Min tibetanska barndom i Zorgay - Life and Culture on the Tibetan ...

16
BECOMING A MONK?
ur village is remote, which makes it inconvenient to
consult a doctor in the case of serious illness.
Consequently, asking a lama about a sickness is
common for villagers. For this reason, I nearly became a bald
monk instead of a student.
A terrible flu epidemic swept through our home area.
Every old man was busy offering song to the deities to protect
his gr<strong>and</strong>children. I got the flu, but Gr<strong>and</strong>mother suspected
another family's headache deity had possessed me. Local people
believe various deities cause headaches, stomachaches, <strong>and</strong>
other ailments. Gr<strong>and</strong>mother treated my illness with a home
remedy by making a small ball of tsampa, holding it in her
h<strong>and</strong>, putting it on my head, <strong>and</strong> then saying, "Respected
Headache Deity, please release my dear gr<strong>and</strong>son. He has
nothing for you to eat <strong>and</strong> drink. He doesn't even have any
clothes to cover his own naked body. He is extremely poor.
Instead of lingering around such a poor child, go find a rich
person…" which caused my brothers to burst into laughter.
Gr<strong>and</strong>mother talked as though she were talking to the deity.
"Don't laugh! Pretend you are angry or the deity won't
be frightened, <strong>and</strong> he will stay with Kondro for days,"
complained Gr<strong>and</strong>mother. It worked sometimes, but my head
still ached this time. Other families were also busy with
religious activities. Usually, villagers went to the mountain
deity, Bonguh Labtsi, 20 O
our protector deity who rides a black
horse <strong>and</strong> flies through the sky to protect our village territory.
A yak-riding mountain deity to whom Humdor Village
offers song, once invaded our village territory, which led to a
fight. During the fight between the yak-riding deity <strong>and</strong> Bonguh
Labtsi, the former's mount jumped <strong>and</strong> bucked, <strong>and</strong> when the
20 A labtsi is a wooden frame or box into which long wooden
poles resembling arrows are inserted. New arrows are added
during an annual ritual that locals believe protects from evil.
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