i68 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



capacity a woman must always rule. Occasionally the 

 difficulty is overcome by styling the ruling head a " Queen " 

 quite irrespective of sex ! 



Lamaism appears in three forms, the Yellow, Red, andBlack, 

 the latter representing the Bonpa cult. The religious centre 

 is Tsong-hua on the Tachin River, about 60 miles west of 

 Monking Ting. But lamaseries are scattered over the land, 

 occurring separately by themselves or in association with the 

 residences of the hereditary chiefs. The Yellow or orthodox 

 sect is first in importance and numbers, and is controlled directly 

 from Lhassa. The ritual differs in no way from that practised 

 throughout the hierarchy of Lamaism. The same remark 

 applies to the unorthodox Red sect, which is of much less 

 importance, and whose priests are allowed to marry. 



The Black or Bonpa sect has a ritual bearing an outward 

 resemblance to orthodox Lamaism, but apart from this there is 

 little else in common. In many things the Bonpa are the avowed 

 enemies of the orthodox. They turn their praying wheels 

 from left to right instead of from right to left ; they pass 

 sacred objects on the right instead of on the left ; also they 

 refuse to repeat the mystic Mantra, " Om mani padmi hom," 

 replacing it with one peculiarly their own. As to the origin of 

 this Bonpa it is difficult to say. My friend, Mr. J. Hutson 

 Edgar of the China Inland Mission, who has travelled among 

 and studied these Chiarung tribes more closely than any one else 

 living, inclines to regard it as the remains of the old Nature 

 worship of Thibet, which probably underlies all the religious 

 systems of Eastern Asia. 



In the state of Wassu are several temples belonging to this 

 Bonpa sect. Through the courtesy of the chieftain I was 

 allowed to inspect some of these temples, and succeeded 

 in obtaining fair photographs of the idols. These latter, 

 made of stone, wood, straw, and plaster, represent giants 

 and demons with their female energies ; the walls are 

 decorated with paintings depicting erotomania. Hideous and 

 disgustingly obscene are the contents of these temples, where 

 phallic worship holds unblushing sway. The Wassu chief 

 informed me that the Mantra used by these Bonpa priests is 

 " Hom ma-te ma-tsi ma-yoor tsa-lien doo." He kindly gave 



