CHINA. 
delivery ; that at the time of her conception, Hie dreamed 
that, (ire had fwallowed an elephant, and that this ftrange 
dream gave birth to the particular veneration which tire 
kings of India have always (hewn for a white elephant. 
"As fonn as this extraordinary child was born,” add 
they, “ he had itrength enough to hand ered without 
aftiltance ; he walked leven Heps, and pointing with one 
hand to the heavens, and with the other to the earth, 
cried out, In the heavens and on earth there is no one 
but me who deferves to be honoured.” The derivation 
of this idol god, given by Sir William Jones, in his Afi- 
atic Refearches, differs widely from the above, but does 
not appear to belb authentic. 
The prielts attached to the worlhip of Fo, are called 
'Talapoins by the Siamefe, Lamas by the Tartars, Ho-cbang 
in China, Bonzes in Japan ; and it is under the latter 
appellation that they are generally known by Europeans. 
One of the principal errors propagated by Fo, is the doc¬ 
trine of tiie transmigration of louls, and of which he 
appears to have been the inventor; for he lived at lead five 
hundred years before Pythagoras. This dodrine has 
given rife to that multitude of idols, which are reve¬ 
renced in every place where the worfhip of Fo is etta- 
blifhed. Quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, and the vileft ani¬ 
mals, had temples, and became objeds of public venera¬ 
tion, becaul'e the foul of the god in his tranfmigrations 
and metamorphofes might have inhabited their bodies. 
An infinitude of fables were fipread concerning Fo, af¬ 
ter his death. Some affirmed that he was (till in life, that 
he had been already born eight thoufand times, and that 
he had appeared fucceffively under the figures of an ape, 
lion, dragon, elephant, &c. Thefe fables occalioned much 
trouble and divifion among his difciples. Some continued 
firmly to maintain the original dodrine, while others, 
embracing a fecond, formed a fed of atheilts. A third 
party, who were defirons of re-uniting the two former, 
gave rife to the celebrated diftindion of the-external and 
internal dodrine, one of which mud naturally precede 
and difpofe the mind for receiving the other. “ The ex¬ 
ternal dodrine,” fay they, “ is to the internal what the 
mould is to an arch which the builder is about to raife j 
when the latter is- conftruded, the former is knocked 
down and becomes ufelefs.” The cafe is the fame with 
the two law's, the external and internal; when we rife 
to a knowledge of the fecond, we ought to abandon the 
firft. We fhall not attempt to examine all the errors 
contained in this internal dodrine: its folly and abfur- 
dity will appear fufficiently evident, if we only mention 
the ideas upon which it is founded. “ Nothing is the 
beginning and end of every thing that exifts; from no¬ 
thing our firft parents derived their exrftence, and to no¬ 
thing they returned after their death. All beings are the 
fame, their only difference confifts in their figure and 
qualities. This univerfal principle is extremely pure, 
exempt from nil change, exceedingly fubtle and fimple; 
it remains continually in a ftate of reft ; has neither vir¬ 
tue, power, nor intelligence; befides, its eftence confifts 
in being free from adion, without knowledge, and with¬ 
out defires. To obtain happinefs, we muft endeavour, by 
continual meditation and frequent vidories over our- 
felves, to acquire a likepefs to this principle; and to ob¬ 
tain that end, we muft accuftom ourfeives to do nothing, 
will nothing, feel nothing, defire nothing. When we 
have attained to this ftate of happy infenfibility, we have 
nothing move to do with virtue ok vice, punilhments or 
rewards, providence or the immortality of the foul. The 
whole of holinefs confifts in ceaiing to exift, in being 
confounded with nothing; the nearer man approaches 
to the nature of a ftone or log, the nearer he is to per- 
fedion: in a word, it is in indolence and immobility, 
in the ceffation of all defires and bodily motion, in the 
?nni illation and lufpenfion of all the faculties both of 
body and foul, that all virtue and happinefs confilt. The 
mo lent that man arrives at this degree of perfedion, he 
has no longer occaiion to dread changes, futurity, or 
459 
tranfmigrations, becaufe he hath ceafed to exift, and is 
become perfedly like the gbd Fo.” Extravagant and 
abfurd as this philofophy appears, it found partifans in 
China, and the emperor Kao-tfong became fo much in¬ 
fatuated with it, that he abdicated the. throne, that he 
might be more at liberty to indulge himfelr in the prac¬ 
tice of this extravagant dodrine, which entirely deltroys 
morality, lubverts lbciety, and tends to nnihilate that 
reciprocal relation which unites men together. 
