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No; but they revere them as containing all the parts of that Most Excellent Law, by the knowing of which man may save himself.! ; 98. Q. Do Buddhists consider Buddha as one who by his own virtue can save us from the consequences of our individual sins ? A. Not at all. No man can be saved by another; he must save himself. Q. What, then, was Buddha to us and all other beings ? without metaphysics is empiricism; metaphysics without physics is dog- matism; and ethics alone is superstition. The harmonious combination of these three elements ses what is called Theosophy, — the wisdom- religion, or esoteric science.” Chatterji. — C.] [: Questions 97, 98.— Irreconcilable, of course, with any tone or com- plexion of Occidental ecclesiasticism, two corner-stones of which hier- archical fabric are “plenary inspiration” and “ vicarious atonement,” — notions far more difficult either to apologize for or explain away than is a Christian’s idea of his Trinity, which stands securely upon the “ Pagan” twin pedestals of Sabzism and Phallicism, or the symbolism of certain astronomical and physiological facts. No devotee of Jewish tradition or Christian fetichism can be helped out of his difficulties here. Let the courage of his convictions carry him on to the point where he can say, with that brilliant and impetuous Mystic, Saint Augustine, Credo guia absurdum ; and then let him turn, refreshed, to Eliphas Levi’s “ Paradoxes of the Highest Science.” — C.] cae ten dk A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 49 A. An all-seeing, all-wise counsellor; one who discovered the safe path and pointed it out; one who showed the cause of, and the only cure for, human suffering. In pointing to the road, in showing us how to escape dangers, he became our Guide. And as one leading a blind man across a narrow bridge over a swift and deep stream saves his life, so in show- ing us, who were blind from ignorance, the way to salvation, Buddha may well be called our “ Savior.” too. Q. Jf you were to try to represent the whole spirit of Buddha's doctrine by one word, what word would you choose? A. Justice.! tor. QO. Why? A, Because it teaches that every man gets, under the opera- tions of universal Law, exactly that reward or punishment which he has deserved; no more, and no less. No good deed or ' [} Two different words may well have been expected here by one or another thoughtful reader. The first of these is Mercy. But no super- human being has ever been known to exhibit that quality to the extent of deflecting, by a hair’s breadth, the Nemesic sequence called cause and effect, either on the psychic or the physical side of Nature’s shield. The other is Renunciation. But those who catch the true spirit of the identi- cal teachings of Buddha and of Jesus know that eternal Justice overrules here also. For whoso renounceth the world, the flesh, and the devil, hath his just reward; yea, whoso renounceth himself findeth himself at one with his own just God. —C.] 4 | 50 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. bad deed, however trifling, and however secretly committed, escapes the evenly balanced scales of Karma.! 102. Q. Were all these points of doctrine that you have explained, meditated upon by Buddha near the Bo tree? [} “The Law of Karma is the true order of our personal experiences as seen in the light of that mode of Nature’s manifestation commonly called ‘causation.’ That which is, cannot cease to be; but it cannot remain in a state of permanence, for that would be contradictory to the idea of succession [contiudty|], which is inseparably connected with existence. Our acts, therefore, live in their effects or subsequent forms. Until we can remove all material desires from our acts, they will always necessitate material effects and produce re-incarnations. . . . Attention is to be drawn to the fact that this law offers a satisfactory explanation of the apparent injustices of life. We find around us not only pain and suffer- ing, but also moral excellence and depravity, forced upon individuals by circumstances over which they seem to have no control. No amount of speculation or dogmatism will furnish a clue to this anomaly so long as the Karmic Law remains unrecognized. Exception is taken to this Law on the ground that it is repugnant to justice that a man should experience the consequences of a prior act without preserving the memory of that act. It is hardly necessary to point out that this line of argument is based upon the assumption that the word justice, as applied to the work- ing of natural laws, has the same meaning as the justice demanded by us in intercourse between man and man, with their limited knowledge and selfish motives. The justice of Nature is vindicated by the undisturbed sway of the law of causation. If you suffer, there must be a reason for it; and that reason must have some connection with yoz, otherwise it could not have produced your suffering. It should not, however, be supposed that the cause of suffering is here sought to be connected with the present A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 51 A. Yes; these and many more that may be read in the Buddhist Scriptures. The entire system of Buddhism came to his mind during the.Great Meditation. 