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(lo) The disciples were startled at this, and, inquiring the cause, were told that when a Samana or Brahman has his heart and passions fully under control, if of great intellectual power, he, by intense meditation, having as it were weighed the world and all its vani- ties, can make the earth "move and tremble." Jesus could do this and more by faith alone. By faith, we are told, he could topple a mountain into the sea. (ii) Both of these men possessed, it seems, the marvelous power of "vanishing away," but, as Buddha preceded Jesus, the latter may have learned this wonderful secret from his predecessor. (12) Section 2. Towards the last days of these two men, there is not much in common between them. Jesus, knowing that his enemies were about to tri- umph, prayed the Father to let the cup pass; and an angel, we are told, was sent from heaven to strengthen him. (13) The Hindu devil seems to have known, some months before this passage of the river, that Tathagata was soon to leave the world, for he promptly appeared and urged him to pass away at once. "I shall not die, O evil one," replied Buddha, "until the brethren and sisters and lay disciples of the order shall become wise and well trained, ready and (10) Ch. 3, Vol. XI, S. B. K, Sec. 19, p. 48. (11) Matt. 21, V. 21. (12) Book of Great Decease, p. 44 and 46. P. 49 and 50, Book of Great Decease. Luke 4: v. 30. John 8: v. 59. (13) Luke 22; v. 42 and 43. A QUESTION OF MIRACLES 239 learned, versed in the scriptures, fulfilling all the greater and lesser duties, correct in life, walking ac- cording to the precepts; until they, having themselves learned the doctrine, shall be able to tell others of it, make it known, establish it, minutely explain it; until they, when others start vain doctrines, shall be able, by the truth, to vanquish and refute them, and so to spread the wonder-working truth abroad." (14) "I shall not die," said Buddha, "until this pure re- ligion of mine shall become widespread and prosper- ous; until, in a word, it shall have been proclaimed and well grounded among men." The devil replied : "Your religion has become all this. Pass away now. Lord, pass away." Buddha answered: "Make thyself happy, O evil one. The time of my deliverance is at hand ; in three months I shall pass to Nirvana." (15) A little later, Gotama and his disciples reached Kusinara, where he wished to die. Here he was given a couch in a grove of Sala trees; and, we are told that, although it was out of season, those trees were one mass of bloom, which they scattered over and around the Tathagata. Moreover, it is said, heavenly music and songs sounded from the skies, "out of reverence to the suc- cessor of the Buddhas of old." (14) Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XI, p. 43. (15) A little later the devil appeared again and made the same request and received the same answer. P. 53, Vol. XI, S. B. E. The Hebrew devil talked to Jesus frequently, as we have heretofore observed. Matt. 4: v. 8. Acts 19: v. 15, 240 A QUESTION OF MIRACLES We must not be startled at what is told us of the Bodhisats, who preceded the one of whom we are writing. For India is not tied down to any little six thousand years since the world's creation. Tlic pendulum of her time swings back prodigiously in the opposite di- rection. They have a tradition — a foolish one per- haps, but nevertheless a tradition — that millions and millions of years ago (i6) Gotama was a Brahman named Sumedha, and that he then made a high re- solve to become a Buddha. That Dipankara, the Buddha in that far-off time, then predicted that at the end of four Asankyes, and a hundred thousand cycles, Sumedha would become a Buddha named Go- tama. And Dipankara then predicted further, that Gotama would be born in Kapilavastu, that, after great exertion under a bo-tree, on the banks of the Narangara river, he would reach the throne of knowl- edge. (17) Moreover, it is said that the angels in ten thousand world systems, at this happy augury, scattered flowers and shouted their applause. (18) (16) The tradition is that he was born four AsanTcyas and one hundred thousand cycles ago. An Asankya is a vast period of time, 80 vast that if it should rain incessantly for three years over the whole earth, the number of rain drops falling would only equal the years of an Asankya. That places Gotama '3 ancestry millions and billions of years ago. But it seems he could choose his parents. Vol. 35, S. B. E., p. 270. (17) This whole supposed prediction looks very suspicious, and was probably written long after Gotama was born. (18) The Hindus believe there were tens of thousands of world systems; that our world system was only one among many. (Hardy's Manual, p. 8.) On that point I agree with them. This A QUESTION OF MIRACLES 241 Most marvelous stories are told about the Buddhas of old. One of them, back several thousands of years ago, when visiting a Buddha's shrine, wrapped a thousand wicks about his head and body and set them on fire. Thus he spent the whole night, walking about the shrine, and lo ! in the morning not a hair of his head was singed. (19) For pure imagination and impudent assertion, the Hindu and Hebrew bibles surpass all modern fiction. Genesis would have us believe that Noah and the old patriarchs lived from six hundred to a thousand years, all of which is unbelievable. But it dwarfs to nothing by the side of Hindu exaggerations, which set forth that the Buddhas of old lived from sixty to one hun- dred thousand years; and their bodies are alleged to have been equally enormous, ranging in height from forty to ninety cubits. Truly "there were giants in those days." (20) and it may be that Genesis is only a faint reflection from the East. However, it is cer- tain that India always surpassed Palestine in the num- ber and quality of its spirits. The very air at times was filled with them ; some were large and some were small ; and to the Sala grove, where Gotama was rest- world of ours is, I believe, only one among millions of worlds. But as it only takes six days to make a world, the Lord has had plenty of time, if diligent, to make millions of them. Sea Btory of Sumedha, in Buddhist birth stories. (19) The three Hebrew children, it seems, were likewise im- pervious to the flames, for although in a very hot furnace, not a hair of their heads was singed. Of course both of these stories are utterly untrue. (Daniel, ch 3: p. 34, Jatoka tales.) Both are monumental falsehoods. (20) Genesis, 6: v. 4. Birth Stories, p. 3 to 40. 242 A QUESTION OF MIRACLES ing, the day before he died, tlicy came from far and near to behold tlie dying Tathagata. Some of those spirits, we are told, were so small that a dozen or more could stand on the tip of one's finger. Section 3. "Now today, in the last watch of the night," said Gotama, "the death of a Tathagata will take place. There are spirits in the sky, of worldly mind, who will dishevel their hair and weep — who will fall prostrate on the ground and cry out, 'Too soon has the blessed one passed away.' (21) But those who are self-possessed will see the impermanence of all earthly things — that whatever is born contains within itself the germ and certainty of dissolution." Buddha then proceeded to state that there were four places that believing hearts, with feelings of rever- ence, ought to visit: The birth place of a Tathagata, the spot where he attained supreme insight, the place where the king- dom of righteousness was established, and the place where he finally passed away. And he added, that "if any believing one shall die while on such a pil- grimage, he will be re-born into the happy realms of heaven." When asked what should be done with his remains, he replied : "Treat them as men treat the remains of a King of Kings." Ananda, his favorite disciple, when told that Buddha would soon pass away, com- menced to weep: whereupon Buddha said to him: (21) The reader must not overlook the statement that spirits in the sky will fall on the ground and weep. It is a picture of earth, not heaven. A QUESTION OF MIRACLES 243 "Ananda, let not your heart be troubled. (22) Do not weep; have I not told you that it is in the very nature of things that we must leave those most dear to us? That whatever is born contains within itself the seeds of dissolution ?