Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1880-11-14

the mother prevailed, and he tore himself
away, promising mentally to return to
them as soon his mind had become clear;
as soon he had become a Buddha, ie., en-
lightened, and then he could return not
only as q father and husband, but as
teacher and savior.
In the broad moonlight Of the full moon
of the month Of July, this young Prince
Guatama Buddha, with his charioteer as
his sole companion, left his fathers home,
his wealth and power, his wife and child
behind him--went out into the wilderness
to become penniless and despised, in fact,
O homeless wanderer.
1t seems that they had q devil who was
called " Mara" This tempter appeared in
the sky, and urged Guatama to stop, prom
Using him in seven days q universal king
dom over the four great continents il he
would but give up the enterprise. Qua
tama spurned his offer, and MARA" con-
soled himself in the hope that he would
succeed by saying, "sooner or later some
l%ustful, malicious or angry thought must
arise in his mind. in that moment l shall
be his MASTER" The shadow of the evil
one always followed Guatama.
He rode a long distance the night Of his
departure from the palace, and on the
sandy bank of a river he cut off with his
sword his long flowing locks, and taking off
his jewels and ornaments, sends them and
the horse back in charge Of his faithful
charioteer. He spent the next seven days
alone, in a grove OF mango trees, and then
proceeded to the capitol, where he found as
its ruler a friend Of his fathers, who Of
fered Guatama a position as q teacher, but
he felt that he could moi yet assume the
responsibility. He then attached himself
to a Brahmin sophist named Alara, and
afterwards to another named Udraka, from
ply had then to teach. He was not salts
fed. He then retired to the Jungle of
Uruvela, On the most northerly spur Of the
Vindhya range of mountains, and there
for six years, attended by five faithful dis
ciples, he gave himself up to the severest
penance and self-torture. till his fame as
an ascetic spread in all the country round
about, like the sound" says the BuI mese
Chronicle, "of a great bell hung in the
canopy of the Skies" One day, being en-
feebled by starvation, he fell to the ground.
Some Of his disciples thought he was dead;
but he recovered, took regular food, and
gave up his severe penance,-so much so
that his five disciples soon ceased to re-
spect him, and leaving him, went to Be-
mares.
Now Guatama, having sought 90 enlight-
enment," found himself deserted by his
disciples, and for q period Of time his mind
was in that. chaotic condition in his search
for light, causing him to waver and doubt
as to whether the tree of wisdom could be
found,-''the sacred tree, or the Bo tree"
Soon after, if not on the very day when
his followers had left him, he wandered out
to the banks of the river to receive his
morning meal from the daughter Of a
.Deighboring villager, and sat himself down
to eat it under the shade of a large tree, to
be known from that time as the sacred Bo
tree, or tree of wisdom. He remained
there all day, debating what next to do.
All the old temptations-luxury, power, in
dolence and ease-all passed before his
mind in battalions, and before his waver-
ing faith, in his search for eight came
visions Of home and love.-the charms OF
wealth and power, and what mortal could
resist this temptation? But before the
sun had set the religious side Of his nature
had won the victory, and Guatama came
out OF the struggle more than purified.
He had found the Enlightened one,"-
had determined at all hazards to adhere to
his faith, but from that day forth he not
only did not claim any merit on account
Of his decentralization, but always and
ever after declared that from such PEN
ances no benefit or advantages would be
derived. He had found the only path to
place, and it was now his mission to pro-
claim it. 1t was love and pity for human
ity, and Gautama so announced his doc
trine to the world.
Guatama intended at first to announce
his new Gospel to his old teachers. Alara
and Udraka, but as they had joined the
innumerable caravan of the unreturning
he determined to address himself to his
former five disciples, and went to a forest
near Beuares where they were then living.
He meets an acquaintance on the way,
who. struck with his appearance, asks him
what religion it is that makes him 80 glad
aud yet 80 calm. Guatama tells him that
he has now become free from all desires.
His acquaintance not being satisfied further
asks HIM where are you going?" Mark
the reply: 81 am now going" says Bud
dha, I" to the city of Beuares to establish
the kingdom Of Righteousness, to give light
to those enshrouded in darkness, and open
the gate of immortality to men" His ac-
quaintance sneered at him, asking him
what he meant by all this. Guatama re-
plies: 81 have completely conquered all
evil passions, and am no longer tied down
to material existence, and / now only live
to be the prophet Of perfect truth"
Guatama went on to Beuares, and in the
evening to the forest where the Eve ascot |
les were living. They saw him coming,
and resolved that inasmuch as he had
broken his VOWS, not to address him as
=" Master I" or Teacher" only, he being
one of their number through courtesy to
invite him to a seat. Their manner has
changed. He understands the
haunting allusion to the venerable Qua
but tells them they are still in the
way Of death, where they must reap sor-
row and disappointment, whereas, he has
the way to salvation and can lead
them to it. They naturally object, and
proceeds to inform them as to
what he has discovered in his search for
light.
Buddha had q commanding presence, q
deep, rich, thrilling voice, designating him
as q leader Of men. Imagine such q nan
giving u%tterance to the following method
of salvation, viz:
First-Everything corporal is material, |
and therefore impermanent, for it contains
within itself the germs of dissolution.
So long as man is bound up by bodily
with the material world, he is
liable to sorrow, decay and death. So
long as he allows unholy desires to reign
within him, there will be unsatisfed long
ings, useless WEAKNESS and care. To at
tempt to purify himslf by expressing his
body would be only wasted effort; it is the
moral evil Of a mans heart which keeps
him chained down in the degraded state
of bodily life-of union with the material
world. 1t is of little avail to add virtue
to his badness. for so long as there is evil,
his rnndneas will onlv ensure him for a
time, and in another birth, a higher form
OF material life; only the complete eradi-
cation Of all evil will set him free from the
chains of existence. and carry him to the
other side s'where he will be no longer
tossed about on the waves Of the ocean Of
transmigration." But Christian ideas
must not be nut into these Buddhist ex-