Today’s
The World Around Us
will be presented
in Tibetan,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Indonesian, Italian,
Japanese, Korean, Malay,
Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish, Tibetan and Thai.
Greetings lovely viewers.
Standing on the roof
of the world, Lhasa,
the capital of Tibet,
one can seem to
touch the clear sky and
hear above the clouds.
Here, nestled
among snowy mountains,
is an ancient,
mystic edifice atop
of the Red Mountain.
This is the home
of Dalai Lamas
and the spiritual center
of Tibetans:
the Potala Palace.
The Potala Palace
was first established
in the 7th century
by Songtsan Gampo,
the king of Tubo Kingdom.
He was a charming
and brave man
who unified the kingdom.
Under his wise reign,
Tubo Kingdom enjoyed
a peaceful prosperity.
To strengthen the country,
King Songtsan Gampo
wished to introduce
the advanced culture and
technologies from China.
Thus, he presented
a marriage proposal
to Emperor Taizong
of the Tang Dynasty.
At the time, many
neighboring kingdoms
of China also wanted
to establish a matrimonial
relationship with China.
So Emperor Taizong
held a contest among
a dozen of envoys
to select a husband
for his royal niece.
In the end, the intelligent
and courteous envoy sent
by King Songtsan Gampo
won the contest.
Therefore, in 641,
Princess Wencheng
from the Tang Dynasty
was married to
King Songtsan Gampo.
She not only
brought to Tibet
advanced technologies,
culture, medicine,
a calendar,
but most importantly,
she introduced Buddhism
to the Tibetans, as she was
an ardent Buddhist.
For these contributions
to Tibet,
Princess Wencheng was
revered as the incarnation
of White Tara,
the goddess of
compassion, and
King Songtsan Gampo
as the incarnation of
the Quan Yin Boddhisattva,
or Avalokitesvara
Boddhisattva.
To greet his bride,
King Songtsan Gampo
ordered to construct
a palace with 999 rooms
on the Red Mountain;
this was the first phase
of the Potala Palace.
“Potala” means
“the sacred place
of Buddhism”
or “residence
of Avalokitesvara
Boddhisattva.”
The palace was called
Potala, not only because
it was once the residency
of King Songtsan Gampo,
but also because of
the Tibetan people’s
admiration
of Avalokitesvara
Boddhisattva.
In fact, according to legend,
Tibetans are
the descendants
of a monkey
sent by Avalokitesvara
Boddhisattva to Tibet
for spiritual training.
The hill on which
the Potala rests represents
Avalokitesvara.
The hill to the south
represents
the bodhisattva Vajrapani,
and another hill
represents
the bodhisattva Manjushri.
Together, they form
the “Three Protectors
of Tibet.”
In the 9th century,
the palace built by
King Songtsan Gampo
was almost all lost to a fire
caused by lightning.
The current Potala Palace
was built
under the instruction of
the Great Fifth Dalai Lama,
Lobsang Gyatso
over the late 17th century.
The 5th Dalai Lama
moved to the palace
in 1649.
Since then,
the vast Potala Palace
has always been
the political and
spiritual center of Tibet,
and the residency
of Dalai Lamas.
Built at an altitude
of 3,700 meters,
the Potala Palace is
the highest palace
in the world.
The palace itself is
117 meters high
with 13 stories.
The Potala Palace
can be accessed through
two long winding stairways
in the front.
They signify
the long spiritual journey
to contact Divinity.
The stairway
to the east gate, called
“the Path of Perfection,”
is for pilgrims,
and the one
to the west gate, called
“the Path of Liberation,”
is for monks.
The Potala Palace mainly
consists of three colors:
red, white and yellow.
The red color represents
stateliness and power,
white stands for
peace and kindness,
and yellow is the color
of the Gelug tradition
of Buddhism, representing
infinite blessings.
Under the foundation
on the slope
of the mountain,
there are hundreds
of underground tunnels,
which enable air
to flow and circulate.
The whole construction
does not use
a steel frame core.
The walls were built with
stone, earth, and wood,
ranging from two to
five meters in thickness.
The thick walls
help the building stay cool
in summer
and retain heat in winter.
Another clever design
incorporated
in the architecture
of the Potala Palace
is its lightning
protection system.
Situated at the highest
point of the building,
the roofs and sutra pillars
made of gold and brass
are excellent conductors
of electricity.
Under the roofs,
there are copper pipes
which serve two functions:
one is to bring rainwater
down from the roofs,
and the other is
to give electricity
a path to the ground.
Some parts of the walls
are strengthened
by molten copper,
which also helps
to transfer electricity.
Indeed,
the 5th Dalai Lama’s
lightning strike
prevention system provides
well-rounded protection
to the structures.
