󠀲󠀱Iꓸ India (1924) - blame None

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# Nicholas Roerich. Altai-Himalaya

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## I. India (1924)

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Sinai glides by.

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Here are the Wells of Abraham. Here are the “Twelve Apostles”—fantastic little islands.

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Here is Jeddah, the gateway to Mecca.

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The Moslems on the steamer are praying toward the East, where, behind the pink sands, is

hidden their center. To the right the boundaries of Nubia are lying like an ancient

cornice. The hulks of wrecked vessels cleave to the reefs. The Red Sea can be merciless

as can the Arabian sandstorms. Not in vain does the fiery finger of the Stromboli

Volcano threaten and warn by night. But now in the winter the Red Sea is blue, not hot,

and the dolphins leap in mad merriment. In a fairylike design lie the Arabian Bays—Korya

Morya.

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The Japanese do not lose an opportunity to visit the Pyramids. This nation does not

waste time. One should see how quickly and sharply their field-glasses move about. And

how persistently practical are their questions. Nothing superfluous. This is not the

vacant touring of tired Europe. “Well, now finally we will come to an understanding,”

says the Japanese in a businesslike way without any sentimentality. And may this

businesslike attitude be the guarantee of cooperation!

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In Cairo in the mosque sat a boy of seven or eight and chantingly read the lines of the

Koran. One could not pass by without noting his penetrating striving. And in the walls

of that same mosque was boldly imbedded the cannon-ball of Napoleon. And that same

conqueror of empires broke the image of the Great Sphinx.

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But if the sphinx of Egypt is mutilated, the sphinx of Asia remains safeguarded by the

great deserts. The treasures of the heart of Asia are preserved and its hour has come.

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Ancient Ceylon—the Lanka of the Ramayana. But where are the palaces and pagodas? It is

strange. In Colombo we are met by the Swiss Consul. The policeman is Irish. A French

peddler. A Greek with post-cards. Dutch tea-peddlers. An Italian chauffeur. But where

are the Singhalese? Have they all emigrated to Europe?

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The first aspects of Buddha and Maitreya reveal themselves in the Kelaniya Temple near

Colombo. The powerful images are guarded in the dusk of the temple. Hinayana prides

itself before many-varied Mahayana on the refinement and purity of its philosophy.

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The great restored stupa near the temple reminds one of the ancient foundation of this

place. But, after all, only in fragments do Colombo and Ceylon recall the ancient

Lanka of Hanuman, Rama, Ravana and other giants.

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And for Buddhism, Ceylon is an important site. Many temples and palaces guard the

fragments of one of the best periods of the Teaching. Outside of the ruins which are

known, numerous unsuspected treasures are buried under the roots of powerful jungles.

That which has remained above the soil gives an idea of the past splendor of the former

mighty city. You do not need to search for the places. They proclaim themselves. But

exploration can only give results if it is carried on in a broad measure. One must

approach such ruins fully fortified, as one palace alone has nine hundred chambers.

Ceylon is an important site.

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The public baths near the bitter-sweet mountain, Lavinia, do not suggest the domain of

ancient giants. Slender palms shame-facedly bend down to the spray of the tide. Like

skeletons stand the fragments of Anuradhapura; consider that Anuradhapura is not

entirely explored. And Adam’s Peak is not enticing. By the remains of Anuradhapura one

may judge how powerful was Borobodur in Java.

And again, ceaselessly, are gliding by the faces of our fellow travelers: the Japanese,

with whom we wept over the remains of the Cairo Pyramids, which have passed from a

valiant history to become the curio-museum of a greedy guide.

Is it really India? A thin shore line. Meager little trees. Crevices of dessicated soil.

So does India hide its face from the south. And the black Dravidians as yet do not

remind us of the Vedas and Mahabharata.

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Multicolored is Madura with the remains of Dravidian strata. All the life, all the nerve

of the exchange, was near the temple. In the passages of the temple are the bazaar, the

court, the sermon, the reciter of the Ramayana, the gossip, and the sacred elephant who

wanders in freedom; and the camels of the religious processions. The ingenious stone

carving of the temple is colored with the present-day crude colors. Sarma, the artist,

sorrows over it. But the city council did not listen to him and colored the temple

according to their own plan. Sarma is saddened that so much of fine understanding is

gone and has as yet been replaced only by indifference.

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He warns us not to go far in our European attire because some elements of the population

may be hostile. After all, Madura is a city of one million. Sarma inquires about the

condition of artists in Europe and America. He is genuinely surprised that the artists

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of Europe and America can live by the labor of their hands. It is incomprehensible to

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him that art can provide a means of livelihood. With them, the occupation of artist is

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the most profitless one. There are almost no collectors. Sarma himself, tall, in white

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garments, with sad, calm speech, awaits something better, and knows all the burden of

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the present.

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There was no possibility of a meeting with Tagore. Strangely such things happen in life.

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In London, the poet found us. Then in America we succeeded in meeting him in New York;

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and he also met George in Boston. But in India itself we did not meet! We could not go

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to Bolpur and Tagore could not be in Calcutta. He already was preparing for his tour in

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China.

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There were many curious occurrences. In Calcutta we tried to find Tagore. We thought

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that in his native city his name would be known on every corner. We took a motor and

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requested to be taken straight to the poet Tagore, and in vain we rode for three hours

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through the city. First we were taken to the Maharajah Tagore. Then a hundred policemen

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and peddlers and passingBabus

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sent us into the most varied alleys. Finally six volunteer guides were hanging on our

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motor. And so we ourselves, in this bushy manner, finally remembered the name of

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Dwarkanath Tagore Street where the house of Tagore was situated.

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It is said that when Tagore received the Nobel prize, a deputation from Calcutta came to

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him, but the poet severely asked them: “Where were you before? I remain the same person,

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and the prize has not added anything to me.” Greetings to Tagore!

