< Of the Ways to Perfection (continued from page 3-161) >
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Buddhism and Spiritualism
I had quite intended that my last paper should have closed the series of these articles; but having, since writing it, fallen in with an excellent lecture on “Buddhist Nihilism," by Prof. Max Muller, a very high authority, I find that I have still some words to say upon the subject, which will, I trust, be of interest to many.
Professor Max Muller takes the same view that I have taken of the exact meaning of the state Nirwana. He points out that where in the Buddhist canon we find contradictions, we should attribute all views that seem opposed to Buddha’s general character and teaching to modern innovation. The same might probably be said with truth of the Christian canon, and of that of every other religion of long standing. Nihilism is opposed to the spirit of Buddha's teaching, and to many views undoubtedly expressed by him, and to some facts reported of him; it is therefore probably an innovation. The creed of the ordinary Buddhist everywhere is, that Nirwana is a state of perfect rest and bliss, of freedom from all passion, and of extinction of the selfhood. It is only by one large section of Buddhist divines that it is held to be—unless we misunderstand them—utter extinction. Max Muller says:
“Nirwana certainly means extinction. But Nirwana occurs also in Brahmanic writings as synonymous with Moksha, Nioritti, and other words, all designating the highest stage of spiritual liberty and bliss, but not annihilation. Nirwana may mean the extinction of many things—of selfishness, desire, and sin—without going so far as the extinctions of subjective consciousness. Further, if we consider that Buddha himself, after he had already seen Nirwana, still remains on earth until his body falls a prey to death; that Buddha appears, in the legends, to his disciples even after his death, it seems to me that all these circumstances are hardly reconcilable with the orthodox metaphysical doctrine of Nirwana.”
It is clear, then, what is Max Muller's opinion—as an eminent oriental scholar—upon this much vexed question. As to the Atheism charged upon Buddha, the Professor seems to think that this also is due to the disquisition of modern divines, and that Buddha was not an atheist. Buddha states that there is a cause, a Great First Cause of all things that exist, of course including the formless worlds and Nirwana, but that this cause is utterly beyond our ken and reach. Whatever it may be, it has not chosen to reveal itself, and therefore it is in vain for us to seek for it, nor is it indeed a matter with which we can have any concern. This appears to me to be the spirit in which Buddha speaks of the great first cause, and this appears to be also Max Muller's view of the matter.
Again: Buddhist laymen are not practically atheists; they do pray to God—not to Buddha—in trouble and need. They do call upon Maha Brahma. Neither docs atheism appear to be the orthodox creed in Thibet, since the Grand Lama is represented as spending most of his solitary life in prayer for the faithful; while F. D. Maurice quotes in “Religions of the World,” a beautiful prayer of his to God—not to Buddha.
Now the Grand Lama is a sort of Pope as regards Buddhism, and his authority is acknowledged all throughout China, if not in India. The Thibetians appear to look upon him as a very exalted, pure, and wise spirit, who is constantly reincarnated in successive fleshly tabernacles for that very office. It is, however, perfectly true that the bulk of Buddhist divines do teach absolute atheism, and that whilst they acknowledge the existence of the Gods of Brabminism, and of all other gods that men have ever worshipped—indeed in most Buddhist temples in Ceylon images of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are to be seen—they yet absolutely deny the existence of any Supreme Deity. They even attribute to Buddha an explanation of the origin of the belief in Maha in the mind of man. Max Muller characterizes this explanation as too bitterly ironical to be to keeping with Buddha’s character. It is as follows:
A Kalpa is a period of time so long, that if one took a rack of cubic form, fourteen miles on each edge, and touched it lightly once in a hundred years with a piece of the finest muslin, when the rock by this attrition warn entirely worn away, the end of a kalpa would have arrived. At the end of each kalpa, Buddha taught that the universe is destroyed, but this destruction does not reach higher than the third Brahma loka. The higher Brahma worlds remain inviolate. Then one of the spirits from the fourth Brahma world, after the world has been again reformed, but is still uninhabited, descends to it by reason of some demerit. Here he first dwells alone, but by and by he desires company; soon, thereafter, another spirit from the same sphere descends by accident. Then the thought originated with the first spirit. I am the Brahma, the great Brahma; the highest, the unconquerable, the omniscient Lord and King of all. I am the Creator of all things, the Father of all. This being has also been created by me; for as soon as I desired not to remain alone, my desire brought forth this second being.” The other beings, as they gradually descended from the higher worlds, likewise believed that the first comer had been the creator, for was he not older and wiser and handsomer than they?
In the course of time, by reason of demerit, one of these beings was born lower and lower; she same process going on through the remaining two new-formed Brahma worlds, then through the six Dewa lokas, till at length one of them was born as a man on the new formed earth. There, by penances and deep meditation—which impart this power—he got to be able to remember his former existences. He remembered then the above narrated occurrences in the newly created third Brahma world, and announced to mankind that there was a Supreme God, a Creator, a Maha Brahma, who had been in existence before all other beings; that the Creator was eternal and immutable, whilst all other beings were mutable and mortal. From the earliest ages, books have existed in the Buddhist canon which have been regarded as heterodox; so that we can no more be sure that we are right in attributing all that we find in the canon to Buddha, than we ire in attributing all we find in the Gospels to Christ; in both cases we probably err. Buddha declared that all the worlds but those above the third Brahma loka perished utterly at the end of every kalpa, bet even the superior Brahma lokas did not last forever—not even the formless worlds; nothing at all was eternal but Nirwana, and those who had attained Nirwana.
Editor's notes
- ↑ Buddhism and Spiritualism by Don Fulano, Spiritual Scientist, v. 5, No. 10, November 9, 1876, p. 112
Sources
Spiritual Scientist, v. 5, No. 10, November 9, 1876, p. 112