Manidui

Manidui

Manidui, which is called "Duo Bang" in Tibetan, means built up stone. "Duo Gang" can be divided into two types: "Duo gang of preventing filth and disaster" and "Duo gang of suppressing evil". Altars made of stones and slabs can be seen in the mountains, intersections, lakesides and riversides all over Tibet.

Mani pile is also called "God pile". Most of these stones and slabs are engraved with six character mantra, wise eyes, statues of gods and various auspicious patterns. They are also masterpieces of Tibetan folk artists.

Historical Studies

In Tibetan Buddhist areas, people regard stones as living and spiritual things. There is no uniform specification and shape for the "Mani stone" engraved with Buddha statues and Buddhist scriptures. The makers don't have to choose what stone they pick up to carve on it. The Scriptures are mostly "six character mantra" and incantations.

Manidui was originally called Manza, which means Mandala. It is made of stones of different sizes and has aura. In Tibetan, it is called "duoben"; another kind is to carve words and images on stones or pebbles, with the color and content of Tibetan Buddhism as its biggest feature. It has Buddha, animal protection God and endless six character mantra, and then it is piled up to form a long line This kind of Mani wall is called "miandang" in Tibetan. Every auspicious day, people add stones to the mani pile while simmering, touch it with their forehead, recite their prayers, and then throw them to the stone pile. As time goes on, manidui after manidui have sprung up, and the higher they are, the higher they are. Each stone condenses the believers' wishes from the heart. With the emergence of Mani stone, these natural stones began to be visualized. In the long process of Tibetan history, a vast number of Mani stone carvings have sprung up, which can be seen everywhere. They are the pursuit, ideal, emotion and hope of Tibetans carved on stones.

faith

Belief is a common form of nature worship among various nationalities in China and even many primitive tribes in the world, especially the giant stone worship. Some huge rocks are not only places for pilgrims to atone for their sins, but also regarded as sacred stones by local villages, especially the grotesque stones, which easily lead to the illusion that there are gods in them. The unusual appearance of rocks and the utility of people's life are often the reasons for arousing ancestors to worship them. Tibetans are taught that all things are spiritual. They believe that even a small piece of stone is spiritual. Spiritual objects must have the light of gods and Buddhas, or be occupied by ghosts.

As a carrier of human social culture, stone has become a powerful witness of the inheritance and creation of social civilization with its immortal quality. Stone can not only make all kinds of production tools, attack wild animals and resist the enemy's weapons, but also build houses, build cities, grind powder and dispense medicine. In some places, stone can be used to build houses. A large number of stone tools, Sarcophagus, stone Mound Tombs and stone watchtowers found during the general survey of cultural relics can prove how unusual stones were among the ancestors. Tibetans cherish rare stones, and regard "rangjiong" (Tibetan, natural) stones as sacred objects, such as Buddha statues, Buddha eyes, and Buddha footprints. In addition, Tibetan headwear and neckwear are mostly made of coral stone, agate stone, fossil and various beautiful stones, which are supposed to be the evolution form of spirit stone worship.

historical data

According to the summary of Tibetan archaeology, there is a kind of big stone culture in ancient Tibet, which is a primitive culture of giant stone developed from Neolithic tradition, and it is believed that it entered the Tibetan hinterland from the Northeast Tibetan area around Qinghai Lake. There are many remains of this kind of big stone worship in Tibetan areas, which can be divided into three forms: single stone, stone circle and row stone. For example, eighteen stone columns were found in Duoren, south of the Great Salt Lake in southern Tibet, east-west direction. There are two concentric circles at the west end of the stone circle. There are three huge stones in the center of the stone circle. The larger one is 2.75 meters high, and there is an altar in front of the stone. At the east end of the row of stones, there is an arrow made of stones. Similar monoliths are scattered all over Tibet, such as the stone pillars in Pulan, Gannan, and shiniu'er on the mountains. They are all independent, with a height of 10 meters, which makes the local Tibetan and Han people worship them. In Tibetan areas, especially Kangqu and some Anduo Tibetans, white stone is worshipped on the roof, the top of the door, the window sill and the center of the land. The white stone of Chongxin is the cream of the snow mountain, the protector of the family, the field and the patron saint of the crops. It is also believed that the huge white mountain stone standing tall is the embodiment of the Dragon Girl and the goddess. Manidui, which is all over the high mountains and valleys and beside the village entrance road, is the outstanding performance and obvious custom of Tibetan mountain stone worship.

