The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-05-15

bought prayer wheel from Thibot at Oar
feeling, I'm the Himalaya Mountains II was
little machine about foot long. shaped much
like baby's rattle, save that the bead WAS rs
large round as tin cup. This head moved on
pivot and inside the cup there was an whole
string Of prayers. By giving the handle
twist the cup would rcvolYe, and every time
that IL went around prayer was said TO Bnddha.
This Is one of the economical methods OF pray
ing among the Thibctans Every man. woman
and child has his prayer wheel, aud he keeps 10
going from morning I'LL night In some parts
of the country there are wind mills with this
pTaycr-whecl attachment to them, and man
can have bis prayers going on day or night.
no matter what he may be doing The most
common prayer among the Thibetans ia made
up of four words: ON Mani Padmi Hum,
which means, oh the Jewel in the Lotus
Amen" You hear this everywhere on the
borders Of Thibet, aud the syilablcs are the
drawl which every Thibctan muttcrs hundreds
of times daily. They are the Now lay mo
down 10 sleep" aud the Our Father who art
in Heaven" OF the whole country. and il Is the
first prayer that the child learns and the last
words that the dying man utters. The Thib-
etan language Is different from tho Chinese
and their literature Is almost altogether theo-
logical. The priests arc the only educated
men Of the country, but some of the women
can write The women are business women TO
a large extent, and the people are naturally
traders. They send great deal Of wool, SIX ms,
musk, gold and silver and torquoises 10 India
and China, aud saw great many jewels in In
dia which / was told came from Thibet. Such
tOrquOiges as were offered ia the Himalayas
were not very good, aud tho prices asked for
them were eX0rbitant. Thibct IS a very inter-
esting country for every one who is interested
in the Buddhist religion, aud Madame Blavet-
sky claims that she wandered for year or so
in Thibet in order 10 study Buddh ism. She
was told by the priests that she might get to
the capital, Lassa but If she once entered il She
could never be permitted 10 depart. She said
she looked upon It's sacred walls and then
turned back 10 tho flesh pots of this world and
moved on down again 10 India. As for myself
] do not believe that she was ever In Thibct and
/ was told by travellers in India who knew her
| perfectly that She was a fraud of the first
water, aud that her stories by no means
| hung together. The truth about the Thibetan
religion seems 10 DO that il Is the most de-
| graded and most superstitous form of Bud
dhism, and that the land Is priest-ridden. 1t has
/ immense mOnasterles everywhere aud while
| the dwellings of the poor are made Of unhewn
stones rudely piled together without cement,
the monasteries are elegant, and their interiors
| contain wonders in silver and gold. In one
monastery there is noted Lama of tho past
| In coffin OF gold, and there is an image of him
| In gold near by this coffin. The mausOlcum
over the collin is In the shape of "a pyramid
and the sides Of this pyramid are silver plates.
aud Oh the steps are jewels and other costly
| things which belong TO tho Lama Such
1 Lamas as | met seem TO DO pretty well fed
| fellows, and have yet TO SEQ u priest in the
| East who was lean,