The suburban citizen., 1902-02-15
TIBETS STRANGE RULER
PILGRIMS RECEIVED DAILY BY THE
MYSTERIOUS GRAND LAMA.


Dalai Lama of Tibet Hundreds Of
pilgrims from Tibet, Mongolia and
China are permitted every day to
pay homage to him, but any unbe-
lever who should attempt to enter
his presence would do so at the risk
of his life.
A Buddhist priest Of Kalmuk origin
and a subject of Russia has at last
had the temerity to write an account
of his reception by the Grand Lama
This man. whose name is Baza-
Bakchl. made the pilgrimage to
Lhasa about three years ago from his
home near Astrakhan, at the north
end of the Caspian Sea.
The Pantshen Lama is theoretically
the spiritual successor of the great
founder OF the faith, but practically
| the Dalai Lama has the supremacy,
owing to his residence at the capital.
He is called the great king, while the
other Grand Lama is known as the
great teacher
Somehow or other the Dalai Lama
writer who has ever visited Lhasa
has ever spoken of him as anything
more than a boy.
Colonel Holdich has said that the
Dalai Lamas of Tibet are invariably
children, and that they die as those
die whom the gods love. Manning,
who visited Lhasa in 1911 in the guise
of n Hindu doctor, said the Dalai
Lama was a we'll educated, princely
child about seven years old.
1t is a curious fact that BaZa-
Bakchi, the latest observer to see the
Dalai Lama, fails to describe the ap-
pearance Of the boy who is now in
that exalted position; he compensates
for this strange omission, however,
by giving the first details yet pub
lished of the ceremony of presenta-
tion at the daily receptions which this
Grand Lama gives to the pilgrims who
are constantly focklng to the holy
city.
When BaZa-Bakchi was in Lhasa
the Dalai Lama was not in his famous
temple-palace on the sacred hill of
Potala, for he had gone to his summer
palace, Norbu-Linka, a charming
abode in the midst of park a few
miles west of Lhasa. Thther the
stream of pilgrims was pouring and
the ceremony Of presentation there is
said to be identical with that at
Potala.
The quaintness Of Baza- -Bakchi's
short account can scarcely be repro
duced from the Russian version from
which the following has been trans
lated for the Sun. AS far as known
it is the only report Of the Kalmuk
narrative that has yet been turned
into English
The Dalai Lama" writes Baza-
| Bakchi, receives, every day, all the
| pilgrims who have arrived in the holy
city to pay him their homage. The
audiences are Usually given at 8
O'Clock in the morning, everybody
from the mobiles to the common peo-
pie being privileged to attend.
AT the time appointed for the
audience the Dalai Lama enters the
large hall and takes his seat on a
throne that is about five feet in
height, AS soon as he IS seated about
POO functionaries, half Of them officials
in the Government and half monks
from the mOnasteries, take their
places, a hundred to the right and a
hundred to the left of the throne.
Then the pilgrims and other de-
vOtees, who have been formed in line
outside, begin to file into the hall,
| passing up between the lines of at
tCndants to the throne where each in
/ his turn stands face to face with the
Dalai Lama.
Guards, who are very conspicuous
| for their tall stature, enter the hall on
J either side of the line of pilgrims.
/ The guards are provided with long
whips and it is their duty TO prevent
anything unseemly from occurring.
'The Dalai Lama makes a dis
tinctiOn between the pilgrims accord
ing to the value of the presents they
bring him. Those who come without
any gift receive indeed the benediction
as well as the others but they depart
without the special honors conferred
upon those who bring gifts. Some
offer gold, silver or copper plate en-
grayed with design Of the universe
in accordance with Buddhistlc ideas
others may offer silk scarf CT only a
little tea or rice.
ut was on the morning Of the third
day Of the month of the dog that /
went out from Lhasa to NOrbu-Linka.
| found the pilgrims already assembled
to the number Of 300 or 400.
Il was introduced into the hall be-
fore most Of Them for my hands were
full Of presents. 1 was escorted IN
front Of the throne Oh which was
seated the Dalai Lama. My attend
ant told me to kneel ana salute the
great king by touching my forehead
three times TO the Goor
After l had done 50 l arose and
presented the gold plate which the
Dalai Lama deigned to accept with
his own hands He immediately