All language subtitles for Asian.Corridor.in.Heaven.2of6.Road.to.Pilgrimage.720p.Bluray.x264.AAC.MVGroup.Forum

Insight Asia

Asian Corridor in Heaven

< Road to Pilgrimage >

After the fall harvest,

men on horses gather
in the village.

Tomorrow, they will be starting off
on their pilgrimage to Lhasa, Tibet.

Calingding, Dege, Sichuan Province,
October 20, 2006

A small village in China's
Dege of Sichuan Province.

This town lies on the border
of Tibet and Sichuan Province.

The pilgrims are busy with their
last-minute preparations.

This is a glove made of
wood and leather.

It's a necessity for these people
who will be bowing on the ground.

They need about 50-60
wooden gloves

in order to make it to
Lhasa bowing along the way.

All of the pilgrims are shepherds
that attend to yaks.

As they are nomads, they are very
familiar with packing.

But the trails that
they must take

are dangerous
beyond one's imagination.

Five men pay a visit
to the living Buddha.

For the Tibetans, the living Buddha
is an incarnation of Buddha himself.

The pilgrims must do everything
that the Buddha tells them to.

The living Buddha informs
the travellers of

what they must remember
during their pilgrimage.

The full bows begin
in front of the white tower

at the temple of
the living Buddha.

The pilgrims must not kill
living things on the road.

They leave for their journey,

promising not to lie and
to avoid temptations.

2, 100 kilometers to Lhasa.

It's a long way on foot.
But they must travel

the entire path bowing,
with their heads, two hands

and feet touching the ground.

For the Tibetans, the pilgrimage
is a life-long dream.

Everyone knows what
a difficult task it is,

without even having to ask.

In a cave, the living Buddha recites
Buddhist text each time

villagers go on a pilgrimage.

He prays that the pilgrims

will be safe on their travels.

View of Zhangdu in Tibet,
December 20, 2006

Meanwhile, a wagon loaded

with food and camping

equipment follows behind.

Pulling the heavy wagon is

just as difficult as
performing the bows.

The procession is still slow.

They can travel only
6 kilometers per day.

The pilgrims rest after travelling
for only 200 meters.

Why must they go on this very
dangerous and difficult journey?

It's not easy to be born human again

and I don't want to waste
the rest of my life.

Going on the pilgrimage to Lhasa

is the most meaningful thing
I've done in my life.

I've seen many people spend
their lives in agony and die.

Perhaps, they will end up
in horrendous hell.

I'm preparing for my death because
it's bound to happen someday.

The pilgrimage is a preparation for
my next life when I'm born again.

The path from Sichuan to Lhasa.

The plateau is situated
at 4,000 meters above sea level

and used to be an important path

in the Himalayas dating
back to the Tang Dynasty.

Amongst the pilgrims,

there are families that
have come with children.

We asked one pilgrim
on the road

why she was taking on
such a difficult task.

Her first son died recently
in an accident.

The family had forsaken all of

their possessions and started
out on this pilgrimage.

It was really hard after my son died.

But it's something that everyone
must go through in life.

I'm sacrificing myself on this
road to pilgrimage.

I pray for all living
creatures as

I go on this very
difficult journey.

In the process, my family is able to
find stability and happiness.

For the Tibetans, life and death
are linked on a single wheel.

A sky burial was being carried out.

The burial consists of a corpse cut into
pieces and fed to the vultures.

It's a traditional burial
of the Tibetans.

As the hungry vultures' are fed,

the bodies are given back to
the world as offerings.

Sky burials and the pilgrimage.

They're both dire prayers
for all living life forms.

View of Bangda in Tibet,
January 3, 2006

It's not just the well paved roads
that the pilgrims travel on.

They must past through steep
hills and cross deep valleys.

Having reached a stream,
the pilgrims must bow

according to the width
of it before crossing.

The same applies when
they meet a wall.

They must bow down in advance of
what they cannot cross.

They've travelled 600
kilometers so far.

They must continue to go another
1,500 kilometers in this fashion.

Two elderly men, Busa and Lulu,
are getting ready to camp out.

The two men pull the carts,
set up tents,

fetch water, and prepare meals for

the three people who
are on the pilgrimage.

They start out late but

arrive early at their destinations
to wait for the three men.

Another long and hard day has
passed for the pilgrims.

Bread made of barley
powder and tea

is all that they eat for dinner.

Along the road,

local villagers dressed in

traditional Tibetan costumes
greet the pilgrims.

A living Buddha from a nearby temple
has come to see them.

A white cloth called the "hada"
is presented to the living Buddha.

The living Buddha then hangs the "hada"
on each person's neck with blessing.

The living Buddha leaves the
village in just a few minutes.

But for the simple villagers
of the mountains,

his visit is a great
blessing and comfort.

The full bow is

one that allows one to lower himself
or herself to the fullest.

The three claps before the bow

signifies one's body,
mind, and words.

And by bowing on the ground,
theses three elements

are offered to Buddha.

At this point in time,

pilgrims believe that all people
are bowing down with

them and that Buddha will accept
all of their earnest prayers.

A large, hard mole has appeared on
the forehead of all three men.

It's a wound that had healed only to
be cut open again many times.

The harder the bruise is,

the longer and more difficult
the pilgrimage had been.

After our departure,
each of us used 15 wooden gloves.

I brought eight leather aprons,

but I've used up five already.

The only thing left now are rubber tires
and it's very heavy.

I already have many wounds.

My feet and chest
have been bruised.

Numerous blisters have come
and gone on my knee

and have hardened the skin.

All of my joints are
swollen in the morning

and my hands have
hardened as well.

The leather aprons must be replaced every
100 kilometers travelled.