Introduction to Shidui

Xinzhai manidui, next to Jiegu Town, the capital of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, is said to be the largest manidui in the world. Manidui is a pile of white stones, often in a square or circular shape. It is placed at the top of the mountain, mountain pass, intersection, ferry, lakeside, temples and cemeteries to pray for blessings and become the protection god of the local people.

It is said that there are as many as 2 billion Sutras in manidui, Xinzhai. These sutras are of different sizes and shapes. The big ones are like tabletops, and the small ones are just like eggs. The contents engraved on Mani stone are generally related to Tibetan Buddhism. There are Buddhist scriptures, most of which are six character sayings. There are other auspicious languages, as well as Buddha statues, gods, animals or ghosts. The content is very rich.

Historical legend

legend

Tongtian River flows down from the hinterland of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. On both sides are the continuous snow peaks of Tanggula and Bayankala mountains. Between the peaks and grass beaches on both sides of the Strait, there are rubble mounds scattered all over the place. The size of the rubble varies, and the height of the mound varies. On the smooth surface of each piece of rubble, there are neatly written Buddhist scriptures in ancient Indian, which is the famous mystery of Mani mound on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau.

It is said that when the Tang Monk learned the Scriptures, he crossed the Tianhe River and got the help of the giant turtle. The giant turtle asked Tang monk to ask the Tathagata in the west when it would be ready for cultivation. However, when monk Tang arrived in the west, he was too busy learning from the Scriptures and forgot to consult the giant turtle about becoming an immortal. When he came back from the Scriptures and crossed the Tongtian River, the giant tortoise carried his master and disciples across the river. He walked to the middle of the river and asked about the entrustment. The Tang monk told him the truth. In a fit of anger, the giant tortoise sank to the bottom of the water. Tang monks and disciples fell into the water and the Buddhist scriptures were all wet. The master and apprentice picked up the Sutra and put it on the rocks by the river to dry. When it was about to dry, a gust of wind came, and the Buddhist scriptures were flying all over the sky. The masters and disciples held fast to stop them, and there were still a large number of Buddhist scriptures scattered on both sides of the Tongtian River. Scattered Buddhist scriptures have become mani stones. Tibetans believe in Buddhism, so they collect these mani stones into a pile, forming a scattered landscape of Mani stones. There is another saying: Mani stone is the Sutra drying stone of Tang monks and disciples. When the wet Buddhist scriptures are put on the stone to dry, the Buddhist scriptures are printed on the stone.

extend

After all, legends are legends, but the Buddhist scriptures on Mani stone are carved on hard schist with hammers, axes, knives and chisels. No one has ever counted the number of Mani stones on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. In terms of their wide distribution, it is probably an astronomical number. I'm afraid that such a vast amount of work will not be less than the pyramids on the banks of the Nile. There is no way to prove the origin of it. But it must be a precious heritage left by the Tibetan ancestors to the future generations. It's not hard to imagine how hard it will take to carve out so many Buddhist scriptures of Mani stones and spread them to the mountains on the plateau in this wasteland with an altitude of four or five kilometers and few people!

When the mystery of "mani mound" will be solved, people are waiting for it.

Address: Xinzhai village, Yushu County, Qinghai Province

Longitude: 99.204668

Latitude: 31.924646

Chinese PinYin : Ma Ni Dui