Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-09-06
THE GRAND LAMA OF Tibet
Religion of the Orlentals.

A most interesting paper in the
last number Of the Royal Asiatic
Society's Journal, by Mr.. w. F..
Mayer, of the British Consular SER
vice in China, dlspels much Of the
mystery which has enveloped the
fantastic hierarchy of Thibet Mr..
Mayors materials were drawn from
the official reports Of Chinese COM
missioner at Lhassa, which describes
the ceremonials attendant upon the
selection and enstallment Of q new
Dalia Lama. He says:
In the fourteenth century after
Christ the religion of Thibet was
Buddhism, more than half secured
by Indian Sivaism and indigenous
Turanian superstitions. Caste and
other Brahmincal institutions -four
ished side by side with monastic
celibacy and the essential obser-
vances Of the Buddhist creed. The
Ssakia hierarchy, so-called from their
seat of government, was a priestly
sovereignty feudatory to the Mongol
conquerors of China. In the early
part of the.ifteenth century, Q418-)
1470) young monk named Tsunk-
aba emerged from an obscure con-
vent somewhere upon the China
frontier and began to denounce the
corruptions which had crept into
Buddhism. Glad in the yellow robes
sacred to Buddha he went from place
to place preaching the pure doctrines
Of Buddhism. Such was his success
that before his death the "Yellow
Church" had taken the place of the
corrupt faith, and the red-clothed
Ssakia dynasty had been expelled
from the kingdom. The old sect
still fingers under the designation of
of the Red Church in parts of Thibet
and Mongolia. There were many
points inTsungkaba's teaching which
resembled in striking manner the
dogmas and ritual Of the Roman
Church, yet there is no doubt that
European missionaries had penetra-
ted into Thibet about the time of his
appearance. When Tsunkaba died
be bequeathed his authority, spiritual
and temporal, to bis two disciples,
laying upon them the command that
"they should be born again, gener-
alton after generation, to practice
the doctrines Of the great Convey
ance." The soul of Tsungkaba him.
self is believed to have passed into
the elder of the two. Hence arose
the double hierarchy. The same of
the elder Lama was called Dalai or
Ocean" Tho other was known as
the Panshen Erdeni, or "Precious
Teacher" This twofold division of
power has still been maintained
Mr.. Mayer would distinguish the one
as the Head of the Church." the
other as the "Primate )" but no ac-
curate parallel can be drawn from
any other system. The Panshen
Erdeni, though inferior in both spir-
itual and secular authority to the
Dalai Lama, is.more completely alb
stracted from all worldly affairs, and,
therefore, accounted more sacred
than his coregent. His residence is
on Tashi Jumbo, the Mountain of
Good Fortune, while the Dalai has
his residence upon Mount Potala-a
name, doubtless, connected with
Pattala, the county of Sakyamnni's
ancestors, Distinguished laymen
are sometimes honored with the ii.
tie of Nomen Han or Prince of the
Church. The next grade in import
ance is the Hutuchtu or Saints,
bbout $50 in number, who would
probably correspond to the College
of Cardinals in Roman the hierarhcy.
They possess the gift of reembodi-
ment, and are chosen in the same
way as the Lamas.