Das Kloster Kumbum in Tibet

Abstract

ONE of the most popular fanes of Larnaist pilgrimage is the great golden-roofed temple of Kumbum, about half-way between Lhasa and Pekin, in the neighbourhood of the Koko Nor Lake, on the border of Mongolia. It marks the sacred spot where was born in 1356 A.D. the reforming Lama and canonised saint Tsong-Khapa, who founded the now predominant yellow-cap sect which wields the temporal power. On the sacred spot itself, within the precincts of the temple, stands ar old tree which is believed to have sprung miraculously from one of the saint's hairs. It is locally known as the “white sandalwood tree,” and both its leaves and bark are held in great veneration as exhibiting on their surface images of the holy man. M. Huc, in his lively description of his visit to this sanctuary and his interview with its “Living Buddha,” half a century ago, declared that he himself saw the images on the leaves, and he attributed this extraordinary phenomenon to the devilry of the priests. Since Huc's time the place has been many times visited and described by Europeans, lying as it does within that portion of eastern Tibet which has been annexed by China, and thus much more easily accessible than the “Forbidden Land” of the Lhasa Lamas. Das Kloster Kumbum in Tibet. By Wilhelm Filchner. Pp. vi + 164; with maps, plans, and numerous plates. (Berlin: S. Mittler und Sohn, 1906.) Price 8 marks.