Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-28

sented by the literature and traditions OF
Asiatic religions. And it is necessary at
this place to point out that the Asiatic re-
lgions are separated from those of the
Western world by very important dis
tinction. All Asiatic science is religious,
more or less. There is no such broad par
! tition between Physics and Metaphysics
there as with us. Psychology and physics
are, go to say, merged and there is also
this vital difference that whereas West
ern physical science finds itself unable to
postulate a soul, and relegates all such
speculations to the region of the Unknow.
able. Asiatic science begins by declaring it.
self convinced that there is soul, and
bases this belief not upon conjecture or in
ference, but upon actual demonstration. 1t
will thus be seen that there is scarcely any
point of contact between the two schools !;
but it will also be perceived that in India
religion has retained the position which it
occupied at the beginning of the historical
period, and that it appears to have pre-
served almost unchanged a system which to
most scholars is associated only with re-.
mote antiquity. In fact, the Indian theo-
sophical system may readily be identified
with that of the Chaldean Magi, with that
of the pre.Vedic Brahmans, with that OF
the Zoroastrian schism, with that of the
Neo Platonists, with that of all the ancient
mysteries. The Yogi Fidya of modern
India is in no essential different from the
occult science which was cultivated in Chal-
dea, Assyria, Egypt, Persia and India ten
thousand years ago. The epopte of the
EIeusiLian Mysteries learned the same Sc.
crets which are to-day explained in the ga.
cred city of Lhassa in Thibet In the Sc.
cluded cells of the Lamasaries OF that coun
try reside men who are acquainted with all
the lore of antiquity, and to whom the
| proudest achievements of modern science
must seem but the painful, laborious and
slow discovery of old but long.forgotten
truths, and truths the most important Of
which must remain inaccessible to the mis-
taken methods of our crude and narrow
sy stems of philosophy.
1t is idle to speculate upon the antiquity
of Yogi Vsdya, but at least we know that
traces of this occult knowledge are to be
found in the Rig. Veda that during this
supremacy of Brahmanism it was Guilt
waited with ardor; that throughout the
Buddhistic period it continued to flourish
and that the revival of Hinduism did moi
affect or disturb it appreciably. 1t car
show an unbroken line of descent, stretch
ing away into the regions of pure mythol
ogy, and throughout this enormous period
it has claimed mastery over natural laws
and natural forces which puts to shame all
the discoveries of Western science, and
which at the same time is alleged to solve
the central problems of human existence
namely, the Whence and the Whittier Of
Man. Until very recently the West knew
scarcely anything of Indian religion and
philosophy. At present it possesses but 8
faint conception of the subject 1t is only
since the beginning of the present century
that any real progress In Sanskrit scholar
ship has been effected, and even now,
though it is known that at least ten theu-
sand separate worAsFin that language re-
main, hardly score of them have yet
been translated. The practice of writing
all scientific works in symbolic language,
which the Mystics followed in their time
so perplexed the first Sanskrit scholars
that they thought the Vedantic writings
and commentaries to be little better than
masses of gibberish. At last, however, il
has begun to dawn upon them that there
may be that within which passeth show,
and Professor Max Muller has with charac.
teristic candor admitted this already. II
is extremely difficult for the Western mind
to put itself into receptive attitude in re-
gard to Oriental science, because the two
systems are so radically different, and the
civilizations SO incompatible. With US
Science ia respected chiefly for it's bearing
upon what we call material progress. But
it has no connection whatever with ethics,
and it has deliberately cut itself off from
the study of true psychology. But in the
Orient it is not even admitted that West
ern civilization is the best. % the con.
trary, it is asked "Does your Science
make men happier?" And what can be
the answer to such question? Philoso
piers certainly strive to persuade them
selves that in some large general average
the balance will be found on the side Of
real progress in happiness, but meantime
it is one of the perplexities of the thinker
that human misery seems to keep step with
human material progress. As Stephen
Montague says: "You accumulate ma
chinery you increase the total of wealth
but what becomes of the labor you dis
place! One generation is sacrificed to the
next. You diffuse knowledge-and the
world seems to grow brighter but Discen'
tent and Poverty replace Ignorance, happy
with it's creed. Every improvement, ev.
cry advancement in civilization, injuries
some to benefit others, and either cherishes
the want of to-day, or prepares tie revolu-
ton of tomorrow.
Now the Indian scientist does not recog.
nize the superiority of this form of civil
cation. On the contrary, he maintains
that it involves distinct degradation Of
the race, despite its brilliant external man.
ifestations. And this assertion is the inev-
liable result Of the Asiatic theory of the
universe. For if this life is but single
link in the long chain of existences which
every spirit must pass through; and i
Past, Present and Future are determined,
as regards the destiny and future of man,
by his own merit and demerit alone and