The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism

the account of the various sects can be compared with the one provided by Schlagintweit,¹ to which practically nothing had been added until now.²

Since Lamaism relies heavily on sensory experiences and focuses its energy on priestly functions, it is especially rich in ritual. Therefore, I have given special prominence to its ceremonies, particularly because ritual preserves many interesting traces of ancient times. My unique opportunities for gathering this information have enabled me to provide details of the primary rites—both mystic and otherwise—most of which have never been described before. Many of these show a combination of ancient Indian traditions and pre-Buddhist Tibetan beliefs Likely referring to the indigenous Bon religion of Tibet. As is already recognized, the more complex rituals invite comparison with many practices in the Roman Catholic Church; the fuller details provided here make this comparison and contrast easier.

However, the majority of Lamaist practices include deeply rooted demon-worship original: "devil-worship"; the author’s 19th-century perspective on Tibetan protective deities and esoteric practices and sorcery, which I describe in considerable detail. For Lamaism is only thinly and imperfectly masked by Buddhist symbolism; beneath it, the darker influence of a superstition involving many demons clearly appears.

The religious plays and festivals are also described. I have also added a chapter on popular and domestic Lamaism to show how the religion actually functions in everyday life as a system of ethical beliefs and practices.

The benefit of the numerous illustrations—about two hundred in total, mostly from original items brought from Lhasa and from my own photographs—should be obvious.³ Mr. Rockhill William Woodville Rockhill (1854–1914), an American diplomat and Tibetan scholar and Mr. Knight have kindly permitted me to use a few of their illustrations.

¹ In the work already cited, page 72. original: "Op. cit."; referring to Emil Schlagintweit's "Buddhism in Tibet" (1863)

² But see the note on page 69.
³ A few of the drawings are by Mr. A. D. McCormick from photographs or original objects; some others have been taken from the works of Giorgi, Huc, Pander, and others.