Communism -- Soviet Union; Mongolia -- Description and travel
The present Bogdo Khan of Outer Mongolia is a Tibetan. He sprang from a
poor family living in the neighborhood of Sakkia Kure in western Tibet.
From earliest youth he had a stormy, quite unaesthetic nature. He was
fired with the idea of the independence and glorification of Mongolia
and the successors of Jenghiz Khan. This gave him at once a great
influence among the Lamas, Princes and Khans of Mongolia and also with
the Russian Government which always tried to attract him to their side.
He did not fear to arraign himself against the Manchu dynasty in China
and always had the help of Russia, Tibet, the Buriats and Kirghiz,
furnishing him with money, weapons, warriors and diplomatic aid. The
Chinese Emperors avoided open war with the Living God, because it might
arouse the protests of the Chinese Buddhists. At one time they sent to
the Bogdo Khan a skilful doctor-poisoner. The Living Buddha, however, at
once understood the meaning of this medical attention and, knowing the
power of Asiatic poisons, decided to make a journey through the Mongol
monasteries and through Tibet. As his substitute he left a Hubilgan who
made friends with the Chinese doctor and inquired from him the purposes
and details of his arrival. Very soon the Chinese died from some unknown
cause and the Living Buddha returned to his comfortable capital.
On another occasion danger threatened the Living God. It was when Lhasa
decided that the Bogdo Khan was carrying out a policy too independent of
Tibet. The Dalai Lama began negotiations with several Khans and Princes
with the Sain Noion Khan and Jassaktu Khan leading the movement and
persuaded them to accelerate the immigration of the Spirit of Buddha
into another human form. They came to Urga where the Bogdo Khan met
them with honors and rejoicings. A great feast was made for them and the
conspirators already felt themselves the accomplishers of the orders
of the Dalai Lama. However, at the end of the feast, they had different
feelings and died with them during the night. The Living Buddha ordered
their bodies sent with full honors to their families.
The Bogdo Khan knows every thought, every movement of the Princes and
Khans, the slightest conspiracy against himself, and the offender is
usually kindly invited to Urga, from where he does not return alive.
The Chinese Government decided to terminate the line of the Living
Buddhas. Ceasing to fight with the Pontiff of Urga, the Government
contrived the following scheme for accomplishing its ends.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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