CHAPTER I.

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TRUeBNER'S

ORIENTAL SERIES.

THE LIFE OR LEGEND

OF

GAUDAMA

_THE BUDDHA OF THE BURMES_

With Annotations.

THE WAYS TO NEIBBAN, AND NOTICE ON THE

PHONGYIES OR BURMESE MONKS.

BY THE

RIGHT REVEREND P. BIGANDET,

BISHOP OF RAMATHA,

VICAR APOSTOLIC OF AVA AND PEGU

_IN TWO VOLUMES._

VOL. I.

Fourth Edition.

LONDON:

KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUeBNER & CO. LTD.

DRYDEN HOUSE, GERRARD STREET, W.

1911.

_The rights of translation and of reproduction are reserved._

Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.

At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh

ADVERTISEMENT TO THIRD EDITION.

The origin of the present work dates back to the years 1852, 1853, 1854,

and 1855, when portions of it appeared in the "Journal of the Indian

Archipelago and Eastern Asia," edited by J. R. Logan of Penang (vols.

vi., vii., viii., and ix.). The first complete edition was printed at

Rangoon in Burmah in 1858, and a second, much enlarged, at the same

place in 1866.

Very few copies of either of these editions reached Europe, and both are

entirely out of print. The present third edition--a faithful reprint of

the second--issued, with Bishop Bigandet's sanction, for the benefit of

European and American scholars and readers, will, therefore, it is

hoped, be gladly received.

Buddhism and Gautama, the faith and its founder, whose followers are

between four and five hundred millions of the human race, were

comparatively unknown in Europe but a generation ago, and yet this great

faith had continued for four and twenty centuries to spread over the

vast lands of the East, taking deep and enduring root in all, from

Bhotan, Nepaul, and Ceylon, over Further India to China Proper,

Mongolia, Mantchooria, Tibet, and Japan.

Buddhism, as it is found in Burmah, has a particular claim to the

attention of a diligent and attentive observer. We there have that

religious creed or system as pure from adulteration as it can be after a

lapse of so many centuries. Philosophy never flourished in Burmah, and,

therefore, never modified the religious systems of the country. Hinduism

never exercised any influence on the banks of the Irrawaddy. Chinese and

Burmese have often met on battlefields, but the influence of the Middle

Kingdom has never established itself in Burmah. In other words, Chinese

Buddhism has never been able to penetrate into the customs and manners

of the people, and has not attempted to communicate its own religion to

its southern neighbours. It would seem that the true form of Buddhism is

to be found in Burmah, and that a knowledge of that system can only be

arrived at by the study of the religious books of Burmah, and by

attentively observing the religious practices and ceremonies of the

people. This is what Bishop Bigandet has endeavoured to do throughout

his work.

Mr. Alabaster, the author of a very popular work on Siamese Buddhism,

testifies to the great value of the Bishop's work, which, he remarks, is

in one sense complete, for whereas the Siamese manuscript concludes with

the attainment of omniscience, the Bishop had materials which enabled

him to continue the story to the death of Nirwana (Neibban in the

Burmese Pali form). He might have added that the work modestly entitled

"Life of Gaudama" is a complete exposition of the great system of

Eastern Asia. The metaphysical part, which is the very essence of the

system, has received a due consideration, and the body of religious has

been fully described. Moreover, the foot-notes help the ordinary reader

in understanding clearly the text of the Legend.

Professor Albrecht Weber speaks also of the Bishop's work in terms of

high commendation (see "Literarisches Centralblatt," 1870, No. 29,

reprinted in "Indische Streifen," vol. iii.), whilst a still further

testimony is accorded to its importance in the recent appearance of a

French translation by Lieutenant Victor Gauvain.

LONDON, _December_ 1879.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

Whether Buddhism be viewed in its extent and diffusion, or in the

complex nature of its doctrines, it claims the serious attention of

every inquiring mind.

In our own days it is, under different forms, the creed prevailing in

Nepaul, Thibet, Mongolia, Corea, China, the Japanese Archipelago, Anam,

Cambodia, Siam, the Shan States, Burmah, Arracan, and Ceylon. Its sway

extends over nearly one-fourth of the human race.

Though based upon capital and revolting errors, Buddhism teaches a

surprising number of the finest precepts and purest moral truths. From

the abyss of its almost unfathomable darkness it sends forth rays of the

brightest hue.

To the reflecting mind, the study of this religious system becomes the

study of the history of one of the greatest religious enterprises that

has ever been undertaken to elevate our nature above its low level, by

uprooting the passions of the heart and dispelling the errors of the

mind. A serious observer sees at a glance the dark and humiliating

picture of the sad and barren results of the greatest and mightiest

efforts of human wisdom, in its endeavours to find out the real cause of

all human miseries, and to provide the remedies to cure the moral

distempers to which our nature is subject. The fact of man's wretched

and fallen condition was clearly perceived by the Buddhist philosopher,

but he failed in his attempts to help man out of the difficulties which

encompass him in all directions, and to bring him back to the path of

truth and salvation. The efforts begun on the banks of the Ganges at an

early period, and carried on with the greatest ardour and perseverance,

have proved as abortive as those made at a later period throughout

Greece and Italy by the greatest and brightest geniuses of antiquity.

What a grand and irresistible demonstration both of the absolute

inability of man to rescue from evil and attain good, and of the

indispensable necessity of divine interference to help him in

accomplishing that twofold achievement!

It may be said in favour of Buddhism, that no philosophico-religious

system has ever upheld, to an equal degree, the notions of a saviour and

deliverer, and of the necessity of his mission for procuring the

salvation, in a Buddhist sense, of man. The _role_ of Buddha, from

beginning to end, is that of a deliverer, who preaches a law designed to

secure to man deliverance from all the miseries under which he is

labouring. But by an inexplicable and deplorable eccentricity, the

pretended saviour, after having taught man the way to deliver himself

from the tyranny of his passions, only leads him, after all, into the

bottomless gulf of total annihilation.

Buddhism, such as we find it in Burmah, appears to have retained, to a

great extent, its original character and primitive genuineness,

exhibiting, as it does, the most correct forms and features of that

Protean creed. At the epoch the Burmans left the northern valleys and

settled in the country they now inhabit, they were a half-civilised

Mongolian tribe, with no kind of worship, except a sort of geniolatry,

much similar to what we see now existing among the various tribes

bordering on Burmah. They were in the same condition when the first

Buddhist missionaries arrived among them. Deposited in this almost

virginal soil, the seed of Buddhism grew up freely without encountering

any obstacle to check its growth.

Philosophy, which, in its too often erratic rambles in search of truth,

changes, corrects, improves, destroys, and, in numberless ways, modifies

all that it meets, never flourished in these parts; and, therefore, did

not work on the religious institutions, which accordingly have remained

up to this day nearly the same as they were when first imported into

Burmah. The free discussion of religious and moral subjects, which

constituted the very life of the Indian schools, and begat so many

various, incoherent, and contradictory opinions on the most essential

points of religion and philosophy, is the sign of an advanced state of

civilisation, such as does not appear to have ever existed on the banks

of the Irrawaddy.

Owing to its geographical position, and perhaps, also, to political

causes, Burmah has ever remained out of the reach of Hindu influence,

which in Nepaul has coloured Buddhism with Hindu myths, and habited it

in gross forms of idolatry. In China, where there already subsisted at

the time of the arrival of the preachers of the new doctrine the worship

of heroes and ancestors, Buddhism, like an immense parasitic plant,

extended itself all over the institutions which it covered rather than

destroyed, allowing the ancient forms to subsist under the disguise it

afforded them. But such was not the state of Burmah when visited by the

first heralds of Buddhism.

The epoch of the introduction of Buddhism in Burmah has hitherto been a

matter of conjecture. According to Burmese annals, Boudha-gautha, at the

end of the fourth century of our era, brought from Ceylon a copy of the

scriptures, and did for Burmah what Fa-Hian, the Chinese pilgrim,

accomplished a few years afterwards in India and Ceylon for the benefit

of his country. But Burmans maintain that they were followers of Buddha

long before that epoch. If an inference may be drawn from analogy, it

is probable that they are right in their assertion. China is fully as

far from the ancient seat of Buddhism as Burmah. Yet it appears from the

Chinese annals that the doctrines of the Indian philosopher were already

propagated in some parts of that empire in the middle of the first

century of our era, and probably at an earlier date. There is no

improbability in concluding that, at least at the same time, Buddhist

missionaries had penetrated into this country to propagate their tenets.

According to Buddhistic annals, it was after the holding of the 3d

Council, 236 after Gaudama's death, 207 B.C., that two missionaries

carried religion to Thaton, the ruins of which are still to be seen

between the mouths of the Tsitang and Salween rivers, and established

Buddhism in Pegu. Be that as it may, we know, from the magnificent

Buddhist monuments of Pagan, that that religion had reached, in the

eleventh and twelfth centuries, a degree of splendour that has never

since been equalled.

The Buddhist scriptures are divided into three great parts, the Thoots

or instructions, the Wini or discipline, and the Abidama or metaphysics.

Agreeably to this division, the matter of the following pages is

arranged under three heads. The Life of Buddha, with some portions of

his preaching, will convey notions of his principal teachings and

doctrines. It is accompanied with copious annotations intended to

explain the text, and to convey detailed notices of the system of

Buddhism in general, and particularly as it is found existing in Burmah.

We have added a few small dzats, or accounts of some of the former

existences of Gaudama, and the summary of two large ones.

In the Notice on the Phongyies will be found the chief points of

discipline fully explained and developed. We have endeavoured to render

as complete as possible the account of the Buddhist Religious, or

Phongyies. It is an exposition and practical illustration of the

highest results that can be obtained under the influence of the

doctrines of the Indian philosopher.

In the Ways to Neibban an attempt has been made to set forth and unfold

the chief points of metaphysics upon which hinges the whole religious

system. We confess that the summary of metaphysics is rather concise. We

were reluctant to proceed too far in this subject, which, to the

generality of readers, is an uninviting one.

A suggestion from Captain H. Hopkinson, Commissioner of the Martaban and

Tenasserim Provinces, has induced us to add a few remarks on the names

and situations of the principal towns and countries mentioned in the

Legend, with the view of identifying them with modern sites and places.

It is hardly necessary to state here that the writer, when he undertook

this work, had no other object in view than that of merely expounding

the religious system of Buddhism as it is, explaining its doctrines and

practices as correctly as it was in his power to do, regardless of their

merits and demerits. His information has been derived from the perusal

of the religious books of the Burmans, and from frequent conversations

on religion, during several years, with the best informed among the

laity and the religious whom he has had the chance of meeting.

The surest way perhaps of coming to at least an exact and accurate

knowledge of the history and doctrines of Buddhism would be to give a

translation of the Legends of Buddha, such as they are to be met with in

all countries where Buddhism has established its sway, and to accompany

these translations with an exposition of the various doctrinal points,

such as they are held, understood, and believed by these various

nations. This has already been done by eminent Orientalists, on

Thibetan, Sanscrit, Cingalese, and Chinese originals. A similar work,

executed by competent persons among the Shans, Siamese, Cambodians, and

Cochin Chinese, would considerably help the savants in Europe, who have

assumed the difficult task of expounding the Buddhist system in its

complex and multifarious forms, to give a full, general, and

comprehensive view of that great religious creed with all its

variations.

The best way to undermine the foundations of a false creed and

successfully attack it, is to lay it open to the eyes of all and exhibit

it as it really is. Error never retains its hold over the mind except

under the mask of truth which it contrives to assume. When deprived of

the mask that has covered its emptiness and unreality, it vanishes away

as a phantom and an illusion.

