410) A "Coarse Naturism
Combined With Ancestral Worship" Resembling Taoism.
It has, however,
borrowed a good deal from Buddhism.
"I noticed," says Mr. Rockhill
(Journey, 86), "a couple of grimy volumes of Boenbo sacred literature.
One of them I examined; it was a funeral service, and was in the usual
Boenbo jargon, three-fourths Buddhistic in its nomenclature." The Bon-po
Lamas are above all sorcerers and necromancers, and are very similar to
the kam of the Northern Turks, the bo of the Mongols, and lastly to
the Shamans. During their operations, they wear a tall pointed black
hat, surmounted by the feather of a peacock, or of a cock, and a human
skull. Their principal divinities are the White God of Heaven, the Black
Goddess of Earth, the Red Tiger and the Dragon; they worship an idol
called Kye'-p'ang formed of a mere block of wood covered with garments.
Their sacred symbol is the svastika turned from right to left [Symbol].
The most important of their monasteries is Zo-chen gum-pa, in the
north-east of Tibet, where they print most of their books. The Bonpos Lamas
"are very popular with the agricultural Tibetans, but not so much so with
the pastoral tribes, who nearly all belong to the Gelupa sect of the
orthodox Buddhist Church." A. K. says, "Buddhism is the religion of the
country; there are two sects, one named Mangba and the other Chiba or
Baimbu." Explorations made by A - - K - - , 34. Mangba means "Esoteric,"
Chiba (p'yi-ba), "Exoteric," and Baimbu is Boenbo.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 1012 of 1256
Words from 275455 to 275713
of 342071