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We met the relations of our friend Tagore—Abanindranath Tagore, brother of Rabindranath,

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artist head of the Bengal School. Gogonendranath Tagore, nephew of the poet, also an

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artist, secretary of the Bengal Society of Artists. Now he imitates the modernists. A

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splendid artist is Kumar Haldar, present Director of the School in Lucknow. Hard is the

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life of the Hindu artist. Much resolution is needed in order not to abandon this thorny

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path. Greetings to the artists of India! Why is it that in all countries of the world

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the condition of scientists and artists is so precarious?

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Thorny also is the way of the Hindu scientists. Here, before us is an example, in a

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struggling young scientist Bose Sen, a biologist and pupil of Sir Jagadis Bose. He began

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his laboratory in the name of Vivekananda. In his peaceful little house above the

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laboratory is a room dedicated to the relics of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda and other

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teachers of this group. This young man, pupil of the closest pupil of Vivekananda,

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carries into life the principles of this master, who fearlessly proclaimed his evocation

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to action and knowledge. In this little top chamber he formulates his thoughts,

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surrounded by the things which belonged to his beloved leaders. One remembers vividly

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the portraits of Ramakrishna and his wife. Both faces impress one with their purity and

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striving. We sat in complete silence near this memorial hearth. Greetings!

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Who can explain why the path of knowledge and beauty is the most difficult? Why does

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humanity accept with such hesitation all that is predestined? It is therefore the

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greater joy, to see in India, the signs of an ascent of knowledge and art. It is joyful

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to see that in India the number of schools is increasing and that legions of new

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enlightened workers for science and beauty are ready to serve in the victory of

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evolution.

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In Calcutta, not far behind the city, are two monuments to Ramakrishna. On one shore,

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Dakshineswar, the Temple where long lived Ramakrishna. Almost opposite, across the

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river, is the Mission of Ramakrishna, the mausoleum of the teacher himself, of his wife,

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of Vivekananda, and a collection of many memorable objects. Vivekananda dreamt that here

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should be a real Hindu University. Vivekananda took care of this place. There is a great

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peace here and it is with difficulty that one realizes oneself so near to Calcutta with

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all the terror of its bazaars and confusion.

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We met Sister Christine, almost the only living pupil of Vivekananda. Her useful work

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was broken up by the war. And now, after the lapse of many years, Sister Christine has

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returned again to the old site. The people are changed. The consciousness is consumed

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with local problems. And it is not easy for Sister Christine to find contact with the

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new waves of Hindu life.

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On the memorial day of Ramakrishna, as many as half a million of his admirers gather.

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From the purest to the most hideous. In special streets of Bombay, behind bars, sit the

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women prostitutes. In this living merchandise which clings close to the bars, in these

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outstretched hands, in their calls, is contained the whole terror of bodily desecration.

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And a Hindu Sadhu passes through with his burning incense in order to purify the spot!

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When we entered the Chartered Bank of India— the sacred cow came out of the door to meet

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us; and how strikingly amusing was this correlation of bank and sacred cow!

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The tigers roar in Jaipur. The Maharajah has forbidden any one to shoot them. In Golta

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Pass two tribes of monkeys are at war. The guide arranges a battle for a most reasonable

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fee. Nowadays all battles may be arranged thus easily!

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The Fakirs are seated, “charming” the old, half-living toothless cobras. The pitiful

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Hatha-yogi is whirling in the bazaar, performing his gymnastic contortions for the

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purification of his spirit. “The spiritualist” offers to make the carriage move without

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horses, but to do this it is necessary “that there should not be one cloud in the sky.”

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And along with this is a fantastic and romantic fragment of old Rajputana—Amber where

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the princesses looked down from their balconies upon the tournaments of their suitors;

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where every gate, every little door, astonishes one by the correlations of its beauty.

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Near here is the penetrating and fantastic Golta Pass which could not be imagined in any

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fantasy—only the “play” of life can accumulate such unexpected creations. And here also

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is Jaipur with its fairylike astrological observatory and with the charm of an unspoiled

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Hindu Moslem city. Fatehpur-Sikri, Agra—rare chips of a departed culture. And the

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frescoes of Ajanta are already unsafe.

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All the remains of the constructions of Akbar have a veil of seeming sadness. Here the

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great Unifier of his country buried his best visions so misunderstood by his

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contemporaries. In Fatehpur-Sikri, he conversed with his wise Birbal, and with the few

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who had attained his level. Here he built the temple of universal knowledge. Here he

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lost his few friends and foresaw that the welfare of the State created by him, would not

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be preserved. And Agra and Fatehpur-Sikri are full of a kind of limitless sorrow. Akbar

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knew how the well-being which he bestowed on his people would be pillaged. Perhaps he

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already knew how the last emperor of India would live to the middle of the nineteenth

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century, peddling the furniture of his palace and chipping from the walls of his palace

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in Delhi the fragments of mosaics.

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With all the dustiness gathered by time, the architecture of Benares still retains its

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charm. All the mixture of form of the old Hindu, Dravidian and Moslem, can give new

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solutions to the unprejudiced architect. One can easily imagine a combination of the

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many-storied Tibetan structure, with the comforts of an American sky-scraper. One can

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draw a parallel from the palaces of Benares to the palaces of Venice and to a livable

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private dwelling. One can develop the style of American pueblos, with the newest

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understanding, as is being done in Santa Fe.

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A Hindu complained to me of the lack of Hindu architects. I said to him, “If there are

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no architects, let an artist develop an idea, but let him proceed from out of the

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harmony of the folk consciousness combined with the character of its nature.” The whole

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world must not be defiled with some generic bungalow. One cannot make out of Java a

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Swedish Stockzund. And one cannot visualize Comanches and Apaches in the houses of

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Boston. Commensurability must be observed.

