The Spirit of missions . ns oftheir heads at initiation. No, the pain is not so bad; it is the itching afterward that is terrible, saidthe abbot. By imperial edict all Buddhist priestsare required to have this mark of theirprofession. One portion of the monastery con-tained a summer house and a gardenbright with flowers. The summer houseof substantial build dated back to theMing dynasty, nearly three hundredyears ago. That afternoon we visited threemonasteries, all under the supervision ofthe old abbot; all noble buildings aftertheir manner well kept and in fair re-pair. The abbot inquired as
The Spirit of missions . ns oftheir heads at initiation. No, the pain is not so bad; it is the itching afterward that is terrible, saidthe abbot. By imperial edict all Buddhist priestsare required to have this mark of theirprofession. One portion of the monastery con-tained a summer house and a gardenbright with flowers. The summer houseof substantial build dated back to theMing dynasty, nearly three hundredyears ago. That afternoon we visited threemonasteries, all under the supervision ofthe old abbot; all noble buildings aftertheir manner well kept and in fair re-pair. The abbot inquired as to the num-ber of worshippers of late, solicitous forthe honor of the shrines in his charge. At the summit of the mountain weparted company. Looking east, in thedistance, to the left, lay the yellowstretches of the Yang-tse Kiang. Onthe right, groups of blue hills dotted thehorizon. Nearer by were the lakes andfields, and the city of Zangzok. I feltmuch indebted to Mr. Sung for the so-cial day with the gracious, cultured. ANOTHER VIEW OF BUDDHIST WORSHIP A BUDDHIST LIBRARY IN SOOCHOW UNDER THE CARE OF A COMPANY OF BUDDHIST PRIESTS abbot in bis noble monastery and attrac-tive garden. My association with men and customsBuddhist had not been such as to appealto me. The Buddhist priests flowinsr^ay robes are too often dirty; theirfaces seem to prive the impression ofhopeless hearts and i^orant minds. Asif the superstition that envelopes theirreligion here to-day was the breath oftheir nostrils. An expression one often hears is togain virtue. And how is such virtue tobe gained? By reading prayers of In-dian origin, still using the Indian wordsapproximated to Chinese sounds, all ahopeless riddle to the worshipper repeat-ing them endlessly, Si-li-so; si-li-so; si-li-si-li-so-lo-so-lo, etc. For ten cents aday a Buddhist priest will read for yousuch prayers as long as you will payhim, and you are supposed to gainvirtue. The meaning of the prayers isunknown alike to you and the
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