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- The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ Regarding this religious festival, the Lama explained to the visitor that there was a religious side to all this theatrical performance which expressed to the initiate the fundamental principles of Buddhism, and was a practical means for maintaining the ignorant in obedience and love to the only Creator, just as a child is submissive to its parent by a plaything. These monasteries have several such festivals in a year, where the particulars are arranged by the Lamas to represent mysteries which have a great analogy to the pantomimes, where each actor executes almost all the movements and gestures he pleases in conforming himself to a principal idea. The mysteries to these pantomimes are nothing but a representation of the gods enjoying a general venerationveneration which as a reward ought to give to man the happiness of conscience with which the idea of inevitable death and that of future life fill him.
Scizing upon the first moment which presented to broach the subject, M. Notovitch told the Lama that in a recent visit which he had made to a Gonpa*, one of the Lamas had spoken of a prophet Issa, and asked for further information.
The Lama replied : “The name of Issa is much respected among Buddhists, but he is scarcely known except among the chief Lamas, who have read the rolls relating to his life. There is an infinite number of Buddhas, similar to Issa, and the eightyfour thousand rolls which exist abound in details about each of them; but very few people have read a hundredth part of them. In order to conform to the established custom, each pupil or Lama who has visited Lassa does not fail to make a present of one or more of these copies to the convent to which he belongs. Our monastery possesses a great number of these, and among them are descriptions of the life and works of Buddha Issa, who preached the holy doctrines in India and among the sons of Israel, and who was put to death by the heathen whose * Gonpa is a Thibetan name for a monestery.
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