The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-09
RELIGION OF MILLIONS.
Something Of the History and Be-
lief Of Buddhists, Number
ing 47O,0oO,O 900.
Tho Beautiful Story of siddarthn,
Who was a Typical
Reformer.
Doctrine OF "Trath. Justice and Love-
Theory or Future ProgressIon-
she Seven states.

"Buddha" means ITO know" II Ia a title
Of sainthood, not a personal name, given
to many religious teachers in Indin who
follow the teachings OF Gantama Buddha.
1t is the life of the first. says the New
York Times, the great Buddha, That Sir
Edwin Arnold has described in his Light
Of ASIA" which has given to the western
world far greater sympathy and interess
in Buddhism than ever before. II is the
typical life of q reformer, who, receiving
an inspiration of a higher, purer life than
that around him, gives up all tho pleasures
of this life to teach his doctrines. At first,
amid universal SOOTHING, but gradually gath
ering together a little band of reformers,
these disciples 20 from place to place.
teaching for the good Of humanity. And
now one-quarter of the human race, or 47O,-
100000 people, are Buddhists, extending
from 'Nepaul and Ceylon over China.
Japan, Thibet, central Asia, Siberia, and
even Swedish %Lapland."
Buddha's birth is generally put at go B.
O., at Nepaul. He was Prince Siddartha,
son of King ~Suddhodans. When eight
years old the wisest man of the court was
commanded to instruct the little 6iddartha
in all the learning of the Hindoos, but
whether ii was mathematics or history or
chemistry, the child always showed that he
knew as much and often more than his
teacher. When Is it was thought to be
time for him to marry. Accordingly the
most beautiful maidens in the land we're
brought before him, that he might choose
for himself q wife. Last came Yasodhara,
radiant and beautiful.
lis there a gift for me?'' she said.
9Th gifts are gone,'' the prince replied,
land yet take this. dear sister, of whose
grace our city boasts" Herewith he took
the emerald necklace from his throat, and
clasped it's green heads round her waist;
and their eyes mot, and FROM the look
sprang love.
But now he must prove himself worthy of
her in the tournament. This he did, out
stripping all others easily.
For a few years they lived happily in a
walled palace, protected from all the mis-
cry Of the world. but soon Siddartha longed
to go beyond the royal grounds to see the
woad. Tbs king, thinking to hide. even
still, I'LL sorrow from him, ordered the city
to assume a festive appearance, with ban
ners and flowers. and forbade any sick per-
son to show himself. But as the prince
drove through the streets so gay, an old
palsied man came toward the carriage
begging for aims.
''What being is this who seems a man,
yet surely only seems, being SO bowed, SO
miserable, 80 horrible. 30 sad? Are men
born sometimes thus?" Siddartha asked,
The minister replied: Most noble! Even
as he, will all these grow if they live SO
long" IL, ~
Shall be thus. and Yasodhara?"
Yea, great sir!'
Turn back and drive me to my house
again! I have seen that l did not think to
&c.,"
OF course he could never be content to
continue his life as heretofore. The king,
however. had Il dream which prophesied
Buddha's inspiration and what was to come,
30 he ordered the guard to be doubled at
the gates Of the palace, thinking to prevent
Siddartha's going out. But he slipped
quietly out in the night past the sleeping
guards and began his wandering.
AS yet the whole truth had not been re-
vsaled to him, and he sought it far and
near; finally one night he threw himself
down Under a great tree to think and rest.
Ever since this tree has been called "The
Tree of TRUTH or '.Boahi Tree" Dark
Aess Cain9 Oh, WHeA al tAe Evil hplI1ts sur
rounded him, Whispering evil thoughts in
his ear, trying to allure him away with them.
A great strength was given him to resist
them, and suddenly the Light of Truth
burst open before him and the power was
given him of seeing all the past, realizing
all his WI past lives. Thus he attained
Stamina ~Sambuddh," but later in the night
it was given him to read over the future and
understand the whole universe. and then he
attained to ''Abhidjna." Now, the light
having come, he started out once more.
teaching and befriending all those i'll in
spirit or body.
But the king and Yasodhara. hearing
from the shepherds of his manner of life.
sent couriers to bid him return to the pal
ace. He did so, but not as the king would
wish. He appeared as a mendicant. telling
tales of his past lives and inspiring the peo-
pie SO that they fell down and worshipped
him, at which King Su%ddhodana was made
very angry. One look into his face, how
ever, and both the king and Yasodhara saw
the light there, and were among the fist to
be converted. So, his conversions having
begun, he continued, spending his life with
disciples and going through the country
teaching, till he died, in 653 B. @.
His doctrine was simply "Truth, justice,
But his teachings have been sorely
perverted, and now there are az many sects
i'll Buddhism as there are i'll Christianity,
and as widely separated one from the ouher
by crceds and dogmAs. Very few BuddhiBtB
are left in India now, Brahminism. the
outRlowth there of Buddhism, being the
religion.
Some of the universal beliefs of the
Buddhists, however, We can gather to-
One of their strongest is their be-
lief IN the unity of all life, that
all things are Il part OF the whole
growing and working to-
gether for a common good. One OF the
strangest beliefs to us in the western world
is the 'transmigration Of souls" To
this thought is repulsive.
We say: How disagreeable to have been
cat, a snake. or ar oyster, or
any animal, or even anybouy else!
What an uncanny feeling il would give
And yet, again, it seems quite q sat
i~sfactory solution of the problem of evolu-
lion. Not so different, after all, from Oar
wins theory, the difference between the
TWO being, however, that. whereas Darwin
proposed to solve the problem of tho devel-
opment of mans physical body from a
mere speck of %protoplasm, the Buddhists
;ropose to solve the problem of the devel-
'pment on mans spiritual body, by them
Jailed the "knrma," or what we call soul.
rom tho first atom of life to the soul of .
nan. Nor do they stop here, believing that
nan has not yet reached perfection, but is
'nly mounting toward the top Of a long
adder.
This theory of future progression answers
eveial questions which have been most in-
'om~prehensible to us all. One Of the great,