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On the shores of the Ganges, a gray-bearded man, cupping his palms like a chalice,

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offers his entire possessions to the rising sun. A woman counting quick rhythm performs

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her morning pranayama on the shore. In the evening she may again be there, sending upon

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the stream of the sacred river a garland of lights as prayers for the welfare of her

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children. And these fireflies of the woman’s soul, prayer-inspired, travel long upon the

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dark watery surface. Beholding these offerings of the spirit one can even forget the

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stout priests of the golden temples. We are minded of other things. We recall those

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Yogis who send into space their thoughts, thus constructing the coming evolution. Not

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the usual priests these, but active hermits; they are bringing our thought near to the

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energy which will be revealed by scientists in the very near future.

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Gigantic stupas of Buddhism—burial mounds surrounded by a fence. The same Kurgans of all

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centuries and nations. The Kurgans of Upsala in Sweden; Russian Kurgans of Volhov on the

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way to Novgorod; the Steppe Kurgans of Scythians, surrounded by stones; all tell the

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legends of the same solemn cremations which have been described by the skillful Arabian

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traveler, Ibn Fadlan. Everywhere, the same purifying conflagrations.

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Everywhere, much incense, rose water and fragrant sandalwood. Hence the smoke from the

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bodies in the Burning Ghats of Benares is not turbid. And in Tibet, also, cremation is

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used.

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Regard the gentle child games of the Orient—and listen to the complicated rhythms of the

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chants and soft music. There are not evident the profanities of the West.

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The Maharajah of Mysore is awakened with special songs—songs of beginning and of end.

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In Madura in a crowded alley, an old man models the forms of the “sacred images.” He is

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the last old man—with him dies this knowledge. Thus is dying the past. So is approaching

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the future.

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On the fields are standing, in circles, the figures of white ceramic horses. Whence are

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these resplendent mounts? Upon them, the subtle bodies of women are said to go galloping

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through the nights. Backs, which are doubled during the day in household tasks, at night

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are made erect in flight. Shall one say it is a goat’s leap to the gathering of witches?

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No, rather is it the flight of the Valkyries—the virgins of the air—the leap toward a

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wondrous future.

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Each day a woman’s hand molds the sand at the entrance of the house into a special

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design. This is the symbol that within the house all is well, and there is neither

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sickness, death nor discord. If there be no happiness in the house then the hand of the

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woman becomes stilled. A seeming shield of beauty is placed before the house by the hand

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of the woman at the benevolent hour. And little girls in schools early are being taught

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a variety of designs for the signs of happiness. An inexplicable beauty lives in this

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custom of India.

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Vivekananda called the women of India to work and to freedom. He also asked the

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so-called Christians, “If you so love the teaching of Jesus why do you not follow it?”

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So spoke the pupil of Ramakrishna who passed through the substance of all teachings and

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learned through life “not to deny.” Vivekananda was not merely an industrious

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“Swami”—something lion-like rings in his letters. How he is needed now!

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“Buddhism is the most scientific and most cooperative teaching,” says the Hindu

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biologist, Bose. It is a joy to hear how this truly great savant who found his way to

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the mysteries of plant life speaks about the Vedanta, Mahabharata, and about the poetry

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of the legends of the Himalaya. Only true knowledge can find the merited place for all

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existing things.

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And accompanying the voice of the savant, simple and comprehensive, the silvery tones of

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an electric apparatus tinkle out the pulse of the life of the plants, reopening pages of

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the world’s knowledge, long since sealed.

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Bose’s mother in her day sold all her jewels in order to give her son an education. The

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scientist, in demonstrating “His kingdom,” says: “Here are the children of the rich in

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luxurious conditions. See how they become puffed and baggy. They need a good storm to

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bring them back to healthy normalcy.” Knowing the pulse of the plant world, the

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scientist approaches wholesomely all the manifestations of life. He values highly

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Timiryaseff’s review of his works. One of Bose’s best books was written on the heights

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of the Punjab in Mayavati—in the shrine of Vivekananda. Vivekananda departed too soon.

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Bose and Tagore—noble images of India!

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The frescoes of Ajanta, the powerful Trimurti of Elephanta, and the gigantic stupa in

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Sarnath, all speak of other ancient times. And this former beauty also glimmers in the

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fine and slender silhouette of a woman who carries her eternal water—water which feeds

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the hearth. And the well, as in biblical times, remains the central spot of the whole

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population.

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In the very backyard, in a tiny bed of meager flowers, rests a homely image of Ganeshi,

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elephant of happiness. The family of Hindu coolies living in the shanty offers to him

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its last grains of rice. Not much happiness has this image brought to them.

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Against the evidence of such refined values as are seen in Ramakrishna, Rabindranath

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Tagore, Sir Jagadis Bose, one cannot become reconciled to that which still constitutes

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the contents of the temples. Here is a phallic cult—Lingam in Elephanta. Up to now in

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the sanctuaries of this cult are seen the traces of fresh offerings. From the ancient

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wisdom we know that “Linga is the vessel of knowledge” and we know the scientific

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explanation from times immemorial of this wise distribution of energy. But now the basis

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of this worship is forgotten and it has degraded into superstition.

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Another ugly spectacle! In a golden temple of Benares, before us, was led a white little

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goat. She was led into the sanctuary. There evidently she was approved of because in a

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little while, frantically protesting, she was hurriedly dragged before us. In a minute,

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she was stretched out on the threshold of the temple and the broad knife cut off her

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head. It was difficult to believe that a sacred action had taken place! The meat of the

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goat evidently went for food, because priests do not partake of any meat except that of

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offered sacrificial animals. And such animals the population evidently brings each day.

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The teaching which sanctioned the priests, evidently pictured them as quite different.

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Even their appearance is undecorative and they cannot guard the beauty of the symbols of

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knowledge. As long as the rule of castes is not comprehended properly the country cannot

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develop.

