Tibetans, the people who descend from the monkey
According to an ancient myth, the Tibetans originated from the union of an ogress (raksasi) and a monkey. The monkey was sent by Avalokitesvara, Mother Buddha, to sow the seed of Buddhism in these lands.
One day, an ogress approached the monkey and tried to tempt him to marry her. At first the monkey refused, but the ogress continued:
«If you do not marry me, I will become the wife of a devil and give birth to countless children and grandchildren. In future times this plateau will become a world full of devils and thousands of people will be killed. So please do as I have told you.»
Full of doubts, the monkey consulted Avalokitesvara on how he should act, who replied that such a marriage was his destiny and a good deed for Tibet. So they finally married and had five children who learned to speak, lost their tails and became the ancestors of the Tibetan people.
This story is very popular in Tibet, found in myths, legends and wall paintings. Its reflection has remained forever in toponymy, for the name Tsetang, the place where its kings are said to have originated and its most ancient spiritual center, means in Tibetan «the place where monkeys play».
It is curious to note that long before Charles Darwin formulated his theories of evolution in which it is affirmed that man descends from the monkey, in some lands the intuition of this phenomenon already existed.
Last posts
Wonderful- yaks most precious treasure is their manure
Wonderful- yaks most precious treasure is their manure Most of the travelers who visited Tibet in former times noticed the importance that, for the maintenance of the living of the Tibetan nomads and travellers, had the Yak manure, known among the...
Life of Milarepa, the hermit poet
Life of Milarepa, the hermit poet. MiIarepa is one of the most beloved religious leaders of Tibet. His story, full of unique facts, has been told again and again over the centuries, and if the publishers did not warn that this is the autobiography written by the holy...
The first description of the Religion of the Yi
The first description of the Religion of the Yi By Father François Louis Crabouillet in 1872. The religion of the Lolos[i] is that of sorcerers: it consists only of conjurations of evil spirits, according to them, the only authors of evil. Without being devout like...
The sung funeral of the Kucong of China
The sung funeral of the Kucong Among the Kucong, one of the peoples who have most persistently maintained their isolation in the mountainous areas on the border of China and Laos, the different stages of the funeral are celebrated through music, which gives the...
The magical world of Yao painting. Jean Pierre Cormerais
The magical world of Yao painting. Jean Pierre Cormerais The Yao ceremonial paintings, the masterworks of the Yao people, nowadays are spread across much of Southeast Asia, increasingly fascinated art lovers worldwide after the apparition of the first paintings in...
The main characteristics of the Yao culture according to W. Eberhard
The main characteristics of the Yao culture according to W. Eberhard The main characteristic of this Yao culture was its productive system, namely slash and burnt dry-agriculture in the mountains. The main products were tuberous plants, apparently cultivated...