56 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 1 42 



promoted Taoism, whereas others persecuted and sometimes tried to 

 exterminate it. 



After the coming of Buddhism to China, Taoism and Buddhism 

 became great rivals, and to some extent they have remained rivals 

 ever since, although after several centuries they seemed to settle 

 down to friendly coexistence. As is so often the case with rivals, 

 each borrowed from the other, and each influenced the other. Through 

 the influence of Buddhism, Taoism now developed a trinity, Lao 

 Tzu (now deified), P'an Ku, and the Pearly Emperor, together 

 with a great pantheon of gods ; the use of temples and monasteries ; 

 the employment of monks, first allowed to marry, but later gen- 

 erally required to be celibate ; heaven and hell ; charms and incanta- 

 tions ; more magic ceremonies to bring rain, to cause good crops, to 

 give general prosperity, to accomplish other desired results, and to 

 heal diseases and give protection from other calamities by the ex- 

 orcism of demons (Lataurette, 1920, pp. 125-126). Taoist sacred 

 books were written closely imitating those of the Buddhists. 



Philosophical Taoism, a mystical philosophy with high moral teach- 

 ings, has always been understood by and has appealed to a limited 

 number of elite scholars. Among the great mass of priests and wor- 

 shipers, Taoism as a religion has become so degenerated that if one 

 desires to study the modern superstitions of the Chinese people, 

 there is probably no better way than to study the beliefs and prac- 

 tices of the Taoists. 



For many centuries religious Taoism identified itself with the super- 

 stitions of the Chinese people and so won and held their allegiance. 

 But what has in the past been a great asset, has in recent years be- 

 come a decided handicap. The people of China are emerging into 

 a new age, characterized by an intellectual and psychological awaken- 

 ing and enlightenment, when religions using primitive methods and 

 psychology and preying on the superstitions of the ignorant are 

 doomed to rejection. 



BUDDHISM 



Buddha, whose real name was Gautama, was born in a noble and 

 wealthy family in northern India. Different authorities give differ- 

 ent dates for his birth and death, but all agree that he lived to be 

 80 years old, and modern scholars generally date his birth at 563 B. C. 

 and his death at 483 B. C. 



Buddha was reared in luxury and protected from the hardships 

 of life, but later he was so impressed by human sorrow and misery, 

 caused by sickness, old age, and death, that he left his home and 



