The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-22

lation Of Asia. There are Buddhsts in
Siberia and In the Dutch East Indies.
and the faith is supposed to be alive
in Korea, although the priests there
are low fellows and are despised and
rejected Of men.
In the Footprints of Buddhn.
During my present stay in India
have walked in the footprints of
Buddha. I passed his birthplace on
my way up the Himalayas. He was
the son OF King who lived on their
slopes in southern Nepal. and his boy
hood was spent in the most beautiful
scenery under the shadows Of the
highest mountains on earth. During
the earlier part Of his life he enjoyed
such luxury as only India knows.
He was given every pleasure, was
married to a charming princess and
in due Sine had beautiful son.
During this period he was kept from
the sight Of all evil, sorrow and pain.
for fear that his contemplatlve and
ascetic nature might lead him to take
to the church. 1t was not until he
was almost twenty-nine years Of age
that he learned of the troubles of man
kind and decided upon the great re-
nunciation. He then gave up his palace.
cut off his long hair, and putting on
the clothes of beggar went forth
upon the highways. He spent six
years in wandering about in his eff
forts for the attainment of peace. H
practiced one religion after another;
he tasted and prayed; he mortified
the flesh in every way. and Wen;
Temptation after temptation, until at
last. at Buddha Gaya. he found the
light and went to Benares. where he
first gave 1t to mankind.
Buddah Gaya Is to the Buddhists the
most holy spot upon earth. The Bo
tree under which Buddha sat during
his great contemplations they believe
to be the centre Of the earth. They
will tell you that the original tree still
stands and that branches Of 1t have
been carried to Ceylon and there
sprouted. This tree Is situated near a
Buddhist temple. which is about seven
miles from the little city of Gaya. Tt
lies some distance south of the Gauges,
s92 miles by rail from Calcutta, and
is reached by way of Patna, where the
great opium factories are. AS the
crow flies 1t Is about 125 miles from
Benares
The temple. which stands near the
tree, was erected about 800 years after
Buddha's death, and Is hence about
1900 years old. 1t is 1so feet high and
the wall Of it's tower is fourteenh feet
| thick. 1t Is in the form OF pyramid
of nine stories. embellished with inches
and holdings. I have no space to
| speak OF the tree or its surroundings.
The shrines are chiefly in the hands
of the Brahnins, although there are
| a few Buddhist monks who worship ir
| T1e,y p
prayers before beautiful statue OF
Buddha, which has been brought from
Janan. Ruddha Gaya has about 100000
| pilgrims year.
/ The Grent Temptation.
It was on this spot that Buddha, ac-
cording to manuscript supposed tic
date from the third century before
Christ. spent six years in penance and
modification OF the flesh. During that
tome he sat cross-legged under the Be
tree fasting and praying. He became
/ a living skeleton, was naked and Gov
cred with dirt, and an object OF con
tempt to the villages about He was
tempted by both angels and devils
Iesions OF demons, some OF which hac
4 thousands OF heads. fought around him
in vain. They threw poisoned arrows
but before they fell they Were changed
mo ilO"eIS. IN duultloIls tiiCAc WeIe
hordes of the most beautiful womer
from girlhood to maturity who triec
to attract the saint by their charms
They tried every one OF the two and
thirty modes Of making men fall, blu
they were powerless against Guiana
/ Buddha, who had conquered and riser
above all carnal desires.
/ In addition there We're hundreds o
other temptations OF which this man
uscript tells; but Buddha vanquishe
them all and came to perfection. Ate
that he bathed himself in the rive
nearby and partook OF food made 70
him by village maiden from tn
milk Of thousand cows. Ills life re
vived and he straightway becam
whole His course forth from Gay
was a tr!umphal procession, In whlc
the gods and Others took part. Flow
ers rained upon him. cool tanks o
water sprang up by the wayside, an
divine music was constantly heard.
From the 70 tree the prophet wen
forth to preach. He Travelled owe
Northern India and continued preach
ing until B. G. AIT. when he died a
eighty years of age, Just where h
died we do not know, but the ashes !
the casket may indicate that 1t wa
!, somewhere in Northern India not ia
from Peshawar The unkindly say hi
death was caused by eating too muc
pork.
Some BUDDHIST Beliefs.
The Buddhist religion contains man
!, beautiful things. but 1t has nothin
OF the worship Of God as we kno'
Him, 1t Is practically atheistic, and
$ n religion of despair rather than hop
+. 1t considers personal existence sourc
, OF evil, and one OF its theories Is tha
t the greatest evil of mankind Is Dirt
a Without that we could not have o.
. age, misery and death, and we Won
not have TO go through the long ilf
I of transmigrations by which man rls
8 and descends to heaven or he'll. ~
n cording to Buddhism, ones soul, ~
$ that of John Brown, Is always marcl
: ing on, The moment he dies he is Dor
9 again, his soul passing at once I'M
|. the form Of man, dog or SON