LIFE IN MANITOBA.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1413, 19 November 1904, Page 6

LIFE IN MANITOBA.

Colonel Waddell, author of " The Buddhism of IJiibot," contributes to 'The Times' an article describing the evolution of the Dalai Lama. Buddhism was introduced into Thibet upwards of 1200 years ago, through the then King-, ' Strougstan Oampo, marrying- in 010 A.1)., a daughter of the Emperor of China. Shi-, with the eo-operation of his ticpal wife, converted him to liuddhism. Strougslon Ciaiupo sent for Buddhist priests from India, where Buddhism was .still nourishing, and got them to reduce the Thibetan language to writing- in the Indian alphabet, which then became, and has continued till now to be, the written character of ThEblL't. Into this new written | u n. guugo oi the country lte causi-d to be translated important Buddhist books from Jndia and China. The first priest-king, or Cirand Lama of Thibet was the high priest, of the red-cap lamasery at Sakya, in Western Thibet. lie was raised to the king-ship in I2i>2 by the great Mongolian Emperor of China, Kablai Khan, in return for presiding over his official consecration and coronation. Kublai Khan, son of the famous Cicnghis Khan, was a most enlightened ruler, and employed talent wherever he found it, whether, amongst Europeans or Asiatics. In scanihing all. tout for a religion to weld together the more uncivilised portions of his mighty empire, he called to his court the mos(| powerful Lamas, as well as representatives of the Christian and several other faiths. After investigation, he ultimately fixed Luuiuisni for himself and his people, as having more in I common with the faith already prevalent iu China und 51oiu.*olin, than hud I Confucianism, Mnhoiuednnisnj, or Christianity. On the overthrow of the Mongol dynasiy in China, its Kalmnk pi incus lied to outer Mongolia, on the borders oi Siberia, where, cut oil from Thibet as they now were, they set up for themselves a new (.Irani! Lama of their own, who at the present day has his capital at L'rgu, near the great Koko Not- Lake, where he is in close political relations with a resident iiussiau ollicial. In Jjjll, an ambitious member ol the Yellow Cups, or so-called virtuous order, took advantage of a T'urtan invasion to persuade (iusri Khan to oust the then King oi Thibet from oi'r iice, and confer the position on himself, the representative, of the Yellow Caps. The surname oi the new pope.lama was "Vast of the Ocean." 'J'he cipiiva lent c,f the t'-rrn in Mongol language is •■Dalai" Lama, hence the title of Dalai (or Ta-le) Lama by which the priest-kings of Lhasa are best known to Europeans. Ere long the Dalai Lama persuaded the people that, he was a reiiieunin tion ol" Strougstan t.iampo of 010 A.1)., and that Strougstan tiuinpo was a reincarnation of the god Avulokitu. To prove the truth of his claim he "discovered" a book of "revelations." in which all this was purported to have been written propheti ■•ally a thousand years before by King Strougstan fiaUipo. Incredulous Lamas of the oilier rival seels who dared to refuse to accept this story were put to the sword, and their monasteries were i-oiiverd-d into convents of the new dominant State Church, the Yellow Cap 0.d0.. The •lesuit timelier, who visited Lhasa about I'i.'ifi A.D., calls the ruler that "devilish (iod-thi-Kather who puts to death those who refuse to adore him." And so this fiction of the priest-trod at Lhasa has continued up till now This lirst Dalai Lama reigned for 25 years, and the succession has boon kept up almost ovcl'l since by choosing a child to fill the vacancy when one occurs. None of the four predecessors of the present Dalai Laiuii who is 2"> was allowed to live fccyond I*. Till that aire is attained the real ruler is a regent, who usually works in co-op-eration with the auiban or representative of China. It is alleged that the present Dalai Liunn has been able to preserve his life through the hatred the populace bear the "uuilinn." Jf that is the case, the arrangement, made by Colonel Younghusband for the installa tion of the present ninlniu in power in place of the Dalai Lama, who has lliil from Lhasa, may not last. The Thibetans object to the overloidship exercised by China tihroiigh the am ban.