miles from Kapila-wattu, as the inhabitants of both cities were accustomed to meet together for pastime in the Lumbini garden, which was about half way between the two places. With so small a territory as the one over which Suddhódana reigned as an inferior king, and with his own court to provide for, how did he find means to provide for the 40,000 women in the palace of his son; and whence came the wealth that the royal family must have possessed, if the king could plough with an implement of gold, and his son give away an ornament worth a laksha of treasure? And what are we to say about the 40,000 women themselves? How could so great a number of women be taken from so confined a population? Again, the numbers represented as being present on different occasions of importance in the history of Buddhism are equally incredible, as when it is said that Bimbisára visited Buddha accompanied by 120,000 Brahmans and householders, and that 6,000,000 priests were present in the city of Patali-putta, when the third convocation was held.*

The tales that are told about the acts performed by Buddha, and the wonders attendant on these acts, need only be stated, in order to be rejected at once from the realm of reality and truth. A moment after his birth, he stepped upon the ground, and called out, with the voice of a lion, “Aggóhamasmi lókassa; jetthohamasmi lókassa ; setthóhamasmi lókassa; ayamantimá játi; natthi dháni punabbawóti. I am chief in the world; I am principal in

* The statements in this and the former paragraph are taken from the Commentary on the Buddha Wanso, except the last, which is taken from Turnour's extracts from the Dipawanso.

the world; I am supreme in the world; this is my last birth; hereafter there is to me no other existence."* When five months old he sat in the air, without any other support, at a ploughing festival. At an exhibition of his strength before his assembled relatives, prior to his marriage, he sent an arrow from his bow which split a hair at the distance of ten miles, though at the time "it were dark as if it were night." The following occurrences took place at the time he received the supreme Buddhaship. "When meditating on the patichcha samuppáda circle of existence, the ten thousand sakwalas (in any of which Bódhisat may be born) shook twelve times. When he attained to the pre-eminent wisdom, the whole of these sakwalas were ornamented (as a festive ball). The flags on each side of the sakwala rocks, north, south, east, and west, reached to the opposite side, south, north, west, and east. Those that were raised on the earth reached to the brahmalóka, and those that were raised in the brahma-lóka reached to the earth. All the flower trees in the various sakwalas put forth blossoms; and to the same extent the fruit trees became laden with fruit. On the trunks and branches there were lotus flowers, whilst garlands were suspended from the sky. The rocks were rent, and upon them flowers appeared, in ranges of seven, one above the other. The whole space of the sakwalas appeared like one wide mass of flowers, as everywhere they were spread. The Lókántarika hells, 80,000 miles in extent, in all these sakwalas, were illuminated by a more brilliant light than could have been made by seven suns. The waters of the * Mahapadána Suttanta, Játakatha-kattha.

great ocean, 840,000 miles deep, became fresh. streams of the rivers were arrested.

The

The blind from birth

saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked, and the bound prisoner was set free." Again, after he had preached his first sermon, it is expressly said that "then the foundations of 10,000 worlds were shaken, and moved about tumultuously, and a great and brilliant light was presented."* These things are too absurd to require serious refutation; and the students at present in even the smaller educational establishments of Ceylon, would feel themselves aggrieved, were I to make the attempt.

There are endowments and powers claimed for the ancient ascetics, and for Bódhisat in his various forms of existence, of the most extraordinary character. We have seen that the rishi Mátanga prevented the sun from rising, and bisected the moon. Bindumati, a courtezan, turned back the stream of the Ganges. The chakrawartti kings had horses and elephants on which they could ride through the air, and visit any of the four great continents.

When there was a famine in Wéranja, Moggalan, one of the two principal disciples of Buddha, asked permission from him to turn the earth over, that, as its under surface is like virgin honey, the starving population might thereby be fed; and when he was asked what would become of the inhabitants of the earth, he replied that he would cause an extension of one of his hands, and collect in that all the people, whilst he inverted the earth with the other.

* Játakattha-kattha.

As

Dhamma-chakkappawattana Suttanta. I could multiply the record of these marvels to an indefinite extent, from numerous other works; but it is not necessary, as I found on them no argument.

this was not permitted, he wanted to take the priests to Uttarakuru, but this proposition also was disapproved of by Buddha;* not from the act being impossible, but from its not being necessary that it should be performed.

* Gogerly translated from the Párájiká. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. i. p. 79.

142

CHAPTER III.

THE ONTOLOGY OF BUDDHISM.

In exposing the errors of Buddhism that in the preceding pages have passed under our review, we have been aided, in most instances, by the sure deductions of science. We now turn to another order of error, in the overthrow of which we shall require assistance from a different source, or the application of former principles in a new form.

1. FORMER STATES OF EXISTENCE.

The constancy with which reference is made to former states of existence is one of the first things that strikes us in looking into the writings of the Buddhists. The personal character of the Tathágato is invested thereby with an apparent sublimity of abnegation and self-sacrifice. The resolves of the imaginary Buddhas of past ages have nothing to equal them, for disinterestedness, in all the annals of heathenism. Myriads upon myriads of years ago, according to his own fictitious narrations, he might have released himself from the pains and penalties of successive existence; but he voluntarily continued in the stream of repeated birth, that he might attain to the privilege of being able to teach sentient beings the way to the city of peace; though he knew that he could only