Photograph by John Claude White 

 A PORTRAIT OE THE TASHI LAMA WITH HIS MINISTERS AND FOLLOWERS 



as their souls on departing - the life are 

 reincarnated in the body of some infant, 

 who by some miraculous sign, such as the 

 recognition of a rosary, an article of 

 clothing belonging to the deceased, or 

 something of that sort, establishes his 

 claim. 



Mr. Wilton tells us how the Chinese 

 manipulate the selection to insure the 

 chosen candidate belonging to the pro- 

 Chinese faction. When the choice has 

 been narrowed down to four, four fish- 

 shaped tablets are publicly placed in a 

 golden urn, the gift of the Great Man- 

 chu Emperor Kienlung. The name in- 

 scribed on the first tablet drawn is hailed 

 as the Dalai Lama, and it is the custom 

 to solemnly recommend him for confir- 

 mation to the Chinese Emperor by the 

 Amban. 



Kienlung's method of choice of a Da- 

 lai Lama was intended to prevent a selec- 



tion likely to be detrimental to Chinese 

 interests, and this is how it was carried 

 out : The selection of the infant was left 

 entirely in the hands of the Tibetans; 

 only the final putting in of the four fish 

 tablets was superintended by the Tibetan 

 Regent and the Chinese Amban. The 

 actual drawing was done by a Tibetan; 

 but to insure the right candidate, all four 

 tablets were inscribed with the same 

 name. 



The last four Lamas — ninth, tenth, 

 eleventh, and twelfth — have all died be- 

 fore attaining their majority, 18 being 

 the age of majority for a Dalai Lama. 

 It was prophesied in Lhasa ten years be- 

 fore the present incumbent's selection, in 

 1876, that he would be the last of the 

 Dalai Lamas, and, as events have turned 

 out in China during the last few years, it 

 is more than likely we shall not see an- 

 other. 



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