The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-04-04
BuDDHA's FIRST SERMON.
A HindOo Answer to the Questions:
Life Worth Living?

Life Worth Living?
\. ". Rhys Davids in Fortnightly Review for De-
cember, 1870.
The Buddha's First Sermon is especially
worthy Of attention from the fact that It presents to
us In few short and pity sentences the very essence
Of that remarkable system which has had profound
Hon of the human paes And Il IS hs mora eewor
thy since the scheme OF salvation which 1t propouns
the Kingdom of Righteousness of which 1t is called the
are supported by none OF those concep-
lions which underie the teachings of other religious
founders entirely independent Of the belief In
SOUL OF the belief In God, and OF the belief in future
llfe
AS discussions on pcssimlsm too often vitiated
by Ignorance of what is the real question at ISSUE
discussions the future life are too often vitatcd
by neglect of the curious history Of the doctrine. 1t
Is impossible to estimate rightly the value and sgnif
canoe OF the modern Christian belief on the subject
without understanding the long history Of which that
belief Is only OF the latest phases. 1t long
time before men believed In future life at ALL and
even now 1t Is by no means universal. 1t was longer
sill before began to believe in endless life
hereafter and to make distinction between heaven
and hell. In latter times the belief became general
to their compensation for the unjust distribution
here of happiness and VICE. our time the nhertors
heaven and to Justify their views OF hell, by new
notifications of the older theories. An orthodox dis
senter attempts to prove that eternal life begins with
faith In Christ, and that the unbellevng doomed
not to punishment, but to death. "A clergyman, who
claims to be orthodox attempts to rob of Its sting the
horrible doctrine by promising the unconverte,
not, Indeed, exemption from punishment, but the
hope of penitence and pardon; and an earnest and
eloquent Comist attempts the task of infusng an ell
tirely meaning into words by which the ancient
creed expressed. But those who have made them
selves free from the Inherited beliefs and who attempt
to come TO conclusion the scanty evidence at
their command, either cherish vague and lingering
hope Gas John Mil did I'm his later years, feel that
the evidence Is insufficient even for that.
Now ON the question Of future life, opinion had
reached In India, In the nth century before Christ
West The affirmative doctrine had had similar his
tory, and was, In some form or other, universally held
by all except few OF the most advanced materaists;
while It's defenders put forth regarding 1t views rs
various the many notifications of the doctrine now
taught among ourselves On the two pessinist qiics-
lions az to the value of fe the Indians were already
whether more accurate or not 1t is not necessary to
consder-for pcssimists were In as great majority
there as they are now In minority here.
1t was then that there arose tho mightiest thinker
India has Produced and OF the greatest and most
original thinkers on moral and religious questions
whom tho world has yet seen, and he propOunded
scheme of salvation without any of the rites any Of
the ceremonies any of the charms, any of the various
creeds any OF the priesy powers, without even any
Of the gods In whom men so love TO trust. This at
least. is service which may explain, IL 1t cannot
Snentiy regarded, and by which bis teachings were
ovsrshadowed and destroyed. But the Buddha had
his answer, too, to the questions have now been
discussing and It will be for the reader to Judge
whether that particular and positive part of his sys-
tenn was as original and as far-reaching the mega
tive sdo OF II undoubtedly was.
The importance which he ut least attached to his
may be estimated not only from the fact that
1t formed the subject alike of his first ana OF his last
discourse, but from the which he give to It's
fundamental ideas-the -Four Noble Truths and the
Noble Eightfod Path.
The sermon is preserved to IN the Pail text of tho
BUDDHIST Ptaas In the So called Sutra of the FOnda
ton Of the Kingdom Of Righteousness and is certainly
among the very oldest records OF the Buddhist belief
The following ID literal translation:
"There are two EXTREMIST said the Buddha,
(which the man who has devoted himself to the
the hand of those things whose attraction dc.
ponds upon the passions, and especially Of sensuaty
"a low and Pagan way Of seeking qualification,
unworthy, Improbable, and ut only for the worldly
minded) and the habitua practice the other han,I
OF asceticism Tor Decentralization which is not only
painful, but as unworthy and Improbable as thu
''But the Tathagata Il. e., the Bnddhal has dis.
covered Middle Path, which avoids these two ex-
tremities, path which opens the eyes, and bestows
understanding which leads to peace of mind, to lii,
higher wisdom. 70 full enlghtment-in q word, L
of right views, harmless livelihood, high aims per.
| severance In wel-dong, kindly speech, intellectual
activity, and upright conduct earnest thought. Ant
fact 1t is that such scheme Of salvation should hav.
been deliberately propounded at all so earya period
in the history Of our race; how almost Incredible ant
how painful fact II is that after having been one,
widely accepted and eagerly followed 1t was yet
Sys and When w sehy IN
| propounder. similar fate attended the Buddlla'
| Kingdom OF Righteousness as attended that new and
| strange Kingdom of Heaven founded afterwards II
Galileea brief period OF splendid though limited sue
cess and then many centuries Of battling creeds an,
and vain idoiatres the sky filed with myraiSs
semi deities, the hollow creations OF sickly iniag
nation; the teacher deed bis teaching forgotten; am
at last the lowest deptha return In the very monas
teres Of his religion TO the slow. pagan, and unwor
thy extremes" Of sensuay on the one hand, self.
II is true that through the centuries Of Its decline
the Kingdom OF Righteousness, like the later King
dom OF Heaven, has not ieen without iismghty king
and faithful subjects; II has been the source OF III
support Of all that is good within Its realm, aud II
history Is not yet done. But II Is necessary to reaz
how grievousy, on the whole, they misunderstood il
In order 10 realize how far II was raised above III
ordinary grasp OF average men, and how truly Il dc
serves its name OF the Noble Path.
But to return TO our sermon and to more recondii
and metaphysical part Of II, the way In which 1t al
tempted TO sum up all the conditions which are pre-
s'Blrth, - said the Teacher, ''is attended wit
pain; and so arc decay and disease and death, Unto
with the unpleasant is painful and separation frol
the PLEASANT and any craving that Is unsatiscd IL
condition Of sorrow. Now all this amounts, in short
10 this that wherever there conditions OF ind
yiduality, there are the conditions of SORROW This
the First Truth. the truth about sorrow.
1.-THE cause Of sorrow Is the thirst or craving whic
causes the renewal of individual existence Is accom-
panied by evil, and Is ever seeking satisfaction no
here now thsIeathat Is to say the craving either
for the cessation OF existence. This Is the Mob
Truth concerning the origin Of sorrow.
- Deliverance from sorrow Is the complete destru,
ton, the laying aside the getting rid Of the beir
free from, the harborng no longer OF this passiona
craving This Is the Noble Truth concerning tho d.
"The path which leads to the destruction of sorro
is this Noble Fighifold Path alone-that is 10 sa,
duct, harmless livelihood, persey erance In wei
doing, Intellectual activity, and earnest though
This Is the Noble Truth OF the Path which leads
the destruction Of sorrow.''
Where the conditions OF Individuality are there
SORROW is the summing up OF the First Truth. No
Isl word easy enough, too easy understan,
but behind the expression, Individuality, lies fulit
meaning than Is at first sight APPARENT
Let us picture ourselves river, deep and rap,
hurrying on Its course through and past bridge.
man standing the bridge will see, The wat
whirls along past the buttresses or pillars OF Il
bridge, that eddes forn aud babbles take shape. "
moment they seem to have separate existence, tn
move htler aud thither as though endowed with III
Hut almost Immediately they are seQll, as people
TO burst; the thin film which gave them their ind
yidualty is dissolved aud they have separate exis
an Ia u