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takes His place, marks out its origin as from beneath — welling 
up like the bitumen from the bottom of the Dead Sea. 
Nevertheless, it aims at being a highly moral religion.* The 
favourable side of the influence of Buddhism has been suffi- 
ciently presented to the Institute. 
lhe influence of the philosophy of the Hindoo sacred 
writings must be appreciably different. It is evidently at 
once hardening and corrupting. The devotee has no fixed 
lule of morality. He is exhorted to disregard the conse- 
quences of his actions, and to preserve a sublime indifference, 
even considering the actions of his body as fixed by fate, and 
for which he is in no sense responsible. 
My argument as to the necessity of Christian philosophy 
for the formation of character might be greatly strengthened 
by the contemplation of the practical results of Mahometan- 
ism ; which has no philosophy but that of fate, and has no 
favourable feature except, in some sense, what I may call its 
corrupted Judaism. 
, us n °w consider, in the light of the experience of man- 
kind, as far as I have been able to gather it up in this brief 
* The ten obligations binding on the priests forbid,— 
1. The taking of life. 
2. the taking of that which is not given. 
3. [ Prohibits the continuance of the species.] 
4. The saying of that which is not true. 
5. The use of intoxicating drinks. 
6. The eating of solid food after mid-day. 
7. Attendance upon dancing, music, and masks. 
8. The adorning of the body with flowers and the use of perfumes 
and unguents. 
9. The use of seats or couches above the prescribed height. 
10. The receiving of gold or silver. 
I have not space to give any account of the degree to which its precepts 
are obeyed, although I have in my possession details which might illustrate 
the subject. ‘ The first four are called the panchasil. They are repeated by 
some persons every day at the pansal, especially by the women” (Hardy’s 
Buddhism, p. 488). Thus we have an attestation, on the part of a vast mul- 
titude of mankind, of the importance of a fixed standard of morality. Of 
this our philosophers who reject the Ten Commandments of Scripture are 
entirely destitute. These precepts of Buddha, binding on the priests 
(though not always observed by them) , may also be kept in their degrees by 
the laics: 1. They may be kept inadvertently without any intention of 
acquiring merit thereby. 2. They may be kept at the recommendation of 
another, or to please another. 3. They may be kept from free choice, from 
having seen their excellence or advantage. 
This last is the way to obtain real merit, for “ he who would attain to 
.Nirvana must not trust to others, but exercise heroically and perseverimdy 
his own judgment." This is the advice said to have been given by Buddha 
VOL. XII. N 
