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THREE YEARS IN TIBET.
THREE YEARS IN TIBET.
AUTHOR IN 1909. Three Years IN Tibet with the original Japanese illustrations BY THE SHRAMANA EKAI KAWAGUCHI Late Rector of Gohyakurakan Monastery, Japan . PUBLISHED BY THE THEOSOPHIST OFFICE, ADYAR, MADRAS. THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING SOCIETY, BENARES AND LONDON. 1909. ( Registered Copyright. ) PRINTED BY ANNIE BESANT AT THE VASANTA PRESS, ADYAR, MADRAS, S. INDIA....
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
I was lately reading the Holy Text of the Saḍḍharma-Puṇdarīka (the Aphorisms of the White Lotus of the Wonderful or True Law) in a Samskṛṭ manuscript under a Boḍhi-tree near Mṛga-Ḍāva (Sāranāṭh), Benares. Here our Blessed Lord Buḍḍha Shākya-Muni taught His Holy Ḍharma just after the accomplishment of His Buḍḍhahood at Buḍḍhagayā. Whilst doing so, I was reminded of the time, eighteen years ago, when I had read the same text in Chinese at a great Monastery named Ohbakusang at Kyoto in Japan, a rea
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CHAPTER I. Novel farewell presents.
CHAPTER I. Novel farewell presents.
In the month of May, 1897, I was ready to embark on my journey, which promised nought but danger and uncertainty. I went about taking leave of my friends and relatives in Tokyo. Endless were the kind and heartfelt words poured on me, and many were the presents offered me to wish me farewell; but the latter I uniformly declined to accept, save in the form of sincerely given pledges. From those noted for excessive use of intoxicants, I exacted a promise of absolute abstinence from “the maddening w
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CHAPTER II. A year in Darjeeling.
CHAPTER II. A year in Darjeeling.
It was just after the great earthquake in Assam, India, that I arrived in Darjeeling, and, as I could see from a large number of entirely collapsed and partly destroyed houses, this latter place also had had its share of the seismic disturbances. As for the Saraṭ Villa, it too had suffered more or less, and repair was already in progress. For all that, I was received there with a whole-hearted welcome. An evening’s talk was sufficient, however, to make my intentions clear to my kind host, and, a
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CHAPTER III. A foretaste of Tibetan barbarism.
CHAPTER III. A foretaste of Tibetan barbarism.
To give one of Lama Shabdung’s favourite recitals about Tibet: my host, while there, studied Buḍḍhism under a high Lama of great virtues and the most profound learning, called Sengchen Dorjechan (Great-Lion Diamond-Treasury), who had been the tutor of the Secondary or Deputy Pope, so to say, of Tibet. No man in Tibet was held in higher esteem and deeper reverence than this holy man. It was this holy man himself who taught my friend and benefactor Rai Saraṭ, when he was in Tibet. Though Rai Saraṭ
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CHAPTER IV. Laying a false scent.
CHAPTER IV. Laying a false scent.
I rose early on the New Year’s day of 1898, and spent the greater part of the morning, as was usual with me, in reading the sacred Text in honor of the day, and also in praying for the health and long life of their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress, and his Highness, the Crown Prince, and for the prosperity of Japan. The New Year’s uta [1] which I composed on the occasion was as follows: I spent the twelve months following in closely devoting myself to the study, and in efforts at the practi
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CHAPTER V. Journey to Nepal.
CHAPTER V. Journey to Nepal.
During my second and short stay in Calcutta I had the good luck of being introduced to a Nepālese named Jibbahaḍur, who was then a Secretary of the Nepāl Government, but who is now the Minister Resident of that country in Tibet. He was kind enough to write two letters introducing me to a certain gentleman of influence in Nepāl. On the 20th of January, 1899, I came to the famous Buḍḍhagayā, sacred to Holy Shākyamuni Buḍḍha, and there met Mr. Dharmapala of Ceylon, who happened to be there on a vis
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CHAPTER VI. I befriend Beggars.
CHAPTER VI. I befriend Beggars.
The village that surrounds the great Kāṣyapa tower is generally known by the name of Boḍḍha. Lama Buḍḍha Vajra, I found, was the Headman of that village as well as the Superior of that mausoleum tower, which in Tibetan is called Yambu Chorten Chenpo. Yambu is the general name by which Kātmāndu is known in Tibet; and Chorten Chenpo means great tower. The real name of the tower in full is, however, Ja Rung Kashol Chorten Chenpo, which may be translated into: “Have finished giving order to proceed
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CHAPTER VII. The Sublime Himalaya.
CHAPTER VII. The Sublime Himalaya.
It was in the beginning of the month of March, 1899, that, followed by a retinue of three men and one old dame, I bade farewell to my kind host and, seated on a snow-white pony, given me by my fatherly friend, left the Kāṣyapa Buḍḍha tower. I was not in good health that day, on account of fever and weakness, but I was obliged to start from Kātmāndu, for it was very dangerous for me to stay there any longer, as I was quite a stranger to the Nepālese, and they might find out my nationality, and st
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CHAPTER VIII. Dangers Ahead.
CHAPTER VIII. Dangers Ahead.
So the days passed and with these days I came to know more or less of the different characteristics of my two servants; I found one to be a rather impatient fellow, but prompt of decision, and the other a quiet man with some education, of which he was not a little proud. The latter seemed occasionally to hurt the feelings of the impatient one, and more than once collisions had already occurred between the two. As for the old woman pilgrim, she was a good honest soul, and that was all there was a
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CHAPTER IX. Beautiful Tsarang and Dirty Tsarangese.
CHAPTER IX. Beautiful Tsarang and Dirty Tsarangese.
At the foot of the mountain out of which we had emerged, and where the plain began, we came upon a stone-turreted gate about twenty-four feet in height. Standing by itself and entirely unprotected, the gate was not intended, as I was told, for any military purpose; but it was used for housing Buḍḍhas and other deities that would keep guard against the invasion of the locality by evil genii. About a mile and a half to the rear of the gate stood the town of Tsarang, at the entrance of which we wer
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CHAPTER X. Fame and Temptation.
CHAPTER X. Fame and Temptation.
Since I had arrived in Tsarang early in May, 1899, nearly eight months had sped by, and I found myself on the threshold of a New Year, whose advent I observed with my usual ceremony of reading the Sacred Text, and praying for the health and prosperity of my Sovereign and his family, and the glory of Japan. The first day of the year 1900 filled me with more than usual emotion. For was I not then thousands of miles away from home, and was it not the second New Year’s Day which I had spent on the h
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CHAPTER XI. Tibet at Last.
CHAPTER XI. Tibet at Last.
After leaving Malba my route lay north-west, up a gradual ascent along the banks of the river Kālīgaṅgā. We walked, however, only two and a half miles on the day of our departure, the rain preventing our further progress. Starting at about seven o’clock on the following morning, we made a climb of about five miles up a narrow path, the bed of which consisted of pointed stones and rocks of various degrees of sharpness, and then refreshed ourselves with a light repast. On resuming our ascent the i
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CHAPTER XII. The World of Snow.
