Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-22

spread throughout Hindustan. and al the
time of King Kanishka. who built the
great temple over the ashes recently
found, it was one of the predominant
faiths. After that it began TO decline,
and 1t was almost wiped out at the time
the Mohammedans came in and took pos
session of northern India. Today there
are something like 150.OO0,OO0 BuddhistS
iii the world, but this estimate is based
upon figures which cannot be verified.
The religion is the chief one of Japan,
two-thfrds of the Chinese are supposed to
believe it. ard its most ardent followers
are Tibetans and the Monaghan popua
ton OF Asia There are Buddhists in ST.
IBERIA and in the Dutch East Indies, and
the faith is supposed to be alive in Korea.
although the priests there are low fell
lows and are despised and rejected of
men.
During my present stay in India l
have walked in, the footprints of Buddha.
l passed his birthplace on my way up
the Himalayas. He was the son of
king who lived on their slopes, In south
ern Nepal and his boyhood was spent In
the most beautiful scenery under the
shadows of the highest mountains on
earth. During the earlier part OF his lie
he enjoyed such luxury as only lnola
knows. He was given every pleasure,
a
in due time had beautiful son. During
this period he was kept from the sight
of all evil. sorrow and pain. for fear that
his commemorative and aScetic nature
might lead him to take to the church. II
was not until he was almost Twenty-Five
years of age that he learned OF the
troubles Of mankind. and decided upon
the great remuneration. He then gave up
his palace, cut off his long hair, and
putting on the clothes of a beggar went
forth upon the highways. He spent six
years in wandering about in his EFFORTS
for the attainment of peace. lie prac-
ticed one religion after another: he fast
ed and prayed: he mortified the nesh IN
every way, and went through struggle
after struggle and temptation after
temptation, until at last. at Buddha
Gaya, he found the light and went TO
Benares, where he first gave II 10 man
kind.
Buddha Gaya is to the Buddhists the
most holy spot upon earth. The 30 tree
under which Buddha sat during MS great
CONCENTRATIONS they believe to De the
center of the earth. They Will tell you
that the original tree still stanos anu
that branches of it have been carried to
Ceylon and there sprouted. This tree is
situated near a Buddhist temple when
Is about seven miles from the little CIT
of Gaya 1t lies some distance soutn VI
the Ganges. 800 miles bysrall from Cal-
cutta. and is reached by way OF Patna'
where the great opium factories are. AS
the crow flies it IS about 10 miles from
BenareS. 49,, 49,.
The temple. which stands near the tree
was erected about 500 years after Bud
dha's death. and is hence about l,3Oo years
old. 1t is 100 feet high and the wall OF
fts tower is fourteen feet thick. 1t is IN
the form of a pyramid OF nine SUITES,
embellished with inches and holdings. L
hav., no space to speak OF the tree OF us
surroundings The shrines are chleny
in the hands of the Brahmlns, aithougn
there are a few Buddhist monks VINO
worship in a monastery nearby. Iney
saw their prayers before a beautIui
statue of Buddha. which has been brought
from japan Buddha Gaya has ABOUT
100, COO pilgrims a year.
II was on this spot that Buddha, ac-
cording to manuscript supposed to date
from the third century before CHRISTI
spent six years in penance and mortifica-
ton of the flesh. During that time he
sat cross-legged under the Bo tree fast
ing and praying. He became az living
skeleton. was naked and covered with
dirt. and an object of contempt to the
villages about. He was tempted by both
angels and devils. Lesions Of demons,
some of which had thousands of heads,
fought around him in vain. They threw
poisoned arrows but before they fell they
were changed into flowers. In addition
ther. were hordes of the most beautiful
Ill, ot1,rs n