The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-11-19
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u ANY years Buddha wandered
Nj from place to place, spread

TT ANY years Buddha wandered
INHI from place to place, spread
~ ing his gospel of Nirvana, Of
peace to be found in the shady
grooves of Selfishness.
He did not attempt political or
economic reforms; these things
seemed secondary to him. He MADE
on effort to abolish caste, but when
men accepted his doctrine they be-
came equals.
"As the four streams that flow
into the Ganges lose themselves as
soon as they mingle their waters
in the holy river, SO all who be-
lieve to Buddha cease to be Brah-
mans, Kshatryas, Vaisyas and SUI
draS."
He died in 493 b. c., at the age
of 80. Nov then, o monks" ne
said. 81 address you:-Subject to
decay are compound things; strive
with earnestness." They were his
last words.
- t is too quiescent faith 1or
the West Cor should we say
/ the North?) which prefers to
strive after wealth and power; but
it pleased people weakened with
heat, ground to the earth In pow
erty and helplessly subject to famine
and invasion.
In 327 B. C. Alexander, symbol OF
the West, swept down upon India
and made it subject to his generals
and his tax gatherers.
Then Chandragupta, the bold ad-
venturer, after serving his appren-
ticeship in the camp OF the con-
queror, turned upon the Greeks,
drove them back over the mountains
and gave India the peace that pre-
pared the way for the enlightened
rule of the great Asoka.
Chandragupta 1921 1886 B. O. had
built up an army of 10000 infantry,
10000 horses, $4,000 chariots and
$4,000 elephants; but Asoka (264-227
B. c. built $4,000 Buddhist mon
asteries, supported $4,000 Buddhist
priests and set up $4,000 columns
with inscriptions that aimed to
spread the Buddhist faith.
He was both the Constantine and
the Theodosius of India, though he
converted by pacific teaching rather
than by law and war. 1t was the
horrors he had seen in battle that
turned him to the doctrine of Gau-
tama.
For g. time it seemed that Asoka
would win; but the Brahmans hated
him and the people longed for mira
Giles and myths, finding faith so
much easier than nobility.
They accepted Buddhism, but cor
rupted it with fanaticism, legends
and ceremonies; and, though for
centuries it spread over India, it
grew more and more like the Brah-
manic religion until at last the
clever priests took it over and
swallowed it into their compromis-
ing creed.
Today there are but 100000 Budd-
hists in India; only beyond the
reach of the Brahmans has it held
it's power and in China, Japan, Bur-
ma, Tibet and Ceylon it numbers
still half billion followers, more
than any other religion ever given
to mankind.
a FTER Asoka, India passes out
| Al of the light; for thousand
LII years we know almost moth
ing of her vicissitudes. Doubtless
warriors came and replaced one
another in that dull military parade
which sinpletonsJ call history.
In I'll A. D. the Mohammedans
appeared; after 300 years of bloody
strife they established themselves
as rulers, set up their capital at
Delhi and collected taxes.
To this day one-fifth of the Hin
dus are MohammedanS.
Then in 1903 chow the busy cen
turtles shrivel into empty moments
when they are far away and
strange) the Mongols broke over the
barriers and poured like prairie
fire over the plains, killing and
plundering ruthlesSly, so that Tam
erlane might collect taxes in his
turn.
For $50 years the invasion con-
tinued, and battle piled upon battle
until in 1925 Baber founded the
Mogul dynasty and enjoyed, after
lifetime of war, four years Of
peace.
No wonder the Hindus are quiet
and subdued!
Every State begins with violence
and mellows into liberty. One
would never believe that the en-
lightened Akbar who ruled India
from 1856 to 1905. was part Of the