_Of their Temples and Idols, and the Worship of their Gods_.
All their priests shave their heads and beards, and are clothed in yellow;
and they live in companies of one or two hundred together, observing strict
celibacy. On holy days, they sit in the temple on long benches, placed
directly opposite each other, holding books in their hands, which they
sometimes lay on the benches; and all the time they remain in the temples,
they have their heads bare, and they read to themselves, keeping profound
silence: Insomuch, that when I went into the temple, and endeavoured all I
could to provoke them to speak, I could not succeed. Wherever they go, they
carry a string with an hundred or two hundred nut-shells, like our
rosaries, and they are continually uttering the words, _Ou mam Hactani_,
which was explained to me as signifying, _O God! thou knowest_. And as
often as they pronounce these words in remembrance of God, they expect a
proportional reward[1]. Round the temple, there is always a handsome court,
environed by a high wall, on the south side of which is a large portal, in
which they sit to confer together; and over this portal they erect a long
pole, rising if possible above the whole city, that every one may know
where to find the temple. These things are common to all the idolaters.
On going to visit this temple, I found the priests sitting under the outer
portal; and those whom I saw, appeared, by their shaven beards, like French
friars. They wore conical caps of paper on their heads; and all the priests
of the Jugurs wear this cap continually, and yellow strait tunics fastened
down the middle like those in France; besides which, they wear a cloak on
their left shoulder, flowing loosely before and behind, but leaving the
right arm free, somewhat like a deacon carrying the pix in Lent. Their mode
of writing is adopted by the Tartars. They begin to write at the top of the
page, and extend their lines downwards, reading and writing from left to
right. They make great use of written papers in their magical incantations,
and their temples are hung round with short written sentences. The letters
sent by Mangu-khan to your majesty, are written in these characters, and in
the language of the Moal. These people burn their dead in the manner of the
ancients, and deposit the ashes on the top of certain pyramids. After
sitting for some time beside these priests, and having entered their temple
to look at their many images, some large and others small, I asked what was
their belief concerning God? To which they answered, that they believed in
one God only. On asking them whether he was a spirit or of a corporeal
nature, they said he was a spirit. Being asked if God had ever assumed the
human mature, they answered never. Since, then, said I, you believe God to
be a spirit, wherefore do yow make so many images of him; and as you
believe that he never took upon him the human form, wherefore do you
represent him under the image of a man, rather than of any other creature?
To this they answered, we do not make images of God; but when any of our
rich men die, or their wives or children, or dear friends, they cause
images to be made of the deceased, which are placed in the temple, which we
venerate in respect to their memory. Then, said I, you do these things in
flattery of men: but they insisted it was only in remembrance. They then
asked me, as if in derision, where is God? To this I answered by another
question, where is your soul? and they said, in our bodies. Then, said I,
is it not in every part of your body, ruling over the whole, yet cannot be
seen. Even in the same manner God is everywhere, ruling all things, yet
is invisible, being intelligence and wisdom. I would willingly have
proceeded in this conference, but my interpreter became weary and unable
to express my meaning, so that I was obliged to desist.
The Moals and Tartars follow the same religion, in so far that they believe
in one only God; but they make images in felt of their departed friends,
which they cover with fine costly garments. These they carry about with
them in one or two appropriate carts, which no person must touch, except
their priests or soothsayers who have the care of them. This is to be
understood only of the great men who are of the race of Zingis, for the
poor or meaner people have none such. These soothsayers constantly attend
upon the court of Mangu and other great personages; and when the court
moves, these men precede the march, like the pillar of cloud before the
children of Israel. They determine on the site of the new encampment, and
unload their houses first, after which they are imitated by the whole
court. On days of festival, such as the kalends or commencements of their
months, these images are placed in order around their idol houses, and the
Moals enter in and bow themselves before these images, to do them
reverence. Strangers are never permitted to enter, so that once
endeavouring to go into one of these tabernacles, I was sore chidden for my
presumption.
[1] The following more complete account of this superstition, has been
deemed worthy of insertion.
"These supposed Nestorian Christians were undoubtedly professors of
the religion of the Dalai-Lama, who had several usages and ceremonies
resembling corrupt Christianity. Like the Roman catholics, they had
rosaries, containing 108 beads, and their prayer is, _Hom-Mani-Pema-
Hum_. This does not signify, as asserted by Rubruquis, _God! thou
knowest it_; nor, as supposed by Messerschmid, _God have mercy on us_.
But its true import is, that _Mani_, who holds the flowers of the
Lotus, _and is the beginning and end of the higher Magic_, may _hear_
their prayers, be _propitious_ to them, and render them _happy_.
"They have rolls or cylinders inscribed with their prayers, which they
twirl round on an axis, continually pronouncing these mystic words,
and they believe that all the prayers on these rolls are virtually
pronounced at each turn of the roll; The religion of the Dalai-Lama,
is a branch of the Shamanian and Braminical superstitions, and has for
its foundation the Manichaean doctrine of the two principles, which
Manes attempted to incorporate into the Christian religion, so that it
is no wonder the practices of the followers of the Dalai-Lama should
resemble those of the Manichaean and Nestorian Christians."--Forst.
Voy. and Disc. 105.