Lamas in China's Tibet Autonomous Region are earning more money as they are playing an increasingly active role in the local tourist economy.
Last year, the income for each Lama in the Gadan Temple, one of the most famous temples in Tibet, reached 3,000 yuan (about US$361), more than twice the average income for a herdsman in Tibet.
The majority of the money is earned through selling visitors tickets and providing vehicles, as well as other services for tourists.
Due to the growing market-oriented economy, the donations from local Buddhists is far from enough to support the operation of the temples in Tibet, according to Chilai Raigyai, director of the management committee of the Gadan Temple.
Chilai Raigyai, 67, a senior Lama who has lived in the temple for almost 60 years, said the past of temples in Tibet still remains fresh in his memory.
According to him, before the 1950s, the serf system dominated the region and the temples in Tibet possessed a large amount of land, as well as many livestock and serfs. The Lamas, who then occupied only about 10 percent of the total population in Tibet, lived in luxury.
However, the distribution of social wealth in Tibet has changed fundamentally after democratic reform was initiated in 1959. Since then the serfs and slaves have gained personal freedom and are no longer regarded as private assets of temples.
After the reform, the temples were left with only a very limited amount of land and a small number of livestock, while the serfs and slaves were granted the largest proportion of the arable land of Tibet.
The Lamas have had to learn to adapt to the changing social situation and find new ways to upgrade the temple's infrastructure and improve their personal living condition, Chilai said, adding that this can greatly reduce local Buddhists' burden and is perfectly in accord with Buddhist doctrines.
The Gadan Temple has bought a dozen vehicles to offer visitors a convenient ride between the temple and the regional capital city of Lhasa, Chilai said. According to him, this service brought in a total income of more than 500,000 yuan to the temple in 2002.
In addition, the temple also owns some 300 yaks and six hectares of arable land, which are raised and managed by Lamas themselves.
According to sources with local administration of religious affairs in Lhasa, compared to Lamas in the Gadan Temple, those in the Sera Temple, the Zhiebung Temple and other temples in central Lhasa have an even higher income thanks to the influx of a heavier number of visitors.
The Samye Temple, which is on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River and is one of the oldest temples in Tibet, can earn over two million yuan each year through running a hotel and a shop and providing a ferry service.
The Zhaxilhunbo Temple can also earn several million yuan each year by providing tourist-related services, and the 800-odd Lamas in the temple can receive a wage of some 200 yuan every month from local government.
As a result of the improved income, the Lamas' diet has also changed noticeably. They used to eat only "Zanba", a kind of roasted barley flour, with beef and mutton, and drink only butter tea, but now they have shown a growing liking for green vegetables.
Though located in the remote areas, many small temples in Tibet still have managed to earn a considerable amount of money by running restaurants, hotels and shops for the pilgrims coming from afar.
The Potala Palace, a world-renowned temple and the largest building in Tibet, harvested more than 10 million yuan in ticket sales in 2002.
"We surely will not share all our income just among the Lamas and use it up," said Chilai. "Part of our income will be used to build new rooms as each year there will be new Lamas entering the temple."
Though the temples now can make personal profits, the government is still investing huge public funds into their maintenance, and has injected 30 million yuan into renovating the road leading to the Sera Temple.
Moreover, a project with a governmental investment exceeding 300 million yuan was launched last year to renovate the Potala Palace, the Norpu Lingka Temple and the Sagya Temple.
The government-funded renovation projects mainly aim to protect the cultural heritage and freedom of religious belief in Tibet, but can in the meantime result in a growing number of tourists, said Losang Nyima, an official with the Tibet Regional Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission.
(People's Daily April 12, 2003)