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During our stay we read of several difficult family dramas founded on this ground of an

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evidently surviving prejudice. At the same time, the Vedanta and Advaita clearly

339

establish the principle of unity. Some of the most cosmogonic parts of the Vedas are

340

written by women, and now in India has arrived the epoch of the woman. Greetings to the

341

women of India!

342

343

In spite of a superabundance of tourists they seem to know America very little. One can

344

understand this. The whole mass of tourists quickly flows through the sheet-iron

345

channels of tourist companies, and never enters into a real and active contact with the

346

life of the country. In the north of India, Americans are called “nomads” because the

347

agencies give to these hurrying, breathless groups a special character, completely

348

outside of the people’s understanding.

349

350

Out of the windows of the car glide by huddled little villages, those original producers

351

of all utilities and the makers of the nation. But who cares for these primary sources?

352

353

Ramakrishna says: “In Atman there is no distinction of male or female, of Brahmin or

354

Kshatriya and the like.”

355

356

Ramakrishna executed the work of the sweeper to show, personally, that there were no

357

distinctions.

358

359

In December, we want to go into the Himalayas. We are regarded with astonishment: “But

360

now there is snow!” Snow is feared. Whereas the only time for the Himalayas is from

361

November to February. Already in March the curtain of fog rises. From May to August only

362

rarely and for brief periods can one see the entire glimmering range of snow; and truly

363

such grandeur is nowhere paralleled.

364

365

Just as when you are approaching the Grand Canyon of Arizona, when you approach the

366

foothills of the Himalayas you go through the most uninteresting landscape.

367

368

And only for a moment, at dawn in Siliguri, do the white giants appear before you as the

369

first messengers. And again they are hidden in the curly jungles. And again tea

370

plantations. And again barrack-like structures and factories. And only sometimes does a

371

typical habitation appear and conceal itself again as a vision from another world. There

372

are tales about the attacks of tigers and leopards. There are mountains of cases of tea

373

with the mark, Orange Pekoe. There is a Belgian missionary from Kurseong.

374

375

It becomes cool. Crowds of small coolies are repairing the cave-ins from the last

376

monsoon. In the frosty air one cannot imagine the pressure of the summer monsoon

377

downpour from which all nature becomes moldy. There are few birds. Eagles are seen.

378

379

Mountains are densely covered. The view of Darjeeling itself disappoints you. Is it

380

necessary to seek the Himalayas in order to find merely a corner of Switzerland? The

381

colorful types of the bazaar are not apparent at once, and the regular barracks and

382

bungalows already strike one’s eye.

383

384

Wesearch for a house. The first information is not encouraging. We are assured there are

385

no good houses. Some are shown to us, lacking outlook and grounds, some immersed in the

386

little streets of wooden country houses and fences. This is not suitable. We want

387

something, beyond—there before the image of all the Himalayas, where the city orchestra

388

does not play its conventional tunes. “You will find nothing there!” But we are

389

persistent. We go ourselves, and we find an excellent house. And calmness and solitude,

390

and the entire chain of Himalayas before us. And still another surprise. Just here lived

391

the Dalai Lama during his long flight from Lhasa. For us, this house is just what is

392

needed.

393

394

Not on one occasion only were we awakened by the chanting and the rhythmic beats around

395

the house. These are the lamas who, bowing to the ground many times, marched around our

396

dwelling.

397

398

Somewhere the people are babbling that in this house lives a devil which appears as a

399

black pig. A haunted house, as we were told. But we are not afraid of devils, and in the

400

neighboring village, Bhutia Basti, there are many black pigs which resemble boars. Did

401

not our dear monkeys who came into the bathroom and ate the peas and flowers around the

402

house play the part of the devil?

403

404

There is the tiresome need of having many servants—and the reason always the same:

405

castes. It reaches absurdity. The porter does not clean the path. Why? It appears that

406

according to caste, he is a blacksmith and has no right to take a broom into his hand.

407

Otherwise he will become defiled and become a sweeper. He decides the problem in a very

408

original fashion. He begins to brush around the garden with five fingers, creeping along

409

the ground. The groom is from the high Kshatriya caste and hints at his descent from a

410

king, which did not hinder him from mysterious operations with the horse feed. Sometimes

411

in the kitchen religious meetings are arranged. And the cook, chairman of the local Arya

412

Samaj, persistently persuades his listeners to something. Buddhists are not limited by

413

caste and are free to perform all kinds of work. They work fast, are merry, are quick to

414

understand and easy to adapt themselves.

415

416

There are many tales about Tibetans, the warrior-like tribe of Kham and about the wild

417

Goloks, who call themselves wild “dogs.” They bring one back again even to the times of

418

Siegfried. They cement their brotherly oaths by mixing and drinking brotherly blood.

419

They never part with their weapons.

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“His Country” begins to unfold, as the series “Banners of the East” is begun. In June,

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after the first rains, all the tempera begins to be covered with white spots of mold.

424

One has to heat up the place considerably in order that the mold should dry and come

425

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“His Country.” In Sikhim, itself, was one of the Ashrams of the Mahatmas. To Sikhim,

429

Mahatmas came on mountain horses. Their physical presence communicates a solemn

430

importance to these parts. Of course now the Ashram has been transferred from Sikhim. Of

431

course now the Mahatmas have left Sikhim. But they were here, and therefore the silver

432

peaks of the chain glimmer still more beautifully. . . .

433

434

Accompanied by pupils, artists and a sculptor, comes the majestic Rinpoche from Chumbi.

435

He walks throughout the whole country erecting new images of Maitreya. All is being

436

hastened. In a long talk, the lama points out that all may be attained only through

437

Shambhala. For those who imagine Shambhala as a legendary invention, this indication is

438

a superstitious myth. But there are also others, fortified by more practical knowledge.

