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MODERN BUDDHISM. these two capitals, and there are at least thirty large monasteries in and near Lhassa. Potala, on the northwest of Lhassa, has been the abode of all the Dalai The Vatican Lamas since the fifth, Navang Lobsang (1617of Buddhism. 1682), who rebuilt it. This great building, four storeys high, on a commanding height, has in or connected with it ten thousand rooms for monks. Everywhere are statues of Buddha and other saints, and varied offerings of the pious, who throng to Lhassa to pay their worship to the Grand Lama, with gifts of gold, silver, and copper. The great building is surmounted by a cupola overlaid with gold.
Thomas Manning is the only Englishman who has ever seen a Dalai Lama; this was on the 17th December, 1811.
nterview He described him as a cheerful, intelligent with Grand child of seven. Mr. Sarat Chandra Das, C.I.E.,
ama. saw the present Dalai Lama in 1882. The interview was conducted with impressive silence and dignity by the high officials. Consecrated water coloured yellow with saffron was sprinkled on the company; incense, great lamps, and a yellow hat with five points (denoting the five Dhyani-Buddhas) are important elements in the ceremonial, which is not complete without all sharing tea with the Lama from a golden teapot, preceded by a grace in proper Buddhist form, and concluding thus: “Never even for a moment losing sight of the three Holies (Buddha, the Law, and the Order); always offer reverence to the Tri-ratnas (or three jewels); let the blessings of the three be upon us.” Consecrated rice, touched by the Grand Lama, was distributed to the faithful. The sacred youth sat all through the ceremony cross-legged on a throne-like altar with wooden lions on either side.
It is said that Lhassa almost vies with Benares and Mecca as a place of pilgrimage, Potala, the Vatican of Buddhism, being the great resort; and the rice, the pills of blessing, the scraps of silk, and the prayer-papers or flags which the Grand Lama has consecrated, are treasured for life.
Tashi Lunpo, with its great monastery of the Panchen
