They were fond of religious processions of the most protracted sort--dances before the altar, with animal masks or heads, and other weird ceremonial orgies.

Hilda, who had read herself up in Buddhist ideas, assured me that all these things were done in order to heap up Karma.
"What is Karma ?" I asked, listlessly.
"Karma is good works, or merit.

The more praying-wheels you turn, the more bells you ring, the greater the merit.

One of the monks is always at work turning the big wheel that moves the bell, so as to heap up merit night and day for the monastery." This set me thinking.

I soon discovered that, no matter how the wheel is turned, the Karma or merit is equal.