439

440

The noble Atisha, the Pillar of the teaching, walked from India to Tibet for the

441

purification of the teaching. The teacher passed by the retreat of Milarepa. The great

442

hermit became conscious of the passing procession and wishing to test the forces of the

443

Pillar of the teaching, appeared sitting on the end of a blade of grass. The noble

444

Atisha seeing this manifestation of the hermit, came down from the porte-chaise and also

445

rose upon the end of the next blade of grass. And when the teachers exchanged brotherly

446

greetings, Milarepa said: “Our knowledge is equal, but why is the blade of grass under

447

me slightly bent, while under thee, it has retained its tension?” The noble Atisha

448

smiled: “Verily, equal is our knowledge; but I come from the country where the Blessed

449

Tathagata himself lived and taught, and this consciousness raises me.”

450

451

What magnets are laid in India? Indescribable is the charm of the children’s round dance

452

near Madras, with its tiny Gopis and miniature Krishna, Lel and Kupava. The greatest

453

imagery is bestrewn in unperceived abundance. India knows the all-penetrating power of

454

the magnet.

455

456

And how about miracles in India, friends of the west will ask? We will say that we have

457

not seen “miracles,” but we have encountered every manifestation of psychic energy. If

458

one wants to speak about the manifestations of a “higher miraculous” power—then it is

459

useless to talk altogether. But to comprehend the materially-attained development of

460

psycho-physical energy, then India gives even now the most remarkable manifestations.

461

The celebrated “evil eye” of the east exists, and the people die submissively at the

462

ordained date, if they are not able to counteract it by a still more greatly trained

463

will. The transmission of the command of will from a distance does exist. Suggestion in

464

any form exists in highly complicated correlations. Some manifestations are being

465

performed consciously and a greater part subconsciously through natural ability and

466

beneficial atmospheric conditions. And that which is unusual for a civilized European,

467

that very thing for the cultured Hindu, or rather Asiatic, will be an almost daily

468

material occurrence.

469

470

Observe how remarkable are the physiological comparisons traced by the Hindus between

471

cosmic manifestations and the human organism. The womb, the navel, the phallus and the

472

heart, all these long since have been included in the fine system of development of the

473

universal cell. Only it is difficult to entice the people into a discussion of this.

474

Again is necessary that confidence which cannot be established at the dining table.

475

476

During the period of Inquisition people were burned for invoking the teraphim. But in

477

India even now this means of influence is practiced. Even now, in the Malabar Hills,

478

dark persons may come and because of an unfulfilled request will try to touch you, while

479

they say to you: “Sahib will be sick” or “You will live only ten days.” If the organism

480

at that moment is fatigued or if the will is weak, the command is fulfilled, and one can

481

remedy this only by a counter-suggestion. But often the counteraction is less powerful

482

or not applied in time.

483

484

The cases related about the “evil eye” provide a remarkable, and as yet unstudied,

485

problem for the psychiatrists and criminologists. The person who has received this

486

stroke of the will, on the appointed day begins to lose his life energy and his power of

487

resistance and finally the apparatus stops. The doctors who do not apply suggestion in

488

time are at loss for a cure, and begin to poison the paralyzed nervous system still

489

more. Incipient anaemia, a stroke of the heart or spleen, or gall bladder, nervous

490

spasms and choking are often the visible effects of the command of the invading will. It

491

is difficult to ascertain just how the nature of the attack on the particular organs

492

occurs; one may rather imagine that the most feeble organ succumbs to a nervous attack.

493

In a lesser and more crude manner the same practice is apparent in Shamanism, but the

494

gradations of the will and its applications are entirely incomparable. It is justly

495

pointed out that such murder or harm by will power is far more dangerous than a physical

496

one. And where can one seek the limits of such suggestions? In the East one sometimes

497

hears a significant sentence: “He shall not live.” It means one has sensed the spark of

498

the will-stroke.

499

500

Two qualities must be conceded to the English: steadfastness and precision. For the

501

East, both qualities are remarkable. Precision according to the ordained dates of course

502

is absolutely necessary because “the worst theft is the theft of someone else’s time.”

503

Do not be late if you wish to be respected.

504

505

It all began with the strange footprints found by the Everest Expedition. Then in the

506

Statesman,

507

an English Major related how during one of the expeditions into the region of the

508

Himalayas, he encountered a strange mountain inhabitant. At sunrise, amidst the frosty

509

snows, the Major walked away from the camp and climbed the neighboring rocks. Glancing

510

at the near-by rocks, the Major to his astonishment beheld a tall man almost naked,

511

standing, leaning on a high bow. The mountain inhabitant did not look at the Major, his

512

attention being completely attracted by something unseen behind the curve of the slope.

513

And suddenly the man bent, strained himself, and by madly dangerous leaps rushed from

514

the rocks and disappeared. When the Major told his people about the meeting they smiled

515

and said: “Sahib has seen a ‘snow’ man. They are watching the guarded places.”

516

517

They tell of a recent case in Bengal. A Sadhu was traveling in a train without a ticket.

518

At the first station he was put out of the train. The bells rang. The locomotive

519

whistled and did not move. So it continued for some time. The passengers remembered the

520

Sadhu who had been put off and demanded that he be put back in his place. Then the train

521

moved. Some serious mass impact!

522

523

A European lady living in India entered a dense part of her garden and became lost in a

524

reverie as to why the garden walks were not laid out in that place. Three days later she

525

went there again and saw a freshly traced path, but the end of the path was somewhat

526

lost. She called the old gardener:

527

528

“Who has made the path?”

529

530

“Mem-Sahib wanted to have the garden path but I did not know how to end it!”

531

532

Then the woman remembered that the completion of her thought about the garden path was

533

not clear.

534

535

Sir Jagadis Bose affirms that the sensitiveness of plants is completely astonishing. As

536

the plants feel the formation of a cloud long before it is visible to the eye, so the

537

East feels the thought at its inception.

