On the bustling ritual walk road in Lhasa, religious believers from various places are marching slowly in one direction while reciting sutras and counting their beads. Every day, they repeat this holy rite in the belief it will be greatly beneficial in their lives. If you watch carefully, you will notice now and then in the stream of people some cattle, sheep and other animals following closely behind the ritual walkers, appearing as if they are part of the devotions, too. You can hardly notice the wild nature of these animals. They occasionally seek food from passers-by and go on moving forward silently, doing the job that they can never understand. These ritual animals are so called ¡°released captive animals¡±.

Religious believers often atone for perceived crimes and sins by saving the lives of living creatures and praying for them to remain safe and sound and have an opportunity to heaven for reincarnation after death. In Lhasa, we often see some old people buy fish and loaches in the markets and then set them free in rivers and lakes. There is a ¡°release-captive-animal festival¡± held in the Labrang Monastery on the 8th day of the first Tibetan month each year. The released captive horses, cattle and sheep account for 30 to 40 sometimes. They wear red strings or strips of red cloth tied to their ears, meaning ¡°released¡±. It is the same for released captive sheep. Nobody is allowed to kill the released captive animals with strips of red cloth tied to their ears, and they must be left to die of old age.

The 15th day of each 4th Tibetan month marks the day Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, was born, became a Buddha, and died. The killing of animals is strictly prohibited during the month and releasing captive animals is particularly popular in this period. Even the detested flies cannot be killed. In this month, the Lamas of each monastery must stay inside, since this is the time when all small creatures are coming back to life after winter and it is hard to avoid killing them, such as by inadvertently stepping on them. When this period of confinement is over, they come down the hills one after another to stroll around the Lingka, and drink sour milk. This is the famous ¡°Shoton Festival¡± in Lhasa.

Even for the most attentive persons, it is hard to avoid killing small creatures by accident. So, people carve their images on the sides of Mani stones, or buy one Mani stone with the same image, and place offerings for them at holy hills or monasteries, so as to pray for these tiny souls and seek forgiveness.

In the mind of religious believers, saving a life means to prolong one¡¯s own life. Some kind-hearted old people often save and release some injured or homeless dogs, or adopt them to live together, believing it can enable them to go up to heaven for reincarnation after death. Every animal released or saved in such a way lives under the care of someone, strolling each day along the ritual walk road following its master.

Among the released captive animals, there is a kind of released captive cock called ¡°holy cock¡±. The Tibetans are said to eat no chicken. Hens can lay eggs, but cocks have no use and are released. In the past, the Temple of Guan Yunchang to the west of the Potala Palace in Lhasa and the massif to the west of the Tashilhungpo Monastery in Xigaze were special ¡°holy cock temples¡± for raising cocks. At times, there were over 1,000 cocks. It is strange that these cocks, instead of fighting each other when together, were on good terms. It is said that even the most aggressive cocks could get along with each other peacefully after being besmeared on the back with the dirt of the massifs where the ¡°holy cock temple¡± was located.

With Tibet¡¯s cultural exchanges with outside and its own development, this religious and cultural prohibition on eating chicken ceased to exist. The Tibetan people started to trade with Chinese people with cocks for some money and daily necessities. Thus, the released captive cocks decreased day by day until none remained.

In the civil life of Tibet, besides releasing captive animals to atone for one¡¯s crime, there is also a kind of goat that is sacrificed especially for the deities.

Strictly speaking, the released captive animals are different from those sacrificed to deities. The sheep for atoning one¡¯s life are usually raised at home, while the goats and cocks offered to the deities are bred at the sides of monasteries without being cared for by anybody; but, people favor them and ritual walkers bring them nice food. The goats offered for deities are dressed more beautifully than the common ones.

On the ritual walk road that skirts the Tashilhungpo Monastery, I saw with my own eyes such a startling scene: one long-haired goat stood in the way of each ritual walker seeking food, and then went back to stand on a big rock. The ritual walkers kneel and worship the goat, which ¡°strokes¡± the heads of ritual walkers with its long-bearded mouth. Therefore, people stand in line waiting to be blessed by the ¡°holy goat¡±.

In the remote times, the Tibetan people carved the images of cattle, sheep and deer on rocks. Every Tibetan New Year will see Tibetan people offer a sheep¡¯s head as a sacrifice before the altar. During New Year¡¯s Day in the Xigaze Area, all the family members should eat sheep¡¯s head, as sheep are a symbol of auspiciousness in the minds of Tibetan people.

Based on this understanding, releasing captive animals and killing animals are not contradictory acts. Releasing captive animals is to entrust one¡¯s own fate to the lives of animals. By doing so, people find sustenance for their souls in the lives of animals. Killing animals is to satisfy the demand of man¡¯s survival with the bodies of animals. This is to say that the existence of cattle, sheep and other animals is designated for the survival of human beings. It is the deities that endow value to their lives.

However, cattle and sheep under a certain age are not allowed to be killed at random; and, according to traditional customs, certain animals, such as horses, donkeys and dogs, have to be released and left to die naturally.

China Tibet Magazine
ZHANG YING