Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
The Panchen Rinpoche, or Tashi Lama[2]
Portrait of the Tashi Lama (before retouching).[3]
Seven hundred years have elapsed since the famous traveler Marco Pólo first brought tidings of Tibet, and still the eyes of scholars yearn for that mysterious land, and thirty years ago H. P. Blavatsky acquainted the world with the sublime teachings of the Tibetan adepts. Tibet became the Eldorado of her students. What Palestine is for the believing Christian and Mecca for the Mohammedan, is still today for thousands of “theosophists” the inaccessible country beyond the Himalayas with the forbidden city of Shigatse, the Tashi Lama, the Tibetan Pope and the holy places where the masters of wisdom dwell. Some of our closer acquaintances have also attempted to travel to the Adepts (my friend Damodar R. Mavalankar disappeared on the way there in the ice deserts of the high mountains); none reached the goal. On the other hand, the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin, through an expedition undertaken at great expense and unbelievable efforts under the greatest dangers, in which two caravans perished in a snowstorm and frost, managed to cross the mountains a thousand meters higher than Mont Blanc and personally with the Tashi Lama, whom he describes as one of the noblest people he has ever met. He writes:
“Wonderful, unforgettable Taschhi Lama! Never has a man made such a deep, indelible impression on me. Not as a deity in human form, but as a human being, approaching the limit of perfection in goodness of heart, purity and chastity as much as is at all possible. I will never forget his look; he exudes a whole world of kindness, humility, and philanthropy, and never have I seen such a smile, such a delicate mouth, such a noble countenance. His smile never left him; he smiled like a sleeper who dreams of something beautiful and longed for, and every time our eyes met, his smile increased and he nodded at me in a friendly and kind way, as if to say: “Only trust my friendship blindly, because I mean well by all people.”
Hedin also visited no fewer than twenty-nine monasteries and photographed sanctuaries which no European before him had seen. These things, and others which surpass the expectations of even the boldest investigator in the secret teachings of Buddhism, are described in the two-volume and richly illustrated work Transhimalaja,[4] published in Leipzig by F. A. Brockhaus. The work is also of particular interest in that many of H. P. Blavatsky find their confirmation.
One of the most interesting chapters is Hedin’s description of the holy lake Manasarovar with Mount Kailas, the seat of Mahadeva (the great world ruler) and the picture of this lake where Sabhapatti Swami received the visit of the three Rishis. (See “Neue Lotusblüten,” Vol. 1, p. 267.)
Reading the book is quite apt to satisfy the curiosity of occultists eager to travel, but also to cure anyone forever of the intention of wandering to Tibet through the hardships and dangers it describes. It is to be regretted that Sven Hedin is [was] not an occultist himself; for then he would still have seen a lot “behind the curtain” and recognized that the “lotus” is man, and the “jewel in the lotus” means as much as “Christ in us.”
Om mani padme hum [ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ]
Notes
[1] Tibet. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Neue Lotusblüten 3, no. 1-2 (January-February 1910), 1-4. [Tibet.] {This article was reformatted from the original, but with the content unchanged other than fixing minor typos and translation from the German by Robert Hütwohl, ©2025}
[2] {R.H.—Original image from Neue Lotusblüten article was poor. This better one, which is the same image, but better is from: Trans-Himalaya. Discoveries and Adventures in Tibet. In Two Volumes, Vol. 1. Sven Hedin; with 388 illustrations from photographs, water-colour sketches, and drawings by the author and 10 maps. London, The Macmillan and Company Limited, 1909.}
[3] {R.H.—This image is not in the original Hartmann article. Trans-Himalaya. Discoveries and Adventures in Tibet. In Two Volumes, Vol. 1. Sven Hedin; with 388 illustrations from photographs, water-colour sketches, and drawings by the author and 10 maps. London, The Macmillan and Company Limited, 1909.}
[4] {R.H.—The English edition: Trans-Himalaya. Discoveries and Adventures in Tibet. In Two Volumes, Vol. 1. Sven Hedin; with 388 illustrations from photographs, water-colour sketches, and drawings by the author and 10 maps. London, The Macmillan and Company Limited, 1909; Trans-Himalaya. Discoveries and Adventures in Tibet. In Two Volumes, Vol. 2. Sven Hedin; with 388 illustrations from photographs, water-colour sketches, and drawings by the author and 10 maps. London, The Macmillan and Company Limited, 1910}