisman

Mahayana Buddhism emerged in the first century CE as a more liberal, accessible interpretation of Buddhism. As the “Greater Vehicle”, Mahayana is a path available to people from all walks of life – not just monks and ascetics.

Mahayana Buddhism is the primary form of Buddhism in North Asia and the Far East, including China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia, and is thus sometimes known as Northern Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhists accept the Pali Canon as sacred scripture with the Theravadans, but also many other works, the Sutras, which were written later and in Sanskrit.

Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists differ in their perspective on the ultimate purpose of life and the way in which it can be attained. Theravada Buddhists strive to become arhats, or perfected saints who have attained enlightenment and nirvana. This is considered to only be possible for monks and nuns, who devote their entire lives to the task. The best outcome the laity can hope for is to be reborn in the monastic life.

Buddha protection talisman

Mahayana Buddhists, on the other hand, hope to become not arhats but boddhisatvas, saints who have become enlightened but who unselfishly delay nirvana to help others attain it as well, as the Buddha did. Perhaps more significantly for one who would choose between the paths, Mahayana Buddhists teach that enlightenment can be attained in a single lifetime, and this can be accomplished even by a layperson. The various subdivisions within the Mahayana tradition, such as Zen, Nichiren, and Pure Land, promote different ways of attaining this goal, but all are agreed that it can be attained in a single lifetime by anyone who puts his or her mind to it.

ancient style Buddha lock

Tibetan painting originated from rock painting in ancient times. It consists mainly of the animal images of deer, ox, sheep, horses, and hunting scenes. Painting was quite developed in ancient times, especially after Buddhism arrived, and religious painting was further developed. Buddhist art not only retains the best of traditional Tibetan art, but is also influenced by Indian, Nepali and Chinese art. Tibet Buddhism is very abstruse; the artists painted distinctive images of Buddha, and many pictures of him. The painting is mainly exhibited in sculpture, wall paintings, thankas, etc.

Wall paintings contain rich content, involving religion, politics, history, economy, culture, Tibetan medicine, and social life. Any of the Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist messages, fairy tales, history stories, daily living scenes, mountains and rivers, birds and flowers, patterns and adornment can be adopted into a wall painting, which has a unique style. It uses cold and dark colors, such as black, dark blue, mauve, dark grey, brown and white; drawing with lines, especially plain lines; simple, rough and sparse outlines. It has the same style of art as the atmosphere of the monastery, and contains exaggerated and distorted art images.

handmade vase

The painters gave human life to the statue of Buddha through art, which make the statue look faithful, handsome, merciful, charming, fiery and forthright. Such works exist as picture-story book in all the monasteries. Each of these images has distinct features that can be easily recognized by someone who knows a little bit of Tibetan culture. Tibetan wall painting is actually pictures of Tibetan history. It describes visually social living, the development of religion, historical tales, local conditions and the customs of Tibet. It is a pearl of Tibetan art!