Communism -- Soviet Union; Mongolia -- Description and travel
“Today is a great day,” the Living Buddha once said to me, “the day of
the victory of Buddhism over all other religions. It was a long time
ago--on this day Kublai Khan called to him the Lamas of all religions
and ordered them to state to him how and what they believed. They
praised their Gods and their Hutuktus. Discussions and quarrels began.
Only one Lama remained silent. At last he mockingly smiled and said:
“‘Great Emperor! Order each to prove the power of his Gods by the
performance of a miracle and afterwards judge and choose.’
“Kublai Khan so ordered all the Lamas to show him a miracle but all were
silent, confused and powerless before him.
“‘Now,’ said the Emperor, addressing the Lama who had tendered this
suggestion, ‘now you must prove the power of your Gods!’
“The Lama looked long and silently at the Emperor, turned and gazed at
the whole assembly and then quietly stretched out his hand toward them.
At this instant the golden goblet of the Emperor raised itself from
the table and tipped before the lips of the Khan without a visible hand
supporting it. The Emperor felt the delight of a fragrant wine. All were
struck with astonishment and the Emperor spoke:
“‘I elect to pray to your Gods and to them all people subject to me must
pray. What is your faith? Who are you and from where do you come?’
“‘My faith is the teaching of the wise Buddha. I am Pandita Lama, Turjo
Gamba, from the distant and glorious monastery of Sakkia in Tibet, where
dwells incarnate in a human body the Spirit of Buddha, his Wisdom and
his Power. Remember, Emperor, that the peoples who hold our faith shall
possess all the Western Universe and during eight hundred and eleven
years shall spread their faith throughout the whole world.’
“Thus it happened on this same day many centuries ago! Lama Turjo Gamba
did not return to Tibet but lived here in Ta Kure, where there was then
only a small temple. From here he traveled to the Emperor at Karakorum
and afterwards with him to the capital of China to fortify him in
the Faith, to predict the fate of state affairs and to enlighten him
according to the will of God.”
The Living Buddha was silent for a time, whispered a prayer and then
continued:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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