BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY TRASTED.
It is strange that even educated persons are apt to fall into raptures over the doctrines of Buddhism, attracted by some bright gems which its admirers cull out of its moral code and display ostentatiously, while keeping out of sight all the dark spots of that code, and all those precepts which a Christian could not soil his lips by utter ing. It has even been asserted that much of the teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is based on previously current moral precepts which Bud dhism was the first to introduce to the world 500 years before Christ. But this is not all. The admirers of Buddha claim that he has justly been called "The Light of Asia," though they con descendingly admit that Christianity, as a later development, is better adapted to become the re ligion of the world.
Let us then inquire what claim Guatama Buddha has to this title. In the first place, those who give him this name forget that his doctrines spread over Eastern Asia only, and that Moham med has as much right as Buddha to be called 'the Light of Asia.' But was Buddha, in aLy true sense, a light to any part of the world ? It is true that the main idea implied by Bud dhism is intellectual—enlightenment.
But of what nature is the so-called 'Light of Knowledge' that radiated from Buddha ? Was it the knowledge of his own depravity of heart, or of the origin of sin? No; the Buddha's light in this respect was profound darkness.
\Vas it. then, the knowledge of the goodness of an Omnipotent Creator? Was it a knowledge of the Fatherhood of God? No; he knew noth ing of the existence of any being higher than him self.
All the light of knowledge which he claimed to nave discovered came to this: That suffering arises from indulging desires; that suffering is in separable from life; that all life is suffering; and that suffering is to be gotten rid of by the sup pression of desires and by the extinction of per sonal existence.
You see here the first great contrast. When Buddha said to his converts. 'Come, follow Inc.' he told them to 'lamp out suffering by stamping out desires. When the Christ taught his disciples he bade them to expect suffering. lie told them
to glory in their sufferings—nay, to expect the perfection of their characters through suffering.
it is noteworthy that both Christianity and Buddhism teach that all creation travaileth nn pain ;' but mark the vital distinction in their teaching. The one taught men to aim at the glori fication of the suffering body, the other at its utter annihilation. We Christians arc members of Christ's body, but how could a Buddhist be come a member of a body which became extinct when Buddha's whole personality became ex tinguished? 'But,' say the admirers of Buddha, 'at least you will admit that Buddha told men to get rid of sin, and to aim at sanctity of life.' Nothing of the kind. Buddha had no idea of sin as an offense against God, no idea of true holiness. What he said was, 'Get rid of the demerit of evil actions and accumulate merit by good actions.' This storing up of merit like capi tal in a bank is one of those propensities of human nature fro,n which Christianity alone has delivered men.
Buddhism says: Be righteous through your selves, for the final getting rid of all suffering—of all life in yourselves.
Christianity says: Be righteous through the power of a life-giving principle, freely given to you and always abiding in you.
Buddha said to his followers: 'Trust no one but yourselves.' Christ said, and says to us still : 'Take all from me ; take this free gift ; put on this spotless robe; eat this bread of life; drink of this living water.' Still I seem to hear some one say. 'We grant all this, but you must allow that Buddhism con ferred a great benefit upon India by setting its population free from the meshes of Brahmanical priestcraft.' Yes, I admit this, and more than this. I admit that it promoted progress up to a certain point. It preached purity in thought, word and deed, though only for the accumulation of merit; it proclaimed the brotherhood of humanity and in culcated universal benevolence extending even to animals, and did good service for the time being in elevating the character of humanity.