538

539

In the close interrelation between the visible and the invisible, and in the epic

540

simplicity of their interplay, lies the charm of India.

541

542

The Tibetan tailor is making

543

kaftans.

544

He takes all measurements with his eye, but most astonishing is it that the

545

kaftan

546

comes out well-fitting. And all this is not done without care! The quality of gold for

547

the trimming, the color of the lining and the length—all this is thought out. The local

548

homespun is very narrow and one is astonished how evenly they can smooth the many seams.

549

550

If we take the accredited historical data of the last century it is astonishing how

551

definitely the folk-consciousness was freed from the obvious survivals of the middle

552

ages. Those who defend such survivals should examine these historic paths and convince

553

themselves and realize that what is occurring now is not accidental but under rational

554

guidance and control. He who fails to recognize this rationality, cannot understand

555

evolution.

556

557

In sudden support of fundamental Buddhism, the realist of realists, Huxley says, “No one

558

but a superficial thinker rejects the teaching of reincarnation as nonsense. Like the

559

teaching of evolution itself, reincarnation has its roots in the world of reality and is

560

entitled to the same support commanded by every consideration which evolves from

561

analogies.”

562

563

Two beautiful characterizations of Buddhism: “As a lion unfrightened by noises. As a

564

wind, not to be captured by a net. As a lotus leaf impervious to water. As a rhinoceros

565

treading in solitude!”—“The study and manifestation of energy in all its forms. Energy

566

of armament. Energy of application in action. Energy of dissatisfaction giving birth to

567

the eternal striving which brings man into the cosmic rhythm.” So said Asanga.

568

569

Where, then, is the inactive pessimism? Where is the philosophy of despair, as Buddhism

570

is sometimes called by persons of small comprehension. How many books have been written

571

under the false romanticism of the nineteenth century? How many scientists, not versed

572

in the languages, have fed their minds with these vague sour conclusions? But at last we

573

now have a different Buddha—with a sword, with leonine daring, armed with all energies

574

amidst universal activity, in cosmic aspiration.

575

576

“Watch the movement of the stars, as one who participates in them, and constantly

577

consider the transmutation of one element into another, because such a process purifies

578

one from the grime of earthly life.” So reflects Marcus Aurelius. So also says an

579

educated Hindu from out the Himalayas.

580

581

L. Horn writes: “With the acceptance of the teachings of evolution, the old forms of

582

thought everywhere are crumbling. New ideas arise in the place of outlived dogmas and we

583

have before us the spectacle of a general intellectual movement in a direction becoming

584

ever more strange—parallel with eastern philosophy.

585

586

“The unheard-of speed and variety of the scientific progress current in the last fifty

587

years cannot but call forth an equally unprecedented hastening of thought in the broad

588

non-scientific circles of society. That the highest and most complete organisms develop

589

out of the simplest organisms; that upon one physical basis of life stands the whole

590

living world; that there cannot be traced a line which divides animal and vegetable

591

kingdoms; that the difference between life and non-life is a difference in gradation and

592

not substance—all this already has become commonplace in the new philosophy. After the

593

recognition of physical evolution it is not difficult to say that the acknowledgment of

594

psychic evolution is only a question of time.”

595

596

The observation of the East astonishes and rejoices one. And not the obvious power of

597

observation which leads to a dead stereotype; but observation, fine and silent in its

598

substance. One remembers how the teacher asked the newly arriving pupil to describe a

599

room, but the room was empty and in a vessel was swimming only a tiny fish. In three

600

hours the pupil wrote three pages, but the teacher rejected him saying that about this

601

one little fish he could have written all his life. In technical imitation is revealed

602

the same sharp observation. In the adaptation of the meter of a song, in the character

603

of a call, in movements, you see an all-powerful culture. Somewhere the Hindus,

604

enveloped in their mantles, were compared to Roman senators. This is an inane

605

comparison. Rather liken them to the philosophers of Greece, and still better, call them

606

the creators of the Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita, Mahabharata. For neither Rome nor Greece

607

existed when India was flourishing. And the latest excavations begin to support this

608

indubitable deduction.

609

610

In the Tao Te Ching are drawn the following subdivisions of the types of scientists:

611

“Scientists of the highest class, on hearing about Tao, seriously bring their knowledge

612

into life. Scientists of the middle grade, on hearing about Tao, sometimes observe it,

613

sometimes lose it again. The scientists of the lowest class on hearing about Tao, only

614

laugh loudly at it.” Lao Tze knew.

615

616

Hindus regard objects of art with fine understanding. From a Hindu, you naturally expect

617

an interesting approach and unusual remarks, and so it is. Therefore to show paintings

618

to a Hindu is a real joy. How captivatingly they approach art! Do not think that they

619

are occupied only in its contemplation. You will be astonished by their remarks about

620

tonality, about technique, and about the expressiveness of the line. If the observer be

621

long silent, do not think that he has become tired. On the contrary this is a good sign.

622

It means he has entered into a mood, and one can expect from him especially interesting

623

deductions. Sometimes he will tell you a whole parable. And there will be nothing vulgar

624

or crude in it. It is astonishing how transformed are the people of the East before the

625

creations of art. Indeed it is more difficult for a European to enter into the current

626

of creation and as a rule he is less able to synthesize his impression.

627

628

In the epic designs of India all can be coordinated. If in the crowd, your next neighbor

629

should be a skeleton, pale with leprosy, you are not frightened. Next to you will lean a

630

Sadhu, colored with blue stripes and with a head-dress made of cow dung. You are not

631

surprised. A Fakir with toothless cobras will cheat you. You are smiling. The chariot of

632

Jagernath crushes the crowd—you are not astonished. There is a procession of fearful

633

Nagis of Rajputana with blades like curved fangs. You are calm. And where are those for

634

whose sake you have come to India? They do not sit in the bazaars and they do not walk

635

in processions. And you will not enter their dwellings without their consent. But do

636

they really exist? Are not leisurely authors writing about them only for the sake of

637

being unique? Yes, they do exist. Their knowledge and their skill do exist. And in this

638

sharpening of human qualities is being exalted all human substance. And no leprosy will

639

turn you away from India.