The external dodrine is better luited to the compre- 
lienfion of the vulgar, and lias, on that account, gained 
more followers. The following are the maxims and te¬ 
nets preached up by the bonzes who profefs this dodrine. 
They admit the,diftindion between good and evil; and 
that, after death, rewards will be beitovved on the good, 
and punilhments inflided on the wicked, in places def- 
tined for the fouls of each ; that the god Fo came upon 
earth to fave mankind, and to bring back to the paths of 
falvation thofe who have Itrayed ; that it is by him their 
fins are expiated, and that he alone can procure them a 
happy regeneration in the life to come. They enjoin the 
ftrid obfervance of the five following precepts: not to 
kill any living creature, of whatever nature it may be; 
not to take away the goods of another; not to pollute 
themfelves by uncleannefs'; not to lie; and not to drink 
wine. They, above all, recommend the pra£lice of cer¬ 
tain ads of mercy ; fuch as, to treat their bonzes well, 
to build monafteries and temples for them, and to fup- 
ply them with every thing neceffary, in order that they 
may be able, by the affiftance of their prayers, and the 
penance which they impofe, to merit forgivenefs, and the 
remiftion of all their fins. “ At the funeral ot -your pa-, 
rents, burn,” lay they, " paper gilt with gold or filver, 
dreffes and filk fluffs: thefe lubftances will be changed 
into real gold and filver, and luperb veftments, in the 
other world; and all thefe riches will be faithfully tranf- 
mitted to your fathers. Woe unto you, if ye do not 
obey thefe holy precepts ! your louls will be delivered 
over, after death, to the ievereft torments, and fubjeded 
to the moll difgulting changes. Ye (hall revive in the 
form of dogs, rats, ferpents; horfes, and mules ; and ye 
lhail be for ever expofed to the molt difmal and wretched 
tranfmigrations.” It is difficult to conceive the ivnprel- 
fion, thefe threats and denunciations relpeding futurity, 
make upon the minds of the credulous Chinefe; and there¬ 
fore it is not furpriling that the idolatrous worlhip of Fo 
has become almoft univerfal among the common people 
of China; particularly as there is no eitabliihed religion 
infilled upon by the government, which neither inter¬ 
feres with mere private opinions, nor prohibits any be¬ 
lief, which is not thought dangerous to the general tran¬ 
quillity of fociety. 
The bonzes, or priefts of Fo, are perfed matters of all 
the refources of hypocrify ; they embrace every occaftbn 
for cringing and fawning, and they affed a meeknefs and 
model! civility, which at firft deceives, and prepolftlfes 
perfons in their favour. They often lubrnit to the fe- 
vereft penances, and pradife the molt rigorous aufteri- 
ties. They are often feen in the fquares, and other pub¬ 
lic places, exhibiting themfelves as frightful ipedacles 
of mortification. Some of them drag, with great pain, 
along the ftreets, large chains, thirty feet in length, which 
are f attened round their necks and legs, and lotne mangle 
their bodies, and make them appear all over bjood, by 
flalhing their flelh with a fharp flint. Notwitlillanding 
all thefe infatuations, a bonze is generally delpifed by 
the better lort of people in China. To recruit and per¬ 
petuate their fed, they purchafe young children, whom 
they initiate in ail their myftenes; and thefe afterwards 
fucceed them, and carefully tranfmit their art and know¬ 
ledge to other young bonzes, whom they educate, in the 
like manner. 
The ciifcovery of a Jewifh fynagogue in an empire fo 
remote, is a circumltance too interetting to be omitted. 
This Ilraditifh colony appeared in China under th.e dy- 
