The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-02

49, =" a'ipNOh ~ shfhe ~ W w. sNN
(Scribners), we have an account OF the evolu-
ton OF religion and philosophy In the vast
peninsula which lies south OF the Himalayas
from the first incursion OF fair-skinned Aryan
tribes up to the present day. The author Is
not only a Sanscrit. but also a Tamil scholar
indeed. he Is. at present. the lecturer in Telugu
and Tamil at University College and the I'm
perial Institute. In the fifteen chapters which
compose his work he discusses the Vedic
Hymns. which constitute the only literary
record OF the first Aryan INVADERS the emery
ence OF Brahmanism from the primal faith
the transition from Brahmanism to Jainism
and Buddhism. the eventual displacement Of
those outgrowths by a revived and CONSOLE
dated Brahmanism. and. finally. the attitude
OF the Anglo-Indian Government toward tho
Brahmanic legal and social system. 1t will be
found that current ideas are corrected by Mr..
Frazer In many particulars. and especially az
regards the connection ofJainism with Bud
dhism. We shall exemplify the usefulness Of
the book before US By directing attention to
what the author has to say uron this subject
In the sixth century b c.. a great reforming
preacher. Nahrvera. spread abroad the doc
trines OF Parsva, the founder OF the Jaina
sect. who had lived in the eighth century B.
c. He. like Buddha. was a Kshatriya. or mem
Der OF the warrior caste. His father is said to
have been named Siddartha. a chieftain OF a
village named Kundagrama his mother was a
sister OF the chieftaln OF Vaisall. the principal
town OF the Licchavls. and also related to
Bimbisara. King OF Magadha. At the age
OF %. he set forth on his mission.
and became known as the Jina. the con-
Queror." whence his teaching was termed
Jainism. Just as Buddha was known as -" the
Enlightened" and his teaching as Buddhism.
more properly Bauddhism. There ara still a
good many Jainas in India: according to the
census OF 1891 they number 400, 715, whereas
the Buddhists number only 243.877. 1t Is an
interesting fact that Jainism is proiessed by
the great banking families. 1t was. according
to Mr.. Frazer, through the fostering care OF
the Jainas that the Dravidian peoples OF South
ern India were first inspired with Aryan ideals.
At present. however. in South India. Jainism
has faded away. and the worship Of silva re-
mains the prevailing faith Of the whole Tamil
speaking population.
By the jams. the world Is held to be eternal,
and made ur OF atoms. Time revolves, they
say. in two erer-recurring cycles OF fabulous
length. in the first OF which goodness in
creases. only to decrease In the next. Twenty
four Jinas appeared In the past cycle. They
are now reiGning as gods: twenty-four have
appeared in the present cycle. in which good
ness is ever decreasing; twenty-four are yet
10 appear IT. a future cycle. The great object
OF tho Jain ia to attain victory over all worldly
desires: to free his soul. and so become divine
like unto the Jinas. In the middle Of the
fourth century Il. c.. the jams became divided
into two great sects. those known as the
Svetambaras. who are "%attired in White
raiment." and those known as the Dali
Gambaras. or "sky-clad.' who show how
they have cast Off from themselves everything
mundane by wandering about unclothed. The
costly Jaina temples. wherein the images OF
the JinaS abide In lonely isolation nm tba ~
NIT of Mount Abu. still represent the highest
Ideals OF pure Hindu architecture. In many
points the history OF Jainism closely bles
that OF Buddhism. but, as the former was
earlier In point Of time. 1t cannot. Of course. be
described as an offshoot Of the latter. The
jams. like the Buddhists. have lay members.
'Sravakas." who are In and OF the world, and.
also, ascetic monks. "Yatis. who live apart in
monasteries. For the jams. generally, there
were three CONS" by which the soul OBJ
tanned liberation. or "Moksha." These three
gems were right insight. right knowledge and
right conduct. In observance OF the last in
junction.. the Jaina monks were bound by
VOWS never TO tell lies: never to steal; never to
be lmmoderate in word or deed never to de-
sire too much. and. above all, never to kill or
inlure any living thing. To this day, the Jaina
monks uphold hospitals for the care OF all anil
mails. and even for the nurture OF foul insects.
'ho u'c tHcy uTlIk tney TrSt strain. In the
hope OF removing all life: they sweep the
ground before them as they walk, 40 that their
feet may not fall on any living thing they even
wear wells over their mouths. that nothing
possessing life may be drawn in by their breath.
The birthplace OF Buddha has lately been
sought and found in the now iorest-grovn and
fever-laden tract OF country lying along the
southern slopes OF the Himalayas almost 2OO
miles TO the northward OF Benares. This re-
gion. once known as the Lane Of the Sakyaa.
was already desolate when 1t was visited by the
Chinese traveller Hiouen Tsang in $50 A. ID.
The route to the spot where Buddha was born
In the middle OF the sixth century B. c. was
marked toward the close OF the second
century b. c by a row Of pillars stretcbino
north from Patna. which had been the capital
OF Asoka. the Constantine OF buddhism. who
In his own day. had visited the place and
erected there a column engraved with an in
scriptton. This column was discovered in 1900
and the inscription on 1t has been interpret.d
by Prof. Bnhler.
IL was Buddha's personal influence, an In
nuehce founded on an absolute belief in him
self and in his own mission. supported and
extended by his empowering eloouence and
the mesmeric charm which a powerful and de-
termined mind exercises over others that vo,
Tor him success az a propagator of doctrine.
when his personal influence was gone Bud-
SAd
dhlsm lived IN its purity only so lonr as tbosa
who remembered his indivi luality strovs N
preserve the faith simple and uncorruptad
Buddha was the first to show that tho races
OF lhdla were capable of being infused
with a common purpose and held together
by a common bond. 1t was through the work
begun by him that Asoka. the arst Emperor q, |
India was enabled to unite the scattered Arvan |
tribes and alien races beneath one sceptre,
After the remem brance OF Buddha's narsoo
atty had faded. his religion found TIA chic,
raj wing point in the cohesion OF a mcndicsnt
order OF monks. who Transformed their foundor
into a god and mingled legends. miracles. idol. |
atrous practices and debasing beliefs with the
follow.
The central point OF Buddha's fa'th, around
which al his teaching revolveG, was the doc
trlne OF karma. one Of the most rar-reacbipo J
philosophical theories ever framed by the rea-
eohlng powers OF man, Mr.. Frazer regards it
as q new and anormoua oon,iL