The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-03

aiioLher f5ranmins who tells you that Is all
wrong; tnat what you have read means
something very different from what you
nave supposed and explains IL in quite
him right. and camn,etegy ra f You bv
Still another explanation That bothered
me great deal at first. until learned
that all their sacred books are full of pur-
posed concealments, deeply esoteric teach
ings hidden under surface show of fables,
stories and mythical history, and some
PASSAGES at least veil several different
meanings. SO intricate that key is neces-
garg TO get at one after another OF their
or course. are understood only by the most
learned Brahmins, those who not only read
Sanscrit and Pail, but possess occult knowl-
edge as well, without which not. even the
Bashyas, or commentaries-which are sup
posed TO be explanatory-can be mastered.
mat IS one OF the causes which, In my
opinion, make Brahminism a slowly dying
out faith. 1t cannot grow except by natural
proselytes. One must be born into it. And
the Brahmin caste is gradually fading out
SO much OF It at least as is capable Of pre-
serving the true knowledge of its teachings.
Formerly, Brahmins were all priests, teach
ers. philosophers, lawyers kings counsel
ors and the like. Now you find them hunt
ing living merchants-the caste pre-
fogative OF the VaiSyas-and In other ways.
oor dns BUDDHIST teachings are , easier to
ophy.. which, when understood, makes. clear
the dispensation of moral law pervadiig the
world. And 1t is singular how much you
will find in Buddhism that is like Chris
tanity-the former, you will take notice,
DslnS very much the Older religion ana con-
sequently free from any suspicion of being
a copy. That reminds me of a curious thing
that came out in Ceyion one time when |
was there, which not little astonished
and puzzled the Rev. Moncure D. Conway,
who was also there. You remember him? p
started out as a Methodist, in Cincinnati,
! believe. ran church in London a while,
has written books, I understand, and has
been various sorts OF Christian. He was
in Colombo when the thing happened, and
1t kind of knocked him out for the time,
anyway.
ton, ] must explain that the Catholics
are quite strong In Ceylon, and when you
ff found pa most fana atf one. That is be-
cause of the shrewd way the Catholics have
OF proseiy illa They 90 not attempt ten 70
lessness of such efforts. but they get hold
of all the orphan children. possible and
bring them UP in the Catholic mission, in
the strictest observances of the faith never
letting them out of their compound until
uictions are firmly fixed The children are
cared for kindly and well, so gratitude, af-
lection and an adherent racial capacity for
them the most bigoted of Catholics. There
are about six thousand of them in Colombo
And now to my story:
A RIOT OVER A SACRED MONKEY.
a Somewhere below Bombay the main
land, at Buddhist temple. monkey died.
1t was an alDino monkey, very DID, very big,
and in the estimation of the priests very
sacred. having some symbolic significance
that do not know. For some reason suffi-
GENTLY good to them, but also unknown to
me, they embalmed that monkey and pur-
posed sending him. for preservation, to the
great temple of Mount Adami, at Handy,
127 miles northeast of Colombo. With that
end in view large escort of their highest
priests, with the enbalrned monkey, arrived
by steamer at Colombo and started to march
In procession at the head of probably ten
thousand OF their co-relision1stS, from the
landing railway StatlOn.
monkey, borne at the head of the process
sion, it was then seen. was fixed upon
fastened to the arms of the cross, and its
feet to the upright piece. Well, the sight of
rgd p Il he way
it as burlesque upon the Crucifixion,
and before the procession sion. had ds e fSs
military had to be called out, and before
men me- We're Shot shot down I got to the ground
in time to see the dead bodies OF the poor
fellows lying about. Naturallya me En- IN
the riot crediting it all to- the. style IN
which they had supposedly fixed up their
p mga the en Catholic. But the Buddhists We
hemently denied any such intent IL was
foreign 70 their rstig9dn aha mara the 'h
iiefs of others. and they produced from
the archives of the old temple at Randy,
a very ancient manuscript, in which 1t was
set forth. with much close Enthusiastically
Of detail how three thousand years before,
fashion, had been brought from the main
land to Ceylon. They We're simply and IN
entire Of any On sn'e 81 that long
bygone occasion, which preceded a dozen"
centuries the affirmed event of which their
reproduction was enormously believed a bur-
lesque' ,,,..
lions respecting transmig rations drew Mr..
GAYLORD into a brief explanation of them,
as he had encountered them and this by
way Of Illustration drew out succlnct
curement of white elephant, the obstacle
in achieving which was precisely that
doctrine of TRANSPORTATION. He said:
.sThey believe that human being has
twelve periods of mundane existence as
man. reincarnations and between tnem ms
animal kingdom The first time ne appears
as a man he is ignorant of mortality and
his promptings and actions, and conse-
uuently when he dies, his spirit, carrying
full consciousness, goes into the r, noay ts or
spirit reflects, realizes the evil it has done,
meditates upon ut IT ,,a and ~ regrets Esas
better. Again it returns to human form
and profting by experience, really does
do little better n reeognis 1Io OF W wi en-
ter an animal higher than a snake, say
jackal, or bear, for instance 1t does some
human life is improved thereby, as also
its third period of animal life; when u
finds habitatiOn In some 1alrly decent Sort
Of beast, perhaps dog So it goes on
growing better, steadily but slower. each
time more worthy than. the past, until
it becomes the spirit of really good
Buddhist when in human FORM and in
its interregnums, the last two or three
times before attaining sufficient purifica-
ton to enter Nirvana. it inhabits an ele-
phant. that-in Buddhist estimation---being
the noblest animal. And. Of all elephants.
those highest in color are the noblest, con-
sseduently the appropriate temporary abid-
ing places of far advanced souls.
OBTAINING THE WHITE ELEPHANT.
s'That is the way it was given to me, not
by ignorant common people, but by no less
a person than the eldest uncle and chief
adviser of the King of Siam. / had gone
there to get white elephant for the Bar
mum & Bailey show, and the king, who was
nberal-mnded, intelligent young man,
said: so far as am personally concerned.
would let you have the animal; but my
people would never allow it, They would
not permit you to get it out of the country
alive And anyway, you would have to get
my uncle's consent So / went to the
uncle and he told me what / have Just