The sun., 1903-12-07
LAUD THE BRITISH ATTACK.
PEACEFUL tibet AS DESCRIBED
ny 4 BEDDHIST PRIEST.
Its Gold R0Ofed Temple nnd Bellies OF
Barbarian Curiolisiy Mingled. Com.
hined with . Gorgeous Ceremonial
suggestive OF the Catholic Ritual.

blned with . Gorgeous Ceremonial
suggestive OF the Catholic Ritual.
Swami Abhedananda OF India delivered
a lecture on "Lamaism in Tibet" yesterday
in 'Carneg gle Lyceum under the auspices
Of the Vedanta Society Of New York, which,
it will be recalled, was founded some years
ago by the late Swami Vivekananda, dele
gate to the Parliament Of Religions at
the Worlds Fair in 1899.
The lecture was the second in series
of three relating to the different forms
of Buddha worship, and is of interest in
view OF the possible opening up Of the
forbidden country" of Tibet to the COM
merce Of the world. The greater part Of
the lecturers remarks were devoted to a
description Of Tibet and its temples
Tho country, he said, is governed by
the priest king known as the Dalai Lama,
who is believed by his subjects to be the
incarnation of the Celestial Buddha, the
Lord looking down from on high. The
religion of the Thibetans, before the teach
ings OF Buddhe took root among them
was that OF savages. They practised devil
worship. devil dancing, cannibalism and
offered human sacrifices. These practices
still exist to-day. Human sacrifice. how
ever, is not practised as OF old, by killing
human beings but by the substitution Of
clay images of men. Cannibalsm Is still
in existence. devotees eating a small
part of the skin OF very high lama, and
using the thigh bones of amas for trumpets.
He told how the great Mogul warrior
Genghis Khan conquered China, Thibet
and India. His successor. Kubola Khan,
L., l.. To- ls,wt0
had representatives Of different religions
brought before him. Among them were
missionaries sent out by the Pope Of that
time and several Buddhist priests. The
Khan asked for a miracle. This the Chris
tan missionaries were unable to perform.
But the Buddhist priests caused the Khan's
wine cup to be mira cuous!y raised to his
lips. That decided him for Buddha and
he established the Dalai Lama as the ruler
of Thibet under his protection. n.TheThibetans
believe him to be the vice. regent of Buddhe,
gives up one body and reincarnates in an
other The present DalaiJ.ams is token ss
the thirteenth successive reipca rnation.
He was IS years old when he assembled the
throne ten years ago, 80 he is % now.
There are 5000 monasteres in Thibet
said the lecturer, with from 5000 to
10000 monks in each There are also
many orders OF nuns. The colossal
temple in the City of Lhassa is almost
as grand as st. Peters at Rome. Il
is three and half stories high and is
rooted over with gold plates. Inside
are many chapels, affairs and shrinee,
magnificent throne for the Dalai Lama,
and lesser thrones for inferior dignitaries.
All the roads Of Thibet lead to this
temple. .,,... :, :. -
bic greatly the ceremonies OF the Roman
Catholic Church. Gorgeous vestments,
lamps, incense, bells. mitres, copes, holy
water, the confessional and litanies are
used. In a word what we find in the Roman
Catholic Church to-day is largely a repro
duction Of lamaism.
There is also a kind Of Eucharist, cere-
rnony that Is celebrated once a week and
which great crowds Of people attend with
the idea of gaining longevity or curing Sc
we're illnesses.
Here for centuries" continued the lect-
urer. -the Thibetans have led a peaceful
existence. Now European travellers and
Christ ian missionaries want to break in on
their quiet and repose. And the greed of
the British Government is so great that
an expedition has been formed against
the nation, carrying with it drunkenness
immortality, robbery and ruthless murder
and spreading these crimes among the peo-
pie, as it has been doing in India, South
protecte ed by the highest mountains IN the
world OIL one side and by almost impassable
deserts on another Yet British greed is
SO great that these now afford little pro-
lection. Fifty years ago the country was
OPEN
The Swami closed with plea for uni
yerf,al Brotherhood