192 



ORDINARY MEETING, February 18, 1884. 



J. A. Eraser, Esq., M.D., Inspector-General of Hospitals, 

 IN THE Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and the fol- 

 lowing Elections were announced : — 



Member : — H. C. Saunders, Esq., Q.C., M.A. Oxon., London. 



Associates :— J. Cassidy Travers, Esq., London ; F. J. Hughes, Esq., 

 Isle of Wight. 



Hon. Local Secretary :- Rev. C. Beckett, M.D., Y/eiii;ar, Germany. 



Also the presentation of the following Works for the Library : — 

 "Proceedings of the American Geographical Society." From the Same. 

 „ „ ,, Geological Society." „ 



The following paper was then read by the Author : — 



BUDDHISM, IN liELATION TO GHBISTIANITY. 

 By the Rev. R. Collins, M.A. 



SPEAKING some time since at a meeting, I ventured to use 

 as illustrations one or two of the more striking stories in 

 the Jdtalms, or tales of the 550 births of Buddha. A lay- 

 man, who succeeded me, observed that, had I had time, I 

 might have told the audience that Buddhism was a religion 

 long antecedent to Christianity ; and that many of the moral 

 teachings, of which we had previously believed that they 

 belonged to Christianity alone, had been already enunciated 

 by Buddha. 



2. Though not so far untrue, this is the somewhat naked 

 thought that has taken possession of the popular mind. And 