We are happy in having an opportunity of returning publicly our thanks

to the worthy Commissioner of Pegu, Major A. P. Phayre, for his kind

exertions in furthering the publication of this work. Not only is he an

eminent Oriental scholar, and profoundly versed in all that has

reference to Buddhism, but his great delight is to encourage every

effort that tends to unfold and explain a creed which, despite all that

has been written about it in the several countries where it flourishes,

still contains many mysteries in the parts relating to its history and

doctrines that require clearing up.

We have, with a deeply-felt distrust of our poor abilities, taken the

best portion out of our limited stock of information concerning the

Buddhist system as it exists in these parts, and, with a willing heart,

presented it to the public. We hope that our example may induce others,

whose stores of knowledge on this subject are fuller and richer than

ours, to act in a similar spirit in aid of the prosecution of a great

object, viz., the acquisition of a correct knowledge of the religion of

nearly 300,000,000 of our fellow-men.

RANGOON, _October_ 1858.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

The First Edition of the Life of Gaudama being out of print for the last

five or six years, we have, at the request of several highly esteemed

persons, come to the determination of publishing a second and

much-enlarged edition of the same Work. In carrying on the plan of

improvement which we had in contemplation, we have been favoured by a

happy circumstance. We have, after much labour, found and procured, in

the Burmese capital, a very rare palm-leaf manuscript, the contents of

which have supplied us with copies and interesting details respecting

the sayings and doings of Gaudama.

The book is known under the Pali name of Tatha-gatha-oudana, the meaning

of which is Joyful Utterance, or Praises, of the Tatha-gatha. The latter

expression is one of the many titles given to Gaudama: it means, he who

has come like all his predecessors. In the opinion of Buddhists, the

Buddhas who appear throughout the duration of a world, or in the various

series of succeeding worlds, have all the same mission to accomplish;

they are gifted with the same perfect science, and are filled with

similar feelings of compassion for and benevolence towards all beings.

Hence the denomination which is fitly given to Gaudama, the last of

them.

In the course of the Work will be found some particulars concerning the

author of the manuscript referred to, and the place where it was

composed. We have only to state here that we have gathered therefrom

much information on the condition of Gaudama, previous to his last

existence, on the origin of the Kapilawot country, where he was born,

and on the kings he has descended from. We have also met with many new

details on the great intellectual working of Gaudama's mind, during the

forty-nine days he spent in meditation around the Bodi-tree,

particularly on the important theory of the twelve Nidanas, or causes

and effects, which, with the four sublime truths, constitutes the very

essence of the system. We have also found many important particulars

concerning the whereabouts of Gaudama during the first twenty years of

his public life, and the conversions he effected whilst engaged in the

work of an itinerant preacher. Here, too, we have gleaned and selected a

few of the instructions he delivered to the people that crowded about

him. The story of Dewadat is narrated at great length. We have carefully

written down what is said of the three Assemblies, or Councils, held at

Radzagio, Wethalie, and Pataliputra, and what is mentioned of the kings

who reigned in Magatha, from Adzatathat to Dammathoka. We have mentioned

the great fact of the spread of Buddhism beyond the boundaries of

Magatha after the holding of the third Council, taking care to relate

what we have found stated concerning its diffusion in Pegu and Burmah.

Numerous notes have been added to those of the First Edition, for the

purpose of elucidating and explaining, as far as we are able, the

principles of Buddhism and whatever is connected with that religious

system.

RANGOON, _May_ 1866.

CONTENTS.

LEGEND OR LIFE OF THE BURMESE BUDDHA, CALLED GAUDAMA.

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

Invocation of the Burmese translator -- Slow but steady progress

of Phralaong towards the Buddhaship -- Promise made to him by

the Buddha Deipinkara -- Origin and beginning of the Kapilawot

country and of its rulers -- Birth of Thoodaudana -- His

marriage with the Princess Maia -- Rumour of the coming birth of

a Buddha -- Phralaong in the seats of Nats -- Dream of Maia --

Conception of Phralaong -- Wonders attending that event. 1

CHAPTER II.

Birth of Buddha in a forest -- Rejoicings on that occasion --

Kaladewila -- Prediction of the Pounhas -- Vain efforts of

Thoodaudana to thwart the effect of the Prediction. 34

CHAPTER III.

A name is given to the child -- Prediction of the Pounhas

respecting the child -- Death of Maia -- Miraculous occurrence

at the child's cradle -- Adolescence of the Phralaong -- He sees

the four signs -- Return from the garden to the royal city. 45

CHAPTER IV.

Phralaong leaves his palace, the royal city, and retires into

solitude amidst the plaudits of the Nats -- He cuts his fine

hair with a stroke of his sword, and puts on the habit of Rahan

-- He begs his food at Radzagio -- His interview with the ruler

of that place -- His studies under two Rathees -- His fast and

penances in the solitude of Oorouwela during six years. 60

CHAPTER V.

Thoodzata's offering to Phralaong -- His five dreams -- He

shapes his course towards the Gniaong tree -- Miraculous

appearance of a throne -- Victory of Phralaong over Manh Nat --

His meditations during forty-nine days near the Bodi tree -- He

at last obtains the perfect science -- He overcomes the

temptations directed against him by the daughters of Manh --

Buddha preaches the law to a Pounha and to two merchants. 77

CHAPTER VI.

Buddha hesitates to undertake the task of preaching the law --

The great Brahma entreats him to preach the law to all beings --

His assent to the entreaties -- Journey towards Migadawon -- He

meets Ouppaka -- His first preachings -- Conversion of a young

nobleman named Ratha, followed by that of his father and other

relatives -- Conversion of several other noblemen --

Instructions to the Rahans -- Conversion of the three Kathabas. 111

CHAPTER VII.

Buddha's sermon on the mountain -- Interview of Buddha and King

Pimpathara in the vicinity of the city of Radzagio -- Answer of

Kathaba to Buddha's interrogation -- Instructions delivered to

the king and his attendants -- Solemn entry of Buddha into

Radzagio -- Donation of the Weloowon monastery to Buddha --

Conversion of Thariputra and Maukalan -- The Rahans are keenly

taunted by the people of Radzagio. 146

CHAPTER VIII.

Thoodaudana, desirous to see his son, sends messengers to him --

They become converts -- Kaludari, a last messenger, prevails on

Buddha to go to Kapilawot -- His reception -- Conversion of the

king and of Yathaudara -- Nanda and Raoula put on the religious

habit -- Conversion of Ananda and of several of his relatives --

Temptation of Ananda -- Conversion of Eggidatta -- Story of

Tsampooka. 165

CHAPTER IX.

A rich man of Thawattie, named Anatapein, becomes a convert --

Story of Dzewaka -- He cures Buddha of a painful distemper --

The people of Wethalie send a deputation to Buddha -- Digression

on the manner Buddha daily spent his time -- Settling of a

quarrel between the inhabitants of Kaulia and those of Kapilawot

-- New converts are strengthened in their faith -- Thoodaudana's

death in the arms of his son -- Queen Patzapati and many noble

ladies are elevated to the rank of Rahaness -- Conversion of

Kema, the first queen of King Pimpathara -- Heretics near

Thawattie are confounded by the display of miraculous powers --

Buddha goes to the seat of Tawadeintha, to preach the law to his

mother. 194

CHAPTER X.

Buddha's proceedings in the seat of Tawadeintha -- His

triumphant return to the seat of men, in the city of Thin-ka-tha

-- He is calumniated by the heretics of Thawattie -- Eighth

season spent in the forest of Tesakala -- Subsequent preachings

-- He meets with a bad reception in the Kothambi country --

Dissension among the disciples -- Reconciliation -- Travels of

Buddha -- Preaching to a Pounha who tilled a field. 223

CHAPTER XI.

Voyage to Tsalia -- Instructions to Meggia -- Raoula is made

a professed religious -- Manahan's questions to Buddha --

Misbehaviour of Thouppabuda -- Questions proposed by Nats in

the Dzetawon monastery -- Conversion of a Biloo -- Episode of

Thirima at Radzagio -- Attention paid to a poor pounha and to a

weaver's daughter, on account of their faith -- In the twentieth

season, appointment of Ananda to the stewardship -- Conversion

of a famous robber. 241

CHAPTER XII.

Buddha is slandered in Thawattie -- Questions put to him by

a pounha -- Story of Anatapein's daughter -- Conversion of a

pounha whose navel emitted rays of light -- Blank in a great

part of Buddha's life -- Story of Dewadat -- His jealousy

towards Buddha -- His friendship with Prince Adzatathat -- His

ambition -- His attempt to kill Buddha -- His miserable end. 256

LEGEND OF THE BURMESE BUDDHA

CALLED

GAUDAMA.

CHAPTER I.

_Invocation of the Burmese translator -- Slow but steady progress

of Phralaong towards the Buddhaship -- Promise made to him by the

Buddha Deipinkara -- Origin and beginning of the Kapilawot country

and of its Rulers -- Birth of Thoodaudana -- His marriage with the

Princess Maia -- Rumour of the coming birth of a Buddha -- Phralaong

in the seat of Nats -- Dream of Maia -- Conception of

Phralaong -- Wonders attending that event._

I adore[1] Buddha who has gloriously emerged from the bottomless

whirlpool of endless existences, who has extinguished the burning fire

of anger and other passions, who has opened and illuminated the

fathomless abyss of dark ignorance, and who is the greatest and most

excellent of all beings.

I adore the Law which the most excellent Buddha has published, which is

infinitely high and incomparably profound, exceedingly acceptable, and

most earnestly wished-for by Nats and men, capable to wipe off the

stains of concupiscence, and is immutable.

I adore the Assembly of the Perfect, of the pure and illustrious Ariahs

in their eight sublime states, who have overcome all the passions that

torment other mortals, by eradicating the very root of concupiscence,

and who are famous above all other beings.

I undertake to translate from the Pali[2] text the history of our most

excellent Phra, from the period he left Toocita,[3] the fourth abode of

Nats, to the time he entered into the state of Neibban.

Previous, however, to commencing the work, I will relate succinctly what

is found in our books respecting the great Being who, by a slow but sure

process, was qualifying himself for his great and high destiny. It is

stated that all the following particulars were narrated by Gaudama

himself to the great disciple Thariputra.

For seven thingies of worlds, he who was to become a Buddha felt, during

that immense number of revolutions of nature, a thought for the

Buddhaship awakening in his soul. This thought was succeeded by a wish,

a desire, and a longing for that extraordinary calling. He began to

understand that the practice of the virtues of the highest order was

requisite to enable him to attain the glorious object of his ardent

wishes, and no less than 125,000 Buddhas appeared during that space of

time.

When the above period had at last come to an end, the inward workings of

his soul prompted him to ask openly for the Buddhaship. The period of

asking lasted nine thingies of worlds. It was brightened and illustrated

by the successive manifestation of 987,000 Buddhas. In the beginning of

this latter period, the future Gaudama was a prince of the name of

Laukatara, ruler of the Nanda country. At that time there appeared in

the country of Kapilawot a Buddha called Thakiamuni Paurana Gaudama. As

he happened to travel through the Nanda country, with the twofold object

of preaching the law and begging for his food, the ruler Laukatara made

great offerings to him. Meanwhile, with a marked earnestness, he

solicited at the feet of Thakiamuni the favour of becoming, at some

future time, a Buddha like himself. He expressed the wish to be born in

the same country, from the same father and mother, to have for his wife

the very same queen, to ride the same horse, to be attended by the same

companions and the same two great disciples on the right and on the

left. To this request Thakiamuni replied in the affirmative, but he

added that an immense length of time had still to elapse ere the objects

of his petition could be fully granted. A similar application was

repeatedly made to all the other succeeding Buddhas, and a like promise

was held out to him.

