Chapter XV. Worship of the Deities, and Religious Ceremonies

[1. Mani "a precious stone" ril-bu "a globular figure, a pill;" grub "to have done; made ready;" thabs "means, method." 2. These pills are identical with those mentioned by Huc, "Souvenirs," Vol. II., p. 278, as highly esteemed.] {p. 267} of the six sections is inscribed a syllable of the prayer Om mani padme hum. As long as the paste remains in the water (the prescribed time ranges from one to three weeks) some Lamas (who are not allowed to eat meat during this period) recite all day long particular prayers in honour of the Manlas. With reference to diseases caused by ghosts and evil, spirits, the 73rd. Chapter of Part IV. of the book mentioned enumerates twelve kinds, the 77th. eighteen. The causes, symptoms, and remedies are also enumerated. About these kinds of diseases and the methods of curing them my brothers learned the following particulars. Each malignant spirit causes some particular disease. Thus Râhu[1] inflicts palsy, in Tibetan Zanad; fifteen other devils, called Donchen Chonga,[2] "the fifteen great evil spirits," cause children to fall sick, &c. When the Lama physician who has been called to a sick man, has determined the illness to have been occasioned by a malignant spirit, he proceeds to examine into the circumstances, in order to detect the causes which have allowed the spirit to gain influence over the patient, and the means he employed to make him sick. When the illness is insignificant, as in cases of cold, hoarseness, light wounds, &c., it does not take, according to the belief of the Tibetans, much trouble to drive away the evil spirit; the remedies consist either in charms, which the patient has to wear, to affix to the door, or to read; or a noisy music is performed, before which the evil spirits are supposed to

[1. See p. 115. 2. gDon "an evil spirit;" chhen "great;" bcho-lnga "fifteen."] {p. 268} yield; or the very Dragshed who is the particular enemy of the offending evil spirit is implored, and his image is hung up after having been carried in procession round the house; or the Phurbu is applied. These are the most common methods employed for the recovery of health; but it lies in the nature of this matter that these rites should vary considerably. In cases of serious illness, particularly when the sick man is no more able to rise, the evil spirit is supposed to have crept into the house in the shape of an animal, and to dwell in this form near the sick man. The first business of the Lama then is to find out the form which the evil spirit has assumed, in which endeavours he finally succeeds by various ceremonies very much of a character akin to juggling. An animal is formed of clay or bread-paste by means of a wooden mould, of which he carries with him a variety for selection,[1] and the soul of the spirit is compelled to leave the assumed brute form, and to enter into the representation of it; for this purpose magical circles are traced and incantations recited for some time. When the evil spirit has been confined, by these means, the Lama reads passages out of certain books, and hands the moulded animal over to the patient to burn or to bury it; prints of it are also pasted on various parts of the house and are only removed when the disease has disappeared. If this means is not attended with success, and the sick man dies, it is averred that the illness was a punishment for immoral actions committed in some former existence.

[1. Specimens of such blocks are given in Plates Nos. XIV. to XVI.] {p. 268a} Plate XIV. PRINTS FROM SLIPS OF WOOD USED IN TÍBET AS A SUPPOSED PROTECTION AGAINST EVIL SPIRITS. No. 1: From Síkkim. ### {p. 269} 10. Funeral rites. The funeral (Tib. Shid) of a layman generally terminates, where circumstances, allow of it, in the burning of the body, although the practice of exposing the corpse on the hills as a prey to wild animals, formerly a very common one, is even now sometimes resorted to on account of the scarcity of wood.[1] The ceremony of burning the body is performed upon an altar of a cubical form; in larger towns several of these are kept ready for immediate use; thus there are twelve such altars at Leh, surrounding the burial ground. In countries where wood is plentiful, as in Bhután and Síkkim, enough is employed to render the combustion complete, nothing remaining but ashes; but in Tíbet it often happens that quantities of the bones remain unconsumed, which are, then carefully collected, together with the ashes, and buried.[2] The bodies of the Lamas are not burnt: they are [1. For descriptions of various kinds of funerals see Nouv. Journ. Asiat., Vol. IV., p. 254. Huc, "Souvenirs," Vol. II., p. 347. Cunningham, "Ladák," p. 308. 2. Concerning the mode of collecting the ashes in Eastern Bengál and Assám my brother Hermann gave me the following details--A cloth about three feet square is fastened at its four ends to canes about three to four feet high, which are driven into the earth; into this cloth, thus forming a sort of trough, the ashes, bones and remaining pieces of charcoal are gathered, and left to be dispersed by the wind, or gradually decomposed by the rain and heat. The tribes of the Khássia hills, where the amount of rain exceeds that of any known country, although it is limited to a duration of three to four months, have a most curious practise of keeping their dead till the rainy season is over; as long as the heavy rains last no combustion in the open air would be possible. They put the corpse into trunk of a hollow tree, and fill this up with honey, a process which prevents decomposition for several months, even in these hot and moist regions.]

