No CrossRef data available.
Article contents
XXIII Life in a Khalkha Steppe Lamasery
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
Extract
In August, September, and October, 1913, I was engaged on one of a series of journeys in Mongolia, which I hope, if I am given the opportunity to complete them, will enable me to collect sufficient data for a work about this little-known country and its people, a subject upon which English literature is perhaps even poorer than that of the other Western European nations, and certainly far poorer than that of Kussia. The particular journey in question started at Hailar, in Barga, and was pursued via the valley of the Kerulen River and Urga to the Mongolyor Goldfields on the Upper Iro and thence to Kiakhta, where modern means of travel again became available for the return to Peking. During this journey I saw a great variety of lamaseries and temples; I had as my constant and only companions two lamas, and for a week I lived continuously in a lamasery in the room of a lama. I was thus able to observe a large number of facts, some of which may be of interest to students of Lamaism, even if only as having been noted in a remote corner of the vast domain of the Yellow Faith, where, unlike Tibet, Englishspeaking people have seldom travelled.
- Type
- Articles
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1914
References
page 848 note 1 System used in transliterating Mongol sounds.—The consonants to be pronounced as in English, e.g. j hard, as dj, like J in “Jack”. Kh when initial as h; when in centre of word as ch in “loch”, or as strongly aspirate h. R to be fully pronounced, as rr in English. The vowels in general as in Italian, e.g., a as in English “father”; e as in “bet”; i as ee in “meet”; o as in “cot”; oa as in “boa”; oi as in “soil”; ei as ay in “clay”; ai as the word “eye” or “I”; u as oo in English “soot”; u as French u. The accent ′ merely indicates the stress or emphasized syllable. In transliterating Chinese characters the Wade system is adhered to.
page 849 note 1 Pronounced a
-mak.
page 849 note 2 Pronounced Hān.
page 849 note 3 Pronounced S
n No-ín.
page 849 note 4 Since Khalkha declared its independence the influence of the khans has been on the increase.
page 850 note 1 The Meng Ku Yu Mu Chi is a most valuable Chinese compilation about the princely houses of Mongolia, their history and their territories, written in the middle of last century. It has been translated into Russian by P. S. Popoff, formerly first Dragoman of the Russian Legation in Peking.
page 852 note 1 Südjict Gung Hoshun contains only one somon. (Somons are the divisions into which hoshuns are divided, and theoretically represent a fraction of the population such as could supply a somon of 150 mounted warriors in case of the mobilization of the Mongol Banners by the Emperor.) The boundaries of this hoshun are as follows (the names given first are the popular names of hoshuns, in parentheses are the full personal names and titles of the jassaks): On N.N.E. and north with Dáiehin Béisa Hoshun (Beisa Dashi-Tseren); on north-west with Hóbchin Jánoin Gung Hoshun (Beile Tungalak); on west with Sérulen Gung Hoshun (Tsétsen Gung); on south-west with Tsétsen Khan Hoshun; on south with Hárdal Dáichin Gung Hoshun (Gung Lubsan Choidob Agwang Pilji Dashi Tseren); on south-east (for a tiny stretch) with Sait Dálai Wang Hoshun (Chiang Chün Wang Gombo Surun); on east with Hoshoi Ch'in Wang Hoshun (Ch'in Wang Jigjit Tsurun).
page 854 note 1 It is necessary to distinguish between the expression temple or Jamasery and temple hall or hall as used here. Most temples or lamaseries contain a large number of temple buildings, to which I apply the term hall, but which in some cases might equally well be termed shrine or chapel.
page 857 note 1 Chien is a somewhat inexact measure for expressing the capacity of a Chinese house. Properly speaking it is the area enclosed between any four main upright supports to the roof, which in practice varies from 2 to 3 yards in width up to from 3 to 6 yards in depth. All fang tzŭ have of course onlv one floor.
page 858 note 1 The Mongol name for a house is baiuhin.
page 859 note 1 The dais-stove-bed used everywhere in North China.
page 861 note 1 Every foreigner in Mongolia is termed Óros, which, strictly speaking, means Russian, but, as most Mongols have only come into contact with Russians, all Europeans are Óros. The more discriminating and enlightened have been known to speak of the French Russians, the English Russians, and the German Russians.
page 866 note 1 Hadak is the silk scarf which is the conventional offering to show respect to a person. They vary greatly in length and quality. When being presented the scarf is unrolled and held with both hands slightly separated.
page 867 note 1 Kharchin is the most south-easterly of the aimaks of Mongolia and has been completely Chinesefied.
page 868 note 1 The chief personnel of this temple was as follows: 1 Hubilgan or reincarnated Boddhisattva (living Buddha), styled Jantsang Hubilgan; 1 Hanbo Lama or Jassak Lama (high abbot) (cf. Khamba in Kukunor); 1 Da (ta) Lama (abbot); 1 Momboin Shiretu Lama (priest of medicine); 1 Demchi (treasurer); 2 Gethgui (charged with discipline) (Gebgui); 4 Umzat (leaders of chanting). The total number of lamas present while I was there was probably about sixty, including twenty or more boys.
page 873 note 1 Lamaistic prayers are written horizontally on leaves about a foot long by only 3 inches in depth from top to bottom.
page 876 note 1 There are three grades or orders of consecration amongst lamas, irrespective of any question of office or rank—1, Gelun; 2, Getsul; 3, Bandi.
page 882 note 1 At Peking these are situated at Wai Kuan outside the An ting Men (Gate) and close to the Hwang Ssu or Yellow Temple.
page 884 note 1 The tzakhírakchi is the second most important of the officials in a hoshun. He is always drawn from amongst the non-noble rank and file. The first official is the túsalakchi (Chinese Hsieh li Taiji), who is always a taiji. The túsalakchi here I never saw. There are sometimes two or more in a hoshun. But in the case of all small hoshuns only one official in all attends at any one period to conduct the administration. The rest live at home.