The third period of four thingies of worlds was remarkable for the

complete absence of all that could enlighten or illustrate the various

states of existence. A complete moral and intellectual darkness was

spread over all beings, and kept them wrapped up in utter darkness. No

Buddhas, no Pitzekabuddhas appeared to illuminate by their doctrine and

science the minds of men. No Tsekiawade, or king of the world, made his

appearance to infuse life and energy in the midst of the universal

slumbering.

But the hundred thousand revolutions of nature that followed were more

fortunate. There flourished no less than twenty-seven Buddhas, from

Tahingara, the first in the series, to Kathaba, the last one immediately

preceding Gaudama.

During the period when the Buddha named Deipinkara was the teacher of

all beings, our future Gaudama was born in the country of Amarawatti,

from illustrious and rich parents belonging to the caste of Pounhas.

While still a youth, he lost both his parents and inherited their

property.

In the midst of pleasure and plenty he one day made this

reflection:--The riches that I now possess were my parents' property,

but they have not been able to save them from the miseries attending

death. They will not, alas! afford to me a better and more secure fate.

When I go into the grave, they will not come along with me. This bodily

frame I am clad in is not worthy to be pitied. Why should I bestow signs

of compassion upon it? Filled with impurities, burdened by rottenness,

it has all the elements of destruction in the compounded parts of its

existence. Towards Neibban I will turn my regards; upon it my eyes shall

be riveted. There is the tank in which all the impurities of passion may

be washed away. Now I will forsake everything, and go forthwith in

search of a teacher that will point out to me the way that leads to the

state Neibban.

Full of these thoughts, the young man gave away to the needy all that he

possessed, reserving nothing to himself. Freed from the trammels of

riches, he withdrew into a lonely place, where the Nats had prepared

beforehand all that was necessary to minister to his wants. He embraced

the profession or mode of life of a Rahan, or perfect. Attired in the

dress of his new profession, he lived for some time on this spot under

the name of Thoomeda. Displeased, however, with the too easy mode of

life he was leading, he left that spot, and contented himself with

dwelling under the shade of trees. He, however, went forth from time to

time in quest of his food.

A few years previous to the retirement of Thoomeda into solitude, he who

was to be the Buddha Deipinkara migrated from one of the Nats' seats,

and was incarnated in the womb of the Princess Thoomeda, wife of

Thoodewa, king of the Ramawatti country. Subsequently he was married to

the Princess Padouma, who bore unto him a son, named Oothabakanda. On

the same year in which the child was born, the king left his palace on

an elephant's back, withdrew into some lonely place, practised during

ten months all sorts of self-inflicted penances, and, under the shade of

the tree Gniaong Kiat, became a Buddha. On that occasion the earth

quivered with great violence, but the hermit Thoomeda, being in ecstasy

at that moment, knew nothing of the extraordinary occurrence.

On a certain day, Deipinkara was travelling through the country for the

twofold purpose of preaching the law and collecting his food. Arrived

near a place where the road was very bad, he stopped for a while until

the road should be made passable. The people hastened from all parts to

come and prepare the road for Deipinkara and his followers. Thoomeda,

gifted with the privilege of travelling through the air, happened to

pass over the spot where crowds of people were busily engaged in

preparing and levelling a road. The hermit alighted on that spot, and

inquired of the people what was the reason of their busy exertions. They

told him that the most excellent Deipinkara was expected with a large

retinue of disciples, and that they strained every nerve to have the

road ready for them. Thoomeda begged to be permitted to bear a part in

the good work, and asked that a certain extent of the road be assigned

to him as his task. His request was granted, and he forthwith set to

work with the greatest diligence. It was all but finished when Buddha

Deipinkara, followed by forty thousand disciples, made his appearance.

Thoomeda, actuated by an ardent desire of testifying his respect to the

holy personage, without a moment's hesitation flung himself into the

hollow that was as yet not filled, and lying on his belly, with his back

upwards, bridged the place, and entreated the Buddha and his followers

to cross the hollow by trampling over his body. Great and abundant shall

be the merits that I, said he within himself, shall gain by this good

work. No doubt I will receive from the mouth of Deipinkara the assurance

that I shall, hereafter, obtain the Buddhaship. The Buddha, standing

over him, admired the humble and fervent devotedness of Thoomeda. With

one glance he perceived all that was going on in the hermit's mind, and

with a loud voice, that could be heard by all his disciples, he assured

him that four thingies and one hundred thousand worlds hence he would

become a Buddha, the fourth that would appear during the world, called

Badda. He went on to describe minutely the principal events that were to

illustrate his future career. No sooner was this revelation made to him

than Thoomeda hastened back to his forest. Sitting at the foot of a

tree, he encouraged himself by fine comparisons to the practice of

those virtues that were best suited to weaken in him the influence of

the passions.

In the different existences that followed, Thoomeda, at all the periods

of the appearance of some Buddhas, received a confirmation of the

promise he had had from the lips of Deipinkara.

This present world we live in has been favoured above all others.

Already three Buddhas have appeared, viz., Kaukkasan, Gaunagong, and

Kathaba. These all belonged to the caste of Pounhas, and he who was to

be hereafter our Gaudama, during the many existences he passed through,

at the time of the manifestations of those three Buddhas, was always

born of the same caste. Kathaba is said to have lived and preached

during the ninth andrakap. It was he who, for the last time, assured the

future Gaudama that he would obtain the Buddhaship during the tenth

andrakap.

We will only mention his last existence in the seat of man, previous to

the one in which he was to obtain the great prize he had laboured for

with so much earnestness during innumerable existences. He became prince

under the name of Wethandra, and practised to an eminent, nay heroic,

degree the virtues of liberality and charity. To such an extent did he

obey the dictates of his liberal heart, that, after having given away

all the royal treasures, his white elephant, &c., he did not shrink from

parting with his own wife, the Princess Madi, and his two children,

Dzali and Gahna. He then died and migrated to the Toocita seat, and

enjoyed the blissfulness and felicity of Nats, under the name of

Saytakaytoo, during fifty-seven koudes of years.

The origin and beginning of the Kapilawot country, as well as of its

rulers, are to be alluded to as briefly as possible. In the country of

the middle, Mitzimadesa, the kings that ruled from the time of

Mahathamadat to that of Ookakaritz, king of Benares, were 252,556 in

number. The last-named monarch was married to five wives, and had

children by them all. The first queen happening to die, the king became

passionately enamoured of a young woman, whom he married. She soon

presented him with a son, whom the king, pressed by his young wife's

solicitations, declared heir-apparent, to the prejudice of his elder

sons. As might have been expected, the four elder sons loudly complained

of the preference given to their younger brother. To put an end to these

domestic disputes, the king called his four sons and their five sisters,

gave them a large retinue, and bade them go in a northerly direction, in

search of a spot favourable for building a new city. They followed their

father's advice. After long wandering through the forests, they came to

a place where lived the Rathee Kapila, who, becoming acquainted with the

object of their errand, desired them to stay with him and found a city.

He also wished that on the very spot where his hut stood the king's

palace should be erected. He predicted that this city would become

great, powerful, and illustrious; that it would be a city of peace,

since the animals in the forests lived peaceably, without ever

attempting to inflict harm on each other. The proposal was cheerfully

accepted. All the people set to work with great earnestness. When the

work was completed, they offered the new city to Kapila, who was made

their teacher. Hence the name of Kapilawottoo, or Kapilawot.

The four princes, finding that among their followers there were no

daughters of the royal race whom they could marry, resolved, in order to

keep pure the blood-royal, to marry their four youngest sisters. The

eldest one was raised to the dignity of queen-mother. Ookamukka, the

eldest of the brothers, was the first king of Kapilawot. Whilst these

things were taking place, the king of Benares, having been attacked with

leprosy, had left his throne and retired to a forest north of his

capital. There he found his cure under the shade of the kalau tree. At

the same time the eldest sister, named Peya, who had become

queen-mother, was seized with the same distemper, and went into the

same forest. She met with the king, whom she knew not. By his advice she

sat under the kalau tree, and the beneficent smell of the leaves soon

worked a perfect cure. They were subsequently married, and had a

numerous progeny. They settled on this spot, and built the city of

Kaulya. The small river Rohani flowed between Kaulya and Kapilawot.[A]

[A] When laying before the reader a short and concise account

of the being who was to become the Buddha called Gaudama, the

writer deems it necessary to make a general observation, which,

he hopes, will greatly help the reader to understand correctly

several passages of the following pages. Gaudama was a Hindu,

brought up by Hindu masters, and initiated in all the knowledge

possessed by the society he lived in. He accepted the fabulous

genealogies of kings such as they were found in the writings

of his days. The same may be said of the erroneous notions

respecting our globe, the size and motions of the sun and the

moon and other heavenly bodies, the explanations of many natural

phenomena, the description of hell, of the seats of reward, &c.

Teacher as he was of moral precepts, based upon metaphysical

principles, Gaudama concerned himself very little about these

things, which, in his eyes, were not worth the consideration

of a sage. But he, or more probably his disciples, availed

themselves of these notions for resting upon them some portions

of their system, and giving them such developments as best

suited their views. These notions, though wedded to the

religious system originated by Gaudama, do not, strictly

speaking, belong to it. They existed before his appearance in

the schools of philosophy; they formed a part of the stock of

knowledge possessed by the society in which he was reared. To

account properly for these particulars and many others belonging

to the disciplinary regulations, recourse must be had to the

study of the ancient religion of the Hindus, Brahminism.

In the account of the foundation of the Kapilawot city, we find

that the practice of leaving the eldest sister unmarried, and

of the princes marrying their own sisters, is up to this day

observed by the royal family of Burmah. The eldest daughter of

the reigning monarch is to remain unmarried during her parents'

life, and the first queen is often, if not always, the sister or

half-sister of the king. The same unnatural practice prevailed

in the royal family of the ancient Persians.

From Ookamukka, the first king of Kapilawot, to Prince Wethandra, there

are but seven successive kings. From Dzali, the son of Wethandra, to

Dzeyathana, the great-grandfather of Gaudama, there were 82,002 kings.

Let it be borne in mind, that, during that period of time, our

Phralaong, or future of Gaudama, was in one of the Nats' seats. The

princes of Kapilawot were wont to go and sport on the water of a lake

somewhat distant from the city. They at first erected a temporary place

of residence in the vicinity of that sheet of water, and finally built a

city which received the name of Dewaha. It had likewise its kings of the

same Thagiwi race. Dzeyathana, the king of Kapilawot, had a son named

Thiahanoo, and a daughter named Yathaudara. Aukaka, king of Dewaha, his

contemporary, had also a son and a daughter, Eetzana and Kitzana.

Thiahanoo was married to Kitzana, who bore unto him five sons,

Thoodaudana, Kanwaudana, Thoukkaudana, Thekkaudana, and Amittaudana; and

two daughters, Amita and Pilita. Eetzana, the son of the king of Dewa,

married Yathaudara, daughter of Dzeyathana, king of Kapilawot. From this

marriage were born two sons, Thoopabuddha and Dantapani, and two

daughters, Maia and Patzapati.

