Show Pila pilgrims V riMS crawl to worship in far off mysterious tibet what is without doubt the most amazing procession in the world takes place every year outside the kum bum lamasery in tibet for days before the annual butter festival thousands of pilgrims move slowly round the building 10 abreast first they throw themselves full length on the ground and with outstretched fingers make a mark in the dust then they stand upright shuffle to the mark and lie prostrate again this movement they repeat unendingly en for hours on end never seeming to tire and every few minutes more pilgrims add themselves to the end of the procession until the whole scene viewed from a distance looks like a rolling undulating wave at the moment of complete prostration tra tion when they are lying fun full length with their arms stretched as far in front of them as possible each and every person mutters the words 0 the jewel in the lotus |