You are the longest scroll in ancient religious painting
The most sacred path guiding the souls of the deceased
In Dongba’s rituals for salvation
From the brows of the departed
A ten-li scroll of ink unfolds slowly
Accompanied by the chanting of scriptures
Leading the spirit step by step
Through the misty smoke of the underworld
You depict the myriad faces of gods ghosts and mortals
Demons and goblins
Supreme deities
All vividly leaping across the scroll
You carve the cause and effect of good and evil
With sincerity and awe
Killing spirits
Devoured by fierce tigers
Covetous souls
Struck down by sharp axes
Deceptive hearts
Pierced by iron scales
Crimes of mountain burning
Consumed by blazing fires
Every stroke every line
Is a vivid revelation of the world
The cycle of heaven’s law
Not trapped in the six realms of Buddhist reincarnation
Alone you uphold the Naxi faith
Guiding souls back to the root of blood
First cross the karmic barriers of hell
Washing away the joys and sorrows of past lives
Then ascend through the mortal realms
Farewell to the entanglements of the world
At last you may return to your ancestors’ homeland
Together in reunion and joy
Or ascend to the thirty-three divine realms
Attaining ultimate perfection
Free from disasters and calamities
Free from suffering and sorrow
Coexisting harmoniously with the gods of heaven and earth
You blend the Bon religion’s belief in souls returning to nature
With the Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth
Connected yet independent
Forming your own maxim of life
You believe in the immortality of the soul
Endless through the years
You also uphold the justice of good rewarded and evil punished
Waking the world
With the radiance of virtue
Guiding the cultivation of this life and peace of mind
Unlike the blissful lotus throne
Nor do you yearn for the heavenly altar
Yet in the hearts of the Naxi people
You are the warmest home of the soul
Guided by bloodline
Anchored by ancestors
Led by Dongba
Sailed by faith
No need to wander in the six realms of reincarnation
No longer unjustly hindered by fate
You only guard every lonely soul
Guiding them home
To peace and tranquility
You are the most majestic lighthouse between life and death
An immortal masterpiece of Dongba civilization
One scroll hides the profound mysteries of life and death
One lineage inherits a millennium of faith
May all wandering souls
Find a place to return
Bathed in holy light
And attain complete fulfillment
Footnotes
Created by the only female inheritor of Dongba culture, this poem pays tribute to the sacred murals of Naxi culture that have been passed down for a thousand years. With poetic and vivid strokes, it integrates the profound wisdom of life and death, the eternal journey of souls, and the unchanging laws of cause and effect into every line. Rooted in the ancient traditions of Dongba, it fully embodies the core spirit of the Naxi people—respecting ancestors, bound by blood ties, and guided by faith.
This work not only restores the profound heritage of Dongba culture but also undertakes the responsibility of inheriting and carrying forward the spiritual heritage of the Naxi nation. It allows the ancient civilization to shine brightly in the strokes of poetry and reach the depths of people’s heart