When Eetzana became king of Dewaha, a considerable error had crept into

the calendar. A correction was deemed necessary. There lived a

celebrated hermit, or Rathee, named Deweela, well versed in the science

of calculation. After several consultations held on this important

subject in the presence of the king, it was agreed that the Kaudza era

of 8640 years should be done away with on a Saturday, the first of the

moon of Tabaong, and that the new era should be made to begin on a

Sunday, on the first day of the waxing moon of the month Tagoo. This was

called the Eetzana era.

On the 10th of the new era, Thoodaudana was born in the city of

Kapilawot; and on the twelfth year, Maia was born at Dewaha. In the days

of the Buddha Wipathi, the future Maia was then the daughter of a

Pounha. Her father, who tenderly loved her, gave her one day a fine

nosegay with a great quantity of the choicest perfumes and essences. The

young girl, delighted with these articles, hastened to the place where

lived Wipathi, and with pious and fervent earnestness laid at his feet

all that she had received from her father. Wipathi, admiring the fervent

liberality of the damsel, assured her that she would hereafter become

the mother of a Buddha, who was to be called Gaudama.

When Thoodaudana was eighteen years of age, his father, King Thiahanoo,

called eight Pounhas skilled in the science of astrology, and directed

them to go with a large retinue and splendid presents in search of a

royal princess to be married to his son. The eight Pounhas departed.

They visited several countries, but all in vain; they could not find one

princess worthy of their master's son. At last they came to the city of

Dewaha. They had no sooner arrived in sight of it than they saw many

signs which prognosticated that in the city would be found an

accomplished princess, in every respect qualified to become the wife of

the heir to the throne of Kapilawot. At that time the young Maia had

gone to enjoy herself in a garden outside the city. It was situated on a

gently sloping ground, covered with all sorts of the finest and rarest

trees. A small brook, winding its course in various directions, shed on

every hand, from its gently murmuring waters, a delicious freshness.

Thither the royal messengers resorted. They found the princess in the

midst of her companions, outshining them all in beauty, like the moon

among the stars. Admitted into her presence, the head of the deputation

attempted to speak and explain the object of his visit; but he was so

much overwhelmed by the beauty and the graceful and dignified appearance

of the princess, that his voice failed him, and he fainted three times

in succession. As each fit came on him several damsels ran to his

assistance with pitchers of fresh water, and brought him back to his

senses. Having recovered his spirits, the chief Pounha felt encouraged

by some graceful and kind words from the lips of the princess. He

explained to her, in the choicest expressions, the object of his

mission; and with a faltering and timid tone of voice stated to her that

he had come to entreat her to accept presents from, and the hand of,

Prince Thoodaudana. Meanwhile he poured at her feet the brightest jewels

and rarest articles. The princess, with a sweet voice, modestly replied

that she was under the protection and care of her beloved parents, whose

will she never resisted; that it was to them that this affair should be

referred. For her own part, she had but one thing to do--to abide by her

parents' wishes.

Satisfied with the answer, the Pounhas retired, and hastened to the

palace of King Eetzana, to whom they related all that had just happened.

The king graciously agreed to the proposal, and, in proof of his perfect

satisfaction, sent in return a deputation with many presents to Prince

Thoodaudana and his father. As might be expected, the royal messengers

were well received at Kapilawot. Thiahanoo and his son set out with a

countless retinue for the city of Dewaha. In a grove of mango-trees an

immense building was erected, out of the city, for their reception and

accommodation; and in the middle of that building a spacious hall was

arranged with infinite art for the marriage ceremony. When all the

preparations were completed, the bridegroom, attended by his father,

King Thiahanoo and the chief of Brahmas, went out to meet the bride, who

was coming from the garden, accompanied by her mother and the wife of

the great Thagia. Both advanced towards the centre of the hall, near a

stand raised for the occasion. Thoodaudana first stretched forth his

hand and laid it over that place. Maia gracefully did the same. They

then took each other's hands, in token of the mutual consent. At that

auspicious moment all the musical instruments resounded, and proclaimed

in gladdening airs the happy event. The Pounhas, holding the sacred

shell in their hands, poured the blessed water over their heads,

uttering all sorts of blessings. The parents and relatives joined in

invoking upon the young couple the choicest benedictions. The king,

princes, Pounhas, and nobles vied with each other in making presents,

and wishing them all sorts of happiness.

When the festival was over, Thiahanoo desired to go back to his country

with his son and daughter-in-law. This was done with the utmost pomp

and solemnity. On his return, he continued to govern his people with

great prudence and wisdom, and at last died and migrated to one of the

Nats' seats. He was succeeded by his son Thoodaudana, who, with his

amiable wife, religiously observed the five precepts and the ten rules

of kings. By his beneficence and liberality to all, he won the sincere

affection of his people. It was on the twenty-eighth year of the new era

that he was married. Soon after, he took for his second wife, Patzapati,

the youngest sister of Maia. Thoodaudana's sister, Amitau, was married

to Thouppabuddha, the son of king Eetzana.

About four thingies,[4] an hundred thousand worlds ago,[5] the most

excellent Buddha, who is infinitely wise and far superior to the three

orders of beings, the Brahmas, the Nats,[6] and men, received at the

feet of the Phra Deipinkara the assurance that he would afterwards

become himself a Buddha. At this time he was a Rathee,[7] under the

name of Thoomeda. During that immense space of time, he practised in the

highest degree the ten great virtues, the five renouncings, and the

three mighty works of perfection.[8] Having become a great prince[9]

under the name of Wethandra, he reached the acme of self-abnegation and

renouncement to all the things of this world. After his death, he

migrated to Toocita, the fourth abode of Nats. During his sojourn in

that happy place, enjoying the fulness of pleasure allotted to the

fortunate inhabitants of those blissful regions, a sudden and uncommon

rumour, accompanied with an extraordinary commotion proclaimed the

gladdening tidings that a Phra was soon to make his appearance in this

world.[B]

[B] _Remark of the Burmese translator._--There are three solemn

occasions on which this great rumour is noised abroad. The

first, when the Nats, guardians of this world, knowing that

100,000 years hence the end of this world is to come, show

themselves amongst men with their heads hanging down, a

sorrowful countenance, and tears streaming down their faces.

They are clad in a red dress, and proclaim aloud to all mortals

the destruction of this planet 100,000 years hence. They

earnestly call upon men to devote themselves to the observance

of the law, to the practice of virtue, the support of parents,

and the respect due to virtuous personages. The second occasion

is, when the same Nats proclaim to men that a thousand years

hence a Buddha or Phra will appear amongst them; and the third

is, when they come and announce to men that within a hundred

years there will be in this world a mighty prince, whose

unlimited sway shall extend over the four great islands.

On hearing that a Phra was soon to make his appearance amongst men, all

the Nats, the peaceful inhabitants of the fortunate abode of Toocita,

assembled in all haste and crowded around Phralaong,[10] eagerly

inquiring of him, who was the fortunate Nat to whom was reserved the

signal honour of attaining the incomparable dignity of Buddha. The

reason which directed their steps towards Phralaong, and suggested their

inquiry, was, that in him were already to be observed unmistakable

signs, foreshadowing his future greatness.

No sooner did it become known that this incomparable destination was to

be his happy lot, than Nats from all parts of the world resorted to the

abode of Toocita, to meet Phralaong and to congratulate him upon this

happy occasion. "Most glorious Nat," did they say to him, "you have

practised most perfectly the ten great virtues;[11] the time is now

come for you to obtain the sublime nature of Buddha. During former

existences, you most rigidly attended to the observance of the greatest

precepts, and walked steadily in the path of the highest virtues; you

then sighed after and longed for the happiness of Nats and Brahmas; but

now you have most gloriously achieved the mightiest work, and reached

the acme of perfection. It remains with you only to aspire at the full

possession of the supreme intelligence, which will enable you to open to

all Brahmas, Nats, and men the way to the deliverance from those endless

series of countless existences[12] through which they are doomed to

pass. Now the light of the law is extinguished, a universal darkness has

overspread all minds. Men are more than ever slaves to their passions;

there is a total lack of love among them; they hate each other, keep up

quarrels, strifes and contentions, and mercilessly destroy each other.

You alone can free them from the vicissitudes and miseries essentially

connected with the present state of all beings. The time is at last

come, when you are to become a Buddha."

Unwilling to return at once a positive answer, Phralaong modestly

replied that he wanted some time to inquire particularly into the great

circumstances always attending the coming of a Buddha in this world,

viz., the epoch or time when a Buddha appears, the place which he

chooses for his apparition or manifestation, the race or caste he is to

be born from, and the age and quality of her who is to be his mother. As

regards the first circumstance, Phralaong observed that the apparition

of a Buddha could not have taken place during the previous period[13] of

100,000 years and more that had just elapsed, because during that

period the life of men was on the increase. The instructions on birth

and death, as well as on the miseries of life, which form the true

characteristics of Buddha's law, would not then be received with

sufficient interest and attention. Had any attempt been made at that

time to preach on these three great topics, the men of those days, to

whom those great events would have appeared so distant, could not have

been induced to look upon them with sufficient attention; the four great

truths would have made no impression on their minds; vain and fruitless

would have been the efforts to disentangle them from the ties of

passions, then encompassing all beings, and to make them sigh after the

deliverance from the miseries entailed upon mankind by birth, life, and

death. The period when human life is under a hundred years' duration

cannot at all be the proper period for such an important event, as the

passions of men are then so many and so deeply rooted that Buddha would

in vain attempt to preach his law. As the characters which a man traces

over the smooth surface of unruffled water instantly disappear without

leaving any mark behind, so the law and instructions that one should

attempt to spread on the hardened hearts of men would make no lasting

impression upon them. Hence he concluded that the present period, when

the life of men was of about a hundred years' duration, was the proper

one for the apparition of a Buddha. This first point having been

disposed of, Phralaong examined in what part of the globe a Buddha was

to appear.

His regards glanced over the four great islands[14] and the 2000 small

ones. He saw that the island of Dzapoudiba, the southern one, had always

been the favourite place selected by all former Buddhas; he fixed upon

it, too, for himself. That island, however, is a most extensive one,

measuring in length 300 youdzanas, in breadth 252, and in circumference

900. He knew that on that island former Buddhas and semi-Buddhas, the

two great Rahandas,[15] or disciples of the right and left, the prince

whose sway is universal, &c., had all of them invariably fixed upon and

selected that island, and, amidst the various countries on the island,

that of Mitzima, the central one, where is to be found the district of

Kapilawot. "Thither," said he, "shall I resort, and become a Buddha."

Having determined the place which he was to select for his terrestrial

seat, Phralaong examined the race or caste from which he was to be born.

The caste of the people and that of merchants appeared too low, and

much wanting in respectability, and, moreover, no Buddha had ever come

out therefrom. That of the Pounhas was in former times the most

illustrious and respected, but that of princes, in those days, far

surpassed it in power and consideration. He therefore fixed his choice

upon the caste of princes, as most becoming his future high calling. "I

choose," said he, "prince Thoodaudana for my father. As to the princess

who is to become my mother, she must be distinguished by a modest

deportment and chaste manners, and must never have tasted any

intoxicating drink. During the duration of 100,000 worlds she must have

lived in the practice of virtue, performing with a scrupulous exactitude

all the rules and observances prescribed by the law. The great and

glorious Princess Maia is the only person in whom all these conditions

are to be found. Moreover, the period of her life shall be at an end ten

months and seven days hence;[16] she shall be my mother."

