RELIGION.
The religion of Siam is Budhism. It would however be impossible on an
occasion of this kind to give any extended outline of Budhism, and
besides this the principal works on that subject in the English
language are dry and uninteresting to the general reader or listener.
Any translations from the Budhist classics must also be necessarily
stiff, and many of the names unintelligible, unless accompanied with
explanations; I shall only, therefore, give as brief an outline as I
can of the Budhist faith, and describe, as nearly as possible, the
manner in which it is practised in Siam.
Budhism arose from a man of royal blood called Gautama, but by the
Siamese, _Somanakodome_. His father ruled a small kingdom in the
province of Oude, near the Himelaya mountains. Gautama died probably
about 534 B.C., and is supposed to have been nearly cotemporary with
the prophet Daniel. Becoming disgusted with the luxuries and pleasures
of courtly life he adopted that of a hermit, and like all hermits
became an enthusiast, and fancied that he had found the only true road
to all good, and thus leaped from the circle of eternal transmigration
into a "sublimation of existence that has no attribute and knows no
change."
The late king of Siam speaks of the founder of the Budhist faith thus:
"Budha was a man who came into being on a certain time, by ordinary
generation; that he was a most extraordinary man, more mysterious and
wonderful than all heavenly beings, because he made vast merit by the
use of his body, his words and his will. He reigned as king
twenty-nine years, (meaning doubtless that he lived in princely state
until twenty-nine years old); that he then practised the most severe
asceticism, and with the greatest assiduity for a period of six years,
when his mind became so sublimated and refined that he habitually
numbered and measured every thought he had, fixing his mind upon that
single object, to the utter exclusion of every other care, and that
consequently he attained to the highest perfection, not knowing
anything alike of happiness or sorrow, being in a middle state between
the two; and as a result of this, he then had power to remember many
of the transmigrations of being through which he had come, and could
see with angelic eyes distinctly all the various and numberless
transmigrations of human, angelic, and animal being throughout the
universe; and thence onward to the time of his death he gave his mind
entirely to the destroying of sin in his own body and soul, and became
the most pure and spotless, not only externally, but also in all the
secret recesses of his life and soul, and thence is worthily
denominated Arahang. He then saw by his own power alone, that all the
forms and bodies which merit and demerit have caused to come into
being, and all other things which exist without any cause, are
altogether illusive, unreal, unsubstantial, and evanescent; without a
maker, proprietor, or lord, and that hence is he also _Samma
Sampootó_. This says he is the sacred Budh, whom others before us
have thus eulogized as having come into the world, and lived in it,
and is commonly called according to his family name, _Gótama_. He
spent forty-five years in publishing the way to holiness and
substantial and eternal peace, and then extinguished his life, and
departed into Nipán."
The pantheism of Brahminism had by long operation produced that
sluggishness of mind--its legitimate fruit--and confounded the Deity
with his works, and making it appear that the aggregate of creation is
itself God. In opposition to this, Budhism produced the doctrine that
all forms are mere illusions, and that will, purpose, action, feeling,
thought, desire, love, hatred, and every other attribute that can be
predicated of the mind, is unstable, and unreal, and therefore cannot
be associated with perfect peace. A state of "sublimation of existence
above all qualities," is the only thing that is real and substantial.
Budha has attained to that state which is called in the Pali
_Nirwana_, but by the Siamese _Nipán_. The literal meaning of the
word is, "absence of all desire," which involves an absence of
thought, and may hence be called a state of dreamless perpetual sleep.
To attain to that state the Budhist dogma, that all things which
appear in creation are illusive, and unreal, and consequently
unsubstantial, must be firmly fixed upon the mind. This lesson,
however, can only be learned by the most studious application of the
mind, and moral discipline by self-denial during a period of at least
100,000 transmigrations. To our mind Nipán is nothing but
annihilation, but Budhists will not admit it to be such, but maintain
that Budha has a perpetual existence there, Nipán is the Budhist's
highest idea of happiness. Omnipotence may be attained by perfect
virtue, abstinence, thought, and meditation.
Fatality is the cause of creation. The universe came into existence by
the inherent force of fixed and invariable laws, which brings the
worlds out of chaos, and conducts them on by gradation to a state of
high perfection, and then downward again by the same gradation to
dissolution, and then back again, upward and downward in a series that
had no beginning, and will have no end. If any Siamese in the kingdom
be asked who made the world, he will invariably answer "pen eng," it
made itself.
The teachings of Budha appear to have been transmitted by tradition
for about four hundred and fifty years after his death, and were then
committed to writing by the authority of a Budhist Council.
