SOO Review of L'histoire [No. 167. 



real, the other ideal. The first was the regularity and holiness of 

 his conduct, of which chastity, charity, and patience form the principal 

 characteristics, the other his pretension to be a Buddha, and as such to 

 possess superhuman science and power. He lastly presented himself 

 as the saviour of mankind, and promised, that his doctrine would not be 

 annihilated by his death, but would last a long series of centuries, and that 

 another Buddha would appear to perpetuate it, if its influence should 

 decrease. This is according to my view the most simple and primitive 

 form, under which Sakya's doctrine is presented. Sakyamrini presented 

 himself in the midst of a society, thus constituted, as one of the ascetics, 

 who since the most ancient times traversed India, preaching morality, and 

 the more respected by society, the more they appeared to contemn it ; he 

 even entered religious life, by placing himself under the tutelage of the 

 Brahmans. When he had learned from his teachers all their knowledge, 

 Sakya as all other ascetics, subjected himself to severe mortifications, and 

 at first he did not distinguish himself from other ascetics of Brahminical 

 race. It is also evident, that the philosophical opinion, by which he jus- 

 tified his mission, was partaken of by all classes of society ; all classes 

 believed in the fatality of transmigration, the adjudgment of rewards 

 and punishments, and at the same time in the difficulty of escaping 

 altogether the changing condition of a relative existence. As far as 

 this point he was in no opposition to Brahminical society. Philosopher 

 and moralist, he believed the greater part of the truths admitted by 

 the Brahmans, but he dissented from them, when the consequences 

 deducible from these truths and the condition of salvation came into 

 question. 



The means which Sakya employed to convert the people to his 

 doctrine, were preaching, and according to the legends, miracles. The 

 preaching is a means, worthy of attention, and is, I believe, never heard 

 of before the mission of Sakya. 



I have already in the first portion of this work insisted upon the differ- 

 ence of the Buddhist instruction from that of the Brahmans. The differ- 

 ence especially appears in the preaching, the effect of which was to bring 

 home to the common understanding all the truths, which were previously 

 the property of the" privileged classes. It (the preaching) gives Buddhism 

 a character of simplicity, and under a literary view, of mediocrity, which 

 distinguishes it from the very profound manner of instruction of the 

 Brahmans. It explains, how Sakya was induced to receive into the 



