CONGRES INTERNATIONAL D'HISTOIRE DES RELIGIONS. 34 
years, and that we have here a faith of which all the stages 
of its development are known.) 
After this Buddhism was again the subject of discussion, 
opened by a very original paper by Mr. Chikazumi upon its 
evolution in Japan. M. Levi then spoke of the expansion of 
this faith, and the continually increasing relations between 
the different churches and the cifferent countries professing 
the Buddhist faith. 
This was followed by a very learned paper by M. 
Chavannes upon the origins, naturist on one side, animist 
on the other, of the old religion of China, establishing a 
relation of historical filiation between the divine par “ god 
of the sun and ancestor,” and the divine pair “ goddess of’ 
the earth and god of heaven.” Count Gubernatis referred 
to the analogies in the Italian cult of Terminus (Jupiter as 
god of boundaries) associated with the Lares and Manes. 
M. G. Oppert said that there were analogies in the worship 
of the aborigines of India. 
At the next meeting (September 7th) M.G. Oppert gave 
an account of the ideas and worship attached to the 
Calagrama, a kind of ammouite found m Gandaki, which 
had become an emblem of V ishnu, and which had probably 
been originally an emblem of feminine energy. 
This was followed by an expression of opinion by the 
Svami Vivekanandra upon the development of the Hindu 
religion from its commencement, and was of great interest 
as containing the views of a native of the country and 
professor of the faith under discussion. He avcorded greater 
influence to animism and the worship of ancestors than to 
naturism, and distinguished, besides, as important factors, 
two other elements, the one philosophic, and the other 
magic. He defended Indian tradition against the theories 
of Western Indianists. 
After this, Buddhism again held the field, and M. A. 
Fourcher presented a copy of his Etude sur UIconographie 
Bouddhique de UInde, in which he gave a summary of the 
results of the inquiry which he had made in the course of a 
mission in India. To this M.S. Lévy added some picturesque 
accounts of his recent journey to Nepal and described the 
state of Buddhism in that country, where its disappearance 
is at present only a question of years. With regard to this 
M. Sénart, the President, remarked that this disappearance 
of Buddhism was no more caused in ancient times by religious 
persecutions than it is to-day. 
