Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-30

good, by the great virtue to be adjudget
to each in the creations final change.
After the above reading came brie
period of silent thought on the fou
meditations:
Meditation on the body.
Meditation ON the sensations.
Meditation on the ideas.
Meditation on the reason and char
acter.
The following stanza from Maha-Par
lnlbana-Sutta was then offered. Trans
lated it is given below:
| "They all, all beings that have life, shall lay
Aside their complex form-that aggregation
| OF mental and material qualities,
| That gives them, or in heaven or on earth,
| Their 1eetfng individuality
Fen as the teacher being such one
| Unequalled among all the men that are,
Successor of the prophets of ole time,
Mighty by wisdom, and in insight clear-hath
died
THE INCINERATIoN.
The company then passed around the
bier with bowed heads, and it was 81
lently removed to the crematorium.
The dosrs were opened and after casting
m ore lotus flowers and lilies therein, it
was placed in the furnace. Fires had
been steadily maintained under the fur
mace for forty-eight hours, and it was
heated to 1900 degrees. 1t took two
hours for the remains to consume en-
tirely. At the expiration of fifteen
minutes rosy flames had penetrated the
covering and were playing around the
body. In half an hour the outer por-
tions of the remains had crumbled
away with the intense heat and lumin-
GUS aurora seemed to encompass the body
and it fast succumbed to the flames. At
the end of two hours nothing remained
OF what had been Byron Adonis's dwell
ing in life but small pile of white
ashes that could almost be held in a
mans two hands. The ashes were then
gathered up and taken out into the
open fields and scattered to the fonr
winds, SO that no man should know
whence they had gone.
The passing away of Byron Adonis re-
moves from this sphere of action one Of
the most advanced adopts who has yet
made himself known to the western
world, go it is claimed by Theosophist
leaders. 1t is maintained that he had
reached far higher plane than the late
Madame Blavatsky. Adonis, it is said.
was of English parents and born in
India. When quite a young man he
made pilgrimage to the higher Hima-
layas, and there sought knowledge of
the mysteries of the Buddhist faith in
the almost inaccessible lamaseries To-
Gated there. After years thus spent in
the most rigorous and exacting study
and contemplation OF the central princi-
Piles and fundamental ethics of Budd-
hism in it's highest and most revealed
forms, he came to the western world
with mission from the Mahatmas-
and his presence in America is held by
Theosophists to have had deep signif-
canoe.
During his sojourn in San Francisco,
having died in that city on Sacramento
street, he was sphinxli like mystery to
all with whom he came in contact. He
was regarded as strange, mystical
character that no one, even the mem
bers OF the Buddhist society of San Fran
cisco, who took deep interest in his
incineration, could fathom or under
stand. They only knew that he could
speak nearly every known language and
that there seemed to be no limit to the
profundity of his learning, and recog-
nized in him-a leader-one who had
made marvellous advancements in the
teachings of Theosophy.
BYRON ADoNTs's LAST WILL.
Byron Adonis was in his 55th year,
and he desired in his last will and testa-
ment that his body should be incin-
Grated here in Los Angeles with the
Buddhist ceremonials. This wish and
the presence of such a distinguished
member OF the elect of the Theosophists
on the Pacific coast is regarded as hav-
ing signification that members of that
religious and philosophic faith analyze
in accord with their tenets as fol-
lows: The greatest epoch in the
past history of the world was
reached when the people of the
lost continent OF Atlantis, which covered
much Of what is now the Atlantic ocean
and extended around into the Pacific
into this latitude, reached their highest
development. So mighty did they be-
come in all the sublime attributes OF
power, that the egotism OF the race was
its destruction, and they were obliter-
ated from the earth. The time, how
ever, is approaching when this great
race will undergo their first re-incarna.
ton since the sinking of the lost Allan.
tis under the seas.
Now as 1t is assumed by Theosophists
that California was originally part of
the lost continent of Atlantis, it is
firmly held in accordance with Theo-
sophist teachings that the re-incarna-
tions OF the people of Atlantis will
take place IN this land and
that these people who are now
pressing over the horizon of
the future will carry the development of
the dominating race-the Anglo-Saxon
to its highest apex of perfection. 1t
was to prepare the way for these re-
incarnations that Byron Adonis came to
the Pacific Coast, and here it was that
he desired his incineration to take
place.
This was the first Buddhist cremation
in full ceremonial in America. The first
cremation in this country was that of
Baron De Palm, at Washington. Pa
back in the seventies. Baron De Palm
was an eminent Theosophist, but his in
cineration was not accompanied with
any rites. The event yesterday at Rose
dale cemetery will be of lasting interest
to Theosophists all over the world.