330 MAGIC EITES. 



"I offer to the Three supreme Holy Ones glorious symbol Sri- 

 " ^bi-u' which shines over the heart of the Buddhas. Let the Animal 

 "beings be possessed of unchangeable piety ! 



"I offer to the Three supreme Holy Ones the precious glory of 

 •'the precious wheel which shines over the feet of the Buddhas. Let 

 " the Animal beings obtain the true path to good conduct ! " 



(Here follows the Ilan^ala service already detailed above.) 



Divination by Lots. 



The elements of luck and chance are allowed to influence nearly 



every action of both hxmas and laity. Each hour 



days"and?imes'!''^''^ and day of the week possesses a lucky or unlucky 



character, and the days of the month according 



Omeng. ^^ their order introduce another set of lucky and 



unlucky combinations. And omens are eagerly watched for and 

 noted. 



And in addition to the consideration of the foregoing influences it 

 . . is an almost universal practice to take a special 



mna ion. Divination by lot for even ordinary and most trivial 



affairs. Divination is done by both lamas and laity. Most laymen 

 as well as lamas possess small divining manuals called ?«o or "mo-pe," 

 i.e., short for "mo-pecha," or " The mo book." These books show the 

 portent attached to the particular number which is elicited and also 

 the initiatory spells. Divination is commonly made by lamaic cards, 

 by the rosary, by seeds or pebble counters; less commonly by dice, 

 and rarely by sheep's shoulder-blades. 



The cards used for divination purposes are small oblong strips of 

 p card-board, each representing several degrees of 



^ *' ^' lucky and unlucky portents suitably inscribed and 



pictorially illustrated, and to each of these is attached a small thread. 

 In consulting this oracle, an invocation to a favourite deity is made, 

 frequently the goddesis Dolma, and the packet is held by the left 

 hand on a level with the face, when, with eyes closed, one of the 

 threads is grasped, and its attached card is drawn out, and in accord- 

 ance with tlie average of three draws is considered the luck of the 

 proposed undertaking, or the ultimate result of the sickness or the 

 other question of fortune sought for. 



Divination by the Rosary is especially practised by the more illite- 



DiTination by the ^ato people, and by the Bon priests. The preliminary 



Eosary. Preliminary spell is : — '■'■ (jsol! yc-dkar-ma ! Om-sha-ska mu-ne-ye- 



^P*^^^' siva-hah ! Kra-mu-ne-ye stoa-hnh! madah-slm-riiu-ne 



ye-swa-hah !" After having repeated this, breathe upon the Rosary 



