English
We have a similar process in the hagiology of all the ancient churches of Christendom ; and in the traditions of the Jews and Mussulmans, which came not from the founders of the systems, but from the perverted imaginations of their followers in after days. In some instances the names of the d^was and brahmas are the same as those we meet with among the records of Brahmanism ; but we are not on that account to confound the religion of the Pitakas with that of the Purdnas. Budhism knows nothing of an infinite nihility like Brahm; nor of Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, or Siva, the de- stroyer. Maha Brahma is simply the ruler of a brahma-16ka Sekra is the dewa most frequently introduced into the tales and legends with which Budhistical works abound ; but he is represented rather as being the servant of the faithful, than as receiving their adoration or as the object of their prayers. The honour that the Budhists who best underatand 11. ORDERS OF SENTIENT EXISTENCE. 43 their religion pay to the d^was is extremely small. The priests believe themselves to be higher than the most exalted of these celestial agencies. There are d^walas (places of worship dedicated to the d^was) in nearly every village in the Singhalese provinces of Ceylon ; but there are few in- stances, if any, in which a temple is dedicated to any d^wa who is prominently mentioned in the sacred books of the Budhists ; which is an additional proof that the whole system is an unauthorised adjunct, being either engrafted upon Budhism from the practices of the Brahmans, or brought down from the times preceding the introduction of the bana into Ceylon. The further we go back, and the more respect- able our authority, the less we find of the d^was ; and in many instances their introduction is so clumsily brought about, and their design so apparent, as not to deceive any but the most unreflective mind. . There is little to excite the aflfection of men for the d^was, beyond the sympathy that one intelligence feels for another. The gods of the Greeks and Bomans were brought before them as possessing mighty and mysterious poweis; or as exercising a genial influence in some particular depart- ment of human economy ; or as the inventors of some art, science, or instrument that ministers to the general comfort. But the Budhist regards the world as being under the go- vernance of an authority over which the d^was have no con- trol; and the native of India would despise rather than reverence the being who is in any way connected with manual exercises, even in their most pleasing or beneficial form. The d^was are feared rather than loved ; and if their aid is asked, it is in sullenness or with ill-concealed contempt. In many of the accounts that are given us of the attempts of the d^was to prevent the rishis and others from attaining the high rank that their merit would ensure if permitted to go on to its full development, we have a parallel to the envy with which the gods of the Greeks looked upon the advance- ment of man in those branches of knowledge that they re- garded as being exclusively their own heritage. The story 44 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. of Prometheus was of most terrible import to all who wished to pass beyond the bounds of common mortality ; and the lesson it teaches is heard, with more or less distinctness, in almost every tradition of the mjrthic age* lY. The inhabitants of the brahma-16kas have attained to a more exalted state than the d^was. In the worlds in which they have sensuous enjoyment, they are brighter and larger than the d^was, have a larger retinue, more extensive riches, and live to a greater age. The nipa (the aggregate of the elements that constitute the body) of the Brahmas differs from that of men, and is one peculiar to themselves. They are insensible to heat and cold, and are entirely free from sexual passioa They have attained their present state of exaltation by the exercise of the rite called dhydna; and when the age allotted to them has passed away, they may be bom as men, as animals, or in any other world. In some of the worlds they are self-resplendent, traverse the atmosphere, and have purely intellectual pleasure. In the finipa worlds, four in number, they have no bodily form. In all the worlds, except one, they have a conscious state of being ; in one, they are imconscious ; and in another, they are in a state " not fully conscious, nor yet altogether imconscious." The chief of the brahma-16kas, Sampati Maha Brahma (8) continually exercises the four following volitions : 1. Of friendship; thus wishing, May aU beings, having received the same merit as myself, eujoy an equal reward. 2. Of compassion ; thus wishing. May all beings be released from the four hells, and become happy. 3. Of tenderness ; thus wishing. May all who are born in the brahma-16kas retain their happiness throughout a long period. 4. Of equity; thus wishing, May all beings receive the reward of their own proper merit. But by far higher than the Maha Brahma who exercises these volitions is the lord of the three worlds, Budha. V. The Gandhdrwas reside in the 16ka called Chaturma^ harajika. Their bodies are sixteen yojanas high. They are choristers and musicians, and when sent for they can go to II. 0HDER8 OF SENTIENT EXISTENCE. 45 any loka that they may minister to the amusement of the d^was. VI. The Garundas have the shape of immense birds, and are represented as being great enemies to the nagas. VII. The Nagas reside in the 16ka under the Trikuta rocks that support M^ru, and in the waters of the world of men. They have the shape of the spectacle-snake, with the extended hood (coluber naga) ; but many actions are attri- buted to them that can only be done by one possessing the human form. They are demi-gods, and have many enjoy- ments ; and they are usually represented as being favourable to Budha and his adherents ; but when their wrath is roused, their opposition is of a formidable character. If their name be derived from the root naga, a mountain, it may have re- ference to the place of their abode, under M^ru. There is a race of people called Nagas residing upon the elevated region between Assam and Manipur, who are said to be universally dreaded for the devastations they commit upon the inhabitants of the plains; and it is possible that the mythological nagas may have had their origin in the fears produced by the ravages of the ancient mountaineers. Ano- ther name by which they are known, nayas, bears a consider- able resemblance to that of the vtfiSe^, naiades of the Greeks, who also resided in rivers, lakes, and streams. "As vigilant as a naya who guards a hidden treasure," is a common ex- pression, giving to these beings the same office that is borne by the genii of the Arabs. Even in England there is a cuiTcnt opinion that near abbeys and other old places there are treasures watched over by snakes. VII- The Yakds are not to be classed with devils, though this is their popular designation. They are beings whose karma has placed them in the situation they now occupy in the scale of existence ; but many of their acts might be at- tributed to the dewas, as many of the acts of the d^was might be attributed to them, without any appearance of im- propriety (9). The Singhalese have a great dread of their power, and in times of distress the yakadura, or devil- 46 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. dancer, is almost invariably called upon to overcome their malignity by his chaunts and charms ; but these practices re- ceive no sanction from G6tama, and in some instances are condemned, especially when the life of any animal is offered in sacrifice. Though some of them are malignant, and reject the authority of their ruler, "even as in the kingdom of Magadha the thieves rebel against the king and his ministers," their enmity is to be overcome by exorcism not by sacrifice. The dwelling-place of the yakas is not in the narakas ; so that they are not spirits condemned to ceaseless torments like the devils of revelation ; they are found in the earth, and in the waters, and form one section of the guards round the mansion of Sekra. They marry, and delight in dances, songs, and other amusements ; their strength is great ; and some of them are represented as possessing splendour and dignity. There are instances in which they have entered the paths that lead to nirwana ; and in one birth, after he became a candidate for the Budhaship, G6tama was himself a yaka.