A Little Boy learning to Pray
No matter how much non-Tibetan folks may find merriment in the idea of tea being brewed with butter and salt, there is no doubt that for a climate like Tibet it is “the drink” par excellence. It warms, nourishes, and is easily digested. I very often indulged in the luxury myself, when I could obtain butter, only, my digestion working rather rapidly owing to the amount of roughing we daily endured, I left out the salt so that I should not digest the mixture too quickly.
The richer owners of tents generally have a sort of folding shrine, with one or more images of Buddha, which occupies the place of honour in the tent. Numerous brass bowls and ornaments are displayed in front of these images and also offerings of tsamba and butter. Wicks, burning in butter, are occasionally lighted around and upon the shrine. Decrepit old women seem to [[143]]spend most of their time revolving their prayer-wheels and muttering prayers in front of these altars, and when occasion arises thus teaching little children to do the same. The younger folk, too, are very religious, but not to the fanatical extent of the older ones.
It is quite amusing to see little mites—children are always quaint in every country—try to master the art of revolving the prayer-wheel. It must be revolved from left to right, to pray in the proper fashion,—not that if you revolved it the other way you would necessarily be swearing, only, according to the laws of Tibetan Buddhism, prayers spun in the wrong direction would have no effect and bring no benefit. In a similar way circumambulations, either round hills for pilgrimages, or round a tent, or round a sacred lake, must always follow a similar direction to the revolving of the prayer-wheel.
In Lhassa and many other sacred places fanatical pilgrims make these circumambulations, sometimes for miles and miles, and for days together, covering the entire distance lying flat upon their bodies, then placing the feet where the head was and stretching themselves full length. Inside temples a central enclosure is provided, round [[144]]which these circumambulations are performed, special devotions being offered before Buddha and many of the other gilt or high-coloured images which adorn the walls of the temple.
As can be seen by the coloured plate illustrating one of these scenes, from the ceiling of the temple hang hundreds of long strips, Katas, offered by pilgrims to the temple and becoming so many flying prayers when hung up—for mechanical praying in every way is prominent in Tibet. There is, after all, no reason why praying should not be made easy like everything else. Thus, instead of having to learn by heart long and varied prayers, all you have to do is to stuff the entire prayer-book (written on a roll in Tibet) into the prayer-wheel, and revolve it while repeating as fast as you can go these four words: “Om mani padme hum,”—words of Sanscrit origin and referring to the reincarnation of Buddha from a lotus flower, literally “O God, the gem emerging from the lotus flower.”
Interior of Tibetan Temple
Worshippers circumambulating the inner enclosure lying flat full length.
The temples of Tibet, except in Lhassa itself, are not beautiful in any way—in fact, they are generally very tawdry and dirty. The attention of the pilgrims is directed to a large box, or often a big bowl, where they may deposit whatever [[145]]offerings they can spare, and it must be said that their religious ideas are so strongly developed that they will dispose of a considerable portion of their money in this fashion.