Picture of Turning the wheel: Tibetan pilgrim in Dondrubling monastery (Tibet, China)

Tibetan pilgrim turning his prayer wheel in Dondrubling monastery

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Pilgrimage is a vital part of the life of any Tibetan, and Tibetan pilgrims are inevitably part of life for any visitor to these parts of the world.
I had seen it on TV: prostrating pilgrims on their way to Lhasa. But when I saw a lonely figure in a desolate landscape near Lake Ngoring, appearing to come out of the landscape and disappearing in it again, I did not directly realize what I was seeing. It was a Tibetan pilgrim, prostrating right through the landscape; not following the road, but choosing a direct line instead. I watched him, and was very impressed by what I saw. Prostration, or chaktsal, is a particularly cumbersome way to move forward. The pilgrim puts his hands together in a namaste-position, then touches his forehead, throat and heart, then bends down, with his hands on the ground before him and his head down, after which he stretches out to lie face-down on the ground. He then gets up, and steps to where his hands were touching the ground just before. Obviously, walking would be easier, and is done by most pilgrims. But for some, prostration makes the pilgrimage so much more intense, shows their dedication, and increases the chance of good luck, a better rebirth, or of accomplishing the goal of the pilgrimage, whatever it may be.
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