Having thus maturely pondered over these four circumstances, Phralaong,

turning to the Nats that surrounded him, anxiously expecting his answer,

plainly and unreservedly told them that the time for his becoming Buddha

had arrived, and bade them forthwith communicate this great news to all

the Brahmas and Nats. He rose up, and, accompanied by all the Nats of

Toocita, withdrew into the delightful garden of Nandawon. After a short

sojourn in that place, he left the abode of Nats, descended into the

seat of men, and incarnated in the womb of the glorious Maia, who at

once understood that she was pregnant with a boy who would obtain the

Buddhaship. At the same moment also the Princess Yathaudara, who was to

be the wife of the son of Maia, descended from the seats of Nats, and

was conceived in the womb of Amitau, the wife of Prince Thouppabuddha.

At that time the inhabitants of Kapilawot were busily engaged in

celebrating, in the midst of extraordinary rejoicings, the festival of

the constellation of Outarathan (July-August). But the virtuous Maia,

without mixing amidst the crowds of those devoted to amusements, during

the seven days that preceded the full moon of July, spent her time among

her attendants, making offerings of flowers and perfumes. The day before

the full moon she rose up at an early hour, bathed in perfumed water,

and distributed to the needy four hundred thousand pieces of silver.

Attired in her richest dress, she took her meal, and religiously

performed all the pious observances usual on such occasions. This being

done, she entered into her private apartment, and, lying on her couch,

fell asleep and had the following dream:--

* * * * *

Four princes of Nats, of the abode of Tsadoomarit, took the princess

with her couch, carried it to the Mount Himawonta,[17] and deposited it

on an immense and magnificent rock, sixty youdzanas long, adorned with

various colours, at the spot where a splendid tree, seven youdzanas

high, extends its green and rich foliage. The four queens, wives of the

four princes of Tsadoomarit, approaching the couch where Maia was

reclining, took her to the banks of the lake Anawadat, washed her with

the water of the lake, and spread over the couch flowers brought from

the abode of Nats. Near the lake is a beautiful mountain of a silvery

appearance, the summit whereof is crowned with a magnificent and lofty

palace. On the east of the palace, in the side of the mount, is a

splendid cave. Within the cave, a bed similar to that of the Nats was

prepared. The princess was led to that place and sat on the bed,

enjoying a delicious and refreshing rest. Opposite this mount, and

facing the cave where Maia sat surrounded by her attendants, rose

another mount, where Phralaong, under the shape of a young white

elephant, was roaming over its sides in various directions. He was soon

seen coming down that hill, and, ascending the one where the princess

lay on her bed, directed his course towards the cave. On the extremity

of his trunk, lifted up like a beautiful string of flowers, he carried a

white lily. His voice, occasionally resounding through the air, could be

heard distinctly by the inmates of the grotto, and indicated his

approach. He soon entered the cave, turned three times round the couch

whereupon sat the princess, then, standing for a while, he came nearer,

opened her right side, and appeared to conceal himself in her womb.

In the morning, having awoke from her sleep, the queen related her dream

to her husband. King Thoodaudana sent without delay for sixty-four

Pounhas.[18] On a ground lined with cow-dung, where parched rice,

flowers, and other offerings were carefully deposited and profusely

spread, an appropriate place was reserved for the Pounhas. Butter, milk,

and honey were served out to them in vases of gold and silver; moreover,

several suits of apparel and five cows were offered to each of them as

presents, as well as many other articles. These preliminaries being

arranged, the prince narrated to them the dream, with a request for its

explanation.

"Prince," answered the Pounhas, "banish from your mind all anxious

thoughts, and be of a cheerful heart; the child whom the princess bears

in her womb is not a girl but a boy. He will, after growing up, either

live amongst men, and then become a mighty ruler, whose sway all the

human race will acknowledge; or, withdrawing from the tumult of society,

he will resort to some solitary place, and there embrace the profession

of Rahan. In that condition he will disentangle himself from the

miseries attending existence, and at last attain the high dignity of

Buddha." Such was the explanation of the dream. At the moment Phralaong

entered into Maia's womb, a great commotion was felt throughout the four

elements, and thirty-two wonders simultaneously appeared. A light of an

incomparable brightness illuminated suddenly ten thousand worlds. The

blind, desirous, as it were, to contemplate the glorious dignity of

Phralaong, recovered their sight; the deaf heard distinctly every sound;

the dumb spoke with fluency; those whose bodies were bent stood up in an

erect position; the lame walked with ease and swiftness; prisoners saw

their fetters unloosed, and found themselves restored to liberty; the

fires of hell were extinguished; the ravenous cravings of the

Preithas[19] were satiated; animals were exempt from all infirmities;

all rational beings uttered but words of peace and mutual benevolence;

horses exhibited signs of excessive joy; elephants, with a solemn and

deep voice, expressed their contentment; musical instruments resounded

of themselves with the most melodious harmony; gold and silver

ornaments, worn at the arms and feet, without coming in contact, emitted

pleasing sounds; all places became suddenly filled with a resplendent

light; refreshing breezes blew gently all over the earth; abundant rain

poured from the skies during the hot season, and springs of cool water

burst out in every place, carrying through prepared beds their gently

murmuring streams; birds of the air stood still, forgetting their usual

flight; rivers suspended their course, seized with a mighty

astonishment; sea water became fresh; the five sorts of lilies were to

be seen in every direction; every description of flowers burst open,

displaying the richness of their brilliant colours; from the branches of

all trees and the bosom of the hardest rocks, flowers shot forth,

exhibiting all around the most glowing, dazzling, and varied hues;

lilies, seemingly rooted in the canopy of the skies, hung down,

scattering their embalmed fragrance; showers of flowers poured from the

firmament on the surface of the earth; the musical tunes of the Nats

were heard by the rejoiced inhabitants of our globe; hundreds of

thousands of worlds[20] suddenly approached each other, sometimes in the

shape of an elegant nosegay, sometimes in that of a ball of flowers or

of a spheroid; the choicest essences embalmed the whole atmosphere that

encompasses this world. Such are the wonders that took place at the time

Phralaong entered his mother's womb.

When this great event happened, four chiefs of Nats, from the seat of

Tsadoomarit,[21] armed with swords, kept an uninterrupted watch round

the palace, to avert any accident that might prove hurtful to the mother

or her blessed fruit. From 10,000 worlds, four Nats from the same seat

were actively engaged in driving away all Bilous[22] and other monsters,

and forcing them to flee and hide themselves at the extremity of the

earth. Maia, free from every disordered propensity, spent her time with

her handmaids in the interior of her apartments. Her soul enjoyed, in

a perfect calm, the sweetest happiness; fatigue and weariness never

affected her unimpaired health. In his mother's womb, Phralaong appeared

like the white thread passed through the purest and finest pearls; the

womb itself resembled an elegant Dzedi.[23][C]

[C] _Remark of the Burmese Translator._--It is to be borne in

mind that mothers of Buddhas having had the singular privilege

of giving birth to a child of so exalted a dignity, it would not

be convenient or becoming that other mortals should receive life

in the same womb; they therefore always die seven days after

their delivery and migrate to the abode of Nats, called Toocita.

It is usual with other mothers to be delivered, lying in an

horizontal position, and sometimes before or after the tenth

month. But with the mother of a Buddha the case is not the same;

the time of her confinement invariably happens at the beginning

of the tenth month, and she is always delivered in an erect and

vertical position.

With the solicitous care and vigilant attention with which one carries

about a thabeit[24] full of oil, the great Maia watched all her

movements, and during ten months unremittingly laboured for the safe

preservation of the precious fruit of her womb.

FOOTNOTES

[1] All Buddhistic compositions are invariably prefaced with one

of the following formulas of worship, always used by writers on

religious subjects. The one relates to Buddha alone, and the

other to the three most excellent things, ever deserving the

highest veneration. The first, always written in Pali, beginning

with the words _Namau tassa_, may be translated as follows: I

adore thee, or rather adoration to, the blessed, perfect, and

most intelligent. Here are proposed to the faith, admiration,

and veneration of a true Buddhist, the three great

characteristics of the founder of his religion, his goodness and

benevolence, his supreme perfection, and his boundless

knowledge. They form the essential qualifications of a being who

has assumed to himself the task of bringing men out of the abyss

of darkness and ignorance, and leading them to deliverance.

Benevolence prompts him to undertake that great work, perfection

fits him for such a high calling, and supreme science enables

him to follow it up with a complete success. They are always

held out to Buddhists as the three bright attributes and

transcendent qualities inherent in that exalted personage, which

are ever to attract and concentrate upon him the respect, love,

and admiration of all his sincere followers.

The second formula may be considered as a short act of faith

often repeated by Buddhists. It consists in saying--I take

refuge in Buddha, the Law, and the Assembly. This short

profession of faith is often much enlarged by the religious zeal

of writers and the fervent piety of devotees. From the instance

of this legend we may remark how the compiler, with a soul

warmed by fervour is passing high encomiums upon each of the

three sacred objects of veneration, or the sacred asylums

wherein a Buddhist delights to dwell. There is no doubt that

this formula is a very ancient one, probably coeval with the

first age of Buddhism. The text of this legend bears out the

correctness of this assertion. It appears that the repetition of

this short sentence was the mark that distinguished converts.

Ordinary hearers of the preachings of Buddha and his disciples

evinced their adhesion to all that was delivered to them by

repeating the sacred formula. It was then, and even now it is to

Buddhists, what the celebrated Mahomedan declaration of

faith--there is but one God, and Mahomed is his prophet--is to

the followers of the Arabian Prophet. It is extremely important

to have an accurate idea of the three sacred abodes in which the

believer expects to find a sure shelter against all errors,

doubts, and fears, and a resting-place where his soul may

securely enjoy the undisturbed possession of truth. They

constitute what is emphatically called the three precious

things.

Phra and Buddha are two expressions which, though not having the

same meaning, are used indiscriminately to designate the almost

divine being, who after having gone, during myriads of

successive existences, through the practice of all sorts of

virtues, particularly self-denial and complete abnegation of all

things, at last reaches to such a height of intellectual

attainment that his mind becomes gifted with a perfect and

universal intelligence or knowledge of all things. He is thus

enabled to see and fathom the misery and wants of all mortal

beings, and to devise means for relieving and filling them up.

The law that he preaches is the wholesome balm designed to cure

all moral distempers. He preaches it with unremitting zeal

during a certain number of years, and commissions his chosen

disciples to carry on the same benevolent and useful

undertaking. Having laid on a firm basis his religious

institution, he arrives at the state of Neibban. Buddha means

wise, intelligent. Phra is an expression conveying the highest

sense of respect, which was applied originally only to the

author of Buddhism, but now, through a servile adulation, it is

applied to the king, his ministers, all great personages, and

often by inferiors to the lowest menials of Government. The word

Phra, coupled with that of Thaking, which means Lord, is used by

Christians in Burmah to express the idea of God, the supreme

being.

From the foregoing lines the reader may easily infer that the

author of Buddhism is a mere man, superior to all other beings,

not in nature, but in science and perfection. He lays no claim

whatever to any kind of superiority in nature; he exhibits

himself to the eyes of his disciples as one of the children of

men, who has been born and is doomed to die. He carries his

pretensions no farther. The idea of a supreme being is nowhere

mentioned by him. In the course of his religious disputations

with the Brahmins, he combats the notion of a god, coolly

establishing the most crude atheism. No one, it is true, can

deny that in certain Buddhistic countries the notion of an

Adibudha, or supreme being, is to be found in writings as well

as popular opinions, but we know that these writings are of a

comparatively recent date, and contain many doctrines foreign to

genuine Buddhism. This subject will, however, receive hereafter

further developments.