CHAPTER XII. The World of Snow.
According to the stock of information I had gathered, I was always to head north until I came to Lake Mānasarovara, and the point I had now to decide was how I might make the shortest cut to that body of fresh water. There was nothing to guide me but my compass and a survey I took of the vast expanse of snow to a great distance before me. The best I could do was guess-work. Following the impulses of instinct more than anything else, except the general direction indicated by the compass, I decide
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CHAPTER XIII. A kind old Dame.
CHAPTER XIII. A kind old Dame.
My call was responded to by an old woman who, coming out of the tent and finding a tattered and tired wayfarer, said more to herself than to me: “Why, it is a pilgrim, poor, poor.” Seeing no reason to suppose that I appeared an object of suspicion to her, I ventured to inform her that I was from the direction of Lhasa, bound for Kang Rinpoche, Mount Kailāsa, and besought her to give me a night’s lodging in her tent, as it was unbearably cold to sleep in the open air. My request was cheerfully co
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CHAPTER XIV. A holy Cave-Dweller.
CHAPTER XIV. A holy Cave-Dweller.
“ Gelong lobzang gonpo la kyabs su chio. ” This is, as I was told and as I observed myself, what the followers of the dweller in the white cave—and that included natives living within a hundred-mile radius of the cliff—said three times, accompanied by as many bowings in the direction of the cave, every night before going to bed, and it means: “I take my refuge in the Gelong, named noble-minded Savior.” This shows in what high esteem the holy man to whom I was about to be introduced was held by t
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CHAPTER XV. In helpless Plight.
CHAPTER XV. In helpless Plight.
Some hours after leaving the grey cliff I reached a river about 180 yards wide. Before plunging into it to wade across, I took my noon-meal of baked flour: it was then about eleven o’clock. The river was the one of which I had been informed, and I knew it could be forded. After the repast I took off my boots and trousers, and having also tucked up the other portions of my dress, went down into the river. Oh! that plunge! it nearly killed me; the water was bitingly cold, and I saw at once that I
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CHAPTER XVI. A Foretaste of distressing Experiences.
CHAPTER XVI. A Foretaste of distressing Experiences.
After parting with the Kham bonze, I had not proceeded far before I began to feel a shortness of breath which increased in intensity as I went along, and was followed by nausea of an acute type. I made a halt, took down my luggage (which, by the way, had by this time produced very painful bruises on my back) and then took a dose of hotan —a soothing restorative. The result was that I brought up a good mouthful of blood. Not being subject to heart disease, I concluded that I had been affected by
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CHAPTER XVII. A Beautiful Rescuer.
CHAPTER XVII. A Beautiful Rescuer.
While I was engaged in the pleasant work of warding off the dogs, a woman, apparently roused by the loud barking of the animals, put her head out of the tent. Hers was a beautiful face, so beautiful that I was surprised to see it in such a wilderness. For a while the woman stood staring at me, and then, coming out of the tent, she scolded the dogs. One word from her was enough, and the beasts all ran away crest-fallen and with tails down, so that I could not help smiling at them. And, smiling, I
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CHAPTER XVIII. The Lighter Side of the Experiences.
CHAPTER XVIII. The Lighter Side of the Experiences.
On the 14th of July I bade adieu to Alchu Lama, and, riding on a horse he lent to me and in the company of the Ladak trader, I resumed my journey, now heading due north. My luggage was taken care of by my companion, who had six men under him and some ponies. First, we went through an undulating land where snow remained here and there, and grasses were struggling to grow. A ride of about fourteen miles brought us to the river Kyang-chu, whence, about fifty miles to the north-west, I saw a great s
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CHAPTER XIX. The largest River of Tibet.
CHAPTER XIX. The largest River of Tibet.
On the day I left Karma’s, about three o’clock in the afternoon I was overtaken by a party of men, the leader of whom happened to be, as I afterwards found, the chief of the district of Hor-tosho, through which I was then travelling. They accosted me. I saw in the glint of the chief’s eyes something that told me that he had half a mind to suspect me. I perceived at once the danger I might be in, and managed to bring the conversation round to the subject of Gelong Rinpoche. As good luck would hav
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CHAPTER XX. Dangers begin in Earnest.
CHAPTER XX. Dangers begin in Earnest.
After leaving the sandy beach of the Brahmapuṭra behind, about a quarter of a mile’s trudging brought me to the outer edge of another expanse of undulating plain, the elevations here and there assuming the height of hills. Following the upper course of the river to the north-west, I saw the titanic heights of the Himālayas, rising one above another. Here I had to pasture my sheep, and, while taking a rest myself, I drank deep and full of the grandeur of the scenery. The sight here obtainable of
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CHAPTER XXI. Overtaken by a Sand-Storm.
CHAPTER XXI. Overtaken by a Sand-Storm.
The tormenting thirst which I experienced after my second disappointment simply beggars description. To say that I felt as if my entire internal system were becoming parched is only to put it mildly. But, however excruciating the torture might be, there was no help for it after all but to move on in the hope of finding some water; even the hope itself was now almost deserting me. I really felt that I should die of thirst if I should fail to get some moisture during the rest of the day, and were
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CHAPTER XXII. 22,650 Feet above Sea-level.
CHAPTER XXII. 22,650 Feet above Sea-level.
The sun shone out brightly the next morning, and I dried my clothing and the collection I then had of the sacred Scriptures. The latter I still have in my possession, and every time I take them out, I cannot help wondering how my life was spared when those things got wet. By one o’clock in the afternoon I was ready to proceed, although I had not half recovered from the effect of my experience of the day before, and my things were far from being dry. Consequently even my own share of the luggage
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CHAPTER XXIII. I survive a Sleep in the Snow.
CHAPTER XXIII. I survive a Sleep in the Snow.
I was now wandering in a dream-land, if I may so describe the mental condition of a man half-way on the road of being frozen to death. Regret, resignation, and the hope of re-birth took turns in my mind, and then all became a blank. During that blankness I no doubt looked exactly like a dead person. Suddenly I awoke, fancying that somebody, something, was stirring about me or near me. I opened my eyes, and saw the two sheep shaking themselves; they were shaking snow off their bodies. That was st
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CHAPTER XXIV. ‘Bon’ and ‘Kyang.’
CHAPTER XXIV. ‘Bon’ and ‘Kyang.’
I walked about five miles over the sand and then reached a piece of grass-land. Beyond this I came to a plain of stones of curious shapes, in the centre of which a solitary mountain rose to a considerable height. I subsequently learned that the mountain was the sacred abode of the deities of the Bon religion. Bonism is an ancient religion of Tibet, which commanded considerable influence before the introduction of Buḍḍhism into that country. It has still some adherents, but it continues to exist
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CHAPTER XXV. The Power of Buddhism.
