H'J^ ON THE RELIGION AND 



All the priefts of Godama are properly "what m 

 a Roman catholic country M^ould be called regulars. 

 There are no fecular or officiating priefts, having 

 charge of the worfhip of the lay part of the community. 

 Thefe prielts, by Europeans commonly called Talapoins^ 

 and by Mohammedans^ Raulins, are in the Burma lan- 

 guage called Rahans^2indi in the Pali^ Thaynka. This 

 is the proper name, as in Europe fimilar priefts are 

 called monks: but as in catholic countries the monks 

 from refpeci are commonly addreffed by the title of 

 father ; fo among the Burmas the Rahans are com- 

 monly fpoken to by the name Poun-gye, which fig- 

 nifies great virtue. 



Somona or Samana is alfo a title beftowed on the 

 priefts of Godama, and is likewife applied to the 

 images of the divinity, when reprefented, as he com- 

 monly is, in the prieftly habit. From this name the 

 whole fe6l of Bouddha have been by many called 

 Samanians, a name frequently mentioned by the an- 

 tient writers, and faid to be derived from the San- 

 fcrit word Saman, fignifying gentlenefs or affability*^. 

 The learned Paulinus fuppofes the Samanians and 

 Magi to have been the fame, an opinion which he 

 has been by no means able to render probable. The 

 accounts of the religion of the Samanians, as extrafted 

 from the writings of the Rahans by Sangermano, the 

 treatife of the Zarado, and the book Kammua, in 

 my opinion fliow the two fe6ls to be eflentially diffe- 

 rent. The Magi believed in two principles, the one 

 producing all the good, the other all the evil in the 

 world. The former they compared to light or fire, 

 and worfhipped the fun and fire, as emblematical of 

 the beneficent principle: but they worfhipped no 

 images. They were much addifted to aftrology, and 

 have even given their name to all pretenders to fuper- 

 natural powers. But the Samanians conlider every 

 thing asarifing from fate by means of water, and look 

 on their divinity as merely a great moral teach- 

 er. D£v.\dat they do not cfleem a principle of 



nature, 

 * Paulinus Mus. Borg. pag. 18. 



