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Under all these circumstances it is no wonder that the Roman Church — the only one of the Western hierarchies which retains real spirituality — should make much of symbolism, or that numberless weak and torpid Protestant sects, starving on the husks of a dogmatic theology from which the soul- ful kernel has long since been dropped, should have their fling at Popish idolatry. True, orthodox Protestantism needs symbols very badly ; so badly that some forms of it—as the Anglican— borrow a few of the most easily spared and least useful from the Mother Church. But on the whole it gets along without them,— much as Darwinism does without that missing-link which would be so acceptable. Yet, again, it is unfair, 60 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. have mentioned, only as mementos of the greatest, wisest, most benevolent, and most compassionate man who ever lived. All races and peoples preserve, treasure up, and value the relics and mementos of men and women who have been considered in any way great. Buddha, to us, seems more to be revered and beloved by every human being who knows sorrow than any one else in the history of the world. 127. Q. Are charms, incantations, the observance of lucky hours, and devil-dancing a part of Buddhism ? A. They are positively repugnant to its fundamental princi- ples ; they are the surviving relics of fetichism and pantheistic and not at all Christ-like, for Rome to twit the Orient with idolatry; the fact being that she has scarcely a rite, a ceremonial, a sacrament, a talis- man, or symbolism of any sort, to which she is not, directly or indirectly, indebted to that “idolatrous Paganism” of which she is the strongest and latest offshoot and only adequate Western index. Under whatever exoteric disguise, Christian, and especially Catholic, mythology is at little esoteric variance from the older, and in most respects greater, theogonies. - A Jewish Christ is simply added to a Pantheon which already boasted Creshna, Mithra, Osiris, Bacchus, Apollo, Adonis, and other symboliza- tions. A Jewish Virgin, Mother, Spouse, and Daughter emerges from the Grove of Asher to scale the Christian Olympus ; Arddha-Nari is re- incarnated, and a wisely veiled Phallicism completes alike the symbolatry and the idolatry of the Church. All of which seems the more remarkable in view of the fact that the pure doctrine of Jesus, like that of Gautama, was devoid of symbolism, —one of the very many points of resemblance between the teachings of these two great men. — C.] : | | A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 61 and other foreign religions. In the Brakmajala Sutta Buddha has categorically described these and other superstitions as pagan, mean, and spurious. 128. Q. What striking contrasts are there between Buddhism and what may be properly called “ religions”? ? A. Among others, Buddhism teaches the highest goodness without a God; a continued existence without what goes by the name of “soul ;” a happiness without an objective heaven ; a method of salvation without a vicarious savior; a redemp- tion by oneself as the redeemer, and without rites, prayers, penances, priests, or intercessory saints; and a summum bonum attainable in this life and in this world. 129. Q. Does popular Buddhism contain nothing but what is true and in accord with science ? A. Like every other religion that has existed many centuries, it doubtless contains untruth mingled with truth; even gold is found mixed with dross. The poetical imagination, zeal, or lingering superstitions of Buddhist devotees have no doubt in various ages caused the noble principles of Buddha’s moral doctrines to be mixed with what might be removed to advantage. 130. Q. Ls Buddhism Pahl to education and to the study of science ? A. Quite the contrary ; ; in the Singdlowdda Sutta, a dis- 62 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. course preached by Buddha in the bamboo-grove near R4jagriha, he specified as one of the duties of a teacher that he should give his pupils “ instruction in science ! and lore.” 131. Q. Are there any dogmas in Buddhism which we are required to accept on faith ? A. No; we are earnestly enjoined to accept nothing what- ever on faith, whether it be written in books, handed down from our ancestors, or taught by the sages. Our Lord Buddha [2 Science is the half-way house of the course of human development, — a resting-place of the soul, when its psychic clarity is only at par with the sense-concepts of the intellect. In general, the unfolding of the spirit in man has three stages, which may be called opinion, knowledge, and illumi- nation ; or ignorance, erudition, and enlightenment; or nescience, science, and conscience. And these correspond respectively with the body, the mind, and the soul, to put it exoterically ; more truly, with sensation, ratiocination, and idealization. The