When we return,
we will take a closer look
at the Potala Palace
in Tibet.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
The World Around Us
on Supreme Master
Television.
Tibetan people regarded
the Potala Palace
in Lhasa, Tibet
as the most sacred place.
Their reverence
for the palace is reflected
in the following folk song
sung throughout
the Tibetan plateau.
The lyrics say:
“On the golden roof
of the Potala,
rises the golden sun
It is not the golden sun,
but the precious face
of the Lama
On the slopes of the Potala,
starts the sound
of the golden oboe
It is not the sound
of the golden oboe,
but the voice
of the Lama chanting
At the foot of the Potala,
multi-hued khatak (scarfs)
are fluttering
They are not multi-hued
khatak (scarfs), but
the robes of the Lama”
The Potala Palace complex
mainly has two buildings,
the White Palace
and the Red Palace,
which are distinguished
by their color.
The entire palace contains
over 1,000 rooms
and 10,000 chapels.
The White Palace is
the administrative
and living space
of Dalai Lamas.
The largest hall
in the White Palace
is the East Hall.
It is where Dalai Lamas
held their throne ascension
ceremonies and other
major celebrations.
On the roof
of the White Palace are
Chambers of Sunshine,
named for
the ample daylight
they receive all day long.
These are the sleeping
rooms of Dalai Lamas.
The one at the west
belonged to
the 13th Dalai Lama,
and the east one belonged
to the 14th Dalai Lama.
The only two
remaining chapels
from the 7th century,
the Saint’s Chapel
and the Dharma Cave,
are also located
in the White Palace.
The Dharma Cave was said
to be the place where
King Songtsan Gampo
studied
the Buddhist scriptures
and cultivated himself.
The Red Palace
is mainly used for
religious study and prayer.
It contains halls
and shrines dedicated to
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
It also features
eight stupa shrines
of the past Dalai Lamas.
The most impressive stupa,
which is richly covered
with precious stones
and gold, is to honor
the 5th Dalai Lama.
The stupa
of the 13th Dalai Lama
is also splendid,
containing jewels and gold.
The Potala Palace
contains 200,000 statues.
These statues are
of Buddhist or historical
figures in the Tibetan style,
which have vivid detail
and vibrant colors.
One of the most
famous statues
is the two-meter statue
of the enlightened Master
Tsongkhapa, the founder
of the Gelug lineage of
the Dalai Lama tradition.
In the Dharma Cave
are the precious statues
of King Songtsan Gampo,
Princess Wencheng,
and Songtsan Gampo’s
officials.
The many treasures
stored in the palace also
include colorful murals
covering a total area
of 2,500 square meters.
In the Great West Hall
of the Red Palace,
the fine murals portray
the life story
of the 5th Dalai Lama,
including his trip
to Beijing visiting
Emperor Shunzhi
of the Qing Dynasty.
Other elaborate murals
depict the life events
of Dalai Lamas,
religious stories,
historical figures,
mythology, and folklore.
The 14th Dalai Lama,
His Holiness
Tenzin Gyatso,
once recounted
that when he got tired
from studying,
he would just sit there
and hear the stories
told by these great
and exquisite murals.
The palace also preserves
thousands of ancient scrolls,
volumes of scriptures,
crafts, gifts and treasures
belonging to
past Dalai Lamas.
Some scriptures
can be dated to
more than 1,000 years ago.
Some are written on
leaves of pattra palm tree
imported from India.
Some are written with
different colors of inks
made of the powder of
gold, silver, iron, copper,
or sapphire.
As said
by the 14th Dalai Lama,
the Potala Palace
is a place where
one can never discover
all its secrets even if
he lives there for years.
Near the Potala Palace
is a lake called
the Dragon King Lake.
It is said
that to build the palace,
much soil was taken
from the foothill.
The pure spring water
started to come out
from the Earth and
eventually formed the lake.
Later, the 6th Dalai Lama
built a small temple
on the island of the lake
and dedicated it
to the dragon goddess.
With willow trees around,
the lake is now
a beautiful park
for people to enjoy.
In 1994,
the Potala Palace joined
the World Heritage List
of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)
for its design, decoration,
and harmonious
setting within
a dramatic landscape.
Today,
during summer season,
the Potala Palace
welcomes 6,000 pilgrims
and visitors
from around the world
every day.
They pray and
pay respect to Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas and
in turn receive blessings.
They sincerely wish
for peace for all beings.
May the holy Potala Palace
be well preserved
and continue to inspire
sincere people in seeking
ultimate enlightenment.
Kind viewers, thank you
for joining us on
The World Around Us.
Please now stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television
for Words of Wisdom,
after Noteworthy News.
May all be blessed with
Heaven’s infinite love.