CHAPTER XXV. The Power of Buddhism.
I had now walked about six miles to the north-west after the singular proceedings which I described in the last chapter, and I emerged upon a well-trodden road, which on consulting my store of information I was able to identify as the path that, deviating from the Tibetan national high-way, led to lake Mānasarovara. The discovery was as unexpected as it was pleasing, for I was now within a pilgrim-frequented zone. A few more steps, indeed, brought me in sight of a dark tent, standing on the bank
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CHAPTER XXVI. Sacred Manasarovara and its Legends.
CHAPTER XXVI. Sacred Manasarovara and its Legends.
It was now August 4th. After proceeding about ten miles over an undulating range of mountains we came in sight of Man-ri, a peak of perpetual snow, which has an altitude of 25,600 feet above the sea-level. The view of Man-ri, rising majestically high above the surrounding mountains (themselves of great elevation) was sublimely grand. While standing absorbed in the severe magnificence of the scenery, I was treated to another experience, which was as soul-stirring as any earthly phenomenon could b
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CHAPTER XXVII. Bartering in Tibet.
CHAPTER XXVII. Bartering in Tibet.
The origin of the four rivers is given in the story just as I have related it; but in reality there is not one of them that actually flows directly out of the Lake. They have their sources in the mountains which surround it, and the stories about the so-called ‘Horse’s’ and ‘Lion’s’ mouths are only legends, incapable of verification. The head-waters of the Langchen Khanbab flow in a westerly direction; those of the Mabcha Khanbab to the south; the sources of the Senge Khanbab may be ascertained
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CHAPTER XXVIII. A Himalayan Romance.
CHAPTER XXVIII. A Himalayan Romance.
I was still in the company of the party of pilgrims I have already referred to. It appeared that some of the party had come to form a rather high opinion of me as a person of reverend qualities. Among them was a young damsel who, it was not difficult to perceive, had conceived a passion for me. The moment the thought dawned on me, I said to myself: “It may be; it is nothing uncommon, rather is it quite usual for women to cherish vain thoughts. She must have heard her elders talking well of me, a
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CHAPTER XXIX. On the Road to Nature’s Grand Mandala.
CHAPTER XXIX. On the Road to Nature’s Grand Mandala.
Apart from these fancies, I really felt as if I had entered a civilised region, for beyond I espied a main building and priests’ quarters, and also what looked like a stone tower. The whole sight was really impressive. The presence of stone buildings especially attracted my attention, for stones are very rare and costly on a Tibetan steppe. The place was the town just mentioned, called Reta-puri (town of hungry devils), a name which Paldan Aṭīsha gave to the place when he arrived here from India
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CHAPTER XXX. Wonders of Nature’s Mandala.
CHAPTER XXX. Wonders of Nature’s Mandala.
That evening it transpired that the pilgrims could not perform the pilgrimage in company, for every one of them declared his or her intention of performing as many circuits as possible during a stay of four or five days. Now the ordinary circuit—for there were three different routes—measures about fifty miles, which was more than I could perform in a day, even if I had wished to do as my companions had resolved, and they intended to undertake three circuits during the short stay; even the women
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CHAPTER XXXI. An Ominous Outlook.
CHAPTER XXXI. An Ominous Outlook.
The next day, September 14th, snow again fell, and so we had to stay in the same place. The hunting-dogs went out of their own accord on a rabbit-hunting expedition, and came back with their mouths stained with blood. They must have hunted down some rabbits and made a meal of them. The snow ceased, and we left the place on the following day. Proceeding eastwards, we now came to a long undulating hill, and soon reached its summit. Here the head of the family said that our pilgrimage must end at t
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CHAPTER XXXII. A Cheerless Prospect.
CHAPTER XXXII. A Cheerless Prospect.
While I was taking rest in that helpless condition, I was fortunate enough to see a Tibetan coming along my way leading a yak. When he came to where I was sitting I greeted him, and asked him to carry my luggage as far as he could without compromising his own convenience, and promised him suitable pay for his trouble. He willingly consented, and relieved my aching back of its load. After travelling about three miles, I observed three men coming towards us on horseback. They were fully armed, eac
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CHAPTER XXXIII. At Death’s Door.
CHAPTER XXXIII. At Death’s Door.
No one would take me into his tent, and I was thus quite at my wit’s end. I retired to a distance of some dozen yards and, looking at the four or five tents which appeared to be warm and cozy, remembered Buḍḍha’s words: “For him who has no relationship to me, it is very difficult to receive salvation from me.” These people were perfect strangers to me, and therefore slept comfortably in their tents, while I had to lie down on the cold ground, exposed to the severe winds. But, I thought, the fact
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CHAPTER XXXIV. The Saint of the White Cave revisited.
CHAPTER XXXIV. The Saint of the White Cave revisited.
I spent some pleasant days here and was perfectly cured of my illness. At the instance of Alchu Lama I decided to pay another visit to Gelong Rinpoche. Our party, including the Lama, his wife, myself and three domestics, all on horseback, and a horse which carried my baggage and our presents to the holy man of the White Cave, rode south at full speed, covering a distance of thirteen miles in a short time. It was before eleven when we reached the cave, and we were ordered to wait for a time befor
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CHAPTER XXXV. Some easier days.
CHAPTER XXXV. Some easier days.
The plain was nothing but a swamp, and I was obliged to wade across shallow streams alternating with mud flats. At one place I came to a bog which, when I tried it with my stick, appeared to be very deep, so that my only course was to select what seemed to be the narrowest part, and to cross it as best I could. The bog at this place was not more than four yards in width, and did not look as if it could be deep, as it was covered with fine sand at the bottom of some shallow water, so I began at o
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CHAPTER XXXVI. War Against Suspicion.
CHAPTER XXXVI. War Against Suspicion.
I spent the whole of November 2nd, 1900, at the temple seeing its treasures and images. The place was just sixty miles north of Tsarang in the province of Lo in the Himālayas, and was frequented by merchants from the latter. I did not know this fact, and after I had seen the treasures I was walking round the temple, when to my astonishment I was accosted by an old acquaintance. He was a notorious drunkard and gambler, feared even by the natives of the Himālayas. While I was in Lo he used to accu
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CHAPTER XXXVII. Across the Steppes.
CHAPTER XXXVII. Across the Steppes.
On November 6th, 1900, we took our way to the south-east, and marched up and down several rolling hills, till after walking more than twenty miles we reached the foot of a great snow-covered peak and lodged there. On the 7th we again climbed up and down the spurs of the Himālayas for a distance of over five miles, and arrived at the Chaksam Tsangbo (river of the iron bridge). It was no fine suspension bridge, but an iron rope, fastened to the rocks on either side, by which travellers crossed the
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CHAPTER XXXVIII. Holy Texts in a Slaughter-House.