The Budhist system of the universe is found in a book called the _Trei
Poom_, or a book settling all questions about the existence of the
three worlds. The Trei Poom of the Siamese was originally translated
from the Pali. The work was doubtless originally written in Ceylon,
and carried thence to all Budhist countries. The Rev. Dr. Bradley, the
oldest missionary in Siam, has prepared an abstract from the Trei
Poom, and published in the _Bangkok Calendar_, from which I shall make
a few extracts on the present occasion.
The universe consists of an infinite number of systems, called by the
Siamese _Chackrawan_. Each Chackrawan has a sun, moon and stars
revolving around the top of a central mountain, called _Kow Pra Men_,
which extends above the surface of the ocean about 840,000 miles, and
the same distance into the ocean. It forms a perfect circle, having a
circumference equal to 2,520,000 miles. Parallel to the circle it
describes, and at a distance of 420,000 miles, is the first of seven
circular mountains, being variously distant from each other. Their
depth in water is the same as their height above it. The names,
height, circumference, &c., of these mountains are all given, but
would occupy too much space to enumerate here. Between each of the
seven mountains is a sea called _Seetawtara Samoot_. The width and
depth of each is as the distance between the mountains which bound it,
and the depth of the mountains below the surface of the water. The
water is exceedingly refined and light. The fish that live in those
seas are wonderful for variety and size, being many thousand miles
long. Parallel with the circle described by the seventh mountain, and
5,513,650 miles from it, is a circular glass mountain, called _Kow
Chakrawan_. This mountain forms the horizontal boundary of the system.
Its height is 820,000 miles, and its thickness 120,000. The circular
area which this mountain encloses is 12,034,500 miles in diameter. The
circumference of the mountains on the outside is 136,035,500 miles.
The water on both sides is 820,000 miles deep. The width of the ocean
between it and _Kow Asa Kan_ is 3,513,650 miles. Within this vast
expanse of water are situated the four grand divisions of the
populated plane or surface of the Chakrawan. These are called
_Taweeps_, which, for want of a better term to express them, have been
translated continents. These all have their appropriate names. The
first, in its horizontal contour, is shaped somewhat like the face of
a man, and hence is inhabited by mankind with faces like itself. The
second has a form like a half-moon, and is inhabited by an intelligent
race with semi-circular faces. The third is a perfect square, and is
inhabited by square-faced beings. The fourth is circular, and is
inhabited by beings having faces like the full moon. The distance from
each _Taweep_ to _Kow Chakrawan_ is 2,798,600 miles. Each Chakrawan
system is underlaid by a body of water independent of their oceans.
The distance from the surface of the earth to it is 260,000 miles, and
the depth of it is 480,000 miles. Underlying this body there is a
stratum of air 960,000 miles in depth, and thence downward there is
nothing but an open and utter void.
Each Chackrawan has attached to it, somewhere in the subterranean
regions, eight chief hells, called by the Siamese _Narok_, meaning
worlds of utter misery. Each of these hells has attached to it sixteen
smaller ones, making one hundred and twenty-eight in all. Outside of
these there is another range of purgatories, forty to each chief hell,
making in all three hundred and seventy.
Each Chakrawan has attached to it six inferior heavenly worlds, called
_Tewalok_, situated above each other, and at immense distances apart.
The first is situated on the top of the first of the seven circular
mountains, and the second on the top of _Kow Pra Men_. The others have
no terrestrial foundation, but are suspended in open space.
These Chakrawans are far more innumerable than the particles of matter
which compose the earth. A mighty _Prom_ once desired to find the
limits of these systems. He was so powerful that by one step he could
cross a Chakrawan as swiftly as an arrow crosses the shadow of a
palmyra tree at midday. He travelled from one Chakrawan to another at
that rate for one thousand years, and then onward ten thousand more,
and then one hundred thousand more, until he was convinced that it was
impossible to find the limit, or to express their immensity in
numbers.
The Budhist decalogue consists of ten commandments, viz.
I. From the meanest insect up to man, thou shalt kill no animal
whatever.
II. Thou shalt not steal.
III. Thou shalt not violate the wife of another, nor his concubine.
IV. Thou shalt speak no word that is false.
V. Thou shalt not drink wine, nor anything that may intoxicate.
VI. Thou shalt avoid all anger, hatred, and bitter language.
VII. Thou shalt not indulge in idle and vain talk.
VIII. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.
IX. Thou shalt not harbor envy, nor pride, nor malice, nor revenge,
nor the desire of thy neighbor's death or misfortune.
