Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-17
RELIGIONS OF INDIA
Teachings Of the Vedas Sup
planted by Demon Worship.
FAITH OF THE HINDUS
TT rs ESTIMATED THAT 5000, 900
PRIESTS PREACH 1T.
Buddhism Dying Out in the Land Of
Its Birth-The Moslems and the
Jains-Care for Animals.
FAITH OF THE HINDUS
By WILLIAM z. CURTIS,

BOMBAY, January IS, 1904.
OF the 300000,oOO of people in India 2O7,
100000 belong to the Hindu or Brahmin
faith, 63OO0,OO0 are Mohammedans, TO-
0oO00o are Buddhists, 100000 are Chris
tians, 100000 are SiShs and 125, 900 600 are
jams. Besides these are number of minor
sects, the most important and interesting
OF which are Parsees. 1t is difficult to give
ap accurate idea of Brahminism, but theo-
ret1cally it is based upon the principles set
forth in series of sacred books known
as the Vedas, written 1000 years ago. Its
gods were originally physical forces and
phenomena-nature worship, which was
once common to all men, the sun, fire, wa
ter, light wind, the provocative and pro-
ductIve energies and the mystery of sex and
birth, which impressed with wonder and
awe the mind of primitive humanity
But these deities became more and more
vague and indefinite in the popular mind,
ana the simple, instructive appeal of the
human soul to power it could not see
or comprehend was gradually debased into
what is now known as Brahminism and the
most repugnant, revolving, cruel, obscene
ana vicious rites ever practiced by saw
ages or barbarians There is nothing in
the Vedas to justify the cruelties of the
hindu gods and the practices of the priests
Ihey 90 not authorize animal worship
caste, child-marriage, the burning of wild
oWs or perpetual widowhood but the priests
nave built up a stupendous system of SUI
perstlt1on, of which they alone pretend
10 know the mystic meaning, and their SUI
premacy Is established Thus the religion
OF the Vedas has disappeared and has
gwen place to terrorism, demon worship
and idolatry.
the three great gods of the Hindus are
niVa, Vlshnu and Brahama, but besides
these are innumerable other deities some
5oOOOOOO altogether, which have been ere
ated from time to time by worshipers of
vivid imagination. When we speak of Hin
duism as religion, however, it is only a
conventional use of a term because it is not
reilg1on in the sense that we are accus-
toned to apply that word. In all other
cfeeds there is an element of ethics: moral
lty, purity, Justice and faith in men, but
none of these qualities is taught by the
Brahmins. With them the fear of unseen
powers and the desire to obtain their favor
is the only rule of life and the only maxim
Taught TO the people. And it is the founda-
tion upon which the influence and power
OF the Brahmins depend. The world and
all its inhabitants are at the mercy of
cruel, hckle and unjust gods; the gods are
under the influence of the Brahmins; hence
the Brahmins are holy men and must be
treated accordingly. No Hindu will offend
a Brahmn under any circumstances lest
ms curse may call down all forms of mis-
fortune; A Hindu proverb says, What is
| IN the Brahmin's books, that is in the Brah-
minis heart. Neither you nor knew there
was so much evil in the world"
The census of 1901 returned 212S.S1
priests, which is an average of one for
every seventy-two members of the Hindu
faith, and 1t is believed that altogether
there are more than 100000 including re-
| hgious mendicants of various kinds and at
PENDANTS employed about the temples who
are dependent upon the public for support.
A large part of the income of the pious
Hindu is devoted to the support of priests
and the feeding of pilgrims. Wherever you
see 1t, wherever you meet it, and especially
when you come in contact with it as a
| sightseer. the Hindu religion excites moth
| ing but pity and adherence
Teachings of Buddha.
Buddhism is very different, although Bud
dha lived and died Hindu and the men,
bers of that sect still claim that he was the
greatest, the wisest and the best of all
| Hindus. But no two religions are so con-
| Trajectory and incompatible as that taught
| by Buddha and the modern teachings of
the Brahmins. The underlying principles
| of Buddha's faith are love, charity and I'M
selfshness universal brotherhood and spir-
| itual and physical purity. He believed in
| none of the present practices of the Hindu
| priests.
| the teachings of Buddha and the teachings
| of Christ. You will find passages in the
New Testament, reporting the words of the
Savior, that seem like plagiarism from the
| scholars often tell of a myth concerning a
! young Jew who came from Syria with a
caravan and spent several years under in
struction in a Buddhist monastery in
| Tmbet. Thus they account for the silence
| OF the Scriptures concerning the doings of
| Christ between the ages of twelve and
| twenty, and hor the similarity between his
sermons ard those preached by the founder
of their religion.
Buddha taught that good actions bring
| happiness and bad actions misery; that sell
| hshness Is the cause of sin. sorrow and
! suffering, and that the abolition of self
sacrifices for others and the suppression of
passions and desires is the only true plan
| of salvation.
He died 543 years before Jesus was born
/ and within the next two centuries mis-
| teachings were accepted by two-thirds of
| the people of India, but by the tenth CEN
| fury of our era they had been forgotten
and great transformation had taken place
| among the IndO-Alyan races, who began
| to worship demons instead of angels and
| teach fear instead of hope, until now there
| are practically no Buddhists in India with
| the exception of the Burmese, who are al
most unanimous in the confession of that
/ faith. 1t is a singular phenomenon that
| Buddhism should disappear from the
| land of its birth, although 100000 eco of the
| human race still turn to it's founder with
pure affection as the wisest of teachers
| and the noblest of ideals.
The teachings of Buddha, however still
survive In sect known as the jams,
/ louDucu ny OT lMdDdVlfd, a buddhist
priest, about a thousand years ago, as a
protest against the cruel encroachments of
the Hindus. Jina was a Perfect One who
subdued all worldly desires; who lived an
unselish life. practiced the golden rule.
harmed no living thing, and attained the
highest aim of the soul, right knowledge.
right conduct, temperance sobriety and
chastity.
The jams of India.
There are now 1,334.14S jams in India,
and among them are some of the wealth.
lest. most highly cultured and most char
| table of all people. They carry their love
of life to extremes. The true believer will
| not harm an insect. not even a mosquito or
flea. All Hindus are kind to animals. ex-
| cept when they i'll treat them through
| ignorance. as is often the case The Brah-
| MINIS teach that murder, robbery, deception
| and every other form of crime and vice
| may be committed with the favor of their
| gods. They teach that the gods themselves
| arc guilty Of the most hideous deprayi.y,
and that the sacrifice of wives. children,
| brothers. sisters and friends to conven-
| icnce or expediency for selfish ends is justi-
| fable. Indeed. the British government has
1 LII tx,<o ,r1x-