Budha thought within himself, there are many among my disciples, who can make a display of great wonders: it is meet that the crowds should be aware of it, and see how with hearts stout like that of the lion, they are ready to perform the most wonderful feats. He said aloud: Who are they, those who can work wonders?-let them come forward. Many came in his

presence with a lion like boldness and a thundering voice, craving for the honor of displaying supernatural powers. Among them was a rich man named Anathapeing, a female child called Hera, a grown up woman, and Mankalan. They volunteered their services to perform the most extraordinary wonders in order to frighten at once the heretics, and make them to understand that if such a power belonged to the disciples, what must be that of Budha himself. But Budha would not accept their proffered services, and said to them, that the people had not been assembled there for their sake, but for his, and that to him alone was reserved the task of enrapturing the crowd, by the great wonders he was preparing to show. Addressing Mankalan, he said to him that being a Budha he could not leave to others the trouble of performing his own duty. In former existences, when he was a bullock, he drew from a muddy place a heavily laden cart, to save a Brahmin's property, and rejoice his heart.

Budha ascended into the immense road he had created in the air, in the presence of the crowd that filled a place of eighteen youdzanas in breadth and twenty-four youdzanas in length. These wonders which he was about to display, were the result of his own wisdom, and could not be imitated by He caused a stream of water to issue from the upper any one. part of his body and flames of fire from the lower part and on a sudden the contrary took place again, fire issued from his right eye and streams of water from his left eye, and so from his nostrils, ears, right and left, in front and behind, the same wonder happened in such a way, as the streams of fire succeeded the streams of water, but without mingling with each other. Each stream in an upward direction reached the seats of Bramahs, each stream in a downward direction penetrated as far as hell. In an horizontal direction, they reached the extremities of the world. From each of his hairs, the same wonderful display feasted the

on

astonished eyes of the assembled people. The six glories gushed as it was from every part of his body, and made it appear resplendent beyond description. Having no one to converse with, he created a personage, who appeared to walk with him. Sometimes he sat down whilst his companion was pacing along and at other times he himself walked, whilst his interlocutor was either standing or sitting. During all the while Budha put to him questions which he readily answered, and in his turn replied to the interrogations he made to him. At intervals, Phra preached to the crowd who were exceedingly rejoiced and sung praises to him. According to their good dispositions, he expounded the various points of the law. The people who heard him, and saw the wonderful works he performed, obtained the understanding of the four great principles.

NOTES.

74. In glancing over the episode of Thoodandana's deputation to his son to invite him to come and visit his native country, the reader is almost compelled to confess that the motive that influenced the King was but inspired by the natural feeling of beholding once more before he died, him whose fame, spread far and wide, rendered him an object of universal admiration. Was the monarch ever induced by considerations of a higher order, to send for Budha? There is no distinct proot in support of this supposition. He was a father, and he but obeyed and followed the impulse of his paternal heart. He entertained a high sense of his son's distinguished qualifications, he had faith in the wonderful signs foretelling his future matchless greatness. He desired, therefore, to honor him in an extraordinary way, on the very spot where he had been born. But he appeared to concern himself very little about the doctrines he was preaching with a never equalled success. The King exhibited a great amount of worldly mindedness, until his mind had been enlightened by the oral instructions of the great reformer.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to form an accurate idea of the effect caused on the mass of the people by Budha's preachings. We see that eminent and zealous reformer surrounded with thousands of distinguished disciples, in the country of Razagnio. These converts belonged chiefly to the class of anchorites and philosophers already alluded to in some foregoing notes, as existing at the time Budha began to enter the career of preaching. But the great bulk of the populations of the various places he visited, seemed to have received for a long time, little or no impressions from his discourses. The opponents of Budha, the Brahmins in particular, exercised a powerful influence over the public mind. They used it most effectually for retaining the ancient hold over the masses. It required the extraordinary display of the greatest wonders to break through the almost insuperable barriers raised by his enemies. From that period we see the people following Budha, crowding round him, and showing unmistakeable signs of belief in him.