CHAPTER XXXVIII. Holy Texts in a Slaughter-House.
Heading in a south-easterly direction as before, we proceeded about four miles, now over hills and then across moorland, and arrived at the base of a mountain, where there stood three buildings. A strange sensation came over me when I saw dozens of sheep’s hides dangling from the eaves of these buildings. Nor was that all. They were also in the habit, so I was told, of butchering yaks on the premises. It is the custom of the Tibetans, I was told, to butcher cattle towards the latter part of autu
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CHAPTER XXXIX. The Third Metropolis of Tibet.
CHAPTER XXXIX. The Third Metropolis of Tibet.
Owing to the cold season I could not observe the condition of the wheat actually growing in the fields, but I learned at the above village that in that locality the wheat crop was considered ordinary when it was at the rate of two bushels from two pecks of seeds, and unusually abundant when the rate reached three bushels. In the neighborhood of Lhasa four or five bushels are obtained from two pecks of seeds, if the weather proves favorable, but three bushels are passed as fair. This testifies to
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CHAPTER XL. The Sakya Monastery.
CHAPTER XL. The Sakya Monastery.
We lodged at a neighboring inn which placed a cicerone at our service, and proceeded to pay a visit to the celebrated monastery. Going through the front gate and past several smaller buildings, we arrived in front of the main edifice. At first sight the interior of the latter appeared to be completely enclosed, but a closer examination showed that light was let in through a courtyard. Entering the front hall, seventy-eight feet by forty-two, we saw standing on both sides statues of Vajrapāni, ea
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CHAPTER XLI. Shigatze.
CHAPTER XLI. Shigatze.
OUTLINE OF THE MONASTERY OF TASHI LHUNPO. The next day, December 5th, I proceeded for about eight miles across a plain in a south-easterly direction, when the gold-colored roof of a palatial building, with many white-painted dormitories for priests close by, presented itself before my view. In addition, temple-like buildings in red paint were seen rising amidst these structures, making in all a grand and beautiful spectacle. The town before me was Shigatze, the second capital of Tibet, and the p
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CHAPTER XLII. A Supposed Miracle.
CHAPTER XLII. A Supposed Miracle.
Turning about to see what it could be, I caught sight of two stout fellows armed with Tibetan swords. On their approach, I asked them what they wanted. Abruptly picking up a stone, the younger of them threatened me and said: “What do you mean?” “Run off,” he menaced, “or you shall die.” Then I took my seat on a stone by the roadside and gave myself up for lost. The men strode toward me, and violently seized my stick. “Tell us what you have and where you come from,” they said. “I am a pilgrim,” I
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CHAPTER XLIII. Manners and Customs.
CHAPTER XLIII. Manners and Customs.
The Tibetans are very foul in their habits, some of which I may mention here. In the house in which I stayed there were some twenty servants, and they brought me a cup of tea every morning. They never washed the cup which I used, but brought tea in it every day, and they would say that it was quite clean, for I had used it only the night before, though it was as dirty as it could be. They think cups are unclean if they have been used by their inferiors, but they never wash those used by themselv
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CHAPTER XLIV. On to Lhasa.
CHAPTER XLIV. On to Lhasa.
The soldier, whose company proved not altogether unwelcome in a travel like mine, happened to be one of the Legation Guards of the Minister of Nepāl at Lhasa. His love of his mother had tempted him from his duty, but at Shigatze on his way to Nepāl his thought turned to his love of a woman at Lhasa and this was so much greater than his love for his mother that he suddenly changed his mind and determined to go back to Lhasa. Among other things I asked him how many soldiers the Nepāl Government ke
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CHAPTER XLV. Arrival in Lhasa.
CHAPTER XLV. Arrival in Lhasa.
At Nethang there is a temple of the Mothers of Salvation, who are most devoutly worshipped in Tibet, and it is said that it was founded by an Indian hermit, Shrī Aṭīsha by name, who organised a new sect in Tibet. I went there to worship the twenty-one Mothers of Salvation (Dolma Nishu tsa chik in Tibetan) whose images I found very well made. On the following day, the 20th, I again went on towards the north-east, along the river, over a plain of about five miles, till I came to a large bridge whi
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CHAPTER XLVI. The Warrior-Priests of Sera.
CHAPTER XLVI. The Warrior-Priests of Sera.
In Tibet there are two classes of priests, scholar-priests and warrior-priests, who in Tibetan are called Lob-nyer and Thab-to respectively. The former class of priests come to Sera, as their name shows, with the purpose of study, at an expense of three yen or, if they take the regular course, of eight yen a month. They graduate from the college after a study of twenty years, during which time their special study is the Buḍḍhist Catechism and philosophy, the principal course of the Sera college.
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CHAPTER XLVII. Tibet and North China.
CHAPTER XLVII. Tibet and North China.
On the 7th of April I went to see a great service of prayer for the Chinese Emperor in connexion with the “Boxer” war. It was held not only at Sera, but at every temple in Tibet. At the monastery where I lived they held a secret meeting for seven days, during which time special priests offered secret prayers. They were then to perform something secret for the victory of China. On enquiry I was told that Peking was invaded by the troops of several foreign countries, and that the Chinese seemed to
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CHAPTER XLVIII. Admission into Sera College.
CHAPTER XLVIII. Admission into Sera College.
I did not see as much of the festival as I might have done, because I had to go through my formal entrance examinations before the festival was entirely over, and I devoted all spare moments to preparation. Once more I overworked myself, but I bought some more medicine, and was soon well again. This caused no little wonder among my neighbors, and I was often asked if I had studied medicine. I must have studied it, they would say, because I could cure my own illness, and I was obliged to tell the
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CHAPTER XLIX. Meeting with the Incarnate Bodhisattva.
CHAPTER XLIX. Meeting with the Incarnate Bodhisattva.
This healing made me an object of much talk, and I soon found myself surrounded by many patients. I now began to fear that I should thus be prevented from studying, and so fail to accomplish my chief end. So I tried every means to keep the patients from me, but the more I declined, the more patients I found brought to me, and I was at last obliged to get some medicines from Thien-ho-thang (a Chinese druggist) in Lhasa. I gave the medicines to these patients, most of whom recovered either through
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CHAPTER L. Life in the Sera Monastery.
CHAPTER L. Life in the Sera Monastery.
What happened was this. It became a matter of hot discussion among the priests of our dormitory Pituk Khamtsan whether they should leave me to stay there or not, because I was being received by the Grand Lama, the noblemen and the Ministers, as a great doctor. After a long discussion, the priests came to an agreement that they should make a special rule on my account, and put me in one of the best rooms. I was, of course, pleased to be removed from my strangely smelling, dark and dirty room to a
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CHAPTER LI. My Tibetan Friends and Benefactors.
CHAPTER LI. My Tibetan Friends and Benefactors.
