232 Mr. B. H. Hodgson's Sketch of Buddhism. 



" see how they Iiave been puzzled with the difference of things as they are 

 " from what they ought to be, in tliose casual and erroneous hints which 

 " they have afforded on the subject of Buddhism. 



" In note 15, I have stated that the Kdrmikas and Ydtnalcas entertained 

 " tolerably just views on the grand subject of free-will and necessity ; and 

 " I believe I am therein essentially correct : for how otherwise are we to 

 " understand their confession of faith, ' the actions of a man's prior births 

 " ' are his destiny ?' Exclude the metempsychosis, which is the vehicle of 

 " the sense of this passage, and we have our old adage, ' Conduct is fate :' 

 " a law of freedom surely. 



" Still, were I cross-examined, I might be forced to confess, that the 

 " ideas which the Kdrmikas and Ydtnalcas entertain of free-will, seem to 

 " resemble rather the qualifications of our Collins and Edwards, than the 

 " full and absolute freedom of Clarke and the best European philosophers. 



" The Kdrmikas and Ydtnakas seem to have been impressed with the fact 

 " of man's free-will, but to have been perplexed in reconciling such a 

 " notion with the general spirit and tendency of the old Swabhdvica phi- 

 " losopliy. But in the result, the Kdrmikas and Ydtnakas seem to have 

 " adhered to free-will, though perhaps in the qualified sense above men- 

 " tioned." 



SKETCH OF BUDDHISM. 



Question I. 

 How and when was the world created ? 



Answer. 

 According to the Sdmbhu Purdtia, in the beginning all was void (sunya). 

 The first light that was manifest was the word Aum ; and from this Aum 

 the alphabet was produced — called Mahd Varna, the letters of which are 

 the seeds of the universe. (See note 1.) In the Guna Kdranda Vy&ha it 

 is written, when nothing else was, Sambhu was ; that is the self-existent 

 {Swayamhhu) ; and as he was before all, he is also called Adi Buddha. He 

 wished from one to become many, which desire is denominated Prajnya. 

 Buddha and Prajnya united became Prajnya Upaya, as Siva Sakti, or 

 Brahma Maya. (See note 2.) In the instant of conceiving this desire, five forms 

 or beings were produced, called the five Buddhas (see note 3), whose names 



