Live Your Best Lives
There is a place that was once rumored to be permanently closed, causing countless tourists to sigh in regret; in the eyes of many travel enthusiasts, this place represents the ultimate place of faith. The moment you set foot on this land, it feels like you have traveled into the movie "Coco".
Known as the "Red Buddhist Kingdom," it boasts the world's largest Buddhist university, offering a unique perspective on life and living. The stunning sky burial platform allows visitors to confront life and death, feel the thrill of their souls, and comprehend the true meaning of reincarnation.
Here, you can experience the most sacred night and the twinkling starry sky, see the magnificent scene of tens of thousands of people chanting scriptures, feel the mystery and shock of the sky burial ceremony, and experience the ultimate meaning in another way.
It's a place you'll never forget, a destination countless photographers have added to their "must-see" bucket lists. This is Seda. After three years of seclusion, Seda is now open to the public for the first time. What are the new policies? What precautions should be taken? What's there to see and do? This guide will give you the answers!
The most eye-catching color in Seda is the red color that represents faith. Everything here is red, including prayer flags, wooden houses, monks... It is the mysterious and majestic "red" that belongs to Tibet.
There's probably no other place in the world that can replicate the soul-stirring power of Seda Red. No one would deny that Seda is the destination of a pilgrimage. Surrounded by mountains, crimson monasteries, centered around the Buddhist Academy's main scripture hall, dot the surrounding hillsides. Countless crimson cabins stretch as far as the eye can see.
Walking on the streets of Seda, you can encounter lamas and nuns in red robes at any time. They practice here day after day, with countless days and nights alternating. The power of faith flows in the air of Seda, endlessly.
In the evening, we walked up to the observation deck and looked at the night view of Seda. The thousands of wooden houses on both sides of Larung Valley had lights flickering one after another, like the light of faith connected into one.
Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Seda is a university for studying Buddhism. The "Five Sciences" refer to five disciplines: craftsmanship, linguistics, medicine, logic, and Buddhist studies.
The Buddhist Academy was founded in 1980 by His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok. In 1993, it was hailed by Le Monde as the "world's largest Buddhist academy." In just a few years, it rapidly rose from its location deep in the Tibetan valleys to become the world's largest. The academy boasts scripture halls, accommodation, a supermarket, a bookstore, a vegetarian restaurant, and guesthouses, hosting tens of thousands of monks who study, live, and practice.
On the highest hill of Seda Buddhist College, at an altitude of about 4,200 meters, there is a magnificent golden building, which is the most sacred place in the entire Seda Buddhist College. This is the mandala.
The first floor of the mandala is a prayer corridor, which is a place of faith. There are always devout believers praying here, and the sound of chanting floats past your ears from time to time. At that moment, your heart will become sacred and peaceful. The mandala is brightly lit at night, and you can see its holy and beautiful light from anywhere in the college.
The Sertar Sky Burial Platform is located between the Buddhist Academy and the county seat, on a relatively flat, gentle slope mid-mountain. Next to a small white pagoda, a flat area the size of a basketball court is half-enclosed by iron railings. This is where sky burials take place. Tenzin Gyatso Rinpoche renovated the platform, and now there are dedicated personnel to explain the culture of sky burials. The wall reliefs depict the six realms of reincarnation and the eight great charnel grounds. It is said that the master hopes that all visitors will gain a deeper understanding of life and death.
If you keep walking up along the path on the left side of the mandala, you will reach the viewing platform directly. The view here is wide and you can overlook the entire Buddhist college. From the yellow fence, you can take pictures of the whole Seda.
Under the pure sky, thousands of red wooden houses cover the valley. The scene becomes even more stunning as night falls. Between the temples, brilliant lights and the dazzling Milky Way form a road to the sky, and Buddhist chants are heard everywhere, like a dream.
Donggar Monastery is one of the famous monasteries of the Baiyu lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and the first of the thirteen monasteries in Seda from ancient times to the present.
Donggar Monastery is located on the Jinma Grassland in Seda County. It was founded by the first Donggar Rinpoche, the incarnation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
Some say it's like Iceland in summer, others say it's like an alien planet. The movie "Ghost Blows Out the Light" starring Pan Yueming was filmed here, and it was one of the most popular niche secrets in western Sichuan last year. Moshi Park has a world-class geological wonder, the Chinese Plateau Stone Forest Landscape, with rugged stone forests rising from the meadow like swords.
It pierces the sky, very spectacular.
Litang, located on the southern line of National Highway 318, is known as the "First Town in Southern Kang". It is home to magnificent snow-capped mountains, simple Tibetan people, primeval forests, alpine lakes, streams and meadows... Litang is close to the legendary holy land of Shambhala. August is the most beautiful season in Litang. The snow line retreats to the distance where the sky and the earth meet, and the grasslands with blooming flowers appear even more vast under the blue sky and white clouds.
In picturesque western Sichuan, Mount Siguniang is legendary, its every peak, valley, lake, and story told. Summer brings vibrant flowers and emerald lakes, autumn offers vibrant forests and starry skies, breathtaking lakes, and the perpetually snow-capped Yala and Gongga, the king of Sichuan's mountains.
Did you know that western Sichuan boasts stunning grasslands rivaling those of Inner Mongolia? From June to August each year, the Ruoergai grasslands transform into a sea of flowers, lush grasses, herds of cattle and sheep, and dotted with tents. One of the most iconic attractions on the Ruoergai grasslands is the First Bend of the Nine-Bend Yellow River! Here, you'll find a magnificent sunset over the grasslands!
When you leave Seda, those blazing houses and practitioners will be deeply engraved in your memory and integrated into your blood, becoming an extremely strong force on our future journey.
Tips:
Seda's latest policies and travel tips
Epidemic prevention policy: departing from Chengdu, you need two green codes and a 24-hour negative nucleic acid report to enter Seda County. To enter the mandala + sky burial and other places, you need a 7-day 7-day negative nucleic acid report.
Tips:
Other policies:
1. Seda only accepts tourists from mainland China, so be sure to bring your ID card.
2. Visitors must take a sightseeing bus to enter the Buddhist Academy, sky burial sites, etc.
3. The current ticket booking time for Seda has been adjusted to 8 pm.
