Learning the dance In Tibetan culture, the way we make, serve and consume Tsampa is good manners. This is how everyone in the communities of my youth does this amazing spectacle. To enjoy this Tibetan soul food, it is customary for the woman of the house to layer the initial ingredient for Tsampa in individual […]
Buddhist Rituals
Tsamba: First Food of the Tibetans, Part 1
Cultural significance of Tsampa རྩམ་པ Culturally significant, nutritionally rich, and simply made with an ancient grain, barley, Tsamba (AKA Tsampa) has been a fast and honest food of Tibetan people for centuries. It is not only a predominant staple of our diet but is also used for Buddhist and mystical rituals. The word “tsamba” refers to coarse […]
Losar Preparation: Spiritual Visual Feast
During Losar or Lo sar, Tibetan New Year, preparation, you would not need to travel far to learn much about the festival and to perceive a variety of cultural expressions. Every family displays a visual feast without realizing it. Today, I’m sharing my observations during a 5-minute walk from one family to another, passing our […]
A Peaceful Welcome
If you ever visit a place on this small mountain range called the “Tibetan plateau,” one of the first things you’ll encounter is an abundance of cultural expressions. Colorful fabrics, Buddhist symbols carved in stones and paintings are on display everywhere. No need for reservation. You can see them all right from the road through […]
Glimpse of Tibet’s Moon
A tall, historic figure, and golden charm once electrified every corner of the Tibetan plateau, he was Tibet’s “Moon”– the 10th Panchan Lama (པཎ་ཆེན་རེན་པོ་ཆེ།, Pictures of him seen here). Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama and Panchan Lama as the “Sun” and the “Moon”. They are ranked the highest and second highest in Tibetan Buddhism, […]