THE RUINS OF 330 R0 BUDUR IX JAVA. 215 



vent his escape. But one night the young man, with the help of 

 his charioteer Chakna, managed to elude the guards, and leaving- 

 his home, his power, his wife, and his only child behind him, rode 

 away to become a penniless and despised student, and a homeless 

 wanderer. 



Siddiiartha rode a long distance that night till he reached 

 the bank of the Anoma river. Then taking off his ornaments, he 

 gave them to Chan t na to take back to Kapila-vastu. Chanxa asked 

 to be allowed to stay with his Master, but Siddhartiia would not 

 suffer him, and the faithful charioteer returned, while his Master 

 cut off his long hair and exchanging clothes with a poor passer- 

 by began his new life as an ascetic mendicant. This is a bare 

 outline of the facts concerning the early life of the Buddha, which 

 are probably historical. 



The simple history in the course of years became encrusted 

 with a mass of fable. It was said that the historical Buddha, 

 Siddiiartha or Sakya-Mouxi, had taught that he was only one 

 of a series of five Buddhas who appear at intervals in the world 

 and all teach the same truth. That of these five, three had alreadv 

 appeared, that he himself was the fourth, and that another would 

 appear after him. It was taught that Sakya-Mouxi was omni- 

 scient and sinless, that he descended of his own accord from the 

 throne of the Buddhas in heaven into his mother's womb. After 

 seven days of fasting, the holy Maya dreamed that the fu- 

 ture Buddha entered her side in the form of a superb white ele- 

 phant. The wise men of the Sakyas interpreted the dream to 

 mean that her child would be a Buddha, who would remove the 

 veils of ignorance and sin, and make all the world glad by a sweet 

 taste of the Ambrosia of Nirvana. When the child was born, it 

 took seven steps forward and exclaimed with a lion's voice " I am 

 the Lord of the world " 



I have taken these legends that grew up round the early his- 

 tory of the Buddha chiefly from the work of Mr. Bhys Davids. 

 They are among the subjects w r hich M. Wilsex believes to be 

 disclosed in the bas-reliefs, and that this is the case with some of 

 them I think there is no doubt. "We are now in a position to 

 examine the plates. 



Plate XYI. 1 represents, according to M. "Wilses, King 



