RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS 111 



keys to lock out evil influences. The Abbot must 

 be of the House of Choni. The office has been 

 vacant for thirty years. 



Phallic worship is intermingled with their religion, 

 which is anything but pure. Many of the paintings 

 and images which adorn the walls of the temples 

 are most indecent. In the tenth moon a great 

 festival and dance are held at Choni. One tableau 

 represents the discomfiture of the Great Enemy, 

 a former king of Thibet who nearly exterminated 

 Buddhism. He wished to uphold the ancient Ban 

 religion of fire and Devil-worship (some of theT'e- 

 pu, by the way, are Bans to this day ^ being their 

 symbol), but was killed in battle, the whole country 

 having risen against him. This was looked on as 

 a just punishment for his sins, inflicted by the 

 Buddha, and the incident is exemplified in the 

 dance. The Yellow sect worship a reformer who 

 arose some five hundred years ago. Before the 

 advent of this reformer the Goddess of Mercy had 

 been worshipped for two hundred years. He told 

 his followers she was to be reincarnated. They 

 accepted this, and having established the belief, he 

 put forward his nephew as the reincarnated God- 

 dess. This boy was the first Dalai Lama. In 

 Thibetan he is known as " The Great All-Seeing 

 Precious One." Some Chinese scholars have identi- 

 fied the Goddess of Mercy with the Virgin Mary, 

 whence arises an interesting field for religious 

 controversy. Among the many images which 

 crowd the lamaserai I noticed none of Gautama, 

 and Mr. Christie told us there was not one. In ven- 

 turing on these remarks with regard to Buddhism 

 I feel I am on dangerous ground, never having 

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