266 THE TEMPLE. 



these are (1) the blue-faced Lhamo, the Kali form of the Hindu Devi; 

 (2) her consort Mahakdla, a destructive form of Shiva; (3) the 

 horse-headed Tamclin, the Hayagrlva of the Hindus and spouse of 

 Dorje-phagmo. 



Prominent among the frescoes is the St-pa-t khor-lo ^ or "Cycle of 



existence," showing the regions of re-birth and the 



"The _ Cycle of tortures of the damned. This picture is so very 



Existence. interesting and important that it demands more 



than passing notice. 



The Pictorial Wheel of Life. 



The Si-pa-l-khor-lo or " Cycle of Existence"— (fiJe Plate VII) for a 

 copy of the Tashiding temple-picture'— is a graphic exposition of 

 metempsychosis, one of the most fundamental laws of Buddhism — 

 the secret of Buddha having consisted in the means he devised for 

 escaping from this ceaseless round of re-births with its attendant 

 sufferings. 



This picture is one of the purest Buddhist emblems that the lamas 

 have preserved to us. And by its means I have been able to restore 

 the fragment of a cycle in the verandah of Ajanta Cave No. XVII 

 hitherto uninterpreted, and merely known as " the Zodiac." This 

 picture portrays in symbolic and concrete form the three original 

 sins and the recognized causes of re-birth (Niddnas), so as to 

 ensure their being vividly perceived and avoided ; while the evils 

 of existence in its various forms and the tortures of the damned 

 are intended to intimidate evil-doers. As the Sikhim copies of the 

 picture misplace the order of the Nidanas, and are deficient in many 

 details, I here describe the orthodox form of the picture as found 



in libet. 



The picture consists of a large disc, the circular form of which 

 symbolizes the ceaseless round of wordly existence. It is held in the 

 clutches of a monster, whose head is seen overtopping the whole. 

 This angry demon, who grips the disc with his claws and teeth, typifies 

 the passionate clinging of the people to existence. In the centre of 

 the disc are symbolized the three original sins, and around the margin 

 the twelve linked chain of causes of re-birth ; while the remainder 

 of the disc is divided by radii into six compartments, which represent 

 the six regions of re-birth. 



These pictorial symbols of the abstract conceptions of the^ early 

 Buddhists are extremely valuable as showing what is the traditional 

 interpretation of the ambiguous Sanskrit and Pali metaphysical terms 

 for the Nidi'ma found in the Indian Buddhist books, and the real 



' Srirf pa-hi Akhor-16. | = Kindly supplied by Mr. White. 