The Law, the second object of veneration, is the body of

doctrines delivered by Buddha to his disciples during the

forty-five years of his public career. He came to the perfect

knowledge of that law when he attained the Buddhaship under the

shade of the Bodi tree. At that time his mind became

indefinitely expanded; his science embraced all that exists; his

penetrating and searching eye reached the farthest limits of the

past, saw at a glance the present, and fathomed the secrets of

the future. In that position, unclouded truth shone with radiant

effulgence before him, and he knew the nature of all beings

individually, their condition and situation, as well as all the

relations subsisting between them. He understood at once the

miseries and errors attending all rational beings, the hidden

causes that generated them, and the springs they issued from. At

the same time he perceived distinctly the means to be employed

for putting an end to so many misfortunes, and the remedies to

be used for the cure of those numberless and sad moral

distempers. His omniscience pointed out to him the course those

beings had to follow in order to retrace their steps back from

the way of error, and enter the road that would lead to the

coming out from the whirlpool of moral miseries in which they

had hitherto wretchedly moved during countless existences. All

that Gaudama said to the foregoing effect constitutes the law

upon which so many high praises are lavished with such warm and

fervent earnestness. A full and complete knowledge of that law,

in the opinion of Buddhists, dispels at once the clouds of

ignorance, which, like a thick mist, encompass all beings, and

sheds bright rays of pure light which enlighten the

understanding. Man is thus enabled to perceive distinctly the

wretchedness of his position, and to discover the means

wherewith he may extricate himself from the trammels of the

passions and finally arrive at the state of Neibban, which is,

as it shall be hereafter fully explained, exemption from all the

miseries attending existence. The whole law is divided into

three parts; the Abidama or metaphysics, Thouts or moral

instructions, and the Wini or discipline. According to the

opinion of the best informed among Buddhists, the law is

eternal, without a beginning or an author that might have framed

its precepts. No Buddha ever considered himself, or has ever

been looked upon by others, as the inventor and originator of

the law. He who becomes a Buddha is gifted with a boundless

science that enables him to come to a perfect knowledge of all

that constitutes the law: he is the fortunate discoverer of

things already existing, but placed far beyond the reach of the

human mind. In fact, the law is eternal, but has become, since

the days of a former Buddha, obliterated from the minds of men,

until a new one, by his omniscience, is enabled to win it back

and preach it to all beings.

The third object of veneration is the Thanga, or Assembly. The

meaning of the Pali word Thanga is nearly equivalent to that of

church or congregation. In the time Gaudama lived the Assembly

was composed of all individuals who, becoming converts, embraced

the mode of living of their preacher, and remained with him, or

if they occasionally parted from him for a while, always kept a

close intercourse with him, and spent a portion of their time in

his company. Having left the world, they subjected themselves to

certain disciplinary regulations, afterwards embodied in the

great compilation called Wini. The members of the Assembly were

divided into two classes; the Ariahs or venerables, who by their

age, great proficiency in the knowledge of the law, and

remarkable fervour in the assiduous practice of all its

ordinances, occupied deservedly the first rank amongst the

disciples of Buddha, and ranked foremost in the Assembly. The

second class was composed of the Bickus, or simple mendicant

Religious. It is difficult to assert with any degree of

probability whether the Upasakas, or ordinary hearers, have ever

been regarded as members of the Thanga, and forming a portion

thereof. The Upasakas were believers, but continued to live in

the world, and formed, as it were, the laity of the Buddhistic

church. According to the opinion of Buddhists in these parts,

the laity is not considered as forming or constituting a part of

the Thanga; those only who abandon a secular life, put on the

yellow canonical dress, and endeavour to tread in the footsteps

of their great teacher, are entitled to the dignity of members

of the Assembly, to which a veneration is paid similar to that

offered to Buddha and the law. The Ariahs, or venerables, are

divided into four classes, according to their greater or less

proficiency in knowledge and moral worth. They are called

Thotapan, Thakadagan, Anagam, and Arahat. In the class of

Thotapan are included the individuals who have entered into the

current, or stream, leading to deliverance, or, in other terms,

who have stepped into the way of perfection. The Thotapan is as

yet to be born four times ere he can obtain the deliverance.

Those who belong to the second class glide rapidly down the

stream, following steadily the way leading to perfection, and

are to be born once more in the condition of Nat, and once in

that of man. Those of the third class are to be born once in the

condition of Nats. Finally, those of the fourth class have gone

over the fourth and last way to perfection, reached the summit

of science and spiritual attainments, and are ripe for the state

of Neibban, which they infallibly obtain after their death. The

Ariahs are again subdivided into eight classes, four of which

include those who are following the four ways of perfection; the

four others comprehend those who enjoy the reward of the duties

practised in following the ways of perfection.

[2] The Burmese translator of the Pali text gives us to

understand that his intention is not to give the history of our

Buddha during the countless existences that have preceded the

last one, when he obtained the supreme intelligence. Buddhists

keep five hundred and ten histories or legends of Buddha

purporting to give an account of as many of his former

existences; and to enhance the value of such records, the

contents are supposed to have been narrated by Buddha himself to

his disciples and hearers. I have read most of them. Two hundred

of these fabulous narrations are very short, and give few

particulars regarding our Phra when he was as yet in the state

of animal, man, and Nat. They are, except the heading and the

conclusion, the very same fables and _contes_ to be met with

amongst all Asiatic nations, which have supplied with

inexhaustible stores all ancient and modern fabulists. The last

ten narratives are really very complete and interesting stories

of ten existences of Buddha preceding the one we are about to

describe, during which he is supposed to have practised the ten

great virtues, the acquisition of which is an indispensable

qualification for obtaining the exalted dignity of Phra. Some of

these legends are really beautiful, interesting, and

well-composed pieces of literature.

[3] Toocita, or the joyful abode, is one of the seats of the

Nats. But in order to render more intelligible several passages

of this work, it is almost indispensable to have an idea of the

system adopted by Buddhists in assigning to rational beings

their respective seats or abodes. There are thirty-one seats

assigned to all beings, which we may suppose to be disposed on

an immense scale, extending from the bottom of the earth to an

incommensurable height above it. At the foot we find the four

states of punishment, viz., hell, the states of Athourikes,

Preithas, and animals. Next comes the abode of man. Above it are

the six seats of Nats. These eleven seats are called the seats

of passion, or concupiscence, because the beings residing

therein are still subject to the influence of that passion,

though not to an equal degree. Above the abodes of Nats we meet

with the sixteen seats, called Rupa, disposed perpendicularly

one above the other to an incalculable height. The inhabitants

of those fanciful regions are called Brahmas, or perfect. They

have freed themselves from concupiscence and almost all other

passions, but still retain some affection for matter and

material things. Hence the denomination of Rupa, or matter,

given to the seats. The remaining portion of the scale is

occupied by the four seats called Arupa or immaterials, for the

beings inhabiting them are entirely delivered from all passions.

They have, as it were, broken asunder even the smallest ties

that would attach them to this material world. They have reached

the summit of perfection; one step farther, and they enter into

the state Neibban, the consummation, according to Buddhists, of

all perfection. To sum up all the above in a few words: there

are four states of punishment. The seat of man is a place of

probation and trial. The six abodes of Nats are places of

sensual pleasure and enjoyments. In the sixteen seats of Rupa

are to be met those beings whose delights are of a more refined

and almost purely spiritual nature, though retaining as yet some

slight affections for matter. In the four seats of Arupa are

located those beings who are wholly disentangled from material

affections, who delight only in the sublimest contemplation,

soaring, as it were, in the boundless regions of pure

spiritualism.

[4] Thingie is a number represented by a unit, followed by

sixty-four ciphers; others say, one hundred and forty.

[5] Buddhists have different ways of classifying the series of

worlds, which they suppose to succeed to each other, after the

completion of a revolution of nature. As regards Buddhas, who

appear at unequal intervals for illuminating and opening the way

to deliverance to the then existing beings, worlds are divided

into those which are favoured with the presence of one or

several Buddhas, and those to which so eminent a benefit is

denied. The present revolution of nature, which includes the

period in which we live, has been privileged above all others.

No less than five Buddhas, like five shining suns, are to shoot

forth rays of incomparable brilliancy, and dispel the mist of

thick darkness that encompasses all beings, according to their

respective laws of demerits. Of these five, four, namely,

Kaukassan, Gaunagong, Kathaba, Gaudama, have already performed

their great task. The fifth, named Aremideia, is as yet to come.

The religion of Gaudama is to last five thousand years, of which

two thousand four hundred and eight are elapsed. The names of

the twenty-eight last Buddhas are religiously preserved by

Buddhists, together with their age, their stature, the names

of the trees under which they have obtained the universal

intelligence, their country, the names of their father and

mother, and those of their two chief disciples. Deinpakara

occupies the fourth place in the series. He is supposed to have

been eighty cubits high, and to have lived one hundred thousand

years.

It is not without interest to examine whether there have existed

Buddhas previous to the time of Gaudama, and whether the

twenty-eight Buddhas above alluded to are to be considered as

mythological beings who have never existed. It cannot be denied

that mention of former Buddhas is made in the earliest sacred

records, but it seems difficult to infer therefrom that they

are real beings. 1st. The circumstances respecting their

extraordinary longevity, their immense stature, and the myriads

of centuries that are supposed to have elapsed from the times of

the first to those of Gaudama, are apparently conclusive proofs

against the reality of their existence. 2d. The names of those

personages are found mentioned in the preachings of Gaudama,

together with those individuals with whom he is supposed to have

lived and conversed during former existences. Who has ever

thought of giving any credence to those fables? They were used

by Gaudama as so many means to give extension and solidity to

the basis whereupon he intended to found his system. 3d. There

are no historical records or monuments that can give countenance

to the opposite opinion. The historical times begin with

Gaudama, whilst there exist historical proofs of the existence

of the rival creed of Brahminism anterior to the days of the

acknowledged author of Buddhism.

It cannot be doubted that there existed in the days of Buddha,

in the valley of the Ganges and in the Punjaub, a great number

of philosophers, who led a retired life, devoting their time to

study and the practice of virtue. Some of them occasionally

sallied out of their retreats to go and deliver moral

instructions to the people. The fame that attended those

philosophers attracted round their lonely abodes crowds of

hearers, eager to listen to their lectures and anxious to place

themselves under their direction for learning the practice of

virtue. In the pages of this legend will be found passages

corroborating this assertion. Thence arose those multifarious

schools, where were elaborated the many systems, opinions, &c.,

for which India has been celebrated from the remotest antiquity.

The writer has had the patience to read two works full of

disputations between Brahmins and Buddhists, as well as some

books of the ethics of the latter. He has been astonished to

find that in those days the art of arguing, disputing, defining,

&c., had been carried to such a point of nicety as almost to

leave the disciples of Aristotle far behind. It has been said

that the gymnosophists whom Alexander the Great met in India

were Buddhist philosophers. But the particulars mentioned by

Greek writers respecting their manners and doctrines contradict

such a supposition. They are described as living in a state of

complete nakedness, and as refusing to deliver instructions to

the messenger of Alexander, unless he consented to strip himself

of his clothes. On the other hand, we know that Buddha enjoined

a strict modesty on his religious, and in the book of

ordinations the candidate is first asked whether he comes

provided with his canonical dress. The gymnosophists are

represented as practising extraordinary austerities, and holding

self-destruction in great esteem. These and other practices are

quite at variance with all the prescriptions of the Wini, or

book of discipline. It is further mentioned that the Macedonian

hero met with other philosophers living in community; but

whether these were Buddhists or not, it is impossible to decide.

