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” Regarding certain practices of Yoga science, the same author condemns them as “ the bigotry of psychic training, bearing almost the same relation to what is essential as the most superstitious rites of exoteric religions do to the spirit or esoteric aspects of religion proper. These lower practices of Yoga science are, moreover, dangerous unless conducted under the vigilant eye of a master who is himself profoundly versed in the theory and art of the subject. Many rash experimentalists, being still bound by their 24 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. gained by the opening of the mind. He had just barely es- caped death from self-starvation, but had not obtained the perfect wisdom. So he decided to eat, that he might live at least’ long enough to become wise. “He therefore received some food of a nobleman’s daughter who saw him lying at the carnal nature, and thus unfit for rapid progress, have been made insane, and even driven to suicide. The struggle of the base animal nature against any attempt to curb it is one from which only the grandest souls can hope to issue victorious. And even to them the task is al- most hopeless, unless they have secured the needed aids of a teacher, a pure place, strict seclusion from the world, and a natural power of self- mastery. As but few in any human group are able to provide them- selves with these requisites, few become adepts, And Nature herself has wisely so ordered it; for if a majority of men could become adepts, the foundations of society would soon be destroyed, and social chaos be upon us.” ‘ The “psychic aura,” above said, is the means of manifesting what Professor Crookes calls “psychic force,” the effects of which he has repeatedly measured by very delicate methods. It consists in a psychic substance which has a number of names, one of them being “ biogen.” Adepts in the operation of currents of biogen very commonly produce phenomenal effects, vulgarly called “miracles.” The Roman Church, with propriety, holds these results to be evidences of superior psychic development, and, with her usual sagacity, canonizes such persons for the edification of the faithful. Saint Augustine and Saint John of the Cross are two excellent examples. But, as well as I can judge from information accessible to me, the evolution of such great souls, saints or mahatmas, is more frequent among the dark-skinned natives of Asia than among the white races of Western countries. — C.] A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 25 foot of a nuga-tree. After that his strength returned to him. He arose, took his alms-bowl, bathed in the River Niranjara, ate the poe and went into the jungle. . QO. What did he there? 2 Having formed his determination after these reflections, he went at evening to the Bodhi or Asvattha tree. 48. Q. What did he do there ? A. He determined not to leave the spot until he attained the Buddhaship. Q. At which side of the tree did he seat himself ? A. The side facing the east.! QO. What did he obtain that night ? A. The knowledge of his previous births, of the causes of re-birth, and of the way to extinguish desires. Just before the break of the next day his mind was entirely opened, like the full-blown lotus-flower; the light of supreme knowledge, or 1 No reason is given in the canonical books for the choice of this — side of the tree, though an explanation is to be found in the popular legends upon which the books of Bishop Bigandet’and other Euro- pean commentators are based. Translated into the simpler garb of scientific language, it might be thus rendered: There are always certain influences coming upon us from the different quarters of the sky. Some- times the influence from one quarter will be best, sometimes that from another quarter. This time the influence from the east was best, as he . sat at the western side so as to face the east. | 26 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. the Four Truths, poured in upon him ; he had become Buddha —the Enlightened, the All-knowing. 51. Q. Had he at last discovered the cause of human misery ? A. At last he had. As the light of the morning sun chases away the darkness of night, and reveals to sight the trees, fields, rocks, seas, rivers, animals, men, and all things, so the full light of knowledge rose in his mind, and he saw at one glance the causes of human suffering and the way to escape from them. 52. QO. Had he great struggles before gaining this perfect wisdom ? A. Yes; mighty and terrible struggles. He had to conquer in his body all those natural defects and human appetites’ and desires that prevent our seeing the truth. He had to overcome all the bad influences of the sinful world around him. Likea soldier fighting desperately in battle against many enemies, he struggled. Like a hero who conquers, he gained his object; and the secret of human misery was discovered. 