A day in one of those large ligious institutions lets the traveler see their importance as civic and religious centres. No doubt} the presence of the young princess added much £9 the interest, of the! resent time, but these institutions are bassy trade and commercial contres. In the main courtyard one may_see people coming and going the whble day, Bferely as a religi ious centre the ¢emple would lack life and interest as the drabas are generally lazy and indolent.
During our short residence Jarge number of the hundred dra-has. were out visiting the villages; only a few being in residence, 'The Tamasery with the adjacent drabas' welling wore in excellent condi. tion. In the Red and Yellow. and Iamaseries the prayer-wheels: are usually on the outside of the building, covered over but still open to' the elements. In Darfeeling, the Black temple, they round the four sides of the bull and protected from the weath The idea of these closed in vera dahs on the ground, "first, Second storeys Was quite novel, enabling the people to perform their facts of worship no. matter what} tai the. weather was outs Externally there is now very! little difference between the differ. cent religious sects in the Land of the La The Yellow, Red, Black, Saja, or Garja all have Tamaseries, lamas, drabas, prayers, prayer-wheels, and pictures of demons, saints," and saviours. - They all have large central meeting Places and the little drnba's cells. They all, with the exception of a certain sect of Rods, attempt a form! of celibacy, but women are permitted to reside in many lamaseries is now practically no antagonism between the various sects, The Black or Ron was the original smaland and because posely evil practices. it] was condemned as heterodox and a supposedly orthodox system tried to takes it place. Exch of the above five systems has its own particular head whose image or like-
Jness occupies a prominent position each temple. 'The Blacks follow Lenba who. may or may not be Shaja Tuba, that is Sanje, or Buddha. Whatever Lamaism' was originally it has now largely resolved itself into blowing trumpets, beating gongs, and bangirz cymbals, As a religions aysteat it, has practically no moral" or ethical Value, as those who follow and maintain the system are not there by their own choice, being placed there when quite young by" their parents. During his whole exist~ fence in one of thos [teries the poor draba' one of painful repression, desiring} rather to be a member of some Jockey Club than mumbling *O-ma uni-pad-me-hum.' A life of repression. usually expresses itself growling discontent, followed by' periods of serious rebellion. this "to "some extent makes these large lamaseries fanaticallygerous. Drebung has fund drabas in. residen: the largest religious the world, and the daily occupation of those dark, red-robed men will ever remain a difficult psychological problem. Practically all the large Tamaseries in the Land of the Lamas have had their rebellions and_revolts and the reason is not difficult to find. Confine a hundred or one thousand ignorant, superstitious men anywhere and the same results will follow.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.