It can scarcely be believed that Buddhism in the days of

Alexander could have already invaded the countries which the

Grecian army conquered.

[6] Nat in Pali means Lord. Its signification is exactly

equivalent to that of Dewa, Dewata. The Nats are an order of

beings in the Buddhistic system, occupying six seats or abodes

of happiness, placed in rising succession above the abode of

man. They are spirits endowed with a body of so subtle and

ethereal nature as to be able to move with the utmost rapidity

from their seat to that of man, and _vice versa_. They play a

conspicuous part in the affairs of this world, and are supposed

to exercise a considerable degree of influence over man and

other creatures. Fear, superstition, and ignorance have peopled

all places with Nats. Every tree, forest, fountain, village, and

town has its protecting Nat. Some among the Nats having lost

their high station through misconduct, have been banished from

their seats and doomed to drag a wretched existence in some

gloomy recess. Their power for doing evil is supposed to be very

great. Hence the excessive dread of those evil genii entertained

by all Buddhists. A good deal of their commonest superstitious

rites have been devised for propitiating those enemies to all

happiness, and averting the calamitous disasters which they seem

to keep hanging over our heads.

Though the Nats' worship is universal among the Buddhists of all

nations, it is but fair to state that it is contrary to the

principles of genuine Buddhism and repugnant to its tenets. It

is probable that it already existed among all the nations of

Eastern Asia at the time they were converted to Buddhism.

The tribes that have not as yet been converted to Buddhism have

no other worship but that of the Nats. To mention only the

principal ones, such as the Karens, the Khyins, and the

Singphos, they may differ in the mode of performing their

religious rites and superstitious ceremonies, but the object is

the same, honouring and propitiating the Nats. This worship is

so deeply rooted in the minds of the wild and half-civilised

tribes of Eastern Asia, that it has been, to a great extent,

retained by the nations that have adopted Buddhism as their

religious creed. The Burmans, for instance, from the king down

to the lowest subject, privately and publicly indulge in the

Nats' worship. As to the tribes that have remained outside the

pale of Buddhism, they may be styled Nats' worshippers. Hence it

may be inferred that previous to the introduction or the

preaching of the tenets of the comparatively new religion in

these parts, the worship of Nats was universal and

predominating.

[7] Raci or Rathee means an hermit, a personage living by

himself in some lonely and solitary recess, far from the

contagious atmosphere of impure society, devoting his time to

meditation and contemplation. His diet is of the coarsest kind,

supplied to him by the forests he lives in; the skins of some

wild animals afford him a sufficient dress. Most of those

Rathees having reached an uncommon degree of extraordinary

attainment, their bodies become spiritualised to a degree which

enables them to travel from place to place by following an

aerial course. In all Buddhistic legends, comedies, &c., they

are often found interfering in the narrated stories and

episodes.

There is no doubt but those devotees who, in the days of Buddha,

spent their time in retreat, devoted to study and meditation,

were Brahmins. In support of this assertion we have the highest

possible native authority, the Institutes of Menoo, compiled

probably during the eighth or ninth century before Christ. We

find in that work, minutely described, the mode of life becoming

a true Brahmin. During the third part of his life, a Brahmin

must live as an anchorite in the woods. Clad in the bark of

trees or the skins of animals, with his hair and nails uncut,

having no shelter whatever but that which is afforded him by the

trees of the forest, keeping sometimes a strict silence, living

on herbs and roots, he must train himself up to bearing with

entire unconcern the cold of winter and the heat of summer. Such

is the course of life, according to the Vedas, which the true

Brahmin is bound to follow during the third portion of his

existence. Some Buddhistic zealots have sometimes endeavoured to

emulate the ancient Rathees in their singular mode of life. It

is not quite unfrequent in our days to hear of some fervent

Phongies who, during the three months of Lent, withdraw into

solitude, to be more at liberty to devote their time to study

and meditation. This observance, however, is practised by but

very few individuals, and that, too, with a degree of laxity

that indicates a marked decline of the pristine fervour that

glowed in the soul of primitive Buddhists.

[8] The three great works are; the assistance afforded to his

parents and relatives, the great offerings he had made, coupled

with a strict observance of the most difficult points of the

law, and benevolent dispositions towards all beings

indiscriminately.

[9] This extraordinary monarch, called Tsekiawade, never makes

his appearance during the period of time allotted to the

publication and duration of the religious institutions of a

Buddha.

[10] Here I make use of the expression Phralaong, or more

correctly Phraalaong, to designate Buddha before he obtained the

supreme knowledge, when he was, as it were, slowly and gradually

gravitating towards the centre of matchless perfection. In that

state it is said of him that he is not yet ripe.

This word involves a meaning which ought to be well understood.

No single expression in our language can convey a correct idea

of its import, and for this reason it has been retained through

these pages. _Alaong_ is a derivative from the verb _laong_,

which means to be in an incipient way, in a way of progression

towards something more perfect. A Buddha is at first a being in

a very imperfect state; but passing through countless

existences, he frees himself, by a slow process, from some of

his imperfections; he acquires merits which enable him to rise

in the scale of progress, science, and perfection. In perusing

the narrative of the five hundred and ten former existences of

Gaudama which have come down to us, we find that, when he was

yet in the state of animal, he styled himself Phralaong. The

Burmese have another expression of similar import to express the

same meaning. They say of a being as yet in an imperfect

condition that he is soft, tender as an unripe thing; and when

he passes to the state of perfection, they say that he is ripe,

that he has blossomed and expanded. They give to understand that

he who is progressing towards the Buddhaship has in himself all

the elements constitutive of a Buddha lying as yet concealed in

himself; but when he reaches that state, then all that had

hitherto remained in a state of unripeness bursts suddenly out

of the bud and comes to full maturity. Similar expressions are

often better calculated to give a clear insight into the true

and real opinions of Buddhists than a lengthened and elaborate

dissertation could do.

[11] The ten great virtues or duties are, liberality, observance

of the precepts of the law, retreat into lonely places, wisdom,

diligence, benevolence, patience, veracity, fortitude, and

indifference. The five renouncements are, renouncing children,

wife, goods, life, and one's self.

[12] Metempsychosis is one of the fundamental dogmas of

Buddhism. That continual transition from one existence to

another, from a state of happiness to one of unhappiness, and

_vice versa_, forms a circle encompassing the Buddhist in every

direction. He is doomed to fluctuate incessantly on the

never-settled waters of existence. Hence his ardent wishes to be

delivered from that most pitiable position, and his earnest

longings for the ever-tranquil state of Neibban, the way to

which Buddha alone can teach him by his precepts and his

examples.

This dogma is common both to Brahmins and Buddhists. The

originator and propagator of the creed of the latter found it

already established; he had but to embody it among his own

conceptions, and make it agree with his new ideas. His first

teachers were Brahmins, and under their tuition he learned that

dogma which may be considered as the basis on which hinge both

systems. In fact, the two rival creeds have a common object in

view, the elevating of the soul from those imperfections forced

upon her by her connection with matter, and the setting of her

free from the sway of passions, which keep her always linked to

this world. According to the votaries of both creeds,

transmigration has for its object the effecting of those several

purposes. There is a curious opinion among Buddhists respecting

the mode of transmigrations, and there is no doubt it is a very

ancient one, belonging to the genuine productions of the

earliest Buddhism. Transmigration, they say, is caused and

entirely controlled by the influence of merits and demerits, but

in such a way that a being who has come to his end transmits

nothing of his entity to the being to be immediately reproduced.

The latter is a being apart, independent of the former, created,

it is true, by the influence of the late being's good or bad

deeds, but having nothing in common with him. They explain this

startling doctrine by the comparison of a tree successively

producing and bearing fruits, of which some are good and some

bad. The fruits, though coming from the same tree, have nothing

in common, either with each other or with those that were

previously grown, or may afterwards grow out of the same plant;

they are distinct and separate. So they say, _kan_, or the

influence of merits and demerits, produces successively beings

totally distinct one from the other. This atheistic or

materialistic doctrine is not generally known by the common

people, who practically hold that transmigration is effected in

the manner professed and taught by Pythagoras and his school.

If between the adherents of the two creeds there is a perfect

agreement respecting the means to be resorted to for reaching

the point when man becomes free from miseries, ignorance, and

imperfections, they are at variance as to the end to be arrived

to. The Brahmin leads the perfected being to the supreme

essence, in which he is merged as a drop of water in the ocean,

losing his personality, to form a whole with the Divine

substance. This is Pantheism. The Buddhist, ignoring a supreme

being, conducts the individual that has become emancipated from

the thraldom of passions to a state of complete isolation,

called Neibban. This is, strictly speaking, Annihilation.

[13] The duration of a revolution of nature, or the time

required for the formation of a world, its existence and

destruction, is divided into four periods. The fourth period, or

that which begins with the apparition of man on the earth until

its destruction, is divided into sixty-four parts, called

andrakaps. During one andrakap, the life of man increases

gradually from ten years to an almost innumerable number of

years; and having reached its maximum of duration, it decreases

slowly to its former short duration of ten years. We live at

present in that second part of an andrakap when the life of man

is on the decline and decrease. If my memory serve me right, we

have reached at present the ninth or tenth andrakap of the

fourth period. Should the calculations of Buddhists ever prove

correct, the deluded visionaries who look forward to an

approaching Millennium, have still to wait long ere their

darling wishes be realised.

Though it be somewhat tiresome and unpleasant to have to write

down the absurd and ridiculous notions Burmans entertain

respecting the organisation of matter, the origin, production,

existence, duration, and end of the world, it appears quite

necessary to give a brief account, and sketch an outline of

their ideas on these subjects. The reader will then have the

means of tracing up to their Hindu origin several of the many

threads that link Buddhism to Brahminism, and better understand

the various details hereafter to be given, and intended for

establishing a great fact, viz., the Brahminical origin of the

greater part of the Buddhistic institutions. He will, moreover,

have the satisfaction of clearly discovering, buried in the

rubbish of fabulous recitals, several important facts recorded

in the Holy Scriptures.

Matter is eternal, but its organisation and all the changes

attending it are caused and regulated by certain laws co-eternal

with it. Both matter and the laws that act upon it are

self-existing, independent of the action and control of any

being, &c. As soon as a system of worlds is constituted,

Buddhists boldly assert and perseveringly maintain that the law

of merit and demerit is the sole principle that regulates and

controls both the physical and moral world.

But how is a world brought into existence? Water, or rather

rain, is the chief agent, operating in the reproduction of a

system of nature. During an immense period of time rain pours

down with an unabating violence in the space left by the last

world that has been destroyed. Meanwhile strong winds, blowing

from opposite directions, accumulate the water within definite

and certain limits until it has filled the whole space. At last

appears on the surface of water, floating like a greasy

substance, the sediment deposited by water. In proportion as the

water dries up under the unremitting action of the wind, that

crust increases in size, until, by a slow, gradual, but sure

process, it invariably assumes the shape and proportion of our

planet, in the manner we are to describe. The centre of the

earth, indeed of a world or system of nature, is occupied by a

mountain of enormous size and elevation, called Mienmo. This is

surrounded by seven ranges of mountains, separated from each

other by streams, equalling, in breadth and depth, the height of

the mountain forming its boundaries in the direction of the

central elevation. The range nearest to the Mienmo rises to half

its height. Each successive range is half the height of the

range preceding it. Beyond the last stream are disposed four

great islands, in the direction of the four points of the

compass. Each of those four islands is surrounded by five

hundred smaller ones. Beyond those there is water, reaching to

the farthest limits of the world. The great island we inhabit is

the southern one, called Dzampoudipa, from the Jambu, or Eugenia

tree, growing upon it.

