SECTION XLVII. THE SECRET BOOKS OF “LAM‐RIN” AND DZYAN.

The _Book of Dzyan_—from the Sanskrit word “Dhyân” (mystic meditation)—is the first volume of the Commentaries upon the seven secret folios of Kiu‐ te, and a Glossary of the public works of the same name. Thirty‐five volumes of Kiu‐te for exoteric purposes and the use of the laymen may be found in the possession of the Tibetan Gelugpa Lamas, in the library of any monastery; and also fourteen books of Commentaries and Annotations on the same by the initiated Teachers. Strictly speaking, those thirty‐five books ought to be termed “The Popularised Version” of the Secret Doctrine, full of myths, blinds, and errors; the fourteen volumes of _Commentaries_, on the other hand—with their translations, annotations, and an ample glossary of Occult terms, worked out from one small archaic folio, the _Book of the Secret Wisdom of the World_(720)—contain a digest of all the Occult Sciences. These, it appears, are kept secret and apart, in the charge of the Teshu Lama of Tji‐gad‐je. The Books of Kiu‐te are comparatively modern, having been edited within the last millennium, whereas, the earliest volumes of the _Commentaries_ are of untold antiquity, some fragments of the original cylinders having been preserved. With the exception that they explain and correct some of the too fabulous, and to every appearance, grossly‐ exaggerated accounts in the Books of Kiu‐te(721)—properly so‐called—the _Commentaries_ have little to do with these. They stand in relation to them as the Chaldæo‐Jewish _Kabalah_ stands to the Mosaic Books. In the work known as the _Avatumsaka Sûtra_, in section: “The Supreme Âtman [Soul] as manifested in the character of the Arhats and Pratyeka Buddhas,” it is stated that: Because from the beginning all sentient creatures have confused the truth and embraced the false, therefore there came into existence a hidden knowledge called Alaya Vijñâna. “Who is in possession of the true knowledge?” is asked. “The great Teachers of the Snowy Mountain,” is the response. These “great Teachers” have been known to live in the “Snowy Range” of the Himâlayas for countless ages. To deny in the face of millions of Hindus the existence of their great Gurus, living in the Âshrams scattered all over the Trans‐ or the Cis‐Himâlayan slopes is to make oneself ridiculous in their eyes. When the Buddhist Saviour appeared in India, their Âshrams—for it is rarely that these great Men are found in Lamaseries, unless on a short visit—were on the spots they now occupy, and that even before the Brâhmans themselves came from Central Asia to settle on the Indus. And before that more than one Âryan Dvija of fame and historical renown had sat at their feet, learning that which culminated later on in one or another of the great philosophical schools. Most of these Himâlayan Bhante were Âryan Brâhmans and ascetics. No student, unless very advanced, would be benefited by the perusal of those exoteric volumes.(722) They must be read with a key to their meaning, and that key can only be found in the _Commentaries_. Moreover there are some comparatively modern works that are positively injurious so far as a fair comprehension of even exoteric Buddhism is concerned. Such are the _Buddhist Cosmos_, by Bonze Jin‐ch’on of Pekin; the _Shing‐Tau‐ki_ (or _The Records of the Enlightenment of Tathâgata_), by Wang Puk—seventh century; _Hisai Sûtra_ (or _Book of Creation_), and some others.