The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-02-24
The Faith.

OF the seven hundred and thirty millions Of human
beings who inhabit the continent Of Asia, nearly five
hundred millions of them are Buddhists, or Worship
pers Of gods, who, having passed through every form OF
existence, through millions of years, have become at
last, purified from mortal faint and become fitted for the
heaven of eternal beatitude.
The Buddhist, as well as the Christian, has his Ten
Commandments. The first prohibits killing any man
or other animal ; the second, third, and fourth prohibit
stealing, lying, and adultery the fifth, drinking any
Intoxicating beverage. These five are binding upon
all the remaining five arc binding only upon the priest
hood, and they are commanded not to look at or speak
to "a female MOI to sleep an anything more than a cuoit
high, not to eat between the hours of noon and mid.
night; not to visit any place Of public amusement, as
gambling houses, theatres, circus, and such like The
primary design of enforcing this severe ritual upon the
Buddhist clergy was, doubtless, merely for the inculca-
ton Of a spirit Of humility and ~self-denial but as cor
~ruptions have crept in, the spirit has been lost and only
the letter of the law remains
Buddhism cxerts a boundlcss influence over the
minds OF all the nations OF southern Asia. Even those
who have little regard for it in life, will send for IA Bud
dhist priest when near death, and often leave immense
~legacies to the temples in order to purchase merit, which
they arc taught to regard as the very ground work of
future bliss There is no collective worship; the tenn
pies arc open at all hours Of the day, but are closed at
sunset. Devotees resort to them just whenever they
can find it convenient to do so, bringing with them such
offerings as they wish to present. These they silently
deposit on the altar in front of the principal idol, and
then Frustrating themselves three or four times, in token
of alteration, they aulibly repeat some forIu Of prayer.
This concluded, they depart as they came, without wait
ing for other worshippers to finish their devotions, or
perhaps, even seeing a priest.
Their sacred books are numerous they locate their
heavens, seven in number, around the sides of the great
mountain Pra-su ma u.rat, which, az they suppose,
constitutes the centre Ct the universe. The beings in
the e regions rse successfully high in the social sca's,
and when the tOOmcst ono has haar attained fhp for.
tunate aspirant may hope, provided that fate will allow
him to accumulate u sufficient degree or merit, that
Nigban, which is the highest possible point of happiness
"a contamination Of bliss hoped for by all, but, alas
attained by few-is not far off. In the first and second
heavens body, and soul are united as in ourselves; in
the third, fourth, AMI fifth, the body exists without any
admixture of mind, but perfect in its condition, res
p~lenden'iy glorious in appearance, and susceptible OF
the most exquisite equipments; while in the sixth and
seventh heavens, the soul is wholly ~unfettered from the
body, and roams free as air whenever it lists throughout
the universe.
Their bells are more numerous, there being eight
major aud sixteen minor ones they are located within
the base Of the mountain, and the degrees Of punish.
mcnt become more aggravated as the sinner sinks. The
torture endured is from fierce dogs, ever gnawing vul,
lures, deally serpents, voracious reptiles, worms that
feed on the vitals pcrpetually and the body is torn to
pieces and renewed again and again. The duration Of
punishment is varied. No being that has ever lived
not even the gods themselves, have been able to escape
from these terrible hells and there are none, on the
other hand, who do not, at some period Of other, gain
admission to one or more of the heavens, the favorite
theory being that evil is not wholly evil, nor good Who'll.
ly uncontaminated until N;ybon be gained. Then the
happy possessor ceases to sin and to suffer, to know, to
feel, to think, and to desire his perfectncss consisting
in his entire inanition. The temples for this worship
are costly and magnificent. In the city Of Bangkok
alone, there are a hundred and twenty thousand priests,
supported at the annual expense of two to three million
dollars, besides private contributions, of which no csti-
mate can be made.