FROM TONKIN TO INDIA 



which waved in the wind long Ihaders, white flags lettered with 

 Thibetan characters. There could be no doubt we were 

 approaching the confines of the country of prayer. 



The interior of the Laniaserai presented a series of courts, 

 the walls of which were covered with frescoes, inspired conjointly 

 by Thibetan and Hindu Buddhism with Chinese beliefs. One 

 circular painting represented a male and female, naked, before 

 a tree laden with fruit, round the trunk of which a serpent was 

 entwined, and surrounded by divers animals. Among the Lamas 

 the serpent formerly was regarded as the enemy of mankind. 

 Is it possible that in this picture was to be discerned a survival 

 of traditions carried into Thibet by the Nestorians ? It is not 

 for me to say. But the points of resemblance between the 

 creeds of Roman Catholicism and Thibetan Buddhism, as 

 exhibited constantly in matters of ornament and ceremony, were 

 too frequent and too striking to be attributable to chance. 

 Whence can they have been borrowed, or who were their 

 originators ? The question is still far from being solved. 



Pursuing our investigfations, we came to the central edifice. 



The gabled roofs rose in tiers above each other, fining into a 



kind of pyramid, crowned by a gilt cupola. The door of the 



temple was willingly opened to us, but we were requested not 



to ascend to the upper storey, which served as a sacristy, as 



they were averse to our inspecting the penetralia of their 



worship. In the basement of the pagoda was seated a massive 



gilded image of the Thibetan Buddha, cross-legged, with two 



saints, also gilt, of natural size, at his side, holding tridents. 



Arranged before the Buddha on a table were the seven copper 



bowls of water usually seen on Thibetan altars, and, a little in 



advance of them, another vessel containing oil and a lighted 



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