{p. 270} buried in a reclining attitude (not exactly in a sitting posture), with the knees brought up to the chin, and the whole corpse laced together into as small a space as possible; occasionally they are put into a cloth bag. In general, the: graves are not dug; the grave-yard being selected in places abounding with stones, the corps is simply laid down on the ground and concealed beneath a heap of stones. The erection of Chortens over the dead is limited to exceptional cases. With the remarkable toleration so characteristic of Buddhism, my brothers were allowed to open and examine some of the graves near Leh, and they even induced a Lama to undertake the boiling of some corpses for the purpose of cleaning and preparing the skeletons, though the latter process had to be concealed from the population in general. The corpses taken out of their graves were not decomposed; the great dryness of the atmosphere had caused the flesh to shrink to a hard leathery substance covering the bones, and this yielded but very slowly to the action of the boiling water. The length of several corpses compressed in the way just described was found to be from 2½ to 3 feet. During the process of combustion and interment prayers are recited and various ceremonies performed; offerings are presented to the god of the fire, Melha; the Zhiba Chrinsreg, to obtain the remission of the sins of the deceased,[1] is also performed. A ceremony which precedes the interment consists in the purchase of the burial-ground from the lord of the ground, in Tibetan

During the process of combustion and interment prayers are recited and various ceremonies performed; offerings are presented to the god of the fire, Melha; the Zhiba Chrinsreg, to obtain the remission of the sins of the deceased,[1] is also performed. A ceremony which precedes the interment consists in the purchase of the burial-ground from the lord of the ground, in Tibetan [1. For its description see p. 249.] {p. 271} Sadag gyalpo. The lord of the ground, and the mischievous spirits obeying him, are supposed to do mischief, from innate malice, to the dead in his future existence, as well as to his surviving relatives in their present one. The lord of the ground can be pacified by the purchase of the burial ground, while the other malignant spirits are banished by charms and rites, in which reverence is paid to the three gems, viz. to Buddha, Dharma, and Sanga.[1] These rites are said to have been taught to man by Manjusrî, the god of wisdom. The relatives of the deceased inform the astrologers, who are considered to have intercourse with Sadag, of the amount they propose to pay to Sadag, either in the form of cattle or money, and request them to persuade him to be satisfied therewith. Invariably the answer is returned, that Sadag, who is represented as insatiable, wants more for his pacification than the amount offered. When, finally, the necessary sum has been settled, the grave is marked out, and the astrologers proceed to expel Sadag and all the other malignant spirits in the following terms:

"Lord of the ground, and you Mahôragas,[2] hear my command and order, which I issue with the ceremonies prescribed by the sacred law of the god Manjusrî and of the three gems. I drive the arrow not into the eyes, not into the feet, not into the bowels of the evil spirits, Lord of the ground, but into the earth, in order to [1. See p. 184, Note 2. 2. Mahôragas, in Tibetan Tophye chenpo, are terrestrial dragons superior to man. See Foe koue ki, Engl. transl., p. 133.] {p. 272} render propitious the inferior mischievous spirits. Genii, if you do not obey my order, I will break your heads with my dorje. Hear my order: hurt neither the deceased (his name is here repeated) nor his surviving relatives. Do them no damage, neither injure them, nor teaze them, nor bring misfortune upon them."[1] The Lama then drives the arrow into the ground, where it remains until the dead person is buried. [1. From an oral communication from a Lama.] {p. 273}