i 



Photo by Rev. W. P. I^lwood 

 ROIvUNG HIS WAY TO TH^ SHRINKS 



Some pilgrims roll their bodies on the earth for hundreds of miles, from their homes to 

 distant shrines, up hill, down dale, and through the village streets. Everywhere traffic gives 

 way so that the pilgrim may have every opportunity of rolling his way to salvation. In this 

 way some particular sin may be expiated, but many adopt this means of obtaining money to 

 build a temple, dig a well, or even to provide a daughter's dowry. 



painful postures. The purpose in their 

 austerity was still in the main the attain- 

 ment of miraculous power, but moral 

 aims began also to appear. 



the: two vital DOCTRINI^S 01? HINDU 

 THi:0I.0GY 



In the period between 600 and 480 

 B. C. a marked change comes over the 

 life and thought of the people. The two 

 philosophic doctrines of Re-incarnation 

 (rebirth) and Karma (retribution) were 

 developed. A man's body, character, 

 birth, wealth, station in life, happiness, or 

 sorrow came to be regarded as the just 

 recompense or reward for his deeds, good 

 or bad, in earlier existences. If one could 

 cease from acting he might then hope for 

 release from the necessity of rebirth. 

 One could cease from action only by 



crushing out desire. A great passion for 

 release arose and many went out to the 

 mountains and sought by indescribable 

 self-torture to reach the end of birth and 

 sorrow. 



In later times there came about a still 

 further development of Hindu philos- 

 ophy. Each man was regarded as made 

 up of an individual soul, a subtle invisible 

 body, and a gross body. The soul is of 

 the same essence as the all-spirit, from 

 which it is detached in some mysterious 

 way, and the final goal is reunion with 

 the all-spirit. 



On the other hand, the soul is united 

 with the subtle body, and by birth the 

 subtle body becomes incarnate in a gross 

 body, by which it is greatly modified. 

 The impressions made upon the subtle 

 body by its association with the gross 



1284 



