8 



GENERAL REMARKS ON 



world the various changes of fortune, which must come upon eacK 

 man according to his Karma, that is, according to his good or bad 

 deeds in a former life; and that no propitiation of the planets, or 

 of any power whatsoever, in the whole universe, can ward off cala- 

 mities, or hinder happiness and prosperity, deserved by a man on 

 account of this inexorable Karma. Nevertheless, a Singhalese con- 

 trives to believe in all the four systems, and to be, at the same time, 

 recognized as an orthodox Buddhist; and it would be a rare thing 

 to meet with any one, who, in point of practice, is a votary of only 

 one or two of the systems. The influence which these systems 

 command, notwithstanding such inconsistencies as the above, may 

 be judged of from the fact, that the Buddhist Priest himself, the 

 very teacher and expounder of the religion of Buddha, has some- 

 times recourse to Grahaism and even to Demonism. Before we 

 proceed further, we shall make a few more general remarks on each 

 of these systems. 



I. Demonism is regarded as a means of guarding against sick- 

 ness, and of curing it when it is supposed, as it almost always is, 

 to be caused by a demon, and also as a means, in the hands of any 

 man, of inflicting death, disease, or other calamity, on other men, 

 A subordinate object of it is the accomplishment of purposes dif- 

 ferent from the above, such as that of protecting the fruits of a tree 

 from pillage, of creating discord and hatred between the different 

 members of a family, of gaining the affections of a woman, of dis- 

 covering treasures hidden in the ground, and other similar purposes. 

 The demons are regarded as beings only influenced by the worst 

 of motives towards mankind, without a sentiment of pity, justice, 

 or kindness, in their nature. They are made instrumental in curing 

 diseases, as well as in inflicting them. They are to be coerced by 

 spells, and propitiated with offerings and particular ceremonies. 

 They cannot affect the spiritual welfare of a man in any way; but 

 can only cause death at the most. A Singhalese demon, therefore, 

 is a different kind of being from the demon of European supersti- 

 tions or from the Diabolus of the New Testament. For, while the 

 object of the latter is to ruin for ever the soul of a man, that of the 