To go back a little in my story, my prosperity as a doctor obliged me to buy much medicine, and I often went to Thien-ho-thang, a drug store which was kept by Li Tsu-shu, a Chinese from Yunnang. In China they make decoctions of their medicines, but the Tibetans take every medicine in powdered form. Every medical herb and root is pulverised, as well as some kinds of horns and stones. To get some of these medicines I was often obliged to stop a couple of days in his house; and as I bought great qu
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CHAPTER LII. Japan in Lhasa.
CHAPTER LII. Japan in Lhasa.
Everything went well with me, for I had earned much money, and besides everything needed for my livelihood was to be given to me by the Ex-Minister. So at last, leaving a young lad in charge of my quarters at Sera, I removed to the residence of the Ex-Minister with my furniture. I told the lad never to let it out of his mouth that I was with the Ex-Minister, and to try to send most patients to some other doctor in the city. I provided for him some way of living and study. Still, I went to Sera o
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CHAPTER LIII. Scholastic Aspirants.
CHAPTER LIII. Scholastic Aspirants.
First, to speak of the nationalities of the aspirants; the students in the three great colleges are not solely natives of Tibet; they comprise Mongols proper, and also Khams, who belong to a somewhat different race. In fact it is customary to place Mongols first in point of numbers, then Tibetans, and last of all Khams. These three groups of students are as distinct in their characteristics as they are in their nationalities. Tibetans, generally speaking, are a very quiet, courteous, and intelli
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CHAPTER LIV. Tibetan Weddings and Wedded Life.
CHAPTER LIV. Tibetan Weddings and Wedded Life.
As I was lodging at the house of the Minister of Finance, I had the good fortune to become acquainted with and occasionally to call on the other Ministers of State, among whom was one of the Prime-Ministers, of the name of Sho Khangwa. (In Tibet, there are four Prime-Ministers and three Ministers of Finance; the senior Minister, in either case, taking the actual business and standing responsible for the conduct of affairs, while the others hold only nominal portfolios, assisting in the work of t
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CHAPTER LV. Wedding Ceremonies.
CHAPTER LV. Wedding Ceremonies.
Early in the morning of the nuptial day the father and mother give a farewell banquet in the house of the bride. At the same time the priests of the Old School, generally known as the ‘Scarlet-Hoods’ or Red-Caps, are asked by the family to hold a festal service in honor of the village and family Gods. The object of the festival is to inform the Gods of the daughter’s being engaged and to take leave of them, and further to pray the Gods not to do any injury to their family because of their daught
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CHAPTER LVI. Tibetan Punishments.
CHAPTER LVI. Tibetan Punishments.
One day early in October I left my residence in Lhasa and strolled toward the Parkor. Parkor is the name of one of the principal streets in that city, as I have already mentioned, and is the place where criminals are exposed to public disgrace. Pillory in Tibet takes various forms, the criminal being exposed sometimes with only handcuffs, or fetters alone, and at others with both. On that particular occasion I saw as many as twenty criminals undergoing punishment, some of them tied to posts, whi
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CHAPTER LVII. A grim Funeral and grimmer Medicine.
CHAPTER LVII. A grim Funeral and grimmer Medicine.
It was just previous to the grand monthly catechising contest that I returned to the Sera monastery. While I was busy with preparation, and in eager expectation of taking part in this important function, one of my acquaintances died and I had to attend his funeral. Incidentally therefore I took part in a ceremony which is perhaps unique in the world. I may observe here that in Tibetan funerals neither a coffin nor urn is used in which to deposit the corpse. It is simply laid on a frame made of t
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CHAPTER LVIII. Foreign Explorers and the Policy of Seclusion.
CHAPTER LVIII. Foreign Explorers and the Policy of Seclusion.
During the first decade of November, 1901, I returned to Lhasa to enjoy as before the hospitality of the ex-Minister. At that time the Finance Minister of the day was somewhat less occupied, and being, as I stated before, a nephew of the nun who was mistress of the house where I was a guest, and a gentleman of refined and affable manners, he used often to call on and be invited to sit with the ex-Minister, the nun and myself, and to take part in our chats. Sometimes I called upon the Minister of
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CHAPTER LIX. A Metropolis of Filth.
CHAPTER LIX. A Metropolis of Filth.
Shortly after I had the conversation recorded in the last chapter with the Finance Minister, I went out with the ex-Minister and his attendants for a walk round the lingkor (circuit) of Lhasa, this being the outermost circuit surrounding the city, and measuring about six miles. The journey round this circuit is considered as a highly pious act by Tibetans, who believe that it amounts to visiting every temple and sacred stone house contained within the circuit. There are several modes of performi
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CHAPTER LX. Lamaism.
CHAPTER LX. Lamaism.
I must here give a brief description of the Tibetan religion, for without it any intelligent explanation of the political system is impossible, while some notice, however cursory, of the administrative organisation must precede an account of Tibetan diplomacy, upon which I also wish to touch briefly. In describing the Tibetan national religion, I must confine myself only to a popular exposition of the subject, and must leave out of consideration as much as possible other matters that are ulterio
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CHAPTER LXI. The Tibetan Hierarchy.
CHAPTER LXI. The Tibetan Hierarchy.
More than four centuries ago there lived a priest named Gendun Tub who was a disciple of the founder of the New Sect. It was this priest who first originated the practice of invocation of oracles which was subsequently elaborated into a peculiar habit of selecting incarnations. It happened in this way. When Gendun Tub was about to expire, he left word that he would be reborn at such and such a place. Enquiry was made, and the birth of a boy was ascertained to have taken place at the specified pl
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CHAPTER LXII. The Government.
CHAPTER LXII. The Government.
I shall next describe the system of the Hierarchical Government, and other matters relative to it based on the information I incidentally obtained on those subjects during my stay in Lhasa. The information is far from being complete, for besides the fact that the subjects were entirely foreign to the primary objects of my Tibetan expedition, and therefore I was not impelled to make any systematic inquiries, I could not without inviting strong suspicion put any questions to my friends in Lhasa ab
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CHAPTER LXIII. Education and Castes.
CHAPTER LXIII. Education and Castes.
Education is not widely diffused in Tibet. In the neighborhood of Shigatze children are taught comparatively well the three subjects of writing, arithmetic and reading, but in other places no provision exists for teaching children, except at monasteries, so that the boys and girls of ordinary people are generally left uneducated, especially the latter. As might naturally be expected, educational establishments are few and far between. The only institutions worthy of the name are found on the pre
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CHAPTER LXIV. Tibetan Trade and Industry.
CHAPTER LXIV. Tibetan Trade and Industry.
I shall now describe the trade of Tibet, though my account must necessarily be imperfect for obvious reasons. I shall begin with an interesting incident that occurred to me in November, 1901, when I was enabled to send home letters for the first time after my arrival in the country. That was on the 18th of the month, and through the agency of Tsa Rong-ba, a Tibetan trader with whom I had become acquainted at Darjeeling. This man started for Calcutta on Government business to buy iron, and as I k
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CHAPTER LXV. Currency and Printing blocks.
