Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-16
IN THE LAND OF MAG c.
MODERN MIRACLES AND MIRACLE
wORkERs OF THIBET.
marvellous Sights Witnessed by
travellers In That Practically Tn
known Land-A Wonderful Baby.
Dr.. Henry Liddell in the Home Magazine

| DIR. Henry Liddell In the Home Magazine
| The country known to English-speakIng
| folk as Thibet bears a very different name
| among its own people. 1t is called Bod, or
| Bod-yul. "the country of Bod The name
| Bod probably refers to Ruddha, Tn bet
being the headquarters Of what Is termed
northern Buddhism, IN coniradistinction to
| the Buddhism of Ceylon. which IS spoken
| oil as southern Buddhism. In India proper
Buddhism is no longer a dominant cult
Though ostensib.y Buddhists. the people
| of Bod are in reality slaves to Lamaism. A
| system of theology which has been defined
| as Buddhism corrupted by Siva!sm and
| by Shamanism spirit worship" Sha-
mariism is the dominant cult of Mongolia.
| and is a system of demon worship rather
| than spirit worship
Tibet is regarded By students of the oc-
cut as the nome OF magic, and whether or
no there be 'Mahatmas' in that Wild and
Weird land, in which the late Nine. Bta-
vatsky. the high priestess OF theosophy. 1t
| Is claimed. served a seven-year apprentice
| snip in the magic art, We have It on the
most respectable testimony that the lamaS
| of Bodyul and do perform feats which
have not yet been explained in terms IF
| science and which can only be classed
magical.
The performance of the Bokts. or WONDER
working lamaS, are quite a. astounding IN
their way IA those OF the Indian fakirs who
are Mohammedans, or of the Sanyahis or
| fogis. who are BrHhmins, but they are
| usually terrible and revolving. Th!b-
| etan Bokt, who had wandered from his
| tive land and penetrated as far Benares.
gave an exhibition If his wonderful pow
| ers in one of the vast temples IT the holy
| city few years ago. lie accompanied
and assisted by mongrel crowd of half
human compatriots. The exhibition prom
| ised by the wonderful magician was truly
an astounding one. He proposed, in view
OF AL oehoiders, to rip up his abdomen. re-
move handful of intestines, display them
! to the spectators and then replace them
again and heal UP the wound by a few mag
| ical passes. leaving no vestige of the DAM
age inflicted.
Not Everyday Occurrences.
| Needless TO say such exhibitions are not
F, everyday occurrences. and the ordinary
| globe trotter might traverse India from
| Cape Comorin to Nepal and not be fortu-
| nate enough to witness marvellous. If re-
! voting, spectacle rs that in question.
| When the hour of noon arrived the lama
| appeared and took his seat before the raised
| altar. which candles had been lighted.
Before him radiant image of the
| sun, and either side of the altar were
| grim idols which had been placed there by
| the attendants.
The lama was in person small spare
man, with fixed, glittering eyes, ema-
ctated frame and an immense mass Of long
| black hair which fioated over his Shout
| ing corpse, in whose head two blazing fires
| had been lighted. which cleaned in un-
| natural luster through his long almond
shaped eyes. He was about forty years OF
| age, and report alleged that he had al
| ready some four times previously performed
! the great sacriticial act he was now about
to repeat.
| From the moment this skeleton figure
had taken his seat the seventy fakirs who
surrounded him In a semi-circle began to
sway their bodies back and forth. singing
| meanwhile a loud, monotonous chant in
| rhythm with their movements. In few
| minutes the gesticuations of the fakirs In
| creased almost to frenzy. They tossed
| their arms on high. bent their bodies to
earth, now forward. now backward, now
swung them around as II thrown by the
| hands of others. Meantime their monoto-
nous chant rose into shrieks and yels so
| frightful that the ears of the listeners were
| deafened and their senses distracted by the
clamor. On every side OF the auditorium
braziers of incense We're burning. Six IA.
| kris swung pots of frankincense filling the
| air with Intoxicating vapors, while six 9TH
ers stood behind beating metal drums or
| clashing cymbals, which they tossed on
| high with gestures of frantic exultation.
For some time the howls. shrieks and dis.
| tracing actions Of this maniac crew pro.
duced no effect on the immovable lama
Sat Like One Dead.
He sat like one dead. his fixed and CLASSY
| eyes seeming to stare into ilimitable dis.
| lance. without needing the pandemonium
| that was raging around him. Can he be
really living?' whispered one of the awe
struck Englishmen to his neighbor; but this
| question was speedily answered by the SEE
| ries of convulsive shudderings which at
| length shook the lama's frame. His dark
| eyes rolled wildly, and finally nothing but
| their whites were to be seen, spasm after
spasm threatening to SILVER the frail tene-
| ment and expel its qu!vering life. The
md faD Iiatnr cd
| as in the worst phases of epilepsy, when
suddenly, and just as the tempest of horri.
bic cries and distortions was a its height,
the lama seized the long, glittering knife
which lay across his knee, drew 1t rapidly
up the length Of the abdomen and then
displayed. in all their revolving horror, the
proofs of the sacrifice in the proruding in
testines.
The crowd of awe-struck ascetics bent
their heads to the earth In mute worship.
Not a sound broke the stiffness but the
deep breathing of the spectators. At length
one of them, who had witnessed such
scenes before, addressed the living crea-
ture-for living he still was, though he ut
tered no sound nor raised his dropping
head from his breast-and said: Man. can
you tell by what power this deed OF
| blood is performed without destruction OF
life?'
A dead silence ensued. The living corpse
moves. 1t raises its quivering hands and
scoops up the blood from the wound bears
it to the lips which breathe upon 1t. They
Then return 10 the WOuuu DeSu ~ press
the severed parts together and remake the
mutilated body. The fakirs shout and
send up praises to Brahma: the drums beat;
the cymbals clash: shrieks. prayers invo-
cations resound on all sides. The fragrant
incense ascends: the flute players planted
on the outskirts of the estate pour forth
their shrill cadence: the harps Of some Eu-
ropean servants stationed in distant apart
ment and previously instructed send forth
strains of sweet melody amid the frantic
clamor.
without u Scar.
The ecstatic makes few more passes.
and after wrapping scarf previously pre-
pared over the body as If to cleanse it from
the gore in which it was STEPPED. suddenly
he stands upright casts all his upper gar
ments from him and displays body I'M
marked by a single scar. Gesticulations,
cries, shouts subside: low murmurs of adj
miration and worship pass through the
GREATNESS assembly and then the Bokt.
clasping his thin hands and elevating his
glistening eyes to heaven. utters, in deep.
low tone far different from the shrill wall
Of tise half-dead sacrifice, a short but
fervent prayer of thankfulness, and all Is
finished.
A Florentine traveller succeeded in pene-
trating in disguise to Potala shortly after
~ of Dala 6escribeS