X. Thou shalt not follow the doctrines of false gods.
All who are habitually engaged in killing animals, stealing,
committing adultery, drinking ardent spirits and getting drunk, will
sink to the lowest hell. There are, however, five crimes which are
especially damnable, viz., murder of father or mother, murder of the
highest order of priests, called Arahang, wounding Budha's foot, so as
to make it bleed, (supposed to refer to the renouncing of the Budhist
religion,) and persuading priests to follow false doctrines or
practices. Those committing such sins go down to the very bottom of
the lowest hell.
No new souls are ever made, the universe is ever stocked with
intelligent beings, and has been from eternity. These are continually
transmigrating from one state of being into another. All depends upon
merit and demerit. Every action and thought have their consequences,
either in the present or some future state of existence. Evil actions
produce evil consequences, which will eventually become manifest, and
cause a future birth, either in hell or in some inferior animal.
Hence, in speaking of the future, the Siamese always say _"tam boon
tam kam,"_ according to merit or demerit. An amount of demerit may be
cancelled by a corresponding amount of merit. We have had cooks in our
employ who have been obliged to kill animals such as chickens, &c.,
and who, after leaving us, have entered the priesthood to atone for
their demerit.
Over four hundred millions of the human race hold the Budhist religion
in some form or other. There is no people, however, who excel the
Siamese in devotedness and fidelity, and can show so many gorgeous
temples and monasteries. The government and the religion are so
inseparably connected together, that it is impossible to see how the
one can be overthrown without the other. It is a mutual union of
Church and State. No one can hold any civil office whatever under the
government, who has not spent at least three months in the priesthood.
Budhism was brought from Ceylon to Cambodia, and thence to Siam, and
probably arrived in Siam about the fifth century of the Christian era.
The Siamese know of no other religion having existed amongst them.
They make merit in Siam in different ways. One prolific source is the
building of temples or monasteries. These temples oftentimes cover
acres of ground, and besides the regular temple or shrine of the
idols, have houses or dormitories for the monks, and other
outbuildings. The temples are gaudy, but not magnificent, grand, or
massive. They are all accompanied with spires or pagodas, which
frequently reach a great height. The temple building proper is filled
with idols which are hideous in their appearance. Some are sitting,
some standing, and some are in a reclining posture. There is one
temple at the old city of Audia, said to have twenty thousand idols in
it, and the estimate cannot be far in excess of the real number. There
is one reclining idol in Bangkok, about one hundred and seventy-five
feet long, eighteen feet across the breast; and the feet of the idol
are six feet long. It is made of brick and mortar, heavily overlaid
with gold, and cost probably about $3,000. When the King wishes to
make merit, he builds a temple costing perhaps $100,000. When any of
the chief princes or nobles wish to make merit they do the same. The
temples built by the princes and nobles are all given to the King, and
then formally dedicated. These are called "Wat HLuang," or royal
temples, from the fact that the kings visit them once a year, and
distribute presents to the priests. The common people also join
together, and build temples, which are called "Wat Ratsadon," or the
people's temples. They are the same as the others, only not so grand,
and the kings do not visit them. There are in the city of Bangkok
alone about one hundred and twenty temples.
Another prolific source of merit is by entering the priesthood. It is
the highest ambition of every mother to have all her sons take holy
orders in the priesthood, at some time or other during life, but
generally in the prime of it, as they thus not only make merit for
themselves, but also for the parents. It consequently becomes an
ambition to have as many sons as possible. The advent of a son is
hailed with delight, whilst that of a daughter is rather an occasion
of lamentation. The first question asked on the advent of a little
stranger is, "pen pu chai rú pu ying?" is it a boy or a girl? When
our first child was born, and our Siamese friends came to see the
little white stranger, finding it to be a girl, the only
congratulations they offered were, "tempte Maú tempte," too bad,
Doctor, too bad. The shortest time any one can remain in the
priesthood is three months, and as much longer as they choose. I have
met men who had been in the priesthood over forty years. I have met
them also who had been in it a number of times. It is no uncommon
thing for a man to leave his wife and family for a short time, and
enter the priesthood.
The ceremony is very simple, consisting of asking the candidate a few
questions as to his motives, shaving his head, and bathing him
copiously with holy water, and clothing him with yellow robes. They
have also the order of _nains_, or novices, consisting of those too
young to take full orders. The clothing of the priests consists of a
yellow robe resembling somewhat the old Roman toga, with a scarf of
the same material, or something richer, thrown over the shoulders. But
as Budha was clothed in rags, they must imitate to some extent his
example, they therefore take the new yellow cloth, tear it in pieces,
and then sew it together again. This is done by the women, and is also
a source of merit.
