his careless disregard of his words, and gave himself up to renewed exertion, and so became a Rahat." Against Buddha's teaching two main objections have been urged: 1. That his Bodhi, viewed from a spiritual point of view, is mere selfishness. The individual isolates himself from his race for his own advantage. 2. The monkish system that he spread abroad has, in point of fact, produced many grave evils-idleness, immorality, depravity, &c.—and is, in fact, pure pessimism. One answer meets both objections, that is, as far as they are unjust. The problem before a reformer in Buddha's day was essentially practical. To enfranchise the world what possible apparatus was available? The oratory of the uninspired demagogue would not have been listened to by the masses, and would have been quickly silenced by the dominant caste. Books, printing-presses, even the letters of the alphabet were unavailable; and the victories of material force in Buddha's view meant merely the firmer riveting of chains. So Buddha, himself a king, in commencing his conflict, handed over an army of soldiers and an army of priests to his antagonists, determined that the victory should be a purely moral one. One weapon alone was within reach—the tree of the Rishi. Under that tree God spake. Such was the belief of the people, based on the teaching of the Vedic hymns, as recited at every sacrifice. With Buddha the Bodhi meant not selfishness, but the complete conquest of self; and the initiation of the Rishi under his tree, even if encouraged by Buddha, was merely a means to an end. Instead of being sloth, that end was boundless activity in contributing to the happiness of others. His blameless soldiers, having given up wife and wealth, were ordered to march from tree to tree, never resting for two nights under the same one. No halt was to be allowed but the grave as long as a king oppressed his subjects, a priest tortured animals, or as long as spiritual ignorance tortured priests and kings. Viewed from the historical side, the following originalities may be accredited to Buddhism : 1. Enforced vegetarianism for the whole nation. 2. Enforced national abstinence from wine. 3. Abolition of slavery. 4. The introduction of the principle of forgiveness of injuries in opposition to the national lex talionis. 5. Uncompromising antagonism to all national religious rites that were opposed to the gnosis or spiritual development of the individual. 6. Beggary, continence, and asceticism for the religious teachers. These are the six originalities of Buddha. CHAPTER XII. THE HIGHER JUDAISM. THE French missionary Huc, in his celebrated travels in Tibet, was much struck with the similarity that exists between Buddhist and Roman Catholic rites and customs. "The crozier, the mitre, the dalmatic, the cope or pluvial which the grand Llamas wear on a journey, or when they perform some ceremony outside the temple, the service (office) with a double choir, psalmody, exorcisms, the censer swinging on five chains, and contrived to open or close at will, benediction by the Llamas with the right hand extended over the heads of the faithful, the chaplet, sacerdotal celibacy, lenten retirements from the world, the worship of saints, fasts, processions, litanies, holy water -these are the points of contact between the Buddhists and ourselves." The good Abbé has by no means exhausted the list, and might have added confession, tonsure, relicworship, the use of flowers and lights and images before shrines and altars, the sign of the cross, the Trinity in Unity, the worship of the Queen of Heaven, the use of religious books in a tongue unknown to the bulk of the worshippers, the aureole or nimbus, the crown of glory of saints and buddhas, wings to angels, penance, flagellations, the flabellum or fan, popes, cardinals, bishops, abbots, presbyters, deacons, the various architectural details of the Christian temple, &c. Points of similarity between Christianity and Buddhism have been recently accentuated by many authors. Pro fessor Max Müller, in translating the Dhammapada, was struck with the similarity of tone between its teachings and that of the Gospels. Bishop Bigandet affirms that almost all the moral truths of the Gospels are to be found also in the Buddhist Scriptures.1 The Rev. E. Eitel, of the Hong-Kong Mission, finds the following points of contact between the biographies of Buddha and Christ:The pre-existence of Buddha in heaven, his birth of a virgin, salutation by angels, recognition by Asita (Simeon), presentation in the temple, baptism by fire and water, disputation with the doctors, temptation in the wilderness, life passed in preaching and working miracles, transfiguration on the mount, descent into hell, ascent into heaven.2 Mr. Rhys Davids shows us that the Buddhists possess "Beatitudes" where the "long-suffering and meek," those who are "not weary in well-doing," those who "follow a peaceful calling," those who "abstain from strong drink and cease from sin," those "who are self-restrained and pure," have each in turn a "blessing" pronounced upon them.3 Professor Estlin Carpenter cites the following sayings of Buddha: "Let good-will without measure, impartial, unmixed, without enmity, prevail throughout the world, above, beneath, around." 4 As he stood by a farmer at work upon the soil, he said, "I too plough and sow, and for my ploughing and sowing I reap immortal fruit. My field is religion; the weeds I pluck up are the passions of cleaving to existence; my plough is wisdom, my seed purity.5 "Almsgiving" he described as like "good seed sown on a good soil that yields an abundance of fruits. But alms given to those who were yet under the tyrannical yoke of passions are like a seed deposited in a bad soil; the passions of the receiver of alms choke as it were the growth of merits." 6 1 Bigandet, p. 494. 2 Three Lectures on Buddhism, Lect. i. p. 5. 4 Khuddaka Patha, p. 16. 6 Bigandet, p. 211. The "effects of passion on the unreflecting mind" were like rain breaking through an ill-thatched house; whereas the mind that had conquered passion could "resist the storm." "Not the eating of flesh" could defile a man, but "evil thoughts, murders, thefts, lies, fraud, the study of worthless writings, adultery. "2 “A man buries a treasure in a deep pit," Buddha said also, "which lying concealed therein day after day, profits him nothing," but there is " a treasure that man or woman may possess, a treasure laid up in the heart, a treasure of charity, piety, temperance, soberness," a "treasure secure, impregnable, that cannot pass away,” a “treasure that no thief can steal." "Let the wise man practise virtue (Dharma?); this is a treasure that follows him after death." 3 M. Ernest de Bunsen points out that, according to a Chinese legend in the Vinaya Pitaka, a "weeping woman" embraced Gautama's feet shortly before his death; and he cites Kloppen (Das Leben Buddhas) to the effect that at a festivity in honour of Buddha the lamp of a poor woman was the only one which burnt during the whole night.5 Here is another striking parallelism cited by M. E. de Bunsen: Buddha's third Commandment-Commit no adultery! Commentary by Buddha: This law is broken by even looking at the wife of another with a lustful mind. 6 I may mention, also, that M. de Bunsen was the first to discover that Buddha was born on the 25th December. Finally, Professor Beal' shows from many Buddhist scriptures that "faith" was known to the Buddhists as a "mode of salvation" (Ho-shang Tai-hing). And when the novice asks what he is to believe in, he is told to have 1 Dhammapada, 13, 14. 3 Khuddaka Patha, p. 13. 5 Ibid., p. 48. 2 Amaghanda Sutta, p. 67. 4 The Angel Messiah, p. 49. 6 Rogers, Buddaghosa's Parables, p. 153. 7 Catena, p. 376. |