53- Q. Can you tell me in one word what is that secret ? A. Ignorance.} [} In what ignorance most people live and die can be imagined only by one who has discovered his own. Ignorance, root of all evil, whose fruit is all sin,—sin which cometh not by the Law, but in ignorance thereof, and breedeth fear, and so maketh of man a slave, —a slave of him whom knowledge else had made a master,a God! For as the Soul A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 27 mee nimames ere 54. Q. Can you tell me the remedy ? A. To dispel ignorance and become wise. 55. Q. Why does ignorance cause suffering ? A, Because it makes us prize what is not worth prizing, grieve for that we should not grieve for, consider real what is not real but only illusory, and pass our lives in the pursuit of worthless objects, neglecting what is in reality most valuable. 56. Q. And what is that which is most valuable ? A. To know the whole secret of man’s existence and des- tiny, so that we may estimate at no more than their actual value this life and its relations ; so that we may live in a way to insure the greatest happiness and the least suffering for our fellow-men and ourselves.’ completeth passively the circuit of Ezekiel’s wheel, while the Spirit con- tendeth actively with Matter for its possession, there standeth the triune Man in darkness, and through ignorance comprehendeth not the light ; else had the Soul, in knowledge of the issues of evil, already sought the Spirit and put on deathless wisdom. — C.] {1 “ Know also that no man ever did, or ever can, without careful prep- aration and peculiar fitness therefor, together with the knowledge of the mode, code, and ritual which obtains, gain entrance to the presence of the Gods. This knowledge is only given to the pure in heart and life, whose fitness is proven by long and severe trials. So think not to spring full-fledged into our wisdom. Seek first rather to control the issues of evil within yourself. There is no greater evil for a man than that which he can find within himself a rule to measure. Nor can he reach } | 28 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 57- Q. What is the light that can dispel this ignorance of ours, and remove all sorrows ? A. The knowledge of the “ Four Noble Truths,” as Buddha called them. 58. Q. ame these Four Noble Truths. A. 1. The miseries of existence.! 2. The cause productive of misery, which is the desire, ever renewed, of satisfying one’s self, without being able ever to secure that end.? any higher state of life and goodness than that which rules his daily walk.” Avon. —C.] [1 “ First of the ‘noble truths, ’ — how sorrow is Shadow to life, moving where life doth move, Not to be laid aside until one lays Living aside, with all its changing states, Birth, growth, decay, love, hatred, pleasure, pain, Being and doing; how that none strips off These sad delights and pleasant griefs who lacks Knowledge to know them snares.” — Arno/d.] {? Since all desires of the body, all affections of the senses, grow with what they feed upon, and since the gratification of the bodily senses is at the expense of the transitory and perishable body itself, it follows that the pursuit of pleasure necessarily defeats its own end, by the destruction of the only means to that end. Increase of desire with decrease of the means of its gratification is the terrible law of the bodily affections ; whence the impossibility of satisfying one’s self, the folly of the attempt to do so, and the undesirability of all earthly desires. “ But those things A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 29 3. The destruction of that desire, or the estranging of one’s self from it. 4- The means of obtaining this destruction of desire. 59. Q. Tell me some things that cause sorrow ?* A. Birth, growth, decay, illness, death, separation from objects we love, hating what cannot be avoided, craving for what cannot be obtained. which are not seen [2.¢. not affections of the bodily senses] are eternal ; ” the soul which sets store by such is withdrawn from the physical to the spiritual life, and risks no desires whose gratification by the spirit is not endless and infinite. —C.] [{ It is a common delusion, that the destruction of desire is ac- complished by gratification of the desire or by securing the object of desire; as when hunger is satisfied by eating, the appetite for food is destroyed. This is fallacious; all appetites are re-born, not destroyed, in satisfying them. Food is but fuel to the fire of the body, enabling the body to demand more food. No appetite is destroyed until the power of regenerating it from its gratification is gone. Shiva, the destroyer, is also the re-creator. Therefore the~destruction of desire is not in its gratification, which re-creates by satisfying it, but the “estranging of one’s self from it.” See Question 61.—C.