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The chronology of Manetho appears to have been constructed upon similar principles, as his dynasties are so arranged as to fill up an exact number of Sothaio circles, or per ods of the star Sirius, each comprehending 1460 Julian, or 1461 Egyptian years. — Boeckh's Manetho : Grot^'s History of Greece, iii. 448. X The doctrine of an infinity of worlds was taught in Greece by Anaxi- mander and Xenophanes, contemporaries of GK5tama Budha, and afterwards by Diogenes Apolloniates, B.C. 428, and by Democritus, B.C. 361. They taught that there is at all times an infinity of co-existent worlds (world- islands) throughout endless and unbounded space ; and that it is as absurd to think there should be only one world in space, as that in an extensive field properly cultiyated, there should grow up no more than one single blade of com. It was the opinion of Democritus that some of these worlds re- semble each other, whilst others are entirely dissimilar. § There are four things which cannot be comprehended by aay one that is not a Budha. 1. Karma-wisaya, how it is that effects are produced by the I. THE SYSTEM OF THE UNIVERSE. 9 • On a certain occasion, when Gdtama Badba delivered the dis- course called the Aronawati-sutra, he said that Abhibhn, a priest who existed in the time of the Budha called Sikhi, caused the rays from his body, whenever he said bana, to disperse the darkness of a thousand sak walas. Ananda, the personal attendant of G6tama, on hearing this, respectWl j enquired how many sakwalas are en- lightened by the rays of a supreme Budha, when he says bana. G6tama replied, " What is it that you ask, Ananda P The powers and virtues of the Budhas are without limit. A little mould taken in the finger nail may be compared to the whole earth ; but the glory of the disciple cannot in any way be compared to that of the supreme Budha. The virtue and power of the disciple are one; those of Budha are another. No one but Budha can perceive the whole of the sakwalas. The sakwalas are without end, infinite ; but when Budha is situated in any place for the purpose of saying bana, all the sakwalas are seen by him as clearly as if they were close at hand ; and to the beings who are in any of the sakwalas he can say bana, in such a manner that they can hear it, and receive instruction." To this Ananda replied, " All the sakwalas are not alike. The sun of one sakwala rises, whilst that of another is setting ; in one it is noon, whilst in another it is midnight ; in one the inhabitants are sowing, whilst in another they are reaping : in one they are amusing themselves, and in another at rest ; some are in doubt, and others in certainty ; therefore, when Budha says bana, how can it be equally heard by all ?" The answer of Gdtama was to this effect : '' When Budha commences the delivery of a dis- course, the sun that was about to set appears to rise, through the influence of his power, which is exercised for the producing of this result ; the sun that was about to rise, appears to set ; and in the sakwalas where it is midnight it appears to be noon. The people of the different sakwalas are thereby led to exclaim, * A moment ago the sun was setting, but it is now rising ; a moment ago it was midnight, but it is now noon.' They then enquire, * How has this been caused ? Is it by a rishi, or a demon, or a dewa ?' In the midst of their surprise, the glory of Budha is seen in the sky, which disperses the darkness of all instrumentality of karma. 2. Irdhi-wiBaya, how it was that Budha could go in the snapping of a finger from the world of men to the brahma-ldkaa. 3. Ldka-wisaya, the size of the uniyerse, or how it was first brought into existence. 4. Budha^wisaya, the power and wisdom of Budha. 10 A AUNUAL OF BUDHISM. the sakwalas ; infinite though the sakwalas be, they all receive at that time the same degree of light ; and all this maj be caused by a single ray from the sacred person, no larger than a seed of sesamum. Were a rishi to make a lamp as large as a sakwala, and pour into it as much oil as there is water in the four oceans, with a wick as large as Maha M^ru ; the flame of such a lamp would appear to only one other sakwala, and to that only as the light emitted from a firefly ; but one ray from the person of Budha extends to, and enlightens, all the sakwalas that exist. Were a rishi to make a drum the size of the sakwala-gala, and to extend upon it a skin as large as the earth, and to strike this drum with an instrument as large as Maha M^ru, the sound would be heard distinctly in only one other sakwala ; but when Budha says bana, it may be heard by all beings, in all sakwalas, as clearly as if it was spoken in their immediate presence." (^Sadharrrmwrat-nahdre,) By the practice of the rite called kasina, to see to the verge of the rocks that bound the sakwala, and then to conclude that the world is finite, i. e. that beyond these rocks there are no other worlds, is the error called antaw4da. By the practice of the same rite, to see many other sakwalas, and then conclude that the world is infinite, is the error called anantaw&da. To con- clude that the world is finite vertically, but infinite horizontally, is the error called anant&nantaw4da. To conclude that the world is neither finite nor infinite, is the error called niLwanta- nanantawida. These errors are enumerated by G6tama Budha in the Brahma-jala-stitra, as being professed by some of the heretics included in the sixty- two sects that existed in his day. 4. Maha Meru, Maha Mem,* at the summit and at the base, is 10,000 yojanas in diameter, and in circumference 31,428 yojanas, 2 gows, 22 * Thifl mountain, which appears to be an exaggeration of the Himalayan range, was known to the Gh'eeks by the name of Meros, and was regarded by tiiem as connected with the legend of Dionjsius, who was concealed in the thigh, fitipoQ, of Zeus. "Two truncated cones, united at their bases, maj giye an idea of the figure of this mountain." — Sangermand's Burmese Empire. The Vishnu Pur&na says, that it is in the cntre of Jambudwipa, its height being 84,000 yojanas, and its depth below the surf^e of the earth 16,000. There seems to be some uncertainty among the Paur4nic8 as to its shape. In the sacredness of its character it resembles the Olympus of the 6h*eeks. Both mountains were in the same direction, Olympus being at the northern extremity of Ghreeoe, and the highest mountain of the country, the summit appearing to reach the heayens. They were alike the residences of I. THE SYSTEM OF THE UNIVERSE. 11 isubiiB, 18 yasLtis or staves, and 1 cubit ; leaving out the upper part, at the distance of 42,000 jojanas* from the summit, on a level with the rocks called Yugandhara, it is 30,000 yojanas in diameter, and in circumference 94,285 yojanas, 2 gows, 68 isubuB, 11 yashtis, and 3 cubits ; and in the centre it is 50,000 yojanas in diameter, and in circumference 157,142 yojanas, 3 gowB, 34 isubus, 5 yashtis, and 5 cubits. From the base to the summit its entire height is 168,000 yojanas, one half of this measurement being under the water of the great ocean, and the other half rising into the air. Were a stone to fall from the summit, it would be four months and fifteen days in reaching the earth.t The summit is the abode of Sekra, the regent or chief of the d^wa-ldka called Tawutisd ; and around it are four mansions, 5000 yojanas in size, inhabited by nilgas, garundas, khumbandaa, and yakas. At the four points, and the four half- points, Maha Meru is of a different colour, and the same colours are severally imparted to the seas, rocks, and other places in each direction. On the east, it is of a silver colour ,* on the south, sapphire ; on the west, coral ; on the north, gold ; on the north- east, virgin gold ; on the south-east, pale blue ; on the south- west, blue, and on the north-west, red gold. Its base rests upon a rock with three peaks called the Triktita-parwata, 30,000 yojanas in height. the deitiee of their respectiye mythologies. It was ii^n Olympus that the gods were assembled m cooncil by Zeus ; and when the kings and consuls among the Bomans were inaugurated, they looked towards tiie south, as if endowed with a portion of diyinity. * The length of the yojana is a disputed point. By the Singhalese it is legarded as about 16 miles in length, but by the Hindus of the continent as much shorter.