103. Q. How long did Buddha remain near the Bo tree? A. Forty-nine days. 104. Q. What did he then do? ; A. He went to the tree called Ajapdla, where he decided, after meditation, to teach his law to all, without distinction of sex, Caste, or race. 105. Q. Zo whom did he first preach the doctrine? A. To the five companions, or disciples, who had abandoned him when he broke his severe fast. 106, Q. Where did he find them? A. At Isipatana, near Benares. 107. Q. Did they readily listen to him? A. They meant not to do so. However, so great was the beauty of his appearance and the power of his influence, that alll five were forced to pay the closest attention to his preaching, 108. Q. What ts this discourse of Buddha called ? form of you, — your personality, the aggregate unity of a certain bundle of experiences ; that personality being in fact but the form which your old self has assumed under self-generated causes, which are the progenitors of your present suffering or enjoyment. ‘Ve suffer from yourselves;’ ‘That which ye sow, ye reap.’” Chatterji.—C.] | ) 52 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM. A. The Dhammacakka ppavatiana Sutta, —the Sutra of the Definition of the Rule of Doctrine.! 109. Q. What effect had the discourse upon the five com- panions ? A. The aged Kondanya was first to enter the path leading to Arahatship ; afterwards the other four. 110. Q. Who were the next converts ? A. A rich young layman, named Yasa, and his father. By the end of five months the disciples numbered sixty persons. 111. Q. What did Buddha at that time do? A. He called together his disciples and sent them in various and opposite directions to preach. He himself went to a town called Senani, which was near Uruwela. 112. Q. Are there many Buddhists at present throughout th world ? ; 1 Since the appearance of the first edition I have received from one of the ablest English-Pali scholars of Ceylon, L. Corneille Wijesinha, Esq., Mudaliyar of Matale, what seems a better rendering of Dham- macakka ppavattana than the one previously given. He makes it “the Establishment of the Reign of Law.” Mr. Rhys-Davids prefers “the Foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness.” Mr. Wijesinha writes me, ** You may use ‘ Kingdom of Righteousness’ too, but it savors more of dogmatic theology than of philosophic ethics. Dhammackka ppavat- tana suttam is the discourse entitled ‘the Establishment of the Reign of Law.’” Sumangala, who gave me the definition in the text, assents to Mr. Wijesinha’s rendering. 4 BUDDHIST CATECHISM. 63 A. There are more Buddhists than any other class of religionists. 113. Q. How many people are there supposed to be living on the carth ? A. About thirteen hundred millions. 114. Q. Of these how many are Buddhists ? A. About five hundred millions.? 115. Q. You say that after Buddha had been preaching five months, his followers numbered only sixty in all ? A. He had that many disciples only. 116. Q. After becoming Buddha, how long did he teach his doctrine on earth ? A. Forty-five years. During this time he made a vast num- ber of converts among all classes, — among rajahs and coolies, the rich and the poor, the mighty and the humble. And among his followers were also some of the most learned men of his day. 117. QO. What became of his former wife and his son Rahula ? A. First Rahula, and later Yasddhara, gave up the world and became followers of his doctrine. [} Among the statistics on this score before me is an estimate —attrib- uted to Max Miller — of some years ago, reckoning nominal Buddhists at four hundred and fifty millions, and nominal Christians at two hundred and sixty millions, — C.] 54 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM, 118. Q. What became of his father, the King? A. He accepted the true doctrine also. 119. Q. Lhroughout his career .was it Buddha's habit to travel about the country? A. During the eight dry months of the year he went from city to city, and from province to province, teaching and preaching to the people. During the four rainy months he would remain in one place, giving special instructions to his declared followers. 120. Q. Do Buddhist priests still imitate this custom ? A. Yes, many do. 121. Q. Of Buddha's own disciples, who were his favorites ? A, ea as and Moggallana. . Q. How do Buidhist priests differ from the priests of re ae ? A. In other religions the priests claim to be intercessors!