The priests go out early in the morning for their daily food. At every
house is stationed some member of the family, with a basin of boiled
rice, and a large brass spoon in it. When a priest comes along he
uncovers his vessel, and receives a spoonful of rice, and then passes
on to the next house. Some also give fish, fruit, and other things to
eat with the rice. When sufficient rice is collected for the day, they
return to the temples and take the morning meal. The next meal is
eaten just before noon, and nothing more until the next morning. It is
considered very sinful for a priest to eat after noon. The people also
frequently meet together at the different temples, and make feasts for
the priests, and give presents to them.
There are in Bangkok alone over ten thousand priests, and all that
vast army can be seen starting out early every morning in search of
their daily food.
It must cost Siam annually nearly $25,000,000 to keep up the
priesthood alone, and supposing the population to be eight millions,
which is perhaps an over-estimate, it will make on an average of over
three dollars for every man, woman and child in the kingdom. Now, if
every man, woman and child in the evangelical Christian Church would
average three dollars per annum, there would not be so many starving
ministers, and the Boards of the Church would not be compelled so
frequently to go a begging. The world too, at that rate, would soon be
evangelized. If the heathen can do so much for a false religion, what
should Christians not be willing to do for the holy religion of Jesus,
to which they owe everything they have, and are, and hope to be?
Any violation of the laws of chastity whilst in the priesthood is most
severely punished. The culprit is publicly whipped with a ratan. He is
then paraded for three days around the city with a crier going before,
proclaiming his crime, and is then condemned to cut grass for the
king's elephants for life, and his posterity after him, to the most
remote generation. The other offending party is condemned to turn the
king's rice-mill for life, and her posterity after her to the most
remote generation. In consequence of the severe punishment, _slips_ of
that kind whilst in the priesthood, in proportion to the numbers, are
much less frequent than among the Christian ministry. Sodomy, however,
and other unmentionable crimes, are fearfully prevalent.
The priests are the only persons in the kingdom who are not obliged to
crouch before the king. The king himself crouches before the
high-priest. When any one meets a priest, he places the palms of his
hands together and raises them to his forehead in reverence.
The duty of the priests is to take care of the religion, recite
prayers at funerals, weddings, &c., and preach when called upon to do
so. The people frequently invite the priests to their houses to have
preaching. The sermons consist chiefly of exhortations to make merit,
and are generally in such lofty words and terms, taken from the Pali,
that the common people do not understand them.
The Siamese also make pilgrimages to _Prabat_ and other sacred places.
Prabat is a beautiful little volcanic mountain about eighty miles
north of Bangkok. The rocks appear to have been thrown up in a plastic
state, and in cooling down left innumerable little holes or crevices
in the solid rock. One of these, about six feet long, is imagined to
be the impress of Budha's foot. They have accordingly bricked it up,
and have overlaid the wall with gold leaf. They have also erected over
it a beautiful little temple, whose floor is covered with silver
cloth, and whose walls are heavily covered with gold. Vast multitudes
flock thither during the months of January and February of every year,
to make their offerings at that sacred shrine. The principal offering
is gold leaf, which they paste on the inside of the footprint. There
are at least $5000 expended there annually in gold leaf alone. The
little caves also, with which the mountain abounds, are filled with
idols, and every prominent point is capped with a _pagoda_. At the
foot of the mountain is rather a hideous idol, at which all pilgrims
dismount from their elephants, and make an offering before ascending
to the more holy place. The offering consists chiefly of a twig from a
tree, or a few flowers. The tradition is, that whoever refuses to make
this offering will die before leaving the place. They were very much
surprised that we refused at least to dismount. They told us that Sir
Robert Schomburgk, the English Consul, who had visited there the
previous year, had also refused to dismount, and that he himself had
not died, but a favorite dog he had with him on the elephant had died
before he left the mountain. Sir Robert however, had a different
theory in regard to his dog, and blamed some one for administering to
him a dose of poison. Many of the most intelligent princes and nobles
have no faith in Prabat, but still assist in keeping up the delusion.
There is also a short distance north of Prabat a very lofty rock
called Pra Chei, or sacred glory, where Budha is said to have once
taken shelter from a shower of rain, and departing, left his shadow.
Multitudes also flock thither to worship. We arrived there about ten
o'clock at night, and upon ascending a long flight of steps, found
numbers bowed before the rock and pasting gold leaf upon it. When we
told them that we could see no shadow, they attributed it to a want of
faith.
