THE BURNT-OFFERING. 249 are addressed in a religious treatise translated by Schmidt with surnames of sanctity, as e. g. Sarva Buddha Dākinī, and their head is styled Bogda Dakini, Bogda meaning "divine nature." This highest Dakinī is also the female companion, the Sakti of Vajradhara, and is endowed with faculties equally great with those of her husband.' 3 2. The burnt-offering. By the burnt-offering (in Tibetan Chinsreg, or Sregpa, in Sanskrit Hōma) the offerer seeks to be endowed with the faculty of obtaining happiness, wealth, and power, of becoming purified from sins, and of being protected against "untimely death" and the pains connected therewith. It consists in the burning of tamarind-wood, Ombu, and cotton, with coals and perfumed oils in a kind of stove, Thab- & khung, made of clay or bricks. The shape and colour of the stove depends upon the purpose for which it is used; in one case it is square, in the others semi-circular, or circular, or triangular. These stoves are about one foot high and two feet broad; they have straight sides, and the bottom is formed by a plate of burnt clay, which projects about two inches beyond the sides; upon the projecting border half-dorjes are stamped, and a mystical sign is cut in the centre of the bottom of the stove, 4 1 Schmidt, "Geschichte Ssanang Ssetsens," pp. 468, 75, 76, 81. About Vajradhara see p. 50. 2 sByin (chin), "alms;" sreg-pa, "to destroy by fire." 3 Thab, "fire place;" khung, "a hole." In the Tantra Subahupariprichchá (Wassiljew, "Der Buddhismus," p. 212) 10,000 grains of wheat, sesame, mustard, lotus, &c., are among the offerings required to be burnt. * See p. 215. symbolizing either the earth, or fire, water, or the air, according to the shape of the stove. The offerings must be burnt by a Lama, who wears a large gown of the respective colour of the stove, interwoven with numerous characters of the element engraved upon the bottom. He ranges on a side-table, with prayers beginning with the respective appellation of the particular element, the offerings to be burnt, which he puts into the stove, but only in small quantities at a time, as their combustion must be a slow one. He keeps the offerings burning by dropping upon them perfumed oil with two brass spoons; with the larger one, called Gangzar,' he takes the oil out of a small brass vessel, and pours it into the smaller spoon, called "Lugzar," from which he lets it fall, drop by drop, upon the offerings. This ceremony has four particular names, according to the aim of its celebration: 1. Zhibai Chinsreg, "sacrifice for peace," to ward off calamity in the shape of famine, war, &c., to weaken or totally neutralize the effects of malignant influences, and to abolish sins. The stove is square, the lower part of a red colour and the upper part white. On its bottom "lam" is designed, the symbol of earth. This offering ceremony is very generally performed after a person's death, because the sins of the deceased are supposed to be gathered into the stove by virtue of the Dharanis repeated by the officiating Lama, and 'Gang, "to make full, to fill," gzar, "a ladle, a large spoon. 2bLug, "to pour out." THE BURNT-OFFERING. 251 by the power of Melha, or Melhai gyalpo, "the lord of the genii of fire," who is always implored on such occasions; it is believed that with the combustion of the offerings the sins disappear for ever. The address to Melha runs thus: "I adore thee and present to thee the offerings "for the deceased, who has left this world and has en"tered the circle, for him who dwells in the assembly of "the three merciful deities, who are now in calmness. "now in wrath.' Pray purify him from his sins and "any violations of the law, and teach him the right way. "Sarva-agne-dzala-ram-ram." " This prayer is given in Plate X., which is an impression from an original woodcut from Eastern Tíbet;2 it is placed beneath the image of Melha in a state of calmness. Here he is sitting crosslegged upon a Lotusflower, holding the blue lotus Utpala (Nelumbium speciosum), with joined hands. His head is shaded by the It is difficult to understand what deities are meant. The phrase would lead us to the three Isvaras, viz. Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva (Schmidt, Mém. de l'Acad. de St. Pétersb., Vol. II., p. 23), about whom we might suppose, from the legend concerning Brahma (see p. 114), that they all three place a check upon the doings of evil spirits. If this be the right interpretation, they would become wrathful in the case of activity, according to the views of the Tibetans (see p. 111). But I cannot perceive for what reason the deceased, in general, should, as it is here stated, ascend to the region where reside these gods so highly esteemed and so extremely superior to simple man and ordinary gods; for Shinje (see p. 93), before whom the deceased is brought, dwells in an inferior region. 2 As the intersyllabic points are not in the original woodcut, I give the address here in Roman characters, rendering the intersyllabic points which are omitted by horizontal lines: Yangs-pa-gsum -zhi-khro'i-lha-ts' hogs-dang-gar-dvang-thugs-rje'i-chen-po'idrung-pu-'jig-rten-'di-na-pha-rol-du-ts' he-las-'das-pa-dkyil-'khor-la-phyag-ts` hal lo-mehhod-pa-'bul-lo. sDig-sgrib-sbyangs-du-gsol; gnas-so-rab-tu-gsol; lam-bstan-du-gsol. Sarva-agne-dza-la-ram-ram. H. Dug (umbrella), to which are added the horizontal ribands 2. Gyaspai Chinsreg, "the rich sacrifice," to obtain a good harvest, riches, &c. The stove is hemispherical, and of a yellow colour; on its bottom is figured the word "yam," the symbol of air. 3. Vangi Chinsreg, "the sacrifice for power," to obtain influence, power, and success in war. The stove is of a red colour and circular, a form symbolical of the Lotus-flower; it bears on its under side "bam," the symbol of water. 4. Dragpo3 Chinsreg, "the fierce sacrifice," to obtain protection from "untimely death," as well as to bring down punishment upon the evil spirits who have caused such a dreaded misfortune. The stove is triangular and of a black colour; the character on its bottom, "ram," is the symbol of fire.1 Plate No. XIV., Lit. a, gives-immediately transferred upon paper, as if it were a woodcut intended for printing the surface of a rectangular oblong piece of wood, in which four holes are made, into which bread, paste, butter mixed with grains or similar objects, are pressed and sacrificed as a substitute for the burnt-offering. The characters in the centre are the symbols of the four elements, and the holes show the form of the stoves in which the offerings are burnt. In addition to these figures and symbols there is represented on the woodcut 1 rGyas-pa, "ample, copious." 2dVang, "power." 3 Drag-po, "fierce, cruel." 4 Concerning untimely death see p. 109. |
