254 



THE REV. W. ST. CLAIR T1SDALL, ON 



our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in Buddhistic nomenclature, 

 differing from the Old Buddhism just as the New Testament 

 differs from the Old, then it commands a world-wide interest, 

 for in it we find an adaptation of Christianity to ancient thought 

 in Asia, and the deepest bond of union between the different races 

 of the East and the West, namely, the bond of a common 

 religion." This writer proceeds to say,* "Buddhism and Chris- 

 tianity at first contact in modern days were mutually hostile to 

 one another. But when the earnest students of both religions 

 penetrated through the different forms and nomenclature into 

 the deep internal meaning of all, they found not only that they 

 aimed at the same thing, the salvation of the world, but that 

 many of their chief teachings were common to both. They no 

 longer feared each other as foes, but helped each other as 

 friends." 



If w T e take all this, or even a small part of it, as true, we 

 must then proceed to enquire how such a stupendous fact is to 

 be accounted for. This our author attempts to explain by 

 advocating something very similar to the German writer 

 J eremias' theory of the supposedf Babylonian origin of religions. 

 This theory is so completely contrary to well-known historical 

 facts that w T e need not stay to examine it. Nor is it necessary 

 to do so. Before enquiring how to account for the asserted 

 close resemblance between these tw T o religious, we must first 

 examine Mahayanism, in order to see for ourselves whether 

 such a resemblance really exists or not. This we now proceed 

 to do. 



At the outset of our investigation we must very briefly enquire 

 what history tells us about the origin of this particular form of 

 Buddhism, at what time and under what circumstances it was 

 introduced into China, and in what relation it stands to the 

 teaching? of the earlier system still prevalent in Ceylon, Burma, 

 and Siam. 



Siddhartha (also called Gautama, Sakyamuni, and " the 

 Buddha " par excellence) died about 477-478 B.C., at the age of 

 eighty years. Under King Asoka, who reigned from 257 to 

 220 B.C., the system of philosophy which he taught became the 



* Op. tit., pp. 48, 49. 



t The Old Testament in the Light of the Ancient East, vol. i, cap. i. See 

 my Christianity and other Faiths" pp. 220, 221. 



% The religious books of Northern Indian Mahayanism are the follow- 

 ing nine : Prajndpdramitd, UaiidavyHha, Dasa-bhumUvara, Samddhi-rdja, 

 Lankdvatdra, Saddharma-pundartka, Tathdgata-guhyaka, Lalita-vistara, 

 jSuvarna-prabhdsa. 



