A shoot from the pipal tree at Buddha Gaya, known as the Bo Tree, has been cberished at Anarajpura for twenty centuries ; and in the courtyard of every vihara and temple of Ceylon, pipal trees are preserved as objects of veneration. A system of caste was introduced by king Vijaio amongst the Ceylon Buddhists, which still prevails there, though directly opposed to Buddhist doc trines, and not existing in any similar form in other Buddhist countries.
Buddhism has been examined by Prinsep, Hodg son, A. Cunningham, Yule, Csoma Korosi, Rajen dra Lala, Sykes, and Bird in India ; by Pallas, Schmidt, Burnouf, Milner, Bunsen, Barth, Fer gusson, St. Hilaire, Benfey, E. Edkins, Stanisla Julien, Lassen, Abel Remusat, Tennent, Wilson, and Wassiljew of Europe ; by Turnour, Gogerly ; and Spence Hardy of Ceylon ; by Phayre, Mason, Lowe, Bigandet, and Bastian of Burma ; and by Legge of China ; and there has been much dis cussion as to the nature of the doctrines which Sakya preached. There is no doubt that he was an ascetic, for he left his wife and family, and preached and inculcated asceticism ; and however greatly his followers may now vary in their belief, it is a fundamental doctrine with all of them, that existence is an evil, for birth originates sorrow, pain, decay, and death. Whether ho believed in a Supreme Being is questioned. Mr. Hodgson describes his belief as monastic asceti cism in morals, and philosophical scepticism in religion.' Bunsen considers that Sakya, the ascetic, of all founders of religions, at once stands the nearest to, and the farthest from, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. The farthest, inasmuch as he renounces in despair the actual world which Jesus purposes to raise to Godlike purity ; but the nearest, by virtue of the width and humanity of his conceptions of God, and the wide diffusion which they have obtained. But this view was not held by many of his own day, who styled him An-Iswara, the lordless one, meaning that he taught an absolutely atheistic nihilism ; and Burned considered the doctrine of Buddha to be atheistic and materialistic in his teaching that existence is a burden, and that annihilation is the highest happiness which the soul can strive after. Barth says (p. 110) Buddha's doctrine is abso lutely atheistic. The great truth of the Father hood of God is lacking in Buddha's teaching. According to Bunsen (God in Hist. p. 345), his creed introduced or revived civilisation, and softened manners amongst millions. At present
the Buddhists are in two great sects, those of the Mahayana, and those of the Hinayana. The Maha yana is represented in the literature of the northern Buddhists of Tibet, Nepal, China, and Japan ; and the Hinayana in that of Ceylon, Burma, Siam, and Cambodia, and Anam ? The Buddhism of Mongolia is an offshoot from Tibet, and that of Corea, Japan, and Cochin-China is from China.
In China and Mongolia, according to MM. Hue and Gabet, there are theistic Buddhists, who acknowledge an Adi-Buddha, or eternal Buddha, whom they consider to be God over all.—Yule, i. 242.
Sakya Muni discountenanced the philosophic views of the Brahmans, but did not deny the authority of the Vedas. But he was not followed in this by subsequent professing Buddhists.— 7.
Three marches from Jeypore, on the road to Dehli, the town of Babra has one of the edicts of Asoka on a block of stone or rock on a hill, in old Pali, and of date B.C. 309. It is in the oldest Lat character. It differs somewhat in style and language from the pillar and rock edicts. The subject is the Buddhist commandment, forbidding the sacrifice of four-footed animals. The Vedas are alluded to, but though not named, are con demned as `mean and false in their doctrine, and not to be obeyed.' The scriptures of the Muni (which must be the Vedas) are spoken of as directing blood-offerings and the sacrifice of animals. Priests and priestesses, religious men and religious women, amongst the Buddhists, are commanded to obey the edict, and bear it in their hearts (vol. ix. p. 617).
The sacred canon of the Buddhists now extant is called the Tripitaka, i.e. the three baskets. The first basket contains all that has reference to Vinaya, or morality or discipline ; the second contains the Sutra, or discourses of Buddha ; the third, Abhidharma, includes all works treating of dogmatic philosophy or metaphysics. The first and second each contain five separate works. The second is generally known by the name of Dharma, or law ; and it has become usual to apply to the third basket, which contains seven separate works, the term Abhidharma or bye-law. The Sutra are ascribed to Sakya Muni ; they consist of ethical and philosophical dialogues by and a writer in the Calcutta Review states they make ...„mentiorrof the gods Narayan, Jonardhan, Shib, Petomah, Borun (Vorun), and Songkar. Other names are Kabir, Sokr or Vasob, and Vissoo Kormo.—Cal. Rev.