Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-12-21
Christianity's Asiatp Rival,

During the past few years the at
tention of European aid American
scholars has been much occupied with
the great Asiatic religion, Buddhism.
Statistics show that Of tie 1875, 5,0O0,-
600 inhabitants of the world, there
are 380,000,000 Christians, 360.000,-
900 Buddhists. and 16jQ00.000 Ma
hometans, the remaindet being divi-
dcd among Judaism and innumerable
other forms of belief and worship
Buddhism. therefore. stards next to
Christianity in the numbr of its ad-
herents, occupying in tbs respect in
Asia a position similar tothat held by
Christianity in Europe. 1t prevails
almost universally in Tibet, Burmah,
Siam, and Ceylon, and has multitudeS
Of followers in India, China, Japan,
and the territories adjacent to those
countries. Wherever it has been in
troduccd, it has more r less sup
planted the older forms lf faith with
which it has come into collision, as
Christianity has supplartcd Roman
paganism and the supersdtions of the
northern barbarians.
Max Mueller, one of the leading
philOlogists of the day, and one of the
Professors of the University of Ok,
ford, delivered a lecture % the subject
Of Buddhism, before the Association
of German philologists which met at
kiel, on the 2Sth Of September last
According to his opinim, there is
much in this religion which lifts il
above the level of other Oriental re-
lgions, and brings it into favorable
comparison with Christianity. In this
view be is supported by Mons. Bigan.
det, the Roman Catholi: Bishop of
Ranatha, and Vicar of Ava and Pegu
and a number of other scholars
They agree in saying that there are
many moral precepts equally enforced
by the Buddhist and the Christian
creeds, and that most Of the mora
truths presented by the Gospel are
also to be met with in tie Buddhist
/ scriptures. Prof. Mueller, however
earnestly defends Buddhism from The
charge made against it by Bishop Big
andet of resulting, when logically fol
lowed out, in the doctrine of nihilism
or annihilatiOn of the individual soul
He shows that what Buddha insisted
on, and what has been commonly ia
ken to mean the cessation Of existcncC
on the part of the individual, is some
thing very nearly akin to the self alb
negation which has always been re
garded as the highest Development o
Christian virtue. 1t is the destruc
ton of selfshness, and OF all the evil:
which spring from self!oge, which are
equally sought by the A5iatic and 10y
the Christian religionist. And in ma
ny other respects Buddhism rival:
Christianity in the purity Of motive.
and of life which it incucatcs, and il
the practical benevolenee of its max
inns. In point of liberafty and toler
ance. Buddhists even excl Christians
No religion is despised by them, anC
religious wars against dBsenters have
never been heard of among them
Their maxim is: HonDr your owl
faith, and do not despise that of others.
To those who hold tie common be
lief that no soul can be saved whio;
has not adopted this OF that particu
lar creed, Prof. MuellG'8 suggestion
that the followers of this Asiatic faith
nearly equalling the Christians in mum
ber, also have an equally good chancC
Of future happiness, may seem supri
sing and even incredible. But i
should be a source of rejoicing to re
feet that so many millions of our fel
low creatures have not been left with
out those aids to the attainment OF
virtue and charity which are the proud
est boast of our own religion. Set
ting aside the Accomplishments of leg
endary superstition whhh mark Budd
hism, the fact remains that it is tn
religion of one quarter ef the human
race, and that its tendency is to keel
them out of the mire of paganism.-
That the spiritual and moral truth
which it contains are also of providen
tial or divine origin, what intelligen
thinker can doubt ?-New York San