530 BUDDHISM AND DEMON-WOESHIP. [Part IV. 



Hence the supremacy of " caste " is utterly disclaimed 

 in tlie sacred books which contain the tenets of Buddha ; 

 and although in process of time his followers have de- 

 parted from that portion of his precepts, still distinction of 

 bh-th is nowhere authoritatively recognised as a quah- 

 fication for the priesthood. Buddha being in iaoX a deifi- 

 cation of human intellect, the philanthropy of the system 

 extends its participation and advantages to the whole 

 family of mankind, the humblest member of which is 

 sustained by the assurance that by vktue and endurance he 

 may attain an equahty though not an identification with 

 the supreme intelligence. Wisdom thus exalted as the sole 

 object of pursuit and veneration, the Buddhists, with cha- 

 racteristic hberahty, admit that the teaching of virtue is 

 not necessarily confined to their own professors ; especially 

 when the ceremonial of others does not involve the taldng 

 of hfe. Hence in a great degree arises the indifference of 

 the Singhalese as to the comparative claims of Christianity 

 and Buddhism, and hence the facihty with which, both 

 under the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British Govern- 

 ment, they have combined the secret worship of the one 

 with the ostensible profession of the other. They in fact 

 admit Christ to have been a teacher, second only to 

 Buddha, but inferior, inasmuch as the latter, who was 

 perfect in wisdom, has attained to the bliss of Nu-wana.^ 



■^ Sir John Davis, in liis account 

 of the Chinese, states that the Butld- 

 hists there worship the " Qireeti of 

 Heaven," a personage BAddently bor- 

 rowed from the Roman Catholics, and 

 that the name of "Jesus "' appears in 

 the list of their divinities. (Chap, xiv.) 



A curious illustration of the preva- 

 lence of this disposition to conform to 

 two religions was related to me in 

 Ceylon. A Singhalese chief came a 

 short time since to the principal of a 

 government seminary at Colombo, 

 desirous to place his son as a pupil of 

 the institution, and agreed, without 

 an instant's hesitation, that the boy 

 should conform to the discipline of the 

 .school; which requires the reading of 



the Scriptm-es and attendance at the 

 hours of worship and prayer; ac- 

 coimting for his ready acquiescence 

 by an assm-ance that he entertained 

 an equal respect for the doctrines of 

 Buddhism and Christianity. " But 

 how can you," said, the principal, 

 " with your superior education and 

 intelligence, reconcile yom-self thus 

 to halt between two opinions, and 

 submit to the inconsistency of pro- 

 fessing an equal belief in two con- 

 flicting religions ? " " Do you see," 

 replied the subtle chief, laying his 

 hand on tlie arm of the other, and 

 directing his attention to a canoe, 

 with a large spar as an outrigger 

 lashed alongside, in which a fisher- 



