mains one and the same among all nations, in all climes, and under all conditions. The law of the survival of the fittest holds good also in the domain of spiritual institutions. And let us remember that the greatest power lies not in numbers, not in wealth, not in political influence, but in truth. Whatever may be the fate of the various faiths of the world, we may be sure that the truth will prevail in the end. THE ORIGIN OF BUDDHISM. BRAHMANISM THE CRADLE OF BUDDHISM. ABOUT two and a half millenniums ago, India was already in a very prosperous condition. The land yielded rich harvests; industries and arts flourished; and science kept abreast with the material development of civilization. Logic, however, and abstract reasoning had attained an unusually high development, for in these arts the ancient Indians were masters above all other nations in the world. In those days the religious question was, perhaps, for the first time, recognized in its full importance, and led to investigations, discussions and various modes of solution. The central problem which lies at the root of all religion is concerned with the origin of, and the deliverance from, evil. We are thirsting for life, not only for life in general, but for individual life, for the preservation of our personal existence, its continuance, welfare, and further evolution; yet life involves us in pain, misery, labors, struggles, sickness, old age and death. The very contents of life seem to be made up of evils, as a 14 BUDDHISM AND ITS CHRISTIAN CRITICS. means of escape from which religion was sought, and the religion of India was in those days, as it is now again, Brahmanism. Brahmanism is a system of ceremonies, prayers and sacrifices by which men attempt to win the favor of the gods. The doctrines of Brahmanism are contained in their sacred writings called the Vedas, which were supposed to have been revealed by divine inspiration. The purpose of sacrifice was threefold: (1) we read in the Vishnu-purâna," By sacrifices the gods are nourished," and (2) in the Tândyabrâhmana the limb of the victim consigned to the fire of the altar is called "the expiation for sins committed, by the gods, by our ancestors, by other men now living, and by ourselves." But the dearest hope of the Hindu was (3) to acquire through sacrifices supernatural powers. The Hindu world-conception as it appears in the Vêdic literature may be called a loose monism. It is a unitary world-conception containing a polytheistic mythology, the meaning of which, however, is frankly declared to be pantheistic. Brahma is the One and All, and he reveals himself in all the various divinities. We read in the Isa Upanishad: * "Whate'er exists within this universe Is all to be regarded as enveloped By the great Lord, as if wrapped in a vesture. Unmoved, yet moving swifter than the mind; * From Sir Monier Monier-Williams' Hinduism, p. 45. They strive to reach him; who himself at rest Henceforth regards no creature with contempt." The social system of ancient India divided the people rigorously into four castes: the Brahmans or priests, the Kshatriyas or warriors, the Vaishyas or traders and agriculturists, and the Shudras, or the lowly class of the conquered population. The first three are Aryans; the last mentioned, the original inhabitants of India. THE DARSANAS OF ANCIENT INDIA. There were six philosophies (Darsanas) in ancient India: 1. The Mîmânsâ, founded by Jaimini; 2. The Vêdânta, whose main representative was Sankarâchârya; 3. The Vaisheshika, founded by Kanâda; 4. The Nyâna, founded by Gotama; 5. The Sâmkhya, founded by Kapila; and 6. The Yoga. The first two, Mîmânsâ and Vêdânta, may briefly be characterized as an exegesis of the Vêdas. The Vêdas are said to be eternal and their authority is recognized as absolute. The aim of the Mîmânsâ is to explain unintelligible passages of the Vêdic texts and to give reliable information concerning the proper performances of ceremonies and sacrifices. The Vêdânta, which literally means the end or aim |