Religion

This stupa was built by a disciple of Shardong Renbochen. Sacred items were put inside the stupa when it was built. People in the village circumambulate the stupa every day, praying that every sentient being may live happily.

From a Buddhist perspective, mchod rten (stupa) protect a community from evils and disasters. Mchod rten are usually built on mountain slopes.

Elderly people chant and worship at an old Mani hall in Tsang smath Township, Brag ‘go County, Dkar mdzes Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. They come to worship twice a day - in the morning and in the afternoon. Most of these old people are taken care of by their children.

Some examples of the Daoist fortune tellers operating in front of the lower monastic complex at Nan Shan. Amongst the objects shown here is a woodblock for making talismans. I could not identify the 'gourd' on the right.

Plaque accompanying the previous thangka in the museum's lobby. It is a representative sample of the style (and level) of English adorning many exhibitions throughout the museum. Similar plaques, spaced roughly five feet apart, run all along the record-holding thangka (not photographed) and give the names of each being or scene depicted. I could not detect any pattern in the curators' choices between giving a Sanskrit name or an awkward English equivalent. In all cases Tibetan (in Wylie transliteration) was also given.