640

641

All that takes place at the metapsychical institute in Paris—the experiments of Nötzing

642

and Richet in ectoplasm; the experiments of Baraduque in the photography of physical

643

emanations, the works of Kotik in the exteriorization of sensitiveness and the attempts

644

of Beckhterev in thought-transmission at a distance—all this is familiar to India. Only,

645

not as unbelievable novelties, but as laws long since known. They speak little on these

646

themes, because of the dearth of scientifically enlightened fellow-conversationalists.

647

The ancient method of Hinduism and Buddhism is to open the doors to him who knocks, but

648

not to call any one and not to coerce any one. But the quality of the knock also must be

649

powerful. In the practical teaching of Buddhism, independence of consciousness is

650

sharply emphasized, and as its consequence, an unconquerable forbearing and

651

all-conquering patience. The greatest patience will win a victory. So let the ignorant

652

deniers immerse themselves in the true East to learn to absorb the power of containment.

653

654

Two characteristic episodes are related about the Tashi Lama. When he was in India, he

655

was asked whether he possessed any psychic powers. The Tashi Lama silently smiled. In a

656

short time, though closely surrounded by guards and officers, he suddenly disappeared.

657

All search was in vain. Finally, after a considerable period of time, the officers saw

658

him calmly sitting in the same garden and around him were running, in fruitless search,

659

the guards. This incident reminds me of Gorki, who many years ago told me that he

660

himself saw vivid images of Indian cities upon the blank metallic leaves of an album,

661

which was shown to him once in Caucasia by a Hindu. With all his realism, Gorki

662

absolutely affirms that he saw in vivid colors that which the Hindu pointed out to him.

663

Greetings to Alexei Maximovitch!

664

665

Attraction by thought is astonishing. The desire was expressed to have an old Tibetan

666

Buddha, but this is already difficult. We spoke and thought among ourselves how to get

667

it. In a few days came a lama and brought an excellent Buddha: “The lady wanted to have

668

a Buddha and I am told to give the Buddha from my house altar. I cannot sell the sacred

669

image—accept it as a gift.”

670

671

“But how did you know of our desire to have a Buddha?

672

673

“The White Tara came in a dream and told me to bring to you.”

674

675

And so it happens.

676

677

Recently we read in the

678

Statesman

679

that the lowest castes of India begin willingly to accept Buddhism. Rabindranath Tagore,

680

in a talk with Gandhi, spoke against castes. Out of the mouth of a Brahmin this avowal

681

is significant. Many significant and beautiful signs.

682

683

Special attention must be given to the Puranas—therein are many most valuable

684

indications: “When the sun and the moon, and Tishya and the planet Jupiter are in one

685

mansion, then the Krita (Satya) age will begin.” So does the Vishnu Purana point out the

686

age of Maitreya.

687

688

Lamas are constantly coming to us. They spread paintings on the lawn; and chantingly

689

pointing with a little stick, they relate a whole epic. The vivid colors of the

690

paintings merge with the natural colors of nature. The visual reactions have been valued

691

since long ago. A nun comes. She sits at the threshold and throwing back her handsome

692

head she chants her prayers. We can only distinguish “Tra shi sho!” Altogether the

693

question of language is very difficult. All these mountain dialects somewhat resemble

694

Tibetan. But still the difference is very great and the number of dialects of the small

695

tribes is also great. Finally from Lhasa comes Kung Kusho of Doring to salute the house

696

of the Dalai Lama. The Kung (this is a title like a duke; remarkable is the coincidence

697

of Conung, Kung, King) is an important old man with a wife and daughter, round of face

698

like a Ukrainian; with numerous servants; on big black mules shod with silver are high

699

saddles and many-colored horse blankets. On their foreheads they wear vivid red caps

700

with the image of Chintamani. In 1912 the Kung was attacked by Chinese soldiers. They

701

almost wounded him. They killed his secretary. This led to a revolt in Tibet. The Kung

702

is astonished and rejoices at our Buddhist objects. We are breakfasting. We are making

703

Tibetan dishes. We speak of the movement of Buddhism. He is a very ceremonious old man.

704

705

Interesting are the tales about the attacks of the cavalry of Kham and Golok. Wild

706

riders do not need reins. Their horses, as in ancient narratives, take part in the

707

battle with teeth and hoof. During battle, the riders take off their

708

khalats

709

up to the waist. Helmeted, with swords, lances and guns, this avalanche is borne onward.

710

Sometimes they disappear under the stomachs of the horses. If all means of attack are

711

exhausted the riders take stones from the ground and fight with screams resembling

712

laughter. There is one sign which at once quiets this avalanche. Of course every tribe

713

has its particularities in battle and by not knowing them one can weaken the best force.

714

Tibetan women in songs and in life sometimes are not behindhand in manifestations of

715

courage. They throw hot water on the enemy; they meet the temporary conquerors with

716

derision.

717

718

Near Ghum stands a high rock. It is said that on its peak is lying a significant

719

prophecy. In each stupa are enclosed significant objects. It is wrong to think that the

720

bookshelves displayed in temples to some travelers comprise the entire book treasures of

721

the monastery. Besides these official volumes of teachings everywhere in the secret

722

recesses of the abbot there are manuscripts of unusual interest. One thing is dangerous.

723

Often these hidden places are harmed by dampness, or mice, or are simply forgotten

724

during some hasty evacuation. Often a lama will tell you: “I have written down the

725

prophecies but I do not carry them with me. They are lying under a stone.” Then some

726

unexpected event happens; the lama hastens to put his sack on his back and departs; and

727

the invaluable manuscripts are lost.

