HINDOO MYTHOLOGY. 19 
considered only tests to ascertain their sincerity and truth. His death is 
only the destruction of the external form, subject to the unchangeable laws 
of matter, which the undying principle has left to inhabit another body. 
His corpse is then burned with imposing ceremonies (pl. 3, jig. 23). It 
becomes now the duty of the Lamas to discover the person upon whom the 
spirit of the Dalai Lama has descended, and in this search they have no other 
guide than the name of the province in which he resides, which has been 
designated by their late chief, and certain signs and tokens known only to 
themselves. We have already said that Thibet may justly be called the 
country of priests; hence comes it that an unusual proportion of the 
inhabitants belongs to that order, which is divided into nine degrees. 
The two Great-Lamas are always surrounded by a long retinue of 
priests belonging to the first order, and it is said that in and around Lassa 
there are 30,000 persons belonging to the different degrees of priesthood. 
The country is moreover filled with numerous monasteries and nunneries, 
the greater number of which are in the hands of the Lamas. There is not 
a family in the land which has not at least one of its members enrolled as a 
priest, monk, or nun. . 
The worship of the followers of Lamaism consists chiefly in the conse- 
crating of persons to the service of their religion, in prayer, singing, and 
performing upon musical instruments ; though even the giving of presents 
to the Lamas is considered an act of divine service. They have also 
several religious festivals and processions; as one of the. former, we 
mention the celebration of the new year, which takes place in the beginning 
of February. 
The J/ongols who profess Lamaism differ from their neighbors, the Thi- 
betans, only in the more rational and less idolatrous respect which they pay 
to the chief of their priesthood, whom they call Cutuchtu. 
On pl. 2, jigs. 25-30, will be found some ancient idols worshipped by the 
Mongols ; but little is known of their history and to what system of religion 
they belonged. | 
4, Cutnesr Myrsonoey. 
We have classed the Chinese religious systems under Hindoo Mythology 
because their most common religion (Foism) is properly only a variation of 
Buddhism. 
The most perfect religious toleration is practised in China, from which 
only Christians and Mahomedans are excluded; hence we find three forms 
of religion among the inhabitants: that of Lao-Zse, or Laokiun, or 
Laokung ; that of Confucius, or Chung-Tse ; and that of Buddha, or Fo. 
The primitive religion of the Chinese was in a great degree a worship of 
nature. Zan, who represented the heavens, was their chief deity. Next 
to him in rank were the spirits who ruled the earth, the stars, the moun- 
tains, cities, and rivers; and next to these the souls of their ancestors, 
particularly those of the Emperors, all of which received divine honors. 
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