218 GLORY OF BUDDHA 
weather was wet and misty. Occasionally it would 
clear, and then often clouds could be seen below and 
to the southward, which, when they struck the face of 
the precipice, would roll up and envelope the summit 
in mist. One day only was clear enough to allow the 
great snowy range of mountains round Ta-tsien-lu to be 
seen, and at the same time I saw the curiously-terraced 
shape and flat square summit of Wa-shan to the south- 
ward of west. 
On two occasions I saw the celebrated Glory of 
Buddha from the precipice at the ‘Golden Summit.’ This 
extraordinary phenomenon is apparently the reflection 
of the sun upon the upper surface of the clouds beneath, 
and has the appearance of a golden disc surrounded by 
radiating bars bearing all the colours of the rainbow. 
These are constantly moving, and scintillate and change 
colour in a very remarkable manner. 
It is very uncertain when the Glory can be seen, as 
the sun shining on clouds below does not always pro- 
duce it, and it may appear at any time when the sun is 
over a certain height above the horizon. It is held in 
great respect by the Buddhists, and thousands of pilgrims, 
some coming from great distances, visit the mountain 
in the hope of being able to see it. A considerable 
number of them are so overcome by excess of religious 
feeling on beholding it, that they throw themselves over 
