304 THE MONKHOOD. 



He is usually re-appointed for one or more terms, as there is 

 difficulty in finding suitable men for this appointment. 



After filling the above office he is eligible for the two highest 

 appointments in the monastery, viz. — 



VI. — Principal and Chief Celebrant or £?iU-?»dsad (pronounced 

 lJm-dsc)\ and 



VII.— Patriarch or >'Do-rje sLob-ipon (pronounced Dorje 

 L6-p6n). 



These two offices are held for life, and the holders enjoy equal 



rank and receive the same stipend and perquisites, and, as we have 



seen, sit opposite each other in the assembly room. But the Um-ds^ 



^, ^ , , is always the more learned of the two, and is 



necessarily something 01 a man 01 the world. 



He supervises the whole establishment and controls the discussions, 



and it is to him that the peasantry resort for advice and settlement 



of their disputes. The Dorje Lo-pon upholds the dignity of religion 



. .. , by taking no part in secular matters and doing 



orje o.pun. ^j^^ mechanical work of meditation and some of 



the higher ritual, one of his chief duties being to abstract the soul 



of the dead and despatch it on the right path to heaven or for a 



new rebirth. 



The Incarnate Lama of iXa-brang monastery is supposed to 



exercise the functions of a Bishop of Sikhim ; but 



'* °^' he has only the title of Protector of Religion— the 



titles oi Do-dam-pa ov "bishop," Khenpo (wkhan-po) or "abbot "are 



not used in Sikhim. 



III.— MONASTIC BOUTINE. 



The daily routine of the Sikhim monk differs somewhat, accord- 

 ing to whether (a) he be living apart from his monastery, say, as a 

 village priest, or {h) as a resident in a monastery, or (c) as a solitary 

 hermit. I will describe the practices in this order. 



As A Village Peiest. 



The monk immediately on waking must arise from his couch. 

 Night devotion. ®^^° though it be midnight, and commence to 

 chant the mi-rtak-rgyu£/-fokul, taking care to pro- 

 nounce all the words fully and distinctly. This contains the 

 instructions of his special Lama-preceptor (rtsa-wa-ilama), and in the 

 recital the monk must call vividly to mind his spiritual guide. This is 

 followed by a prayer for a number of requests by the monk himself. 



