The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-24

herbs. During the ceremonial he insisted
that he felt nothing, heard nothing; stated
that ne had been lifted up to paradise,
and beheld beauties ineTable, and par
taken Of Joys which no other mortal
could know. When asked to do so. he
exhibited the parts that had been sever
ed, which only retained a small ridgy
white line about three inches IN length.
This, the Bokt assured the investigators
was unusual, and might be attributed to
the Akasa or life fluid which the fakirs
dispensed. There were too many Of them.
he thought. Had there been less, or those
present less Jealous, the parts would have
cohered instantly. AS 1t was, the life fluid
bubbled up, and by its excess. caused that
seam. He expected to reduce it by manip-
ulations.
An lamas have not the power to
operate these prodigies. Those, for ex
ample, who have the horrible capacity for
cutting themselves open are never found
among the lamas Of higher rank They
are ordinarily simple lamas of bad char
acter, and held in snail esteem by their
colleagues. The lamas who are sensible
generally asseVerate their horror of spec-
tacles of this description. In their ewes
all these operations are perverse and
dlabolical The good lamas, they say,
have it not in their power to execute
things of this kind, and are careful to
guard against seeking to acquire the i'm
piOus talent
OTHER UNCANNY FEATS
1.-The above is one of the most notable
sierra, that is, 'perverse powers possessed
ny the lamas. Others of a like kind are
less grandicose and more in vogue These
tney practice at home and not on public
occasions They will heat a piece of
iron red hot and lick it with their
tongues They will make incisions in
their bodies and an instant after not
trace of the wound remains.
The Iow-class lamas are equally facile
In the performance of other feats. quite
as revolving and certainly as wonderful
Ihey will seize a bar of white-hot iron.
place 1t between their teeth and upon the
tongue, and finally, closing their lips upon
IL, hold 1T in the mouth until it becomes
cold. Or they will take a great knife or
dagger and thrust 1t through their cheeks
or arms and legs, or into their sides
without apparent injury. The feats per-
formed by the Indian fakirs for the en-.
tertainment Of the globe-trotting foreign
ers, such as the mango trick, the disap-
pearance of little boy thrown skyward
the automatic movement Of heavy bronze
basins, &c. they consider mere child's
play, and ordinarily refuse to perform
them.
are quite as extraordinary, and It Is
claimed that they can be reinca-nated at
will.
"a Florentine traveller succeeded in
penetrating in disguise to Potala early IN
the century, shortly after the death Of q
Dalai Lama, and describes what he saw,
in connection with the reincarnation OF
the Buddha who had taken up his abode
IN the body of a young child.
REINCARNATED AS AN INFANT.
An altar is ready in the temple to re-
ceive the resuscitated Buddha found by
the initiated priesthood, and recognized
by certain secret signs to have reincar-
mated himself in a newborn infant. The
baby, but a few days old, Is brought into
the presence Of the people and reveren-
tally placed upon the altar. Suddenly
rising to sitting posture the child begins
to utter iE loud manly voice the fol-
lowing sentences. al am Buddha; I am
his spirit, and I. Buddha your Dalai
Lana, have left my old decrepit body at
the temple OF and selected the
body OF this young babe as my earthly
dwelllng."'
The Florentine says he was permitted
by the priests to- take the banY in his
arms and carry 1t off some distance, so
as to satisfy himself that II was no trick
of the Ventriloquist. The infant opened
his eyes and gave him such a look that
it made his flesh creep, and then repeated
the same words. so there could be no
mistake about it. This account is con-
firmed by Able Hue, who states that The
child answers questions and tells those
who knew him in his past life the most
exact details of his anterior earthly ex-
istence.
This incident is fnexplicable, but it Is
not without collateral support from lnde.
pendent sources. Other reputable writer's
have written of equally wonderful mani
festat!ons of like character In other
lands, but Thibet is acknowledged by all
investigators to be Ire-eminently the
land of magic"