The religion...

Potala Palace

Tibetans are basically Buddhist, except for a few minorities. They have a unique form of devotion called the "prayer" walkers. They clap above their heads, clap in front, and then fall prostrate on the ground. Then, they take a few more steps and do it again. These are the basics of Buddhism, which is the main religion of Tibet, although the Tibetans have made more than the philosophy that it originally was. For they have mixed in shamanism, which was there before Buddhism, with it. Buddhists believe that life is suffering - birth, sickness, old age, death, and they believe that the root of suffering is found in desire. They believe in the cycle of rebirth known as reincarnation. They also believe that this cycle can be stopped by becoming as good a person as you can be. They believe that if you do good, good will come back to you - good kharma, but if you do bad stuff, bad will come back to you - bad kharma. To achieve this they believe in following the 8-fold Middle Path. 1. Right understanding 2. Right thought 3. Right speech 4. Right action 5. Right livelihood 6. Right effort 7. Right mindfulness 8. Right concentration Buddhism is a works-based religion as are most religions in the world. They have also have a list of meritorious deeds (kind of similar to the Ten Commandments):   Do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not gossip, do not curse, do not sow discord, do not envy, do not give your opinion, and restrain from inappropriate sexual activity.

Furnace for worship

Buddhist prayer walker- they believe that the longer they do this, the holier they become.

A devout buddhist on his way to the temple with his prayer wheel.

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A devout Buddhist paying homage at the temple.

Praying at the Jokang Monastery