THE WORLD'S STRANGEST CAPITAL 



285 



up to the principal doorway. Behind 

 great hangings of black yak's hair, to 

 screen them from the sun, are the mag- 

 nificently carved doors, brilliantly colored 

 in carmine and vermilion. 



Peace reigns, the courtyard is full of 

 flowers, and everything is quiet and or- 

 derly, conducive to the meditation which 

 forms so large a part of the Buddhist 

 religion. 



Entering the great temple itself through 

 the wonderful doors and passing through 

 it, the Inner Sanctuary was reached. In 

 it was the Golden Throne of the Chief 

 Oracle, and on it lay his Robes of State, 

 Sword of Office and Shield, and on all 

 sides were the jeweled paraphernalia re- 

 quired for ceremonial processions and 

 dances, so essential to Lamaism. It was 

 evident great care had been bestowed on 

 them, and they were specimens of beau- 

 tiful workmanship and adorned with 

 many really fine turquoise. One in par- 

 ticular, a circular "Mirror of Purity" of 

 polished silver, set in copper gilt repousse 

 work, ornamented with turquoise, was 

 exceptionally good. 



THE MAGICIAN'S PRIVATE DWELLING 



Leaving the temple and courtyard, we 

 ascended to other temples, all elaborately 

 decorated and beautifully kept, and then 

 went out on the roof immediately below 

 the Golden Roof for a nearer inspection 

 of it and its exquisitely designed dragon- 

 head finials. We next visited the ma- 

 gician's private dwelling-house, situated 

 at the back of the main temple in a beau- 

 tiful miniature garden, in which bam- 

 boos, hollyhocks, nasturtiums, stocks, 

 and roses were all growing luxuriantly, 

 watered by a tiny stream of clear water. 



The windows were protected by de- 

 lightful white awnings, and inside every- 

 thing was scrupulously clean, the floors 

 and woodwork so highly polished one 

 felt one should do as in Japan and re- 

 move one's boots, and the walls charm- 

 ingly decorated with fresco painting. 



The religion inculcated by Buddha had 

 certain cardinal points — the encourage- 

 ment of the ascetic life, the maintenance 

 of virtue, the exhortation to persons of 

 all castes and both sexes to aim at deliv- 

 erance from the evils of existence, and 

 lastly the attainment of Nirvana. 



But in Tibet Buddhism has been 

 grafted onto the earlier devil worship of 

 the people and a religion has been evolved 

 better expressed as Lamaism, or modi- 

 fied devil worship, so that in addition to 

 the Buddhas and Bodisats there have also 

 come to be Tutelary and Guardian dei- 

 ties of a terrifying and malignant aspect, 

 whose duty it is to defend the faith and 

 the faithful people from external attack. 

 These deities are depicted in grotesque 

 and terrible forms in all the monasteries, 

 generally in violently colored fresco 

 paintings at the entrance. 



CREDULOUS PEASANTS 



The credulous peasants, steeped in su- 

 perstition, look up to and pray to these 

 monstrosities for their deliverance from 

 evil, from the lures and persecutions of 

 the demons and sprites, by which every 

 Tibetan regards himself as surrounded. 



The common folk believe, too, in mis- 

 chievous and malignant gods, some in 

 the shape of gnomes, some hobgoblins, 

 others with such long slender necks and 

 small mouths they can swallow nothing, 

 and in their attempts writhe to such an 

 extent their struggles cause earthquakes. 

 Another belief is that rainbows art 

 formed by innumerable sprites, or small 

 folk, sliding down into water, sprites 

 who live only on smells and twang gui- 

 tars as they slide; and that drinking the 

 water will give fever. Others living on 

 the tops of hills or passes send down 

 avalanches and give travelers mountain 

 sickness, and perhaps the most dreaded 

 of all are the "shri," who attack children. 



All these beliefs are more or less the 

 religion of the common people, combined 

 with the hope of being perhaps reincar- 

 nated into a higher sphere and of ulti- 

 mately being admitted into Nirvana. 



CHARMS COULD NOT STOP NICKEL BULLETS 



Tibetans have absolute faith in charms 

 protecting them from all dangers and 

 evils, and once during our stay when a 

 prisoner was being treated for wounds 

 and was asked how he, having the requi- 

 site charms from the Lamas, could have 

 been wounded, answered that he had no 

 charm against a nickel bullet, such metal 

 being unknown to the Lamas. 



They are strictly forbidden to take life. 



