My best thanks are due to Mr R.F. Johnston (author of _Chinese Buddhism_), to Professor W.J. Hinton of the University of Hong Kong and to Mr H.I. Harding of H.M. Legation at Peking for reading the proofs and correcting many errors: to Sir E. Denison Ross and Professor L. Finot for valuable information: and especially to Professor and Mrs Rhys Davids for much advice, though they are in no way responsible for the views which I have expressed and perhaps do not agree with them. It is superfluous for me to pay a tribute to these eminent scholars whose works are well known to all who are interested in Indian religion, but no one who has studied the early history of Buddhism or the Pali language can refrain from acknowledging a debt of gratitude to those who have made such researches possible by founding and maintaining during nearly forty years the Pali Text Society and rendering many of the texts still more accessible to Europe by their explanations and translations. C. ELIOT. TOKYO, _May_, 1921. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS The following are the principal abbreviations used: Ep. Ind. Epigraphia India. E.R.E. Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (edited by Hastings). I.A. Indian Antiquary. J.A. Journal Asiatique. J.A.O.S. Journal of the American Oriental Society. J.R.A.S. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. P.T.S. Pali Text Society. S.B.E. Sacred Books of the East (Clarendon Press). CONTENTS BOOK I INTRODUCTION 1. INFLUENCE OF INDIAN THOUGHT IN EASTERN ASIA xi 2. ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF HINDUISM xiv 3. THE BUDDHA xix 4. ASOKA xxii 5. EXTENSION OF BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM BEYOND INDIA xxiv 6. NEW FORMS OF BUDDHISM xxix 7. REVIVAL OF HINDUISM xxxiii 8. LATER FORMS OF HINDUISM xl 9. EUROPEAN INFLUENCE AND MODERN HINDUISM xlvi 10. CHANGE AND PERMANENCE IN BUDDHISM xlviii 11. REBIRTH AND THE NATURE OF THE SOUL l 12. " " " " lviii 13. " " " " lxii 14. EASTERN PESSIMISM AND RENUNCIATION lxv 15. EASTERN POLYTHEISM lxviii 16. THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF HINDUISM lxx 17. THE HINDU AND BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES lxxii 18. MORALITY AND WILL lxxvi 19. THE ORIGIN OF EVIL lxxix 20. CHURCH AND STATE lxxxi 21. PUBLIC WORSHIP AND CEREMONIAL lxxxiv 22. THE WORSHIP OF THE REPRODUCTIVE FORCES lxxxvi 23. HINDUISM IN PRACTICE lxxxviii 24. BUDDHISM IN PRACTICE xcii 25. INTEREST OF INDIAN THOUGHT FOR EUROPE xcv BOOK II EARLY INDIAN RELIGION: A GENERAL VIEW I. RELIGIONS OF INDIA AND EASTERN ASIA 5 II. HISTORICAL 15 III. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIAN RELIGION 33 IV. VEDIC DEITIES AND SACRIFICES 50 V. ASCETICISM AND KNOWLEDGE 71 VI. RELIGIOUS LIFE IN PRE-BUDDHIST INDIA 87 VII. THE JAINS 105 BOOK III PALI BUDDHISM VIII. LIFE OF THE BUDDHA 129 IX. THE BUDDHA COMPARED WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS TEACHERS 177 X. THE TEACHING OF THE BUDDHA 185 XI. MONKS AND LAYMEN 237 XII. ASOKA 254 XIII. THE CANON 275 XIV. MEDITATION 302 XV. MYTHOLOGY IN HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM INTRODUCTION 1. _Influence of Indian Thought in Eastern Asia_