Our planet rests on a basis of water double the thickness of the

earth; the water itself is lying on a mass of air that has a

thickness double that of water. Below this aerial stratum is

_laha_, or vacuum.

Let us see now in what manner our planet is peopled, and whence

came its first inhabitants. From the seats of Brahmas which were

beyond the range of destruction when the former world perished,

three celestial beings, or, according to another version, six,

came on the earth, remaining on it in a state of perfect

happiness, occasionally revisiting, when it pleased them, their

former seats of glory. This state of things lasts during a long

period. At that time the two great luminaries of the day and the

stars of night have not as yet made their appearance, but rays

of incomparable brightness, emanating from the pure bodies of

those new inhabitants, illuminate the globe. They feed at long

intervals upon a certain gelatinous substance, of such a

nutritious power that the smallest quantity is sufficient to

support them for a long period. This delicious food is of the

most perfect flavour. But it happens that at last it disappears,

and is successively replaced by two other substances, one of

which resembles the tender sprout of a tree. They are so

nutritious and purified that in our present condition we can

have no adequate idea of their properties. They too disappear,

and are succeeded by a sort of rice called _Tha-le_. The

inhabitants of the earth eat also of that rice. But alas! the

consequences prove as fatal to them as the eating of the

forbidden fruit proved to the happy denizens of Eden. The

brightness that had hitherto encircled their bodies and

illuminated the world vanishes away, and, to their utmost

dismay, they find themselves, for the first time, sunk into an

abyss of unknown darkness. The eating of that coarse food

creates faeces and evacuations which, forcing their way out of

the body, cause the appearance of what marks the distinction of

the sexes. Passions, for the first time, burn and rage in the

bosom of those hitherto passionless beings. They are deprived of

the power to return to their celestial seats. Very soon

jealousy, contentions, &c., follow in the train of the

egotistical distinction of _mine_ and _thine_. Finding

themselves in the gloom of darkness, the unhappy beings sigh for

and long after light, when, on a sudden, the sun, breaking down

the barrier of darkness, bursts out, rolling, as it were, in a

flood of light, which illuminates the whole world; but soon

disappearing in the west below the horizon, darkness seems to

resume its hold. New lamentations and bewailings arise on the

part of men, when in a short time appears majestically the moon,

spreading its silvery and trembling rays of light. At the same

time the planets and stars take their respective stations in the

sky, and begin their regular revolutions. The need of settling

disputes that arise is soon felt by the new inhabitants; they

agree to elect a chief, whom they invest with a sufficient

authority for framing regulations which are to be obligatory on

every member of society, and power for enforcing obedience to

those regulations. Hence the origin of society.

Men, at first practising virtue, enjoyed a long life, the

duration of which reached to the almost incredible length of a

thingie. But they having much relaxed in the practice of virtue,

it lessened proportionably to their want of fervour in the

observance of the law, until, by their extreme wickedness, it

dwindled to the short period of ten years. The same ascending

and descending scale of human life, successively brought in by

the law of merit and demerit, takes place sixty-four times, and

constitutes an andrakap, or the duration of a world.

It remains only to mention rapidly some particulars regarding

the end of a revolution of nature. The cause of such an event is

the influence of the demerits, prevailing to such an extent as

to be all-powerful in working out destruction. Two solemn

warnings of the approaching dissolution of our planet are given

by Nats, one nearly 100,000 and the other 100 years before that

event. The bearers of such sad news make their appearance on

earth with marks of deep mourning, as best suited to afford

additional weight to their exhortations. They earnestly call on

men to repent of their sins and amend their lives. These last

summonses are generally heeded by all mankind, so that men, when

the world is destroyed, generally migrate, together with the

victims of hell who have atoned for their past iniquities, to

those seats of Brahmas that escape destruction. There are three

great principles of demerit, concupiscence, anger, and

ignorance. The world also is destroyed by the action of three

different agents, fire, water, and wind. Concupiscence is the

most common, though the less heinous of the three. Next comes

anger, less prevailing, though it is more heinous; but ignorance

is by far the most fatal of all moral distempers. The moral

disorder then prevailing causes destruction by the agency that

it sets in action. Concupiscence has for its agency fire; anger,

water; ignorance, wind; but in the following proportion. Of

sixty-four destructions of this world, fifty-six are caused by

conflagration, seven by water, and one by wind. Their respective

limits of duration stand as follows: conflagration reaches to

the five lowest seats of Brahmas; water extends to the eighth

seat, and the destructive violence of the wind is felt as far as

the ninth seat.

[14] Our planet or globe is composed, according to Buddhists,

of the mountain Mienmo, being in height 82,000 youdzanas (1

youdzana is, according to some authorities, equal to little less

than 12 English miles) above the surface of the earth, and in

depth equal to its height. Around this huge and tall elevation

are disposed the four great islands, according to the four

points of the compass; and each of these again is surrounded by

500 small islands. The countries south of the great chain of the

Himalaya are supposed to form the great island lying at the

south.

It would be easy to give, at full length, the ridiculous notions

entertained by Buddhists of these parts on geography and

cosmography, &c., &c.; but the knowledge of such puerilities is

scarcely worth the attention of a serious reader, who is anxious

to acquire accurate information respecting a religious system,

which was designed by its inventor to be the vehicle of moral

doctrines, with but very few dogmas. Those speculations upon

this material world have gradually found their place in the

collection of sacred writings, but they are no part of the

religious creed. They are of a Hindu origin, and convey Indian

notions upon those various topics. These notions even do not

belong to the system as expounded in the Vedas, but have been

set forth at a comparatively modern epoch.

[15] A Rahanda is a being very far advanced in perfection, and

gifted with high spiritual attainments, which impart to his

mortal frame certain distinguished prerogatives, becoming almost

spirits. Concupiscence is totally extinguished in a Rahanda; he

may be said to be fit for the state Neibban. Several classes are

assigned to Rahandas alone, according to their various degrees

of advancement in the way of perfection.

[16] It is an immutable decree that she on whom has been

conferred the singular honour of giving birth to a mortal who,

during the course of his existence, is to become a Buddha, dies

invariably seven days after her delivery, migrating to one of

the delightful seats of Nats. The Burmese translator observes

that a womb that has been, as it were, consecrated and

sanctified by the presence of a child of so exalted a dignity,

can never become afterwards the hidden abode of less dignified

beings. It must be confessed that the conception of Phralaong in

his mother's womb is wrapped up in a mysterious obscurity,

appearing as it does to exclude the idea of conjugal

intercourse. The Cochin-Chinese in their religious legends

pretend that Buddha was conceived and born from Maia in a

wonderful manner, not resembling at all what takes place

according to the order of nature.

[17] The Mount Himawonta is famous in all Buddhistic

compositions, as the scene where great and important events have

happened. It is in all probability the Himalaya, as being the

highest range of mountains ever known to Indian Buddhists.

[18] Pounhas are the Brahmins who, even in those days of remote

antiquity, were considered as the wisest in their generation.

They had already monopolised the lucrative trade of

fortune-tellers, astrologers, &c., and it appears that they have

contrived to retain it up to our own days. During my first stay

in Burmah I became acquainted with a young Pounha, wearing the

white dress, and getting his livelihood by telling the

horoscopes of newly-born infants, and even grown-up people. I

learned from him the mode of finding out by calculation the

state of the heavens at any given hour whatever. This mode of

calculation is entirely based on the Hindu system, and has

evidently been borrowed from that people.

Though Brahmins in those days, as in our own, worked on popular

ignorance and credulity in the manner abovementioned, we ought

not to lose sight of the great fact, borne out by this legend in

a most distinct and explicit way, that many among them devoted

all their time, energies, and abilities to the acquirement of

wisdom, and the observance of the most arduous practices. Their

austere mode of life was to a great extent copied and imitated

by the first religious of the Buddhist persuasion. Many

ordinances and prescriptions of the Wini agree, in a remarkable

degree, with those enforced by the Vedas. In the beginning, the

resemblance must have been so great as to render the

discrepancies scarcely perceptible, since we read in this very

work of an injunction made to the early converts, to bestow alms

on the Pounhas as well as on the Bickus or mendicant religious,

placing them both on a footing of perfect equality.

[19] Preitha is a being in a state of punishment and sufferings

on account of sins committed in a former existence. He is doomed

to live in the solitary recesses of uninhabited mountains,

smarting under the pangs of never-satiated hunger. His body, and

particularly his stomach, are of gigantic dimensions, whilst his

mouth is so small that a needle could scarcely be shoved into

it.

[20] In the Buddhistic system of cosmogony, 100,000 worlds

form one system, subject to the same immutable changes and

revolutions as affect this one which we inhabit. They admit,

indeed, that the number of worlds is unlimited, but they assert

that those forming one system are simultaneously destroyed,

reproduced and perfected, by virtue of certain eternal laws

inherent in matter itself.

[21] Tsadoomarit is the first of the six abodes of Nats. The

description of the pleasures enjoyed by the inhabitants of that

seat is replete with accounts of the grossest licentiousness.

[22] A Palou, or rather Bilou, is a monster with a human face,

supposed to feed on human flesh. His eyes are of a deep red hue,

and his body of so subtle a nature as never to project any

shadow. Wonderful tales are told of this monster, which plays

a considerable part in most of the Buddhistic writings.

[23] A Dzedi is a religious edifice of a conical form, supported

on a square basis, and having its top covered with what the

Burmese call an umbrella, resembling in its shape the musical

instrument vulgarly called _chapeau chinois_ by the French. On

each side of the quadrangular basis are opened four niches, in

the direction of the four cardinal points, destined to receive

statues of Buddha. This monument is of every dimension in size,

from the smallest, a few feet high, to the tallest, of one or

two hundred feet high. It is to be seen in every direction, and

in the neighbourhood of towns every elevation is crowned with

one or several Dzedis.

The word Dzedi means a sacred depository, that is to say, a

place where relics of Buddha were enshrined. The word has been

extended since to places which have become receptacles of the

scriptures, or of the relics of distinguished religious, who had

acquired eminence by their scientific and moral attainments. In

the beginning, those Dzedis were a kind of _tumuli_, or mounds

of earth or bricks, erected upon the shrine wherein relics were

enclosed. In proportion as the followers of the Buddhistic faith

increased in number, wealth, and influence, they erected Dzedis

on a grander scale, bearing always a great resemblance in shape

and form to the primitive ones. The stupas or topes discovered

in the Punjaub, and in other parts of the Indian Peninsula, were

real Buddhistic tumuli or Dzedis.

During succeeding ages, when relics could not be procured, the

faithful continued to erect Dzedis, the sight of which was

intended to remind them of the sacred relics, and they paid to

those relics and monuments the same veneration as they would

have offered to those enriched with those priceless objects.

In Burmah, in particular, the zeal, or rather the rage, for

building Dzedis has been carried to a degree scarcely to be

credited by those who have not visited that country. In the

following pages there will be found an attempt to describe the

various forms given to those monuments.

[24] The thabeit is an open-mouthed pot, of a truncated

spheroidical form, made of earth, iron, or brass, without

ornaments, used by the Buddhist monks when going abroad, in

their morning excursions, to receive the alms bestowed on them

by the admirers of their holy mode of life.