The Siamese are also very much tormented with the fear of spirits,
both good and evil, and use every means to propitiate them. Witchcraft
is also very much feared. Wizards and witches are believed to have
power to put into the stomach of any one a piece of buffalo meat, or
other substance. A very disgusting circumstance of this kind occurred
near our premises. The father of a certain family took sick and died.
The family believed some foul play had been exercised in his case, and
when they came to burn the body, a small portion, perhaps the heart,
did not consume as rapidly as the rest. This was taken at once to be
the buffalo meat, and was taken home and eaten by the family. The
whole family ate of it, except one little girl who was absent in the
family of a missionary. The belief is that if they eat of it, they can
never be affected the same way.
It is just to state that there are two schools of Budhism in Siam. The
late king, whilst a prince and in the priesthood, studied astronomy,
and became too intelligent to believe the teachings of the Budhist
books in reference to the system of the universe, and accordingly
undertook to reform Budhism, by discarding from the sacred books all
those things which conflicted with modern science, and especially in
reference to astronomy. Many of the most intelligent princes and
nobles went with him. A vast majority, however, swallow the whole of
the Budhist teachings.
The greatest champion of the New School was Chow Phya Thipakon, late
Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was in some respects the greatest
thinker in the kingdom. He was the only man in the kingdom who, as
yet, has ventured to write a book, and have it printed wholly by his
own workmen. It consists of several hundred pages, and was
lithographed throughout, which must have taken considerable pains and
labor. The title is "Kitchanukit," a book explaining many things. He
commences by rather ridiculing the elementary system of education
practised in the temples, and tries to stimulate the natives to better
things. He also takes up the different systems of religion throughout
the world, so far as his knowledge extends, and compares them with his
own. He confutes, in his own way, the elementary religious tracts
published by the missionaries, and the evidences of Christianity. He
maintains his belief in his own system, and gives a few arguments in
favor of the transmigration of souls. He also gives a number of
illustrations and anecdotes bearing on that subject, of which the
following is a specimen: "Another instance is that of the child of a
Peguan at Paklat, (a town near Bangkok,) who, as soon as he had
learned to speak, told his parents that he was formerly named Makran,
and had been killed by a fall from a cocoanut tree, and as he fell,
his axe fell from his hand and dropped into a ditch; and they seeing
that his story coincided with something that had happened within their
knowledge, tried the child by making him point out the tree, and he
pointed out the tree, and his story was confirmed by their digging up
the axe from the ditch."
Although the book evinces some thought and considerable knowledge, it
is infantile when he attempts to grapple with the great truths of
Christianity. H. Alabaster, Esq., for ten years Interpreter to H. B.
M. Consulate in Siam, has translated portions of the book, accompanied
with remarks of his own, and published it under the title of "The
Modern Budhist."
It may be asked, what is the effect of such a system of religion upon
the morals of the people in comparison with those of eminently
Christian countries? There are many kinds of crimes in which Christian
nations far surpass them, such as those daring and dark outrages
perpetrated in our large cities, the recital of which shocks our
sensibilities every time we take up a morning paper. But heathen
morals have ever been the same, and the description which Paul gives
of the heathen of old, in the first chapter of the Epistle to the
Romans, is a complete description of the heathen of to-day. There is a
rottenness about everything, morally speaking, which we do not find in
Christian countries. It would be impossible on an occasion of this
kind, and before a mixed audience, to give you any idea of the
prevailing state of morals. I am not one of those, who, like the
English governess in the _Atlantic Monthly_, would consider Budhism a
shadow of Christianity, and "thank God" for it. It is eminently the
offspring of Satan, as all its bearings and workings on the heart and
morals will abundantly show. I have seen none of those glorious
death-bed scenes which she describes, and think they are rare. A
Siamese man lived neighbor to us for ten years. He could sit in his
own door and hear the gospel preached in our mission chapel. He was an
excellent neighbor, and was to all appearance a moral man. He had
observed, as nearly as possible, all the tenets of his religion. He
had made merit in every possible way. All his sons had entered the
priesthood. He was about seventy years old, and his death-sickness
came. The future was all dark to him. He struggled with, disease and
death for a number of days. One of our native church members called to
see his old neighbor, and ventured to speak to him about the
approaching change. The old man was unwilling to give up, and
answered, "Mai yak tai," I do not want to die; "Klua tai," I am afraid
to die; and then summoning all his remaining strength exclaimed, "Ch?
mai tai," I will not die. Still he had to die, as millions of his race
have done, without one ray of light to illuminate the soul, and no
faith in Jesus opening up to him the glories of the eternal world.