e by himself.

It is possible that the Buddhism of the Yuan dynasty was tainted with
Saktism from which the Lama monasteries of Peking (in contrast to
all other Buddhist sects in China) are not wholly free. The last
Emperor, Shun-ti, is said to have witnessed indecent plays and dances
in the company of Lamas and created a scandal which contributed to the
downfall of the dynasty.[683] In its last years we hear of some
opposition to Buddhism and of a reaction in favour of Confucianism, in
consequence of the growing numbers and pretensions of the Lamas.

Whole provinces were under their control and Chinese historians dwell
bitterly on their lawlessness. It was a common abuse for wealthy
persons to induce a Lama to let their property be registered in his
name and thus avoid all payment of taxes on the ground that priests
were exempt from taxation by law.[684]

The Mongols were driven out by the native Chinese dynasty known as
Ming, which reigned from 1368 to 1644. It is not easy to point out
any salient features in religious activity or thought during this
period, but since the Ming claimed to restore Chinese civilization
interrupted by a foreign invasion, it was natural that they should
encourage Confucianism as interpreted by Chu-Hsi. Yet Buddhism,
especially Lamaism, acquired a new political importance. Both for the
Mings and for the earlier Manchu Emperors the Mongols were a serious
and perpetual danger, and it was not until the eighteenth century that
the Chinese Court ceased to be preoccupied by the fear that the tribes
might unite and again overrun the Empire. But the Tibetan and
Mongolian hierarchy had an extraordinary power over these wild
horsemen and the Government of Peking won and used their goodwill by
skilful diplomacy, the favours shown being generally commensurate to
the gravity of the situation. Thus when the Grand Lama visited Peking
in 1652 he was treated as an independent prince: in 1908 he was made
to kneel.

Few Ming Emperors showed much personal interest in religion and most
of them were obviously guided by political considerations. They wished
on the one hand to conciliate the Church and on the other to prevent
the clergy from becoming too numerous or influential. Hence very
different pictures may be drawn according as we dwell on the
favourable or restrictive edicts which were published from time to
time. Thus T'ai-Tsu, the founder of the dynasty, is described by one
authority as always sympat