CHAPTER LXV. Currency and Printing blocks.
Commodities are either bartered or bought with regular coins. I should more strictly say the coin , there being only one kind of coin, and that is a twenty-four sen silver piece. That is the only legal tender current. Transactions have to be conducted therefore in a rather complicated manner, inasmuch as that coin admits of being divided in two ways only. In the first place it may be cut into two, thereby producing two twelve- sen pieces; or it may be divided into a ⅔ piece and a ⅓ piece, the fo
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CHAPTER LXVI. The Festival of Lights.
CHAPTER LXVI. The Festival of Lights.
On January 4th, 1902, that is to say, on November 25th of the lunar calendar, the festival of Sang-joe commenced, this being the anniversary day of the death of Je Tsong-kha-pa the great Lamaist reformer. This may be called the “Festival of Lights,” every roof in Lhasa and in all the adjoining villages blazing with lights set burning in honor of the occasion. Hundreds, even thousands of such butter-fed lights were burning on the roofs of monasteries, and presented a unique sight, such as is rare
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CHAPTER LXVII. Tibetan Women.
CHAPTER LXVII. Tibetan Women.
As the position of women bears a vital relation to the prosperity and greatness of a country, I shall devote a chapter to this subject. Of the women of Tibet those residing in Lhasa are regarded as models of Tibetan womanhood, and they therefore demand most attention. First let me describe the Lhasa ladies, beginning with their mode of dress. It is interesting to note that the women’s garments do not differ much in appearance from those of men; both are cut in the same way, and the only percepti
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CHAPTER LXVIII. Tibetan Boys and Girls.
CHAPTER LXVIII. Tibetan Boys and Girls.
Boys enjoy better treatment in Tibet than their sisters, this discrimination beginning soon after their birth. Thus the naming ceremony is almost always performed for boys and very seldom for girls. Though differing more or less according to localities, this naming ceremony is generally performed after the lapse of three days from the time of birth. One strange custom about the birth is that a baby is never washed, nor is there a regular midwife. The only thing done to the new-born baby is the a
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CHAPTER LXIX. The Care of the Sick.
CHAPTER LXIX. The Care of the Sick.
The tending of sick persons is a task assigned to women in Tibet, and the peculiar notions prevailing about the treatment of patients makes this task doubly onerous. Tibetan doctors strictly forbid their patients to sleep in the day-time, and so those who tend them have to follow this injunction of the doctors and keep the unfortunate patients awake. The patients are not allowed to lie in bed but are made to remain leaning upon some supports specially prepared for them. One or more nurses sit by
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CHAPTER LXX. Outdoor Amusements.
CHAPTER LXX. Outdoor Amusements.
There are various methods of feasting in Tibet, but the one which appeals most strongly to the fancy of the people and is, I think, the most refined, is the Lingka . This is a sort of garden party held in woody places situated in the outskirts of the city of Lhasa. The Tibetans seldom behave respectably and with courtesy when they meet in a social reunion; too frequently on such occasions disputes or even quarrels are liable to occur. But in a Lingka party all those who participate in it behave
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CHAPTER LXXI. Russia’s Tibetan Policy.
CHAPTER LXXI. Russia’s Tibetan Policy.
Before proceeding to give an account, necessarily imperfect, of Tibetan diplomacy, I must explain what is the public opinion of the country as to patriotism. I am sorry to say that the attitude of the people in this respect by no means does them credit. So far as my limited observation goes, the Tibetans, who are sufficiently shrewd in attending to their own interest, are not so sensitive to matters of national importance. It seems as if they were destitute of the sense of patriotism, as the ter
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CHAPTER LXXII. Tibet and British India.
CHAPTER LXXII. Tibet and British India.
The Tibetans are on the whole a hospitable people, and the unfavorable discrimination made against England is mainly attributable to mutual misunderstanding. On the part of England that misunderstanding led to the adoption of a rough and ready method instead of one of ingratiation, and so England is singled out as an object of abhorrence by Tibet. England had opportunities to score a greater success in Tibet than that achieved by Russia, and had she followed the Russian method her influence woul
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CHAPTER LXXIII. China, Nepal and Tibet.
CHAPTER LXXIII. China, Nepal and Tibet.
It requires the erudition and investigations of experts to write with any adequacy about the earlier relations between China and Tibet. I must therefore confine myself here only to the existing state of those relations. Tibet is nominally a protectorate of China, and as such she is bound to pay a tribute to the Suzerain State. In days gone by, Tibet used to forward this tribute to China, but subsequently the payment was commuted against expenses which China had to allow Tibet, on account of the
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CHAPTER LXXIV. The Future of Tibetan Diplomacy.
CHAPTER LXXIV. The Future of Tibetan Diplomacy.
Tibet may be said to be menaced by three countries—England, Russia and Nepāl, for China is at present a negligible quantity as a factor in determining its future. The question is which of the three is most likely to become master of that table-land. It is evident that the three can never come to terms in regard to this question; at best England and Nepāl may combine for attaining their common object, but the combination of Russia with either of them is out of the question. Russia’s ambition in b
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CHAPTER LXXV. The “Monlam” Festival.
CHAPTER LXXV. The “Monlam” Festival.
Monlam literally means supplication, but in practice it is the name of the great Tibetan festival performed for the benefit of the reigning Emperor of China, the offering of prayers to the deities for his prosperity and long life. The festival commences either on the 3rd or 4th of January, according to the lunar calendar, and closes on the 25th of the month. The three days beginning on New Year’s Day and ending with the 3rd are given up to the New Year’s Festival, and from the following day the
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CHAPTER LXXVI. The Tibetan Soldiery.
CHAPTER LXXVI. The Tibetan Soldiery.
The standing army of Tibet is said to consist of five thousand men, but from my own observation I think this number somewhat exaggerated. In any case, it is hardly sufficient to protect a country containing six millions of inhabitants against foreign invasion and civil commotion. However, in Tibet social order is not kept by soldiers, nor by the despotic power of the ruler. Religion is the force that keeps the country in good order. The mass of the people would never take arms against the Pope w
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CHAPTER LXXVII. Tibetan Finance.
CHAPTER LXXVII. Tibetan Finance.
I shall next briefly describe the finance of the Tibetan Government. It must be remembered, however, that this subject is extremely complicated and hardly admits of accurate explanation even by financial experts, for nobody except the Revenue Officials can form an approximate idea of the revenue and expenditure of the Government. All that I could get from the Minister of Finance was that a considerable margin of difference existed according to the year. This must partly come from the fact that t
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CHAPTER LXXVIII. Future of the Tibetan Religions.
CHAPTER LXXVIII. Future of the Tibetan Religions.
