The Religions of India: Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris JastrowHopkins, Edward Washburn
Religion
The Religions of India: Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris Jastrow
Hopkins, Edward Washburn
India -- Religion
Buddhism lingered in India till the twelfth or thirteenth century,
although in the seventh it was already decadent, as appears from the
account of Hiouen-Thsang, the Chinese pilgrim. It is found to-day in
Tibet, Ceylon, China, Japan, and other outlying regions, but it is
quite vanished from its old home. The cause of its extinction is
obvious. The Buddhist victorious was not the modest and devout
mendicant of the early church. The fire of hate, lighted if at all by
Buddhism,[63] smouldered till Brahmanism, in the form of Hinduism, had
begotten a religion as popular as Buddhism, or rather far more
popular, and for two reasons. Buddhism had no such picturesque tales
as those that enveloped with poetry the history of the man-god
Krishna, Again, Buddhism in its monastic development had separated
itself more and more from the people. Not mendicant monks, urging to a
pure life, but opulent churches with fat priests; not simple
discourses calculated to awaken the moral and religious consciousness,
but subtle arguments on discipline and metaphysics were now what
Buddhism represented. This religion was become, indeed, as much a
skeleton as was the Brahmanism of the sixth century. As the Brahmanic
belief had decomposed into spiritless rites, so Buddhism,
changed into dialectic and idolatry (for in lieu of a god the later
church worshipped Buddha), had lost now all hold upon the people. The
love of man, the spirit of Buddhism, was dead, and Buddhism crumbled
into the dust. Vital and energetic was the sectarian 'love of God'
alone (Hinduism), and this now became triumphant. Where Buddhism has
succeeded is not where the man-gods, objects of love and fear, have
entered; but where, without rivalry from more sympathetic beliefs, it
has itself evolved a system of idolatry and superstition; where all
that was scorned by the Master is regarded as holiest, and all that he
insisted upon as vital is disregarded.[64] One speaks of the millions
of Buddhists in the world as one speaks of the millions of Christians;
but while there are some Christians that have renounced the bigotry
and idolatry of the church, and hold to the truth as it is in the
words of Christ, there are still fewer Buddhists who know that their
Buddhism would have been rebuked scornfully by its founder.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account