The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-11
Vii LIFE OF BUDDHA
sA .CH OF M OF THE WORLDS
GREATEST RELIGIOUS TEACHERS.
ing, His Life of Retirement and His
Great Work for the Hindoos.

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
There Is no narrative Of the life Of Bud
dha in the Buddhist scriptures. The only
biography, In our sense of the word, is a
comparatively recent work, and was writ
ten some two thousand years after the
prophet himself lived on the earth. But we
are not wholly without information as to
this great teacher. The scripture stories
show us glimpses of his life and the various
reports OF his utterances often throw a
sidelight on parts of his career. These
scraps OF information are scattered through
the Pail manuscripts and a complete MARIA
tive cannot be given until these are all
edited However, Prof. Rhys Davids, OF
Cornell, has gone we'll over this ground,
and has also examined the various Sanskrft
poems that contain mention of the Buddha,
SO that his account is valuable because Ii
Is the only correct one. The later produc-
tons which have been mentioned as giving
accounts Of Buddha may be characterized
as possessing charm rather than historical
accuracy. The facts presented by Profess
sor Davids were laboriously culled from
the Pail manuscripts.
The exact date of the birth Of Buddha is
a matter of dispute. but it may safely be
placed at about GOO B. c.. The town of his
nativity was located about one hundred
miles northeast of Benares, in a district
that was won over to the prevailing Brah-
min belief at a comparatively late period
and was correspondingly independent in its
ideas. The social condition of the country
at that time was much like that of Greece
in the time of Plato. The country was
split up into a number of small independent
districts, in most of which a republican form
OF government prevailed. 1t was just at this
period that monarchies and despotisms were
coming to be established in certain dis
trictS. Some despots were already estab-
hSned, others We're just rising into power.
An attempt has been made to prove that
r Buaona was not a member Of the Aryan
vincine ev ID . nes no ne SacS Il s aha c and
popular stories are laden with a great
amount OF legendary matters in regard to
the son of a god; that his mother was the
noblest and fairest of women; that there
S birth aDfie that in i Ess eari fs0 pears he ga nls
many manifestation of remarkable intel
lectual power and of great influence over
men.
FACTS ABOUT HIS LIFE.
TIL facts that can be ascertained with
reasonable certainty are: That he was born
in the highest caste or class of this dis
trict. He was not the son of a king, for
he was not addressed by the title Of Rajah
which would have been the case had his
| father been a ruler. The later stories that
narrate his having been born to great
power and reared In luxury are probably
due to a desire to make his sacrifice in
giving up his home and position as great
as possible. In this district the population
| lived by agriculture and 1t is probable that
his family, though occupying a prominent
position, would not have been considered
mother died when he was at the age of
seven and he was brought up by an
known that he was married and had a SON.
There are innumerable stories indicating
that at this period of his life Buddha mani
These stories are told of every founder Of a
great religious system as well as of many
markable phenomenon to be observed in
people.
In his twenty-ninth year Buddha left his
I home, his wife and child and became a
wandering. mendicant teacher. In fact, the
only way to teach the people was by trav-
cling about among them. and talking to
them. as there was no writing. Nor was
it an unusual thing. to do. The Brahmin
retirement and asceticism very much as the
religion of medieval times did in Europe.
So prominent was this teaching that the
life OF a good Brahmin was said to be di-
vided into three parts. In the first period
he is a leaver, preparing himself by con-
period s he gey lor ms to i bIs fam 1Le; t and i te fba
execution of those duties laid upon him by
his religion; in the third period he retires
from the world and spends the remainder of
his days in meditation. Accordingly, there
were to be found many men and some
women who lived in complete retirement
from the world. seeking by meditation and
an ascetic life to know the truth, the prev
alent belief being that by this means it was
possible 10 compel the gods to reveal the
truth
BEFORE HE BECAME BUDDHA.
This was the course followed by Buddha,
who, by the way, was not yet known as
Buddha. He went first to a famous secluse
aud became his chief pupil. The secluse
/ wished Buddha to become his successor,
bit the latter was not satisfied with this
ard spent some time with a number Of
other teachers. going from one to another.
These teachers. 1t must be understood, had
each a complete system separately worked
out, many of them indicating a remarka-
bly, Intellectual fertility. Buddha finally
| gave himself up to a life Of penance and as
c%eticisnI, seeking thus to obtain the truth.
He became the most renowned OF the her.
mits, and many came to gaze upon him.
| He finally succeeded In reducing his SUBJ
sistence 20 a grain OF rice for each meal,
according to popular statement. AS he still
various forms of bodily identification and
was thereupon deserted by his five follow
ers who had gathered about him:
tai suffering Buddha was tempted by the
prince of evil spirits. The current account
ed by great natural commissions. The earth
rocked, the ocean rose, rivers backed in
their courses, there was storm and dark
ness, etc. The whole account is strikingly
like the story OF the temptation in Milton's
Paradise Regained' In fact. the follow
piled to Buddha, and is the best descrjp-
ton of the scenes attending his trial:
"The clouds
From many a horrid rift a~portive poured
Fierce rain with lightning mixed water with
fire
In ruin reconciled: nor slept the winds
Within their strong caves, but rushed
abroad
From the four hinges of the world. and fell
On the vexed wilderness, whose tallest
pines,
Though. rooted deep as high. and sturdiest
Bowed their stif necks, loaden with stormy
blasts,
Or torn up sheer; i'll vast thou shrouded
then,
o patient Son of God. yet only stoodest
| UnShaken: nor yet stayed the terror th.-e:
Internal ghosts, and hellish furies, round
Environed Thee. some howled, some yelled
some shrieked,
Some bent at Thee their fiery darts, while
sat'st unappalled in calm and sinless
peace"
1t is a question how far the modern
Buddhist has recognized the spiritual truth
beneath this material image. The Buddha
had devoted himself first TO study, then to
a course of asceticism. Finally. almost in
despair, he wandered out and sat down be-
meath a tree. since known as the sacred
tree."- Here he sat and reflected as to
what course he should pursue. Doubts as
sailed him and he sat there fE9m morning
n p -rrnonf Then his dnfrhf1. III -