buddha (boom) town

One meaning of the name Lhasa, according to our Tibetan guide, Pemi, is "Buddha's city," or at least that's what I think she was saying as our bus careered insanely over the road from the airport to the city, honking incessantly as it overtook trucks, tractors, motorscooters, and three-wheeled cargo bicycles. And I've certainly seen a lot of B-dawg and his many incarnations and manifestations (there's a difference, but don't ask me what it is; Pemi could not explain it in English). There's present Buddha, or Shakyamuni, the historic Gautama after his enlightenment, known by his hair woven into a top knot. And because Shakyamuni has an expiration date of 2500 years, there's future Buddha. And just to show present Buddha didn't come out of nowhere, there's past Buddha or Lantern Buddha. And then there's compassion Buddha, or Chenrezig (a/k/a Avalokitesvara to the Indians), a favorite among our group, with his 11 heads and 1000 arms (he's a manifestation of Shakyamuni). Then there's Longevity Buddha, or Tara, a female Buddha with eyes in the palms of her hands and soles of her feet. Wisdom Buddha holds a sword and a book; medicine Buddha (a favorite of mine) is a Tibetan specialty. He's all blue because he tries all the medicines first before letting people use them. (Buddhists out there, please correct my errors.)
It's fascinating and overwhelming, especially when you're hearing all this in heavily accented English while shuffling along with twenty other camera-snapping, videotaping fellow travelers through dim rooms suffused with the smells of incense and yak-butter lamps, often over the backdrop of the chanting or drumming of the red and yellow clad monks who seem to be in every dark corner of the temple or monastery of the day. Travelers who've been all over Europe will recognize the ABC syndrome (Another Bloody Cathedral) in its Tibetan manifestation of ABM (Another Buddha Manifestation).
All I know is that my Buddha, the one I bargained for in the Barkhor market, is Shakyamuni. He's made of bronze, is hollow, and "is cheaper price." This started at 1200 yuan, but my "last blast" of 500 was accepted and I brought him back to my hotel in my pedicab, very much at peace with myself and the world.