Notes and Commentaries, on a Voyage to China, Chapter XXIII [pp. 532-543]

Notes and Commentaries, on a Voyage to China.
touching the forehead against the ground.
The heads of the priest are entirely shorn of
hair, and they are arrayed in dingy yellow
robes. They resemble exactly the talapoins,
priests of the same faith whom I have seen
in Siam.
There are three or four similar temples in
the rear of this, having open paved courts
or areas between, ornamented by pots of
flowers. On the right of this range of temples, separated bv a wall, is another set of
co urts and temples, in one of which are several large hogs, the votive offerings of the
devout, which are plentifully fed until they
die naturally. In on e of these latter temples or edifiices, on the second floor, are
twenty-four gilt figures of sainted priests,
and repr esented pers onifications of the sun
and moon, and of the God Shivfi with eight
arms. Our guide, Mr. B, who has
formed acquaintances among the priests,
proposed to one who accompanied us, to
purchase one of these idols. He replied
that one could not be sold —the cost would
be more than several hundred dollars.
In all of the temples we visited, the altar
furniture or utensils were of white copper,
and joss-sticks were burning in bowls filled
with dust or sawings of sandal wood.
The architecture of these buildings is in
Chinese style; high roofs and long projecting eaves, with a full proportion of dragons
of various forms stuck on as ornaments.
The walls are of blue bricks and the roofs
of tiles.
From the temples we went to the dining
hall of the priests, whose refectory is probably not equal to that of some of the Roman
Catholic convents we read of. Wherever
we met them, the priests were very polite.
Mr. B — availed himself of every opportunity to present portions of scripture or
tracts in Chinese to those who would receive them.
After death, the bodies of the priests are
burned, and the bones deposited in earthen
urns, which are placed together in a rude
charnel house, and at stated periods removed
to a common vault. The place of burial,
burning, &c., we visited. Our Chinese cooley was afraid of the bones and would not
enter the charnel house.
Wte were followed everywhere by some
spect. And we were glad to be rid of the
annoyance by entering the apartments of the
chief priest or abbot, who ha d been known
to Mr. B several months. He received
us with much urbanit y, a nd entertained us
hos pitably by presenting tea, &c. He asked m any questions which exhibited very
considerable intelligence, and on be in g asked "I why is it that the Chines e dislike foreigners?" he replied, " the Chinese generally do not dislike foreigners; those who
molest strangers a re bad men who do not
distinguish; during the w ar the soldiers
co mmi tted assaults on the pe ople, injured
women, and they have ns ot forgotten."
This Chinese gentleman stated in reply to
questions, that about forty acres of land are
included in this est ablishment. The r e ar e
160 priests and 70 attend a nts-lay brothers.
Each priest has a cell or separate apartment,
but all assemble athog the sam e table in the
common dining hall. There is morning and
even ing worship in the temples and liturgy.
The establishment cannot fail to remind
the traveller of the extens ive convents in
Roman Cath olic countries; the forms of
worship by the Budhists resemble those of
Roman Christians in many particulars.
The religious t em ples of d iffer ent kinds
about Canton exceed a hundred and twenty.
Besides these every house, every shop, every boat, large and small, contains an altar
for private worship. T he Chinese then are
a religious pe ople, although their religious
and superstitious proclivities are pitifully
misdirected.
What is the religion of the Chinese?
" To-day I held a long conversation with
my friend Cha-Amui: I asked him whether
he worshipped the sun or moon as Divinity
or professed the religion of the state; and
whether Confucius or Fou-Hi invented it?
He replied: I The religion taught by KoungTseu, Confucius, is found in the Y-King, a
sacred book; it is founded on immutable
principles; it is demonstrated by our nature
and by all that surroufids us. It was given
by:Fou-Hi and extended by Honan-Ti, ~ao,
and other virtuous sons of Heaven.
"' Tien, that is God, gave man senses and
memory, consequently reason; he permit
533
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