IN HERMIT AGE. 313 



6^^.— The Lamp of The Three Dwellings. 



7th. — The bright Loosener of the Illusion. 



dith. — The water-di-awing " dorje. " 



9th. — The secret guide to the fierce Dakini. 

 \Oth. — The drawing of the Essence of the stony nectar. 

 Wth. — Counsel on the Dakinis' habits. 

 12^/2. — Fathoming the mystery of the Dakinis. 

 13^^. — Counsel for the Khandoma — Fairies' heart-root. 

 14^/i.— The Four Words for the path of Pardo.^ 

 15/^. — The Pardo of the angry demons. 



IQth. — To recognise the Gyalwa Rig-na or The Five Former 

 Buddhas. Then Nirvana is reached. 



The hermit-lamas of Sikhim usually leave their hermitage for some 

 months annually to visit villages and places of pilgrimage. A true 

 hermit who has cut off all connection with the world is called sgom- 

 chhen or " great devotee." 



Theoretically it ought to be part of the training of every young 



lama to spend in hermitage a period of three years, 



Temporary hermit- three months, and three days, in order to accustom 



cfses/" *'^ ^^^^' timself to ascetic rites. But this practice is very 



rarely observed in Sikhim for any period, and when 



it is done, a period of three months and three days is considered 



suflBcient. During this seclusion he repeats the mantra of his tutelary 



deity an incredible number of times. sNgon-gro-Jzi-/iby or, complete in 



all its four sections, must be repeated 100,000 times. In the "Kyab- 



do" portion he must prostrate himself to the ground 100,000 times. 



The repetition of the Yige-Jrgya-pa itself takes about two months ; 



and in addition must be chanted the following voluminous services : — 



Phyi-//grub, nang-/igrub, <7sang-/igrub, ila-%rub, snyen-grub, 



/^phrin-las, and bzi-hgxvih. 



As a sample of the form of himaic ritual employed in the worship 



of a special divinity, I give here a translation of the manual entitled — 



The Worship of DOLMA,^ THE DELIVERESS. 



Dolma is one of the most popular of the deities, and a large pro- 

 portion of the laity can repeat her services by heart. 

 Her popularity. gj^^ -^ j^^^^^ ^^ Northern Buddhism by the Sans- 



krit name of Tara of which Dolma is a literal Tibetan translation, 

 meaning " The Unloosener (of difficulties) " or " The Saviouress." 

 And it is to this attribute of being ever ready to help and easily 



' Pardo, the ghostly interval between death and judgment — vide article " Wheel of 



Life," in chapter on " Temple," page 266. 

 ' «grol-ma, vulgarly Dij-ma. 



