New-York tribune., 1885-02-08


suspected that an element of superstition some
what confused the moral question, for the SIN
phaese do not preach practise consideration lor
the feelings of animals. After good deal OF taiK'
IN which he insisted that tie life OF no creature
should be taken under any circumstances Whatever
put crucial test A man sees tiger apoup W
leap on his child; gun is In his band shouiu"o
kill the tiger or let it kill the childI lhere was
considerable consultation among the priests o'er
this crux Mt the end of which received the follow
ing reply: 1t would be right to kill the tiger put
it would he a sln." To persons unfami mar WIN
theology this might appear super-snbtie d'stihc-
ton. IL fact, however, in Western as wen as
Oriental theology there are things at once right
and sinful. In England it is sinful to dlsobey tne
Bible. vet if member of the Peculiar People obcys
the command of ST. James to treat the sick by
PRAYER he is punished by the magistrate. Inc
answer of the priest that to take wild beasts lie
might be right and yet sinful, shows that buddhism
has not escaped the fatal tcndencyof all religious
to develop theological that is to say fictitious
notions of right and wrong, with the lnvariape
result that the real Is always suborlinat9d 10 an
unreal. generally dcfunct, evil or good
This was practically brought under my notlce on
Sunday morning, when l was walking through the
woods around Kattura, inspecting the villages anu
homes of the peasantry. Twas accompanied oS 'ne
Judge of the district (Arunachalaml, Hinuu gen-
tleman. graduated at Cambridge. England. and
about thirty'of the Buddhist countryfolk followed
us. On our way we came upon snake reduced 10
helplessness, by red ants. 1T was snake not only
harmless but beneficial called the ratsnake. valued
rs the chief exterminator of rats and mice 1t had
received 10 wound and yet it appears that these
red ants have power TO paralyze and bind creature
ak feet long The snake colOred red bv the
Lilliputan swarm. and proposed tnat IL shouiu ue
delivered by death from its motlonlesS misery.
Bnt there we're murmurs against this. was given
to understand that it was contrary TO their reton
to kill the snake. to say nothing OF Io ANS m onn, .
sixty yards in silence. when l turned an, ana re, e.
ouested that the snake might be brought. IL
was brought on p9ie. aIeh aored a, Of ants
aud finally laid across the road III was cVldenty
half dead but if left might linger IN agony some
first Sunday of the year SS4 that found mysef
In the forests of Ceyon preaching to Buddhls's IN
behalf of II snake. bringing back to them from the
West more humane Interpretation OF the doctrine
of mercy to the lower animals; which no d9npt
had come to also from Buddha; toln them
how painfully it impressed me that the mercfulness
of Buddha should be turned TO the torture OF any
creature. The compassionate heart or that great
teacher recong from the cruel sacrihces OF affairs
from the agonies inflicted by man on man, ana the
disregard of animal suferngs had testified against
such cruelties but what would he say could he now
see that his tenderness bad resulted IN leaving,
harmless and beneficial animal to be slowly
devoured alive during several daysi What would
the compassionate Buddha, for whom serpent is
said TO have made n throne with his coils. what
would he do were he in the presence of this misery.
which cannot be relieved but may he ended AS
said THIS, each word being trans lated to them as
uttered youth stepped forth and with one vigor-
ons blow of stick ended the snakes life. The
company then began to talk among themselves, and
presently | gathered that some of them bad sng-
gested another point of view. The snakes siiua-
fion they suggested, the result OF Its previous
history perhaps in another torm of existence. and
its mode of death might be necessary part of the
thrOuph which 4
future Death by the ants might he very painful.
but ultimately advantageous; such death being
its destiny. To this / answered that such was
not its destiny. Our passing by was as much It's
destiny as the attack Of ants The mercifnl hand
that struck the blow of dellverance was the poor
reptiles destiny. And why, urged, should we not
he at all times and To all creatures good destiny.
counteracting the crueltes of naturef Tins, j was
happy to find. touched the real point and won some
favor. These Buddhists were missing Buddhas
simple gospel of sympathy; 1t was made OF none
effect by traditional doctrine oil 'ranSnisra''on
Most of these accretions around Bnddhlsn IN
Ccylon came. no doubt. from their Tamil con
querors Taere is little pure Buddhism IN the
island. Buddhism is mixture OF Buddhism ana
Hinduism. Just Christianity is a mixture OF
Christian and Jud1c elements As Jdvf sdnercs aTar
Buddhist temple there is shrine OF Nishnu, tn
whom offerings of flowers and lamps are snbor-
dinatey made. Prayers offered 10 several Hindu
deties. | asked for explanation OF these
prayers, and was told that these deities were
believed in. but not venerated. They. were re-
do one mischief If not well treated. They are
asked for any moral gifts or religious virtues
but only for particular benefits in directions where
| they are believed to have some power Thcy are
prayed to for rain fair weather, good crop, recov-
cry from illness: In one temple wo found hanging
on the hand of Vishnu Buddhist's written vow of
many baskets of flowers and a hundred lamps in
case he should succeed defending himself on
trial for theft. Judge Arnnachaain, VINO had
probably tried tho case. observed these duly paid
brbes to Vshnu. The chief god they call Sakra.
He is an Indian deity in reduced circumstances.
ii, f1V1x han
a Bodsat, the uncarnate soul OF Buddha. Is III
difficulties, Sakra helps him. Among the gods is
scandalzed that her sex should be changed but
the priest of Adams Peak explained 70 me that by
continued merits a woman might he promoted To
te a man in the next world. could Lot forbear
saving that | hoped the time might come in the
East when it would be believed that a man. by'ox-
traordinary virtues, might be rewarded by becom-
ing woman
The buddhist temples along with their ustra-
tons of Buddha's gentle life. have mural painting
representing monstrons hells and devils, and the
torture of human beings: asked learned priest
how it was that a religion OF merciiulness. which
in all history never shed a drop of blood nor
harmed even hostile animals, could thus menace
mOrtals with supernatural terr0rs He appeared
to be surprised by my question. and replied that
was the great aim of Buddha TO save mankind from
those terrible suerings But who then asked is
responsible for the existence of such tOrures in the
universefn "No one is responsible These
the evils of nature the conditions Of existence.
which no god or demon originated or causes, which
not even the power Of Buddha could abolish. but
which he taught us how 10 escape" wished to
know the popular, distinguished from the theo-
logical view of this matter and asked an intelli
gent layman what was his own view Of punishment
after death. His reply was "None is ever
punished by other than himself. All the evil that
a man does during life If not ovorbalanccd by the
good he has done, forus at his death a sort Of
rctributive self OF that man; it is however an
unconscious image which like machine begins to
chop him with axe or otherwise torture him.
according to his demerits" The fearful frescocs
that partly cover the walls of Buddhist temples
are then, expressions of the innate essential and
unalterable evils of exstence they imply pessim;