My fascination with Tibet fermented during my teenage years.  Even though I was raised Catholic, I had a strong pull towards Buddhism.  Thus, after school I would peruse the World Religion section at Barnes & Noble and devour whatever books I could find regarding the Asian religion/philosophy.  Through my readings, I became enchanted with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who is the current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.  His unconditional compassion for all sentient beings was inspiring and something that I strove to attain in my own life.

About half-way into my college education I chose to switch majors from Pre-Med to Comparative Religious Studies.  I strongly believe it was in large part due to my days in the bookstore, which left such an impression on my youthful heart.  It was by far one of the best decisions I have ever made!  My first class in my new field was solely on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.  It was in that class where I made a pact with myself that I would one day travel to Tibet to see the original home of the Dalai Lama, otherwise known as the Potala Palace.  I had always admired those who made spiritual pilgrimages and now I had one to complete myself.

Well, it took me almost 7 years to make that pilgrimage, but I finally did it and it was even better than I had imagined.  I had been traveling throughout China for 2 weeks before I entered Tibet.  I flew into Lhasa, the capitol of the autonomous region, via Xi’an.  Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world, therefore it is crucial that one rest for about 24 hours after one has arrived.  I sadly did not have a lot of time in Tibet, so I ventured out right away.  Of course, I got a nasty case of altitude sickness, however I did not let that stop me from my mission the next day.

The Potala Palace has been the residence of various Dalai Lama’s since 1645.  Up until 1959 it was the home of the 14th Dalai Lama, except he was forced to flee Tibet due to a Chinese military invasion.  He then found religious asylum in Dharamsala, India and has remained there ever since.

As the car that I was in drove up to the front of the massive monument my heart began to flutter with excitement. It is always such a powerful experience when one’s dreams are realized and never are words enough in describing the emotions associated with that experience.

The climb to the top of the palace is definitely not for the weary.  To reach it one must walk slopping stone walls that reach about 350 feet, or the equivalent of 13 stories high. Even though I felt physically terrible, I was definitely on a high.  I just kept remembering sitting in my classes dreaming about this place and now as I was actually there it was quite surreal!  The weather was perfect for a hike.  Since it was the height of the Summer, it should have been about 20 degrees warmer, but thankfully it was overcast and much cooler.

Through my travels, I have discovered that usually the most special things require some kind of arduous trek, whether it is emotional, mental, physical or a combination of the three, to get to–and this was certainly no exception.  It was about an hour’s ascent to the top and it was a beautiful feeling when I came to the last step.

The palace contained over 1,000 rooms with around 10,000 shrines and 200,000 statues.  I would have loved to have been able to photograph some of the extraordinary things I saw inside, however no photography was allowed inside.  I hope with all of my being that everyone has the opportunity to experience this for themselves one day whether or not Buddhism interests them, as this is such a rich part of history.

We wandered throughout the palace for about 45 minutes.  I could have easily stayed in there for hours though.  The energy inside was so peaceful and when I exited, despite having felt sick all day, I had never felt better in my life.

The hike down was much easier and it afforded me a different view of the palace.  The sun began to peak its way from behind the clouds and it illuminated the colorful prayer flags that were found in abundance.  I could not help but think just how many millions of prayers were offered to the Buddha in the very place that I was walking.

As we departed the Potala Palace I remembered a quote by the Dalai Lama that really resonated with me in that moment: “There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies.  My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.”  Even though he once lived in one of the most magnificent palaces in the world, what truly mattered to him was the life he led. After this sacred journey, I was even more humbled by this man.