No. 25—1882.] 



nibvAna. 



173 



for escaping from the trammels of all activity. Tims the Yoga 

 philosophy is developed — the philosophy of contemplation or 

 Dhyana. I cannot explain in this place its different stages, the 

 progress made from one stage to another, the amount of self- 

 abnegation and power over the self secured, and the knowledge 

 or the intellectual light it generates. The material body is 

 gradually left behind, and the Yogi lives a spirit above all 

 worldliness, above the power of the flesh, free from all power of 

 activity, working miracles and enjoying spiritual beatitude. 

 Activity or rather a tendency to it is the disturbing cause — 

 Upadhi. Until a Yogi is completely emancipated, he is in 

 danger of getting into its meshes. Annihilation of all Upadhi 

 is complete emancipation. Upon this ground-basis, all Yedant- 

 ism, Jainaism, or Buddhism are built. But the Yedantist seeks 

 emancipation from all activity, and practises contemplation and 

 self-abnegation, that the spirit encased in a material body and 

 subject to the power of activity may re-unite with itself in its 

 universality, and being once more unlocalized and universalized, 

 enjoy perfect happiness. The Jaina seeks the emancipation of 

 his individual spirit by the same means and for the same purpose; 

 but he believes that the human spirit maintains its individuality 

 and enjoys happiness for eternity. The Buddhist believes in the 

 power of activity, dreads metempsychosis, practises contempla- 

 tion and self-abnegation and aspires after emancipation, and yet 

 differs from both the Yedantist and Jaina materially. His notion 

 of Nirvana will be elucidated by that of the Yedantist or 

 Jaina. 



IX. The radical rationalist or Buddhist. — The Buddhist 

 differed both from the Yedantist and Jaina, and made a new 

 departure. The Yedantist developed into an isoteric school 

 and moved forward on the lines of the Yedic polity, aspiring- 

 after being absorbed into a noumenal essence. The Jaina 

 believed in the individuality of the spirit, and had recourse to 

 acts of charity and faith — a situation into which his loo-ic of 

 scepticism landed him. The Buddhist succeeded in organizing 

 a national movement. His activity accomplished a moral-force 

 revolution which subverted the Yedic polity itself. 



