New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-08
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE RELIGION OF BuDDHA.

&Co. 1880.
Dr. Edkins. who has for many years been mis-
,ionary of Christianity in China, is already FAVOR
ABLY known by his treatise on Rehglon 'h
China This unpretendng treatise clearly se'
forth the peculiarities of the Buddhsts OF the au
herents of Confucus and the lower form OF la'isn'
which is accepted by the general populace In TINS
later volume DR.. Edkins has taken under particular
consideration the Chinese buddhism, which IS
after ali the popular if not the state religion, OF
China Next to India itself, China, as Ut. EuNlhs
observes " has zone more for the development Oh
Buddhist thought than any other Buddhist country
This Is a remarkable fact and very useful; showing
ms il does, that judging from the past the ChneSe
are susceptible TO a very considerable degree OF a
foreign religion. They will also use intellectual
energy in teaching and expanding IT" At the same
time Dr. Edkins does not think that 1t has impaired
a healthy stimulus to the national mind. On tue
contrary. 1T has made the Chinese more sceptlcai
and matcraljStic than they were before ana mas
weakened their morality
There has been = theory that Buddha himself was
merely an imaginary being; tins view has been
abandoned, and his personality Acknowledged
Sill, hc existed at a time too ancient TO be expressed
by common Chinese numeral3--but the buddhist
classics qve 1t as b. G. IN. when he appeared on a
white elephant having six tushs, having been DORA
in the heaven called Iushta. There ls myth of
six Buddhas preceding Shakyamuni Buddha; but
all is mysterious and uncertain. The true history
OF the Buddhist religion begins with Shakyamuni.
lie was tie son OF Suddhodana, King of tho city
Kapulava>tu. near the boundary Of Nepaul he
was taught in his youth every possible accomplish
mcnt. and " was supplied with All the delights that
high position and riches could afford, but 10 soon
learned 10 deSpise them"
At eighteen years of age he left the palace to
visit certain pleasure gardens and groves RAISING
the east gate of the city he saw There Deya Who
had assumed the fom Of an od man, WIN Whlle
hairs and crooked back. He thought sadly ol' the
ianidliy with which N m grow Old Ihty teGome
n-,d Ike lightning and yet are not AFRAID. HGlhg
out again the slme divinity presented himself az
tie south gate IN the disguise ol SICK man, WIN
lau.ilid features and SWcllsU paUnCh. At TIE west
gate lie saw dead man. and thc members OF ms
family lautng - they followed MIN 10 lHe SIdN -
He went cut once more and saw at the north gate
begging priest. a HhShU in fact. lie wore The
earb OF an asc .uc, aud carried bowl A hiaH was
i'm his hand The prince asked him who be was:
lie rep led: Il am Blhshu. practising sacred
drti.s and lvavs obtaining the reward of freedom
from action As he finished these words lie rose
INTO the arr. and was soon ont OF sight nc prince
Thought " ] fear list may Dee pressed down by
Old axe, sickness death, the mlS'lleS l nave VII
messed. This Bikshu has arTy ed at the perception
Of my feelings. He shows me the path of deliver
ancc.' From this time the prince began to desire
the ascctic life.
Leaving his fathers palace under the escort Of
tae D,yas he llved an ascetic life on the Himaaya
mental satisfaction He existed upon hemp and
barley and assnag-l his thirst with snow. At last
he came to perception OF the true condition and
wants of mankind. He sighed and said lit IS
strange that ali men, while thew have within them
Iula-the capacity of perceivinG the true nature
OF life and worldly phenomena-and possess knowl-
edge and virtue the original property Of their ma
ture, should be entangled by deceptive thoughts,
and remain in ignorance of these things" After this
lie lived forty-nine years and delivered thlrty-hye
dlscourses of special importance. 1t was only after
various ascetc and spiritual experiences that he at
tanned the rank of Buddha. Having arrived at per-
feet wisdom he opened his public life at Benares
Here he dscouTsed upon four great truths the fact
of misery (DUKA), and the need of becoming sepa-
rated from the accumulation OF entanglements
caused by the passions lSAMUDAYA). These two
truths belong to the world for which his disciples
were exhOred to take their departure. The extinc-
ton of these miseres and entanglements (NIvoDN
and path of reformation MARGA) belong to the
monastic life. upon which his disciples were called
TO enter He dscoursed also of the nOn-pertorm-
ance of human actions, of the emptiness OF the
external world. the non-eXistence of the Ego. the
deliverance of the mind from thraldom by the
tion of faults, and the consequent attainment Of
The moral and intellectual rank of Arh0n Upon
these were based the monastic system of Buddhism
Its disciples lived in spiritual communities and vol
untary poverty. and they gave themselves 20 UNI
versa preaching.
Approaching the end of his life, Buddha said to
the Bikshus gathered around him. Il shall enter
the Nlrvana the third month of the next year y;
by which he meant that there would be for him
neither life nor death. He would not be dead be-
cause he would live in his teaching. This" says
DIR. Edkins, q" IS the Buddhist OnajS mortar 1t
is consistent with much sccpncIsm, and may amount
;,,,f IN q denial Of the futUre life and
the continued existence of the soul In any form"
Ii was in the year A. ID. 'Gl that the Chinese En-
peror Ming-ti. in consequence of a dream in which
he saw the image of foreign god, sent messengers
TO India to ask for Buddhist books and telchers.
Native Chinese began to take the Buddhist mo-
nastc vows early in the fourth century. Now, for
the first time, the people OF the country were suffered
TO become disciples of Bnddha. Monaseres were
established in North China, and nne-tenths OF the
common people followed the faith Of the Indian
sage. The principal Buddhist classes trans
lated by the royal command. Later. in the fifth
century there was great religious controversy be-
tween the disciples of Buddha and COufuciuS. The
instructions of the latter were held 10 include only
single fr, and not TO reach future state of eX-
istcnce with its interminablc results. Vice only
entails present suffering. The rewards of the good
do not 60 beyond worldly honor, nor does the recon-
pcnse of guilt include anything worse than obscuriiy
and poverty. The decline of Buddhism in It's
mother land drove many lilndoos to the north OF
the Himaayas from the Brahmincal per-
secutipn. The following incident exhibits Buddh-
ism IN its mystic phase
In 4. ID. 52G, Rolhidhama, after having grown
old in Southern India reached Canton by sea. The
propagation of buddhism III his native country he
gave in charge TO one Of his disciples during his
absence. lie received with the honor due To
his aye and character, and Immediately invited to
Marking where ,he emperor OF southern China,
Lang Wu-ti, held his court. The emperor said TO
him: From my accession 20 the throne, have
been necessarily building temples, uanscubing
sacred books. and admitting new monks to take
IL IL. LlIL.I.L In ID