When the leather
becomes worn out,

pieces of rubber tire are
used to fill up the holes.

Elevation is high
at 4,500 kilometers.

The temperature falls to below 20
in the middle of the night.

The exhausting day comes to an end
as the pilgrims read their text.

Mt. Mila in Tibet,
March 7, 2007

The next morning...

Busa has hit the road once more
but he has hard time breathing.

Breathing is difficult when walking up
the highly elevated mountain.

Two men have started their full bows
where they left off yesterday.

There is one person missing.

The youngest Dawa has decided to pull
the cart because he isn't feeling well.

Busa is sixty six this year.

He's been sick with a lung condition
for the longest time.

He was able to come
on this trip only

after persuading the living
Buddha who had been

worried about Busa's health.

Going on this trip was
Busa's last wish in life.

Mt. Mila is an alpine 5,400 kilometers in height.

The alp is the most difficult hurdle
for the pilgrims.

Lapa and Cheoja have reached
the rough mountain path.

The pilgrims climb up a steep cliff
that lacks proper path.

They cannot go around
it just because it's rugged.

The Tibetans believe that
the more pain you suffer,

the greater your sin
will be cleansed.

They start to prepare lunch having reached
the peak of Mt. Mila late in the afternoon.

All they have left to eat now are
some beef jerky and bits of bread.

Their bodies are
sick and exhausted

but no one is worried about
the remaining journey.

If someone were to die,

a funeral will be held on that spot.

It's actually an honour to
die during a pilgrimage.

If the illness becomes severe,
I may have to go back home

so that I'm not a burden
to the other men.

But I want to finish the journey
because I've come this far.

Busa is pulling the cart once more
on his way down Mt. Mila.

The downhill allows
the pilgrims to increase speed,

pressing on 10 kilometers per day.

This is the first village they've
come across after Mt. Mila.

A lady from the village offers some tea
with yak butter to the tired men.

The Tibetans know
that the pilgrimage

is not just an individual

task but encompasses everyone.

The ill-stricken Busa visits
a nearby hospital.

It won't be easy to cure his illness
in this small village clinic.

The doctor tells him
to take a rest,

but Busa wishes to
push on forward.

The winter weather in the
plateau is very fickle.

The sandstorm and the snow are
a nuisance to the pilgrims.

Rice was prepared for Busa,

but he's too sick to eat,
taking in a cup of tea instead.

It's been 6 months since the pilgrims
have left Dege of Sichuan Province.

Spring has come at last.

Lhasa is not so far away now.

185 days have passed on their journey.

The pilgrims are finally able to
see Lhasa within their sights.

As they enter Lhasa,
even Busa has started to bow again.

This is the Potala Palace of the
Tubo Kingdom that once ruled

the Tibetan lands 1,200 years ago.

Potala Palace, a historical landmark,

presents a time when the teachings
of Buddha ruled Tibet.

It's a holy place where Tibetans
are strongly attracted to.

Why is it that Tibetans yearn
so much to travel to Lhasa?

The answer lies here.

The Chimpu Stream is situated in Northern Lhasa.

It's a place where hermits
come to meditate.

Padmasambhava came to Tibet
1,000 years ago from India.

He spread Buddhism in all of Tibet.

He taught the Tibetans
about life after death.

This cave is where he meditated

when he first arrived in Tibet.

The pilgrims have finished their journey.

They meditate according to the
teachings of Padmasambhava,

while awaiting death
and preparing for their next lives.

The people that come to Chimpu

have rid their lives of comfort
and worldly desires.

People seek Lhasa and Chimpu
despite the adversities

because these places are considered to be
mirrors on which to reflect their souls.

The pilgrims head for their final destination
amongst the crowd.

They're heading for Jokhang Temple,

the head temple of Tibetan Buddhism.

186 days have passed.

The pilgrims are finally in front of
their final destination,

the Jokhang Temple.

They've realized their wishes.

People handover the 'hada'
to the pilgrims

and congratulate them on
the end of their noble journey.

The heavily locked doors open
at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

Jokhang Temple was founded
by Songsten Gampo,

the King that unified Tibet for
the firs time in the 7th century

When Princess Mung-chang of the
Tang Dynasty came to wed

King Songsten Gampo, she brought
along with her a statue of

Buddha that can be found
inside the temple.

Tibetans have prayed and worshipped

the statue for the last 1,400 years.

The pilgrims have travelled

2, 100 kilometers
to see this statue.

The men have finished
their visit to the temple.

But their pilgrimage
isn't over just yet.

I prayed about just one thing

the minute I left home
until I arrived in Lhasa.

In the past, I had too much to
drink and led a dissipated life.

And I've been praying about what type
of person I want to be in the future.

I've prayed in front of the Buddha statue

at Jokhang Temple for the well-being
of all living creatures.

After the pilgrimage, I'm going to
perform only good deeds.

In order to do this, I'm going to leave
home and become a lama.

My wish came true upon arriving in Lhasa.

Buddha taught us to seek benevolence.

I want to be someone with
a big heart in my next life

so that I can lessen
the sufferings of others.

While I'm still alive, I want to spend
my life praying for others.

The pilgrims that travelled 2, 100 kilometers,
over a period of 7 months,

have started their full bows again
in front of Jokhang Temple.

Lhasa isn't the end of their pilgrimage.

For these men that have started out
in the Himalayas,

It's just the beginning of a new pilgrimage.

These men arrived in Jokhang Temple
On April 21, 2007,

and left on June 14, 2007,

after bowing another 100,000 times.

Busa and Lulu went back
to their hometowns.

Dawa went to a mountain near his hometown
to pick vegetable worms to earn money.

Lappa and Cheoja became lamas
when they returned to their temple.