728

729

Some idiomatic commands are characteristic: “To put on trousers” means to get ready for

730

a march. Idiomatic terms often bring difficulties into negotiations. Once an ambassador

731

spoke in very high terms about “the hair of Brahma.” Nobody under stood him and the

732

negotiations had to stop. However, he had nothing else in mind than the river

733

Brahmaputra. Often the languages taught in universities do not help in the local places.

734

735

A Chinese book, “Wei Tsang T’u-Shih,” thus describes the Potala: “The mountain palaces

736

are glowing in a purple sheen. The luster of the mountain peaks is equal unto emerald.

737

Verily the beauty and perfection of all objects make this place incomparable.”

738

739

We are reading of the builder of the Potala, the fifth Dalai Lama, named “Ruler of

740

conjurations, eloquent, holy ocean of fearlessness.” It is he, who on becoming His

741

Worthiness the Dalai Lama in 1642, built Potala, the red palace, Pho Brang dMarpo, on

742

the red mountain Marpo ri. He also built the remarkable monasteries Mo-ru, Labrang

743

Garmakhiya, and many others. He also erected on the rock the colossal relief of Buddha

744

and the saints of Buddhism. During his rule Mongols entered Tibet the second time.

745

Gruber, the Jesuit, dislikes very much this strong leader, although he finds that he was

746

cautious in his methods, assiduous and devoted to art and knowledge.

747

748

Unusual is the end of this Dalai Lama. According to one version the Dalai Lama died in

749

the eighties and his death was hidden for a few years in order to give opportunity for

750

various political matters to be adjusted. According to another version the Dalai Lama

751

voluntarily abandoned his rule and hid himself for many years in that very same

752

seclusion in the Himalayas.

753

754

History is paralleled by the following ancient legend: “Every century the Arhats make an

755

effort to enlighten the world. But until now not one of these efforts has been

756

successful. Failure has followed failure. It is said that until the day when a lama will

757

be born in a western body and appear as a spiritual conqueror for the destruction of the

758

century-old ignorance, until then there will be little success in dissolving the snares

759

of the West.”

760

761

The Chinese emperors lived according to the astronomical seasons of the year. For each

762

season of the year there was a special colored garment. Each period of the year used to

763

be spent in a special part of the palace.

764

765

The method of Buddhist teaching reminds one of the method of the Kabala, that of not

766

imposing, but attracting, and pointing out the best way. They speak about a remarkable

767

monastery, Mo-ru, and about the special learning of the lamas of that monastery. For the

768

three summer months the lamas go away to the west for meditation.

769

770

During the “hearings” the lamas often cover their heads with cloth. This recalls

771

“biblical” ceremony. It recalls the statement of Damis, the pupil of Appolonius of

772

Tyana, of how Appolonius, when he heard a “soft voice,” always wrapped himself

773

completely, from head to foot, in a long scarf of woolen texture. This scarf was kept

774

only for this purpose. From altogether other times, the very same details reach us.

775

Contemporaries were astonished how strangely Saint Germain sometimes “wrapped himself

776

up.” Let us remember also the warm shawl of Blavatsky. Lamas carefully observe a certain

777

condition of temperature which is favorable to the induction of different

778

manifestations.

779

780

Lady Lytton came to see the pictures. In the Lytton family splendid traditions remain

781

from their celebrated grandfather Bulwer-Lytton. Then came Colonel Bailey. Then came the

782

whole Everest Expedition. By the way, they persistently wanted to find out whether we

783

did not ascend Everest. In the painting, “Burning of Darkness,” they recognized the

784

exact image of the glacier near Everest, and they did not understand how this

785

characteristic view, seen only by them, could have come into the picture.

786

787

A page of the true East: “Again they will come with the question, ‘How shall one deal

788

with obstacles?’ One person is hindered by the family; one by a distasteful occupation;

789

one by poverty; one by the attacks of the enemies. A good rider likes to show his skill

790

on untrained horses and prefers obstacles to a smooth path. Every obstacle must be the

791

birth of possibilities. When difficulties appear in the face of obstacles, they result

792

precisely from fear. No matter in what attire a coward would garb himself we must find

793

the page about fear. Friends, so long as obstacles do not seem as the birth of

794

possibility, so long do we not understand the teaching. Success lies in the enlarging of

795

the consciousness. It is impossible to come near in the presence of fear. The ray of

796

courage shall lead above the manifestations of obstacles, because now, when the world

797

knows where to go—the seed of blood is growing. If the path is strewn by bones one can

798

go courageously. If peoples speak in unknown languages—it means we can open the soul. If

799

one has to hasten—it means that somewhere a new enemy is ready. Be blessed, obstacles,

800

through you we grow.”

801

802

India, I know thy sorrows, but I shall remember thee with the same joyous tremor as the

803

first flower on the spring meadow. From thy Brahmins we shall select the greatest who

804

understood the Vedic wisdom. We shall select the Rajah who strove for the finding of the

805

path of truth. We shall notice Vaishya and Shudra who have exalted their craft and labor

806

for the upliftment of the world. A boiling kettle is the forge of India. The dagger of

807

faith over a white goat. The phantom flame of a bonfire over a widow. Conjurations and

808

sorcery. Complicated are the folds of thy garments, India. Menacing are thy vestures

809

blown by the whirlwind. And deadly burning are thy inclement rocks, India. But we know

810

thy fragrant essences. India, we know the depths and finesse of thy thoughts. We know

811

the great Aum, which leads to the Inexpressible Heights. We know thy great Guiding

812

Spirit. India, we know thy ancient wisdom! Thy sacred scriptures in which is outlined

813

the past, the present, the future. And we shall remember thee with the same tremor as

814

the most precious first flower on the spring meadow.