The only ground to account for this undeniable result, is the philosophical method adopted by Budha in expounding the principles of his system. His mode of proceeding in the gradual development of his ideas, retained the abstruseness peculiar to subjects discussed in schools of Philosophy. The technical terms so familiar to scholars, prove enigmatical to the uninitiated vulgar. It takes a long time before maxims elaborated by scholars be so far popularized, as to be understood by the unlearned, which in every age and country have always constituted the great mass of the people. If the mind of the generality of men is unable to comprehend at first a system of doctrine, we cannot wonder at the slow progress made by the preachings of the great reformer: but the working of wonders is a

157

tangible fact operating upon the senses of the multitude, eliciting their applauses and disposing them to yield an implicit faith to all the instructions imparted by the wonderful being that is gifted with supernatural powers. Feelings and not reason become the foundation of a belief which grows stronger in proportion to the mysterious obscurity that encompasses the proposed dogmas, when supported by wonderful deeds.

At the time Thoodandana sent messengers to his son, the great work of conversion was carried on with a most complete and hitherto unheard of success. The hall of the Weloowan monastery was too small for the thousands that flocked thither to hear Gaudama. Without its precincts, crowds stoods motionless, listening with unabated attention to the discourses that fell from his lips. So crowded was the audience, that the messengers had no chance to make way to the presence of the preacher. Struck at the intense attention paid to what was said by their master's son they too become acquainted with the subjects of the instructions. What was listened to from motives of mere curiosity soon made a deep impression upon their minds. The magic powers of the irresistable eloquence of Budha worked almost instantaneously a thorough change in their dispositions, and they became converts. So perfect was their conversion that they forget for the sake of truth, the very object of their mission. They became at once Members of the Assembly and took rank among the Rahans. They attained the state of Ariahs and were foremost among the perfect. The great attainments arrived at by the Ariahs communicated to the material portion of their being, such an extraordinary amount of amazing virtues or properties that it became so refired as to partake to a certain degree of the nature of spirit. Hence we see the Rahandas going over immense distances, through the air and performing deeds of a supernatural order. The power of working miracles is, therefore, inherent to perfection; and it is greater or smaller in proportion to the degree of perfection possessed by individuals. We find that power expanded in Budha to an unlimited extent, because his mental attainments were boundless.

75. Magatha is a country in the north of India. It occupied nearly the same extent of territory now called Behar, in Bengal. The Pali or sacred language of the southern Budhists, is often called the language of Magatha. Hence we may infer that it was the common language of that country. It is probable that the Pali language was extensively spoken in the days of Gaudama and it was the channel through which he and his disciples long after him conveyed their religious instruc tions to the multitude of converts. The Pittagat or the last amended collection of sacred writings, is written in Pali, which is looked upon in Ceylon, Nepaul, Except in some old Burmah, and Siam as the language of sacred literature. manuscripts, where the old square Pali letters are used, the Burmese employ their common alphabetic characters for writing Pali words. The words having to pass first through a Burmese ear, and next being expressed by Burmese letters, undergo great changes. To such an extent does the metamorphosis reach, that very often they are scarcely recognizable. The Burmese, however, deserve great credit for having in very many instances, retained in their Orthography of Pali words, letters which, though not at all sounded, indicate to the eye the nature of the word, its origin, and its primitive form.

In the southern parts of Burmah, the Pali language is learned, but not studied, used but not understood by the inmates of monasteries. They are all obliged to learn certain formulas of prayers to be daily recited in private, and on great and solemn occasions, to be chanted aloud in the presence of a crowd of pious hearers. The writer anxious to acquire some knowledge of the sacred language, visited often those monks, who among their brethren enjoyed a certain fame for learning, with the express intention of becoming an humble student under the direction of one of the best informed of the society. He was thoroughly disappointed at finding those who proffered their services in great earnest, quite ignorant and utterly incapable of giving him the least assistance.