The Tibetans are essentially a religious people. Foreigners call them superstitious, and indeed my own observation also testifies that their faith is veritably a mass of superstition. Yet it would be inaccurate to say that there is no truth in their religion. A small but precious jewel is often found among useless rubbish; wise men will not throw away the jewel along with the rubbish, even though it may not be found at the first glance. I can find at least two precious things in the creed of the
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CHAPTER LXXIX. The Beginning of the Disclosure of the Secret.
CHAPTER LXXIX. The Beginning of the Disclosure of the Secret.
On the 30th of April 1901, Tsa Rong-ba, who had left for India in the preceding year, came back. He was a Tibetan merchant, to whom I had entrusted the letters to my teacher Saraṭ Chanḍra Ḍās at Darjeeling and to a Lama called Shabdung of the same town. He had also been trusted with the business of posting a letter to my native country. As soon as he arrived he at once sent for me, but his messenger could not find me at Sera, for I was at the treasury-minister’s on that day, and it was rather la
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CHAPTER LXXX. The Secret Leaks Out.
CHAPTER LXXX. The Secret Leaks Out.
Why did I write the appeal? you may ask. At that time I could not tell how the matter would turn out, and unless some measures were taken beforehand, incurable evil might be the outcome. So I must at any rate make it clear to all that I had come to this country for the study and cultivation of Buḍḍhism and with no other intentions. For that purpose I thought it well to write the letter, which I have still by me. I flatter myself that it was written very nicely. I have written many compositions,
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CHAPTER LXXXI. My Benefactor’s Noble Offer.
CHAPTER LXXXI. My Benefactor’s Noble Offer.
That day I returned to the Treasury Minister’s with a determination to tell the secret to him. But it was the 22nd of May and the Pope was to come back to Lhasa from his country-seat at Norbu Ling. The ex-Minister had gone out to see the Pope return, and I was also obliged to go, though I had many things to do for myself. The procession of the day was magnificent. The four Prime Ministers and the Ministers of several departments and other dignitaries were present, all dressed in new suits of clo
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CHAPTER LXXXII. Preparations for Departure.
CHAPTER LXXXII. Preparations for Departure.
When I heard them speak so kindly I was heartily pleased, and so touched that I could not restrain my tears. Though their advice was so reasonable and pleasing I was not inclined to take it immediately, and begged them earnestly to deliver me over to the Government so that no evil might befall them. They would not listen to me. At length the nun said: “As it is of no use to argue here, is it not better to leave the matter to the judgment of Ti Rinpoche? and if according to his judgment there is
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CHAPTER LXXXIII. A Tearful Departure from Lhasa.
CHAPTER LXXXIII. A Tearful Departure from Lhasa.
Lhasa was at that time in a state of such intense excitement over the festivities that the people hardly seemed to know what they were doing. The police force of the city is not large: it consists of thirty constables (Kochakpa) and thirty policemen (Ragyabpa), and the whole energies of the force were devoted to the duty of guarding the persons of the Grand Lama and his Co-adjutor. Every official and priest was busily engaged in the duties of his office; none could spare even a thought for anyth
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CHAPTER LXXXIV. Five Gates to Pass.
CHAPTER LXXXIV. Five Gates to Pass.
On June 9th we were as usual early on horseback, and on our road towards the south. Tenba seemed to fall back into his old suspicious mood. We were due to reach the first Challenge Gate on the following morning, and he possibly feared that if anything leaked out he would be arrested and put into jail. So he began his attacks on me again. “The other day,” he said, “you said that there was no need for us to take the secret path, but there you were wrong. It is not nearly such difficult travelling
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CHAPTER LXXXV. The First Challenge Gate.
CHAPTER LXXXV. The First Challenge Gate.
Phari is a large castle standing on a hill, in form like the Dalai Lama’s palace in Lhasa, but not so elegant. All the houses standing at the foot of it looked somewhat black. Phari is more or less of a prosperous town, situated on the plain between the snow-mountains; and as all the commodities imported from Darjeeling and Calcutta or Bombay come to this town, there is a custom-house for levying taxes. The customs duties for imported goods amount to one-tenth, two-tenths, sometimes even four-te
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CHAPTER LXXXVI. The Second and Third Challenge Gates.
CHAPTER LXXXVI. The Second and Third Challenge Gates.
This station serves as a place for the transmission of letters between Phari castle and the castle of Choeten Karpo; that is, a station where the letters received from one place can be handed over to the other. In Tibet, there is no more perfect plan than this for the transmission of letters. In other places, for example, by going twenty or thirty miles letters can be handed in for transmission. Even this is only for letters from the Government to the local office, and not for private correspond
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CHAPTER LXXXVII. The Fourth and Fifth Challenge Gates.
CHAPTER LXXXVII. The Fourth and Fifth Challenge Gates.
Leaving the village and walking about a mile, I climbed up step by step alongside a broad river among the south-western mountains. There were no tall trees, only here and there some small dwarf specimens and wheat growing in poor soil. Going on about a mile farther there is a castle which is the largest and last one of the three. The number of soldiers stationed in this castle is two hundred; whereas in Pimbithang and Choeten Karpo the number is respectively one hundred and two hundred, altogeth
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CHAPTER LXXXVIII. The Final Gate Passed.
CHAPTER LXXXVIII. The Final Gate Passed.
I handed over to my servant the note received from the supervisor of the fifth guard-house. “Take the note to Tomo-Rinchen-gang,” said I to the servant privately; “you must get two notes there instead; but in Pimbithang, if it requires a long time to get one, go to the wife of the Chinese military officer, and rely on her; she will manage the matter exactly as we want.” “That he gave it so soon,” said he, somewhat surprised, “was almost like a dream. If you do not go with me, I shall never get c
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CHAPTER LXXXIX. Good-bye, Tibet!
CHAPTER LXXXIX. Good-bye, Tibet!
The whole distance through which I had passed from Darjeeling to Lhasa was about two thousand four hundred and ninety miles. In the first place, I started from Darjeeling on the 5th of January, in the 32nd year of Meiji, and passing through Calcutta by railway, came to Segauli; hence also I travelled on foot, and on the 5th of February arrived at Kātmāndu. The distance between Segauli and Kātmāndu was about a hundred and fifteen miles. Leaving there on the 7th of March, on the 11th of the same m
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CHAPTER XC. The Labche Tribe.
CHAPTER XC. The Labche Tribe.
The next day I arrived in the rain at Kalenpong, a distance of fifteen miles. Kalenpong is a thriving town situated some thirty miles east of Darjeeling, across a large valley and on a little lower level. Though a cheap kind of goods forms the greater proportion of its business, the total amount of trade carried on there is said to exceed that of Darjeeling, for the merchants from Tibet, Sikkim, and Bhūtān generally exchange their goods here. As in Darjeeling, many foreigners live here; Tibetans
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CHAPTER XCI. Visit to my Old Teacher.
