Herbert Baynes Way of the Buddha

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The object of this little book is to give the reader a succinct account of an Eastern sage whose doctrine of the Path has been accepted by millions of the human race, and whose influ ence is still felt at the ends of the earth. What is generally understood by Buddhism will be found to differ greatly from the way of emancipation here set forth. And for this reason Unlike all other religions, Buddhism began with out God and without prayer, and ended in be coming a most elaborate system of polytheism with a superstitious multiplication of collects. Up to the time of Asoka, about 250 b.o., it seems to have remained comparatively pure; but by the thirteenth century a.d., when the revival of Brahmanism drove it from India, it had assumed in other countries so many new features as to be hardly recognisable. Nor should this be a matter for great surprise. When an essentially Aryan religion or system of philosophy is transplanted to Turanian lands it is not to be expected that it will remain unchanged. The contrast between the teaching of the Christ and of His apostles, and the Christianity of Rome in the Middle Ages is indeed great, but the difference between the Buddhism of Tibet and the Dharma of Sakya Muni 1s greater still. The history of the faith In all the lands m which it has taken root is far too vast a subject for our present purpose, but a general outline of its rise and fall in Aryavarta.