English
They have a work called " Merits and Demerits Examined," in which a man is directed to keep a debtor and creditor account with himself of the acts of each day ; and at the end of the year he winds it up. If the balance is in his favour, it is carried on to the account of next year; but if against liim, some- thing extra must be done to make up the deficiency. — Davis's Chinese. The disciple of Budha is not taught to abhor crime because of its exceeding sinfulness ; but because its commis- sion will be to him a personal injury. There is no moral pollution in sin ; it is merely a calamity to be deprecated or a misfortune to be shunned. With these radical defects, it is not needfid to point out minor errors and contradictions ; of which many will have been observed in perusing the elucidations and comments of the Singhalese authors, in the extracts we have inserted from their works. They explain the system as it is now prac- tically understood. The world is, happily, in the possession of "a more excellent way." The life of the angels in heaven, and of men redeemed upon earth, is to be one con- tinued act of consecration to God ; and in all the movements of their existence they are to seek, with a sacred intensity, the promotion of the divine glory. They are brought to the fulfilment of this duty by motives that are overpowering in their grandeur, and mighty in the potency of their influence. The Budhist can discover no permanent rest, no eternity of peace, in any world; and he therefore concludes that X. THE ETHICS OF BUDHISM. 627 there can be no deliverance from change and sorrow but by the cessation of existence. The book of revelation, however, offers to us now, " a peace that passeth all understanding," and opens before us the prospect, of " a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whosoever will, may come to the cross, and be made happy. The stream that issues therefrom " cleanses from aU sin." This doctrine may be, as in the days of its first manifestation, " unto the Jews a stumbling- block, and unto the Greeks foolishness," but unto all who are willing to test its truthfulness, it will prove to be " the power of God and the wisdom of God." The time is coming when these sublime principles 'v^dll govern the world. All systems that have not arisen from the inspiration of God will then have passed away : the now myriad-worshipped Budha will not have a single votary ; and Jesus of Nazareth, " who is over all, God blessed for ever," will be the life, and the blessedness, and the glory of universal man. APPENDIX. As it appears desirable tliat the sources whence I liave drawn my information should be known, I have prepared the following notices of the works from which I have principally quoted. During my residence in Ceylon, I collected a list of the native works now to be obtained in the island, in the Sanskrit, Pdli, and Singhalese languages. The number amounted to 465, of which about one half are in PdH, either in that language alone, or with a Singhalese sanne. About 80 of the works are in Sanskrit ; and 150 in Elu, or Singhalese. This list must neces- sarily be imperfect ; as it is only by the labours of many individuals, continued through a period of years, that it can be rendered com- plete. The books are written upon the leaves of the talipot, with a stylus, and are bound, literally, in boards. In the island there are a few books brought from Burma, composed of plates of silver, upon which the letters are beautifully paintecf; and I have seen some belonging to the DaladA wih&ra, at Elandy, that are of laminated gold, with the letters engraved. There is a great difference in the style of the Singhalese works, scarcely any two being alike; and even in the same work the difference is, in some instances, striking; one part being almost in pure Sanskrit, and another in colloquial Singhalese. The date at which many of them were written cannot now be ascertained. The works I shall more particularly notice are the following : — 1. Pansiya-panas-jdtaka-pota. 2. Wisndhi-margga-6ann6. 3. Milinda Prasna. 4. Ptijdwaliya. 5. Sadharmmdlankar6. 6. Sadharmmaratnak^r6. 7. Amdwatura. 8. Th*updwans6. 9. Rdjawaliya. 10. Kayawirati-gati-sann^. 11. Kammawdclian. 12. The Saunas of various Siitras. 1. Panstya-panas-jdia^ka-jpota. — This work has already been no- ticed in the introduction to the fifth chapter, page 101. 2. Wtsudhi-margga-aanne. — This work was written by Budha- gh<5sa, of whom the following account appears in the Maha- wanso : — " A brahman youth, born in the neighbourhood of the terrace of the great b<5-tree (in Magadha), accomplished in the wijia and sippa ; who had achieved the knowledge of the three * wedos (Y^das), and possessing great aptitude in attaining acquire- ments; indefatigable as a schismatic disputant, and himself a schismatic wanderer over Jambudipo, established himself, in the 2 M 530 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. character of a disputant, in a certain wiMra, and was in the habit of rehearsing, by night and by day, with clasped hands, a discourse which, he had learned, perfect in all its component parts, and sustained throughout in the same lofby strain. A cer- tain maha th^ro, R^wato, becoming acquainted with him there, and saying to bimself , * This individual is a person of profound knowledge ; it will be worthy of me to convert him,' enquired, ' Who is this that is braying like an ass P ' The brahman repKed to him, * Thou canst define, then, the meaning conveyed in the bray of asses ? * On the th^ro rejoining, ' I can define it,* the brahman exhibited the extent of the knowledge he possessed. The th^ro criticised each of his propositions, and pointed out in what way they were fallacious. He who had been thus refuted said, * "Well then, descend to thy own creed ; * and he propounded to him a passage from the Abhidammo. The brahman could not divine the signification of that passage; and enquired, ' Whose manto is this P ' ' It is Buddho's manto.' On his exclaiming, * Impart it to me,' the th^ro repHed, * Enter the sacerdotal order.' He who was desirous of acquiring the knowledge of the Pitakat- taya, subsequently coming to this conviction, * This is the sole road to salvation,' became a convert to that faith. As he was as profound in his gh6s6 (eloquence) as Buddho himself, they con- ferred on him the appellation of 6uddho-gh<5s6 (the voice of Buddho), and throughout the world he became as renowned as Buddho. Having there (in Jambudipo) composed an original work called Nan<$dayan, he, at the same time, wrote the chapter called Atthasalini, on the Dhammasangini (one of the commen- taries on the Abhidammo). Kewato thero then observing that he was desirous of undertaking the compilation of a Parittat- thakathan (a general commentary on the Pitakattaya), thus addressed him, ' The text alone (of the Pitakattaya) has been preserved in this land ; the Atthakatha are not extant here ; nor is there any version to be found of the wdda (schisms) complete. The Singhalese language, by the inspired and profoundly wise Mahindo, who had previously consulted the discourses of Buddho, authenticated at the three convocations, and the dissertations and arguments of Sariputto and others, and they are extant among the Singhalese. Repairing thither, and studying the same, translate them according to the grammar of the Maghadas. It will be an act conducive to the welfare of the whole world.' " The particulars of Budhaghdsa's visit to Ceylon are next re- lated. " Having been thus advised, this eminently wise person rejoicing therein, departed from thence and visited this island in the reign of the monarch Mahanamo. On reaching the Maha- wiharo, at Anurddhapura, he entered the Mahapadhdno hall, the most splendid of the apartments in the wiharo, and listened to the Singhalese Atthakathi, and the Th6rawddd, from the b^in- ning to the end, propoanded by the th6ro Sanghapdli, and became thoroughly convinced that this conveyed the true APPENDIX. 531 meaning of the doctrines of the lord of dhammo. Thereupon, paying reverential reepect to the priesthood, he thus petitioned : ' I am desirous of translating the AtthakatM ; give me access to all your books.' The priesthood, for the purpose of testing his qualifications, gave only two giih&y saying, * Hence prove thy qualification ; having satisfied ourselves on this point, we will let tiiee have all our books.