234 THE IMMORTALITY OF ANIMALS 



peace, harmony, philanthropy, love, and virtue, and 

 abhorrence of vice, long before the Christian era, 

 and was the first to repudiate and prohibit the 

 horrible and useless ceremony of animal sacri- 

 fices. 



Later on his religion became blended with Brah- 

 manism, and as a result the Brahmanic sacrifices were 

 abolished. It is a sad fact that at the present 

 time this religion has somewhat degenerated from 

 its original standard. Nevertheless it is still true 

 that religious teaching in the Oriental countries is 

 replete with injunctions to tenderness and kind 

 treatment of lower animals. 



The Buddhist Scriptures teach that "The practice 

 of religion involves, as a first principle, a loving, 

 compassionate heart for all living creatures. Be- 

 cause he has pity upon every living creature, there- 

 fore is a man called holy. That the slightest act 

 of charity, even in the lowest class of persons, such 

 as saving the life of an insect out of pity, that this 

 act shall bring to the doer of it, consequent 

 benefit. . . . All living things of whatsoever 

 sort call forth compassion and pity as they shall 

 always exist in the spirit. 1 ' Crude as the religion 

 of the Hindus appears, yet they teach a moral code 



