BUDDHA.
Ques. Who was Buddha?
Ans. Buddha is said by the Vedas to have been a delusive incarnation of Vishnu, but his followers give a different account.
Ques. What do they say?
Ans. They say that he was a mortal sage, called Guatama, and also Buddha, or the Wise.
Ques. When did Buddha live?
Ans. We cannot ascertain exactly, but it is probable he was a contemporary of Solomon—that is, he lived about one thousand years before our era. He was the son of a king, and was distinguished by wisdom, virtue and every personal gift. He was so disgusted with the wickedness of men, that he retired into a desert place, where he spent six years in prayer and meditation. At the end of this time, he began his career as a religious teacher. He preached first in Benares, but his doctrines were received with so much favor that he lived to see them spread over all India. Buddha died at the age of eighty.
Ques. Was Buddhism tolerated by the Brahmins?
Ans. It appears that for several centuries it was, and that it extended to Ceylon, and the Eastern peninsula.
Ques. What are the doctrines of the Buddhists?
Ans. They reject the Vedas altogether, and the religious observances prescribed in them. They allow animal food, and acknowledge no distinction of castes. Bloody sacrifices are prohibited. One of the duties of a priest of Buddha is to study the medicinal properties of plants in order to benefit his fellow men. We may see, therefore, that Buddha had more reasonable and humane ideas than those who composed the Vedas, and that he was probably a true sage among his people.
Ques. Is Buddhism common in India?
Ans. No; after being tolerated for a long time, a fierce and continued persecution was raised against it. This had the effect of suppressing the sect almost entirely in India, and of spreading it in the adjacent countries.
Ques. When was the worship of Buddha first introduced into China?
Ans. About the year 65 of our era. From China it spread to Corea, Japan and Java.
In Japan, Buddhism has, to a great extent, supplanted the Sinto religion, the ancient faith of Japan. The word Sinto signifies spirit worship; the priests of this sect teach that the world is governed by an infinite number of spirits. The chief of these animates the sun; others rule the moon, stars, and different elements.
The worship of the sun is the most important exterior part of their religion, and the Japanese were so much attached to this form of idolatry, that the Buddhists have incorporated it with their own rites.