YEARS ! et BUDDHISM

2500 Years of Buddhism

Origin and spread of Buddhism

Any account of the origin and spread of Buddhism how- t:ver brief it is, must inevitably cover vast expanses both of time and of space. It is full of fascination, even of romance, for it is the story of a movement which had very small beginnings and grew to encompass the wide world in its Scope, influencing the lives of one fifth of the whole human ]-ace. The range of Buddhism is enormous; in time it covers two thousand five hundred years. Its range of subject is no less vast; it can rightly claim to be the most comprehensive and profound system of spiritual achievement known to history. It includes the finest system of ethics known to man, and a range of minddevelopment unparalleled else- where. Its philosophy contains the finest product of the human mind. In its fully developed form it includes not only religion and philosophy but also metaphysics and morals, psychology and meaningful religious rites, and all forms of self-development, intellectual, devotional and the 'Mays of action. As i t made its way into various lands, in the course of its history, it adapted itself to the varying vultures of those countires and, because of its almost excessive tolerance, sometimes allowed itself to assimilate diverse beliefs and practices. Thus Buddhism has become in actual fact a whole family of religions and philosophies whose history, in all its ramifications, it would be a difficult :ask to follow.

A Missionary Religion

Buddhism was, from the first, a missionary religion, the

first in the