Lhasa resident Chodron has been on the waiting list for a woodblock-print sutra from her local monastery for a year, and she will need to wait another two years before she receives the beautiful piece of scripture. 

Sutras are texts used in Buddhist ceremonies. Traditional varieties, printed by hand on paper with carved wooden blocks, are particularly prized for their resistance to fading. 

Formerly reserved for the rich and noble, demand for these vividly crafted sutras has surged since more people were given access to them with the founding of the Tibet autonomous region 50 years ago.