266 ON THE REILGION AMD 



" pies for five thoufand years: and he commanded 

 " that his images and relics fhould be worfhipped, 

 *' which has accordingly been ever fince done. 



" g- I" faying that Godama obtained Me^^n, what 

 " is underftood by that word ? 



" A. When a perfon is no longer fubjed to any of the 

 " following miferies, namely, to weight, old age, 

 *' difeafe, and death, then he is faid to have ob- 

 " tained Nitban. No thing, no place, can give us 

 " an -adequate idea of Nieban: we can only fay, 

 '• that to be free from the four abovementioned 

 " miferies, and to obtain falvation, is Nieban. In 

 '* the fame manner, as when any perfon labouring 

 *' under a fevere difeafe, recovers by the affiftance 

 "of medicine, we fay he has obtained health: but 

 *' if any perfon wifhes to know the manner, or 

 " caufe of his thus obtaining health, it can only 

 *' be anfwered, that to be rellored to health fignifies 

 *' no more than to be recovered from difeafe. In 

 *• the fame manner only can we fpeak of Nieban^ 

 *• and after this manner Godama taught. 



" g. Is not Godama the only true god on the face 

 " of this earth ? 



'' A. Godama 



(II, page 121, and the following^ It would appear by this, that iIkt 

 Brahmins differ fome thoufands of years in their accounts of the time of 

 his appearance. From the immenfe variations of time m the chronolog>' of 

 the Brahmcns, no truft can rationally he put in their acount. The opinion 

 of the C/u/ie/e dates Shaka to have lived 1028 years before Christ : 

 but as this opinion can only be founded on the authority of the Indians^ 

 who introduced the v^rorfhip of Bouddha into China, it proves no more 

 than the Indian ideas at the time: otherwife it would deferve much credit. 

 G E o R G I , from the writings of Thibet^ reduces the aera of B o u d d h a to the 

 year 959 before Christ. If I am right in my conjefture, the Zara. 

 do's 2.362 Burma years, equal to nearly 2341 of the jfulian reckoning, 

 would place the death of Godama 546 years before Christ. The 

 Siavimefe, wliofe vulgar sera commences with the death of Godama, make 

 that event to have happened in the year 544, (Relation du Royame de 

 Siam, par M. DE i-a Lourerf,, II, 160.) within two years of the 

 Zarado's eftlmate. TheCingalffe, according to Mr. Haringtok, 

 make the rera of Godama's death 542 years before Christ. Paul inus, 

 calculating fr»>m tlie date given in the Borgiun manufcript, reduces the 

 »Vm»H??.f/t; period four years : and in all fuch differences of opinion, the 

 fafeft to follow is the latell date, as mod likely to approach the truth. 



