(as witnessed by a French missionary)
Almost three months ago on this day, I came across a reference to a mid-nineteenth century description of a lama’s stomach cutting demonstration in the region of Tartary. The reference was in a treatise on demonology by the French abbot Auguste-François Lecanu, entitled ‘Histoire de Satan : sa chute, son culte, ses manifestations, ses œuvres, la guerre qu’il fait à Dieu et aux hommes : magie, posessions, illuminisme, magnétisme, esprits frappeurs, spirites, etc., etc. : démonologie artistique et littéraire, association démoniaque, imprégnation satanique ou le sacrement du diable’, Paris, 1861, on page 38:
Au Thibet, le chabéron s’exalte aux chants cadencés des lamas, ses confrères, jusqu’au délire extatique, puis il s’ouvre le ventre avec un coutelas, extrait ses entrailles et les laisse reposer sur la table qui est devant lui ; après une heure de cette torture, à laquelle il parait insensible, et pendant laquelle il prophétise et répond aux questions qui lui sont adressées, il remet ses entrailles en place, rapproche les lèvres béantes de sa blessure, les contient avec une main et y passe l’autre comme pour les frictionner une fois. La plaie est refermée et cicatrisée. Les chants reprennent au diapason où ils s’étaient arrêtés, et redescendent graduellement jusqu’à la note la plus basse. Le bokte, c’est-à-dire le saint, est alors démagnétisé et rentre dans la vie commune, il s’en retourne au bras de ses confrères, pâle et affaibli par la perte énorme du sang qu’il a faite, mais sans qu’il en reste d’autre souvenir, ni qu’il en résulte d’autre accident. Ce spectacle est souvent offert aux populations du Thibet et de la Tartarie, qui en sont toujours très-avides.1
[...]
1 Huc, Voyage au Thibet,tom. i.
https://archive.org/details/b24884315/page/38/mode/2up
As acknowledged in his footnote, the abbot Auguste-François Lecanu had simply rephrased a much longer description written by another member of the French clergy, a missionary whose name was Évariste-Régis Huc (1813-1860), which is why I am not going to translate the excerpt I took from Mr Lecanu’s work on demonology – anybody interested in an English translation of the above passage should simply copy it and paste it in https://www.deepl.com/translator.
Instead here is an English rendering of the original French text by the English novelist William Hazlitt (1811-1893) taken from his translation of Évariste-Régis Huc’s account of his ‘Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China, during the years 1844-5-6’, London, 1852:
On the fifteenth day of the new moon, we came upon numerous caravans, following, like ourselves, the direction from east to west. The road was filled with men, women, and children, riding on camels or oxen. They were all repairing, they said, to the Lama-
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sery of Rache-Tchurin. When they had asked whether our journey had the same object, they were surprised at receiving an answer in the negative. These numerous pilgrims, the astonishment they showed upon hearing that we were not going to the Lamasery of Rache-Tchurin, excited our curiosity. At the turn of a defile, we overtook an old Lama, who, laden with a heavy pack, seemed to make his way with great labour and pain. “Brother,” said we, “you are old; your black hairs are not so numerous as the grey. Doubtless your fatigue must be extreme. Place your burden upon one of our camels; that will relieve you a little.” Upon hearing these words the old man prostrated himself before us, in order to express his gratitude. We made a camel kneel, and Samdadchiemba added to our baggage that of the Lama. So soon as the pilgrim was relieved from the weight which had oppressed him, his walk became more elastic, and an expression of satisfaction was diffused over his countenance. “Brother,” said we, “we are from the West, and the affairs of your country not being well known to us, we are astonished at finding so many pilgrims here in the desert.” “We are all going to Rache-Tchurin,” replied he, in accents full of emotion. “Doubtless,” said we, “some grand solemnity calls you together?” “Yes, to-morrow will be a great day: a Lama Boktè will manifest his power: kill himself, yet not die.” We at once understood what solemnity it was that thus attracted the Ortous-Tartars. A Lama was to cut himself open, take out his entrails and place them before him, and then resume his previous condition. This spectacle, so cruel and disgusting, is very common in the Lamaseries of Tartary. The Boktè who is to manifest his power, as the Mongols phrase it, prepares himself for the formidable operation by many days fasting and prayer, pending which, he must abstain from all communication whatever with mankind, and observe the most absolute silence. When the appointed day is come, the multitude of pilgrims assemble in the great court of the Lamasery, where an altar is raised in front of the Temple-gate. At length the Boktè appears. He advances gravely, amid the acclamations of the crowd, seats himself upon the altar, and takes from his girdle a large knife which he places upon his knees. At his feet, numerous Lamas, ranged in a circle, commence the terrible invocations of this frightful ceremony. As the recitation of the prayers proceeds, you see the Boktè trembling in every limb, and gradually working himself up into phrenetic convulsions. The Lamas themselves become excited: their voices are raised; their song observes no order, and at last becomes a mere confusion of yelling and outcry. Then the Boktè suddenly throws aside the scarf which envelopes him, unfastens his girdle, and seizing the sacred knife, slits open his stomach, in one long cut.
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While the blood flows in every direction, the multitude prostrate themselves before the terrible spectacle, and the enthusiast is interrogated about all sorts of hidden things, as to future events, as to the destiny of certain personages. The replies of the Boktè to all these questions are regarded, by everybody, as oracles.
