98 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I42 



reform, and this reform was introduced by Tsong-ka-pa, who was 

 born in 1356. He was an eloquent preacher and writer. He enforced 

 ceHbacy, the use of yellow dress by the monks, fortnightly meetings, 

 confession, and repeating of rules. His sect was called the Ge-lug-pa, 

 which means "the victorious sect." He also introduced elaborate 

 rituals, ceremonial garments, and a hierarchical organization with dio- 

 ceses dependent upon a central authority. 



In 1720 the Talai Lama, who had formerly been only a spiritual 

 ruler, was made the temporal ruler of Tibet by the Chinese. Under 

 him is a regent, called a king, who is also a lama, and there are other 

 civil officials. The Tashi Lama, whose residence is at Tashilhumpo, 

 a monastery near Shigatse, has temporal power over one province and 

 also great spiritual power. The Talai Lama is believed to be the rein- 

 carnation of Avalokitesvara, and the Tashi Lama the reincarnation 

 of Amitabha. There are a number of other high lamas who are also 

 regarded as reincarnations of gods, or "living Buddhas," and are 

 worshiped as deities. 



During the Manchu dynasty Chinese influence in Tibet was strong 

 and affected the art, architecture, and customs. In art this resulted in 

 the use of floral and dragon designs in paintings. 



Alost of the art of Tibet is religious, and since Buddhism is the 

 only religion, the art is also Buddhist. In India Buddhism combined 

 Indian architecture and painting with that of the Greeks, brought 

 there by Greek invaders. From India through Nepal this art came 

 into Tibet, where it profoundly influenced the art of the Tibetans. This 

 process went on for centuries. From about the tenth century a slightly 

 different influence was brought by Buddhist monks from the north, 

 especially through Chinese Turkestan. Since the beginning of the 

 IVIanchu dynasty, a strong Chinese influence has affected the style of 

 the paintings, the roofs, and the temples (Cheng Teh-k'un, 19456, 



p. 3). 



All Tibetan paintings are anonymous. The painters are monks who 

 are concerned with creating a fine product, but not with claiming 

 authorship or attaining notoriety. No painting is ever autographed. 

 Though there are several schools of art, there is a remarkable uni- 

 formity in the paintings of Tibet. They are generally on canvas or on 

 cotton cloth, and seldom on paper. In lamaseries or in private homes 

 the artist is sometimes called upon to paint altars, ritual objects, 

 images, or furniture (ibid., pp. 5-6). Mural paintings are also com- 

 mon, and images are painted as illustrations in books. Tibetan archi- 

 tecture has been influenced by the Chinese, but on the whole the 

 lamaseries have a style of their own. 



