602 A few Gleanings in Buddhism. [Dec, 



It is related of this disciple that he was instructed in his duties as a 

 priest, by a high caste brahman, who became much attached to him. 

 He was then however, it seems, of the brahminical sect, for, as the 

 legend runs, this partiality of the spiritual guide towards him so excited 

 the enmity of several other noviciates that they conspired, and accused 

 the favorite to the brahman of carrying on an illicit amour with his 

 daughter. 



The brahman, dissembling his rage under the mask of friendship, 

 and with a view to lead to his destruction, sent for the disciple, and 

 communicated to him as a secret a mode by which he would assuredly 

 attain to Nivana without further study. This was to frame a necklace 

 of 109 human sculls (Siva's necklace occasionally). The disciple fol- 

 lowed the advice, and had by waylaying travellers and killing them 

 collected 108 of these sculls, when Buddha appeared before him in 

 order to prevent a meditated matricide. The disciple, ignorant of his 

 rank, pursued him to slay him, but Buddha rose into the air, and 

 admonished him, and he, dreading the consequences of his conduct, 

 besought Buddha to pardon him, and place him on the list of his 

 spiritual sons. This legend was doubtless fabricated at a modern 

 period, for if true, which it cannot be, this convert must have been 

 instigated to these reputed and foul murders by a priest either of 

 Kali or of Siva. But it shows how corrupted Buddhism must have 

 become to countenance, as a fact, so attrocious a transgression of the 

 law. 



The birth and life of Buddha, as recorded in the Siamese sacred 

 books, agrees closely with the description given in the Mahawanso 

 of Ceylon. The Buddhists attracted so little notice of the learned 

 until some few years back, that I did not think it worth while to pub- 

 lish all of the translations which I had made of portions of Buddha's 

 history. I think it probable that a copy of the Mahawanso may exist 

 in the archives of the palace at Bankok. But no visitor seems yet to 

 have had access to any Siamese Library there. 



The Siamese have been deeply embued by the brahmans with a 

 mania for astrology, necromancy, and their kindred arts. The following 

 are some of their invocations, which the Sanskrit scholar will readily 

 trace to their source. Empiricism too, being fostered in Siam, these 

 invocations are in high repute with their faculty. They are believed 



