Society

Eternal hope lit by butter lamp

By Qing Yang (China Tibet Information Center)
Updated: 2010-04-30 15:08

In the eyes of Gods, all worldly beings are equal and tiny ones. But, love and care are always helpful when getting through a catastrophe. From the very moment that the Yushu earthquake broke, our hearts were repeatedly torn by the rising number of victims.

Standing on the snow-covered plateau and looking back on the land where Gesar once enjoyed horse racing, my eyes are blurred with tears and my heart suffered great pain and grief.

Today is the eighth day on Tibetan calendar since the quake, an important date as the old man named Xiluo once said. A couple of days ago, in order to make donations for Yushu at a Lhasa hotel, he carried two bags full of newly made Zanba. He was in such a hurry that Zanba were still warm when he arrived. Xiluo has worked as a truck driver on the Qinghai-Tibet Expressway for 40 years. Having retired, he felt regretful that he couldn’t deliver those supplies himself now. But the old man still had one wish: to light up the yak butter lamp for the victims in temples on the eighth day of Tibetan Calendar, which was the best way to mourn the dead according to Tibetan customs.

In Buddhist belief, lamp is an symbol of "wisdom and light". Yak butter lamp is considered as the spiritual light of Tibetan Buddhism. From the moment the devastating earthquake hit Yushu, the Tibetans polished the coppered-colored lamp one after another, put on white wicks, and filled the lamps with yak butter to light them up in the shabby blue tents. The everbright lamps brought orientation to the lost souls and comfort to the weary bodies of the quake-affected area, drove away the evil spirit and found light of hope among people.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Zhuoma Yongcuo arrived at the Gongdelin Temple at the foot of Mount Lhasa Yaowang. Thousands of ghee lamps had been lit by pilgrims and the room was blazed with lights. She came into another lit-up room next door, and lit up 100 ghee lamps for donation, which was called as "Jiaque" in Tibetan language. As high temperature remained in the room, it made her hard to breath and her face and hands were burnt by the overwhelming hot waves. She took the mask out of the pocket and put it on her face and covered her head with her jacket for protection. Then she lit up the lamps piously one by one. She sent her prayers to the survivors in Yushu and wished that they could live peacefully in the future and the deceased relieve their souls.

Share can not reduce the disaster of Yushu, but the sadness can make people stronger with hope. With the company of the yak butter lamps, the dead could find light from the dark and the way to the heaven, while the alive will no longer be confused for the brotherly relief could bring true help. The lamps and hope can be lit up together bringing them back to the spring with Desang flowers in full bloom.

The dead have gone away in the debris but we have stayed alive. We will bury our sorrow, wipe our tears and move on. We will rebuild a more prosperous Yushu with their relatives on the place where they were gone. In five years, there will be a new ecological town on the plateau. This is not only our sincerity and determination, but also our responsibility. God bless China! God bless Yushu!