When the devout curiosity of the numerous pilgrims is satisfied, the Lamas resume, but now calmly and gravely, the recitation of their prayers. The Boktè takes, in his right hand, blood from his wound, raises it to his mouth, breathes thrice upon it, and then throws it into the air, with loud cries. He next passes his hand rapidly over his wound, closes it, and everything after a while resumes its pristine condition, no trace remaining of the diabolical operation, except extreme prostration. The Boktè once more rolls his scarf round him, recites in a low voice, a short prayer; then all is over, and the multitude disperse, with the exception of a few of the especially devout, who remain to contemplate and to adore the blood-stained altar which the Saint has quitted.
These horrible ceremonies are of frequent occurrence in the great Lamaseries of Tartary and Thibet, and we do not believe that there is any trick or deception about them; for from all we have seen and heard, among idolatrous nations, we are persuaded that the devil has a great deal to do with the matter; and moreover, our impression that there is no trick in the operation is fortified by the opinion of the most intelligent and most upright Buddhists whom we have met in the numerous Lamaseries we visited.
It is not every Lama that can perform miraculous operations. Those who have the fearful power to cut themselves open, for example, are never found in the higher ranks of the Lama hierarchy. They are generally lay Lamas of indifferent character, and little esteemed by their comrades. The regular Lamas generally make no scruple to avow their horror of the spectacle. In their eyes, all these operations are wicked and diabolical. Good Lamas, they say, are incapable of performing such acts, and should not even desire to attain the impious talent.
Though these demoniac operations are, in general, decried in well-regulated Lamaseries, yet the superiors do not prohibit them. On the contrary, there are certain days in the year set apart for the disgusting spectacle. Interest is, doubtless, the only motive which could induce the Grand Lamas to favour actions which in their conscience they reprove. The fact is, that these diabolical displays are an infallible means of collecting together a swarm of stupid and ignorant devotees, who communicate renown to the Lamasery, and enrich it with the numerous offerings which the Tartars never fail to bring with them on such occasions.
p. 193Cutting open the abdomen is one of the most famous sié-fa (supernaturalisms) possessed by the Lamas. There are others of the same class, less imposing, but more common; these are practised in people’s houses, privately, and not at the great solemnities of the Lamaseries. For example, they heat irons red-hot, and then lick them with impunity; they make incisions in various parts of the body, which an instant afterwards leave no trace behind, etc. All these operations have to be preceded by the recitation of some prayer.
We knew a Lama who, according to every one’s belief, could fill a vase with water, by the mere agency of a prayer; but we could never induce him to try the experiment in our presence. He told us that as we held not the same faith with him, the experiment, in our company, would not be merely fruitless, but would expose him to serious danger. One day, however, he recited to us the prayer of his sié-fa. It was brief, but we readily recognised in it a direct appeal to the assistance of the demon. “I know thee, thou knowest me;” thus it ran: “Come old friend, do what I ask of thee. Bring water, and fill the vase I hold out to thee. To fill a vase with water, what is that to thy vast power! I know thou chargest dear for a vase of water; but never mind: do what I ask of thee, and fill the vase I present to thee. Some time hence we’ll come to a reckoning: on the appointed day thou shalt receive thy due.” It sometimes happens that the appeal remains without effect: in such cases, praying is discontinued, and the being invoked is assailed with insults and imprecations.
The famous sié-fa that was now attracting so large a number of pilgrims to the Lamasery of Rache-Tchurin, inspired us with the idea of repairing thither also, and of neutralizing, by our prayers, the satanic invocations of the Lamas. Who knows, said we to each other, who knows but that God even now has designs of mercy towards the Mongols of the Ortous land; perhaps the sight of their Lama’s power, fettered and overcome by the presence of the priests of Jesus Christ, will strike upon the hearts of these people, and make them renounce the lying creed of Buddha, and embrace the faith of Christianity! To encourage each other in this design, we dwelt upon the history of Simon Magus, arrested in his flight by the prayer of St. Peter, and precipitated from the air to the feet of his admirers. Of course, poor missionaries, such as we, had not the insane pretension to compare ourselves with the prince of the Apostles; but we knew that the protection of God, which is sometimes granted in virtue of the merit and sanctity of him who seeks it, is also often accorded to the omnipotent effacity in prayer itself.
We resolved, therefore, to go to Rache-Tchurin, to mingle with the crowd, and, at the moment when the diabolical invocations
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should commence, to place ourselves, fearlessly, and with an air of authority before the Boktè, and to solemnly forbid him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to make a display of his detestable power. We did not disguise from ourselves the possible results of this proceeding; we knew that it would assuredly excite the fury and hatred of the adorers of Buddha; and that perhaps a violent death would be an instant reward for the endeavour to convert these Tartars; “But what matter!” exclaimed we; “let us do courageously our work as missionaries; let us employ fearlessly the power that we have received from on high, and leave to Providence the care of a future which does not appertain to us.”
Such were our intentions and our hopes; but the views of God are not always in conformity with the designs of man, even when these appear most in harmony with the plan of His Providence. That very day there happened to us an accident which, carrying us far away from Rache-Tchurin, involved us in the most distressing perplexities.
https://archive.org/details/travelsintartary01huce/page/190/mode/2up and ff.
As I am no expert in Tibetan ‘sié-fa’, I shall refrain from making any comments with the exception that, although this particular instance is said to have taken place in Tartary, the French missionary Évariste-Régis Huc on page 37 of the translation of his account writes that
‘In point of fact there is no Lamasery of any importance in Tartary, the Grand Lama or superior of which is not a man from Thibet. Any Tartar Lama who has visited Lha-Ssa [Land of Spirits], or Monhe-Dhot [Eternal Sanctuary], as it is called in the Mongol dialect, is received, on his return, as a man to whom the mysteries of the past and of the future have been unveiled.’