CHAPTER XCI. Visit to my Old Teacher.
But I must continue my journey. I crossed the iron bridge over the Tista river, and found a good and wide road on the other side. This time it was an ascent of seventeen miles as far as Ghoom, where I expected to arrive on that day. I quickened the pace of the horse on which I was riding, but owing to the recent rain the two horses which were loaded with my baggage could not go so fast, and I was obliged to stop at a village for the night, after only seven miles’ journey. The next day, I arrived
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CHAPTER XCII. My Tibetan Friends in Trouble.
CHAPTER XCII. My Tibetan Friends in Trouble.
I learned that a month had hardly passed after my escape from Lhasa, when many of my acquaintances were arrested and imprisoned. According to this information, the ex-Minister of the Treasury with whom I lived, the old nun living in his house, and one of his favorite servants, were arrested and taken to prison; the new Treasury-minister was set free, as he had not had much relation with me; the Sera Seminary was closed, Tsa Rong-ba and his wife and Takbo Tunbai Choen Joe were taken to jail and e
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CHAPTER XCIII. Among Friends.
CHAPTER XCIII. Among Friends.
I arrived at Calcutta and lodged at the Mahāboḍhi Society’s rooms, where I found many priests from Ceylon and Burma as my fellow-lodgers and conversational companions. One or two days after my arrival, I called on Mr. Kōjun Omiya, one of my fellow-students in Japan, who was now staying here for a long time for the study of Samskṛṭ. He had not the slightest notion of my being in the same town, and I was dressed in Tibetan clothes when I called on him. Being informed by his servant that he was in
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CHAPTER XCIV. The Two Kings of Nepal.
CHAPTER XCIV. The Two Kings of Nepal.
Having made up my mind as to what I was going to do, I took a train back to Calcutta a few nights after. Money has its power in India, as elsewhere, and soon afterwards I was once more on my way to Nepāl. By some means I was introduced to a Professor Keḍarnāṭh Chatterji, an old Bengalī gentleman who had once been the Principal of the Municipal School of Kātmāndu, Nepāl, and was then living in Calcutta and known to be in the good graces of the King of Nepāl. He readily, even cheerfully, complied
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CHAPTER XCV. Audience of the Two Kings.
CHAPTER XCV. Audience of the Two Kings.
Following the de facto King into a royal apartment, I saw His Highness take his seat first, followed by another who sat by him and whom I took for a Minister of State. I subsequently found out that the second gentleman was no less a personage than his Majesty the real King of Nepāl. The audience took the form of a catechism, which was in substance as follows: “I understand that you have been to Tibet: what made you undertake the adventure?” “In order to complete my study of Buḍḍhism, Your Highne
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CHAPTER XCVI. Second Audience.
CHAPTER XCVI. Second Audience.
At the appointed hour on the following day, I repaired to the Government building, and the guards refused me admittance until about five o’clock. When finally I was admitted to the royal presence, it was only to be told that his Highness was extremely busy that day, and that he would see and give me the necessary papers the following day at the Lambān preserve. When I came back to my lodging that evening my servant expressed himself as quite sure that I was being duped and that I would never be
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CHAPTER XCVII. Once more in Katmandu.
CHAPTER XCVII. Once more in Katmandu.
After procuring my passport, escorted by the policeman, I came back to a village called Simla where I had left my carrier and carriage. I found that the carriage and its driver had absconded in my absence: it had been paid for in advance. The policeman wanted to beat my carrier for allowing the driver to abscond; but I interfered. It was then after three in the afternoon, and my route to Khātmāndu lay for eight miles at least through the jungle. I was warned about tigers; but I knew the route, a
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CHAPTER XCVIII. Interview with the Acting Prime Minister.
CHAPTER XCVIII. Interview with the Acting Prime Minister.
In His Excellency Bheem Shamsher I found a perfect gentleman, easy of approach, but nevertheless of commanding presence. “How are you impressed with our country?” said he. “I am filled with a feeling of extreme pleasure,” I replied. “How can that be?” “Because not only your natural scenery, trees and plants, but even your people look very much like those of my own country, and I cannot help feeling quite at home here—a feeling which makes me forget the difficulties of travel I have come through.
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CHAPTER XCIX. Painful News from Lhasa.
CHAPTER XCIX. Painful News from Lhasa.
A few days after my arrival at the Tower, I met many Tibetans who had come to worship at the holy places in Nepāl. They told me positively that the ex-Minister of Finance had been imprisoned on such and such a day and had been tortured in the Court. I could not quite believe the news, but I was very anxious to know the truth of the case. Fortunately I saw a high Lama named Kusho Lokela from Lhasa, who was on a pilgrimage in memory of his master Temo Rinpoche, whom I have already mentioned. I enq
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CHAPTER C. The King betrays his suspicion.
CHAPTER C. The King betrays his suspicion.
THE AUTHOR AND HIS FRIEND BUDDHA VAJRA ENJOYING THE BRILLIANT SNOW AT KATMANDU. On February 9th at two o’clock, accompanied again by Buḍḍha Vajra, I presented myself at the palatial residence of His Highness Chanḍra Shamsher, Prime Minister or King de facto of Nepāl. The residence with its grounds must cover an area of at least three hundred and fifty yards square, and it has a guarded gate, within which are barracks, a small parade-ground, and a race-course. Proceeding over a broad pavement for
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CHAPTER CI. Third Audience.
CHAPTER CI. Third Audience.
It was on the 9th of February that I had had such an unpleasant interview with the Nepālese Prime Minister, and was told to wait on him again two days after. On the way back to the Tower, deeply moved by what I had heard, I saw the grand appearance of Gaurīshankara, the highest peak in the world, now mottled by clouds, and I gave vent to my feelings thus: But again: So on the 10th I spent much time in the company of my host, who tried to persuade me into acting conventionally. He himself believe
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CHAPTER CII. Farewell to Nepal and its Good Kings.
CHAPTER CII. Farewell to Nepal and its Good Kings.
I had asked my host Buḍḍha Vajra to make a translation of my petition to the Dalai Lama into Nepālese. He had finished the translation, taken both copies to the palace and handed them to the King Chandra Shamsher. He had come home and was talking to me: “Never before in my life,” said he, “have I felt so pleased as I did to-day!” “Pray, what happened?” “When I handed up the petition and its translation, the King wanted to know who had composed your Tibetan petition. I told His Highness that you
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CHAPTER CIII. All’s well that ends well.
CHAPTER CIII. All’s well that ends well.
Something more than two years had elapsed since my return to Japan, and in all that time the worry of my mind had kept on increasing, instead of abating; in fact, every day that passed seemed to add to the misery and to make more vivid the picture of the dreadful fate of my friends and benefactors in Tibet. The reader may well imagine, therefore, with what kind of feeling I read the following letter (from which an extract only is given here): “Mr. Kawaguchi passed through Yatung (Tibet) on his w
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