sense-bound acolyte fancies that things are what they seem to be,—a necessary fallacy, in which most persons live and die. The reasoning novitiate knows that things are not what they seem to be, and there is no flaw in his syllogism, ability to con- struct which is the touchstone of the true scientist. The ideating adept knows what things are. The first cries for the moon; the second knows it is not a green cheese; the third has it within arm’s length. The first engenders nothing; the second procreates; the third creates. For the first, truth is that which seems to be; for the second, truth is that which — is, or the agreement between the conception of a thing and the thing itself; for the third, the truth is that which he causes it to be, and con- sists in the agreement of his mind with itself, for it is the method of creation that it shall be but the expression of creative will. —C.] A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 63 has said that we must not believe a thing said merely because it is said; nor traditions because they have been handed down from antiquity; nor rumors, as such; nor writings by sages because sages wrote them; nor fancies that we may suspect to have been inspired in us by a Deva;! nor from inferences drawn from some hap-hazard assumption we may have made; nor because of what seems an analogical neces- sity; nor on the mere authority of our teachers or masters. But we are to believe when the writing, doctrine, or saying 1 That is, in presumed spiritual inspiration. [ I will add a significant word from some MSS. ined. in my possession : “The unsaved souls of the disembodied dead, together with the elemen- tary entities who dwell in our atmosphere, do obsess, possess, and control certain sensitive organisms whom we, for want of a proper understanding, call “mediums.’ These souls may personate the spirits of our departed friends, or claim the personality of angels, while they lie like devils. It is they who materialize; it is they who tell fortunes, tip tables, and give spirit-rappings. And this is one reason why such damnable doctrines.are promulgated from what is supposed to be the spirit-world.” I quote this partly for the information it contains, partly as a renewed warning to take nothing from any source, upon any “ authority ” what- soever, that the judgment and conscience, acting together, do not approve; thus reiterating and emphasizing the author’s text. It is the curse of every exoteric religion that it is binding upon reason and conscience, thus para- lyzing the soul.and checking spiritual progress. I need hardly add that faith in matters of authority is by no means to be confounded with that sublime and potent psychic faculty which is commonly called “faith,” — a better name for which would be self-knowledge. — C.] 64 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. is corroborated by our own reason and consciousness. ‘ For this,” says he in concluding, “I taught you not to believe merely because you have heard, but when you believed of your own consciousness, then to act accordingly and abundantly.” + 132. Q. Does Buddhism countenance hypocrisy ? A. The Dhamma-pada says: “ Like a beautiful flower full of color, without perfume, the fine words of him who does not act in accordance with them are fruitless.” 133. Q. Does Buddhism teach us to return evil for evil ? A. In the Dhamma-pada Buddha said: “A man who fool- ishly does me wrong, I will return to him the protection of my ungrudging love ; the more evil comes from him, the more good shall go from me.” This is the path followed by the Arahats.? To return evil for evil is positively forbidden in Buddhism, 1See the Kaléma Sutta of the Anguttara Nikaya. 2 A Buddhist ascetic, who by a prescribed course of practice has attained to a superior state of moral and intellectual development. Ara- hats may be divided into the two general groups of the Samathayantka and Sukkha Vipassaka. The former have destroyed their passions and developed to the fullest their intellectual capacity or mystical insight ; the latter have equally conquered passion, but not acquired the superior mental powers. The Arahat of the former class, when fully developed, is no longer a prey to the delusions of the senses, nor the slave of passion or mora] frailty. He penetrates to the root of whatsoever subject his mind is applied to without following the slow processes of reasoning. His self-conquest is complete; and in place of the emotion and desire which . ti ry | A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 65 134. Q. Ls Buddhism a chart of science, or a code of morals? A. It is chiefly a pure moral philosophy. It assumes the universal operation of the law of motion and change, by which all things, the worlds, and all forms animate and inanimate upon them are governed. It is unprofitable to waste time in speculating as to the origin of things. In the Md/unka Sutta we read that when.