The Burmese have translated in their vernacular tongue most of the sacred writings. In many instances the translation is not exactly what we call interlineary, but it approaches to it as near as possible. Two, three or four Pali words are written down, and the translation in Burmese follows; then come again a few other Pali words accompanied also with the translation, and so on throughout the whole work. The art of translating well and correctly from one language into another, is good translation not so common as many persons may imagine. In

V

are required many qualifications which are not to be easily met with, particularly in a Burmese to whom we may give credit for knowing well his own tongue, but who without taking away from his literary attainments, is certainly an indifferent Pali scholar. These translations may convey perhaps the general meaning of the original, but as regards the correct meaning of each term, it is a luxury ever denied to the reader of such rude and imperfect compositions,

76. The attentive reader of this work cannot fail to remark the general tendencles of Budhism to isolation, retirement, and solitudes. In a retired position, man's mind is less distracted or dissipated by exterior objects, it possesses a greater share of self control, and is more fit for the arduous work of attentive reflexion and deep meditation. Whenever Budha attended by his followers reaches a place, where he is to stay for a while, a grove without the city, is invariably selected. Thither the great preacher retires as in a beloved solitude. He enjoys it beyond all that can be said, alone with his spiritual family, unconcerned about the affairs of this world, he breathes at ease the pure atmosphere of a complete calm, his undisturbed soul soars freely in the boundless regions of spiritualism. What he has seen and discovered in his contemplative errands, with a placid countenance and a mild voice, he imparts it to his disciples, endeavouring thereby to make them progress in the way of perfection.

In those solitary abodes of peace, Budha was willing to receive all those who wished for instruction. They were all without distinction of rank or caste admitted in the presence of him who came professedly to point to men the way to happiness by helping them to disentangle themselves from the trammels of passions. He preached to all, the most excellent law. The tendency to retreat and withdrawal from worldly tumult is in our own days conspicuous in the care taken by Budhistic monks to have their houses built in some lonely quarters of a town, assigned exclusively for that special purpose, or as is oftener the case, in fine places at a small distance from the walls. Some of these groves, in the centre whereof rose the peaceful abode of Rahans, the writer has often seen and much admired. In towns or large villages, where the ground is uneven, the small heights are generally crowned with the dwellings of Rahans.

per

77. The narrative of Budha's reception in his father's royal city suggests reflexions. The first is that the saying: nemo Propeta in suâ patria, was as true in the days of Gaudama as in subsequent ages. The mountains of Kapilawot had often re-echoed the praises of Budha and the recital of his wonderful doings. The splendid retinue of twenty thousand distinguished converts that attended his son-the hitherto unwitnessed display of miraculous powers &c., all these high qualifications seemed more than sufficient to secure for him a distinguished reception among his kinsmen, who ought to have been proud of being connected with him by the ties of relationship. Such, however, was not the case. Actuated by the lowest feelings of base jealousy, the relatives refused to pay him the respect he was BO well entitled to. Their wretched obduracy was to be conquered by the awe and fear his miraculous power inspired.

The second reflextion suggested by the recital of the ceremonies observed on the occasion of Budha's reception in his native country, is the truly pleasing fact of seeing the weaker sex appearing in public, divested of the shackles put upon it by oriental jealousy. In Burmah and Siam, the doctrines of Budhism have produced a striking and to the lover of true civilization a most interesting result, viz, the almost complete equality of the condition of women with that of men. In those countries women are not miserably confined in the interior of their houses, without the remotest chance of ever appearing in public. They are seen circulating freely in the streets, they preside at the comptoir, and hold an almost exclusive possession of the bazars. Their social position is more elevated in every respect than that of the persons of their sex in the regions where Budhism is not the predominating creed. They may be said to be men's companions and not their slaves. They are active, industrious and by their labors and exertions contribute their full share towards the maintenance of the family. The marital rights are fully acknowledged by a respectful behaviour towards their lords. In spite of all that has been said by superficial observers, I feel convinced that manners are less corrupted in those countries where women enjoy liberty than in those where they are buried alive, by a despotic custom, in the grave of an opprobrious slavery. Budhism disapproves of polygamy; but it tolerates divorce. In this respect, the habits of the people are of a damnable laxity.

78. Budhist Monks out of humility and contempt for all worldly things do not allow hairs or beard to grow. They walk barefooted, wearing a yellow dress of the simplest make. They are bound to live on the alms that are freely bestowed upon them. The regulations of the Wini are in this respect most explicit and leave no room for false interpretation. A Rahan having renounced the world and divested himself of all worldly property, is bound by his professional vows to rely for his daily food on what he may obtain by begging. Hence the appellation of Bickus or Mendicants always bestowed on them by Gaudama whenever he addressed them in particular on certain points regarding their profession. In Burmah, as soon as the day begins to dawn, a cloud of yellow dressed Monks sally forth from their abode with the patta under the left arm, and perambulate the streets in quest of food. They never ask for anything, they accept what is voluntarily tendered to them, without uttering a single word of thanks or even looking at their generous benefactors. This action of bestowing alms to the Rahans is deemed a most meritorious one. The offerer, therefore, becomes liberal not on occount of the person he is assisting, but because of the abundant merits he hopes to derive from it. This notion agrees very well with the leading tenets of Budhism.

79. The answer of Budha to his royal father is a most remarkable one and deserves the attention of the observer. The great reformer does away with all the prerogatives man may derive from birth, rank and riches. Law alone can confer titles of true greatness and genuine nobility. The fervent and zealous observers of the law are alone entitled to the respect of their fellowmen. The begging of alms may be in the eyes of worldling a low and mean action, but it becomes a most dignified one because it is enforced by the law. This lofty principle boldly establishes the superiority of virtue upon the strongest basis, and sanctions the moral code he was destined to publish to men and saddle on their conscience. The criterion of all that is good, excellent, praiseworthy and meritorious, is no more to depend on the arbitrary and very often erroneous views of men, but it must rest upon the immutable tenets of the eternal law, discovered, revived and published by the omniscient Budha. This truth like a flash of light illuminated the king's mind and at this first preaching of his son, he attained the first of the four states of perfection.

The Princes Thamadat, Thoudadana boasted to descend from, are, according to Budhistic sacred books, the Princes who were elected to hold supreme power at the very moment the words mine and thine began to be heard amongst men, after they had eaten the rice called Thala tsan, and become subject to passions.

The Princess Yathandara mentioned in this narrative, had been the wife of Budha, ere he had withdrawn into solitude and renounced the world. A son had just been born to him, when he left his father's palace. His name was Raoula. The doctrine of the influence of merits gathered during former existences. is forcibly illustrated in the case of Yathandara who, unmindful of the position she occupied in former years, did not hesitate to prostrate herself at Budha's feet, acknowledging him to be worthy of all honor and veneration. Her former merits disposed her to view in him, who had been her husband, the extraordinary personage who was to lead men in the path of virtue and happiness.

80. Ananda was Butha's younger brother, the presumptive heir to the crown of Kapilawot. His conversion grieved much the king, who to prevent the recurrence of such an event, exacted from the great reformer that in after times no one could be admitted into the society of the perfect, without having previously obtained the consent of his parents, failing such a condition the act of admission should be considered as null and void. Hence, we read in the book of ordination or admittance to the dignity of Rahan, that the person directed by the President of the Assembly to examine the candidate, never omits to enquire from him, whether he has obtained the consent of his parents.

From the moment of his conversion, Ananda devoted himself to the service of Budha. He never parted from him, but remained to the last his faithful attendant, ever conspicuous for his readiness in ministering to the wants and necessities of Budha. At all times when the latter had to communicate some orders or give directions to the Rahans, or when some visitor desired to wait on him, Ananda was the person who transmitted all orders, or ushere visitors into the presence of the preacher. He was the medium of intercourse between Budha and all those that surrounded him. The conversion of Raoula soon followed that of Ananda Of this new and distinguished convert no mention is made afterwards in the course of