TITLE:
Ritual and Faith: Constructing the Spiritual World of Zangzu Buddhist Pilgrims through the Film: Paths of the Soul (Mount Kailash)
AUTHORS:
Qinpei Fan
KEYWORDS:
Paths of the Soul (Mount Kailash), Zangzu Buddhism, Pilgrimage Rituals, Spiritual World Construction
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.2,
February
11,
2026
ABSTRACT: Paths of the Soul (Mount Kailash), a film themed on Zangzu Buddhist pilgrimage, records the entire journey of 11 villagers from Markam Village who embarked on a more-than-2500-kilometer prostration pilgrimage that lasted over a year. It demonstrates the profound connotations of Zangzu Buddhist pilgrimage rituals. From the theoretical perspective of interpretive anthropology, this paper analyzes how Zangzu Buddhist pilgrimage rituals construct the spiritual world of believers through four dimensions: the sacred site complex, the sanctity of ritual behaviors, the diversity of pilgrimage motivations, and the perseverance and evolution of faith under the impact of modernity. It reveals the in-depth logic of the integration of faith and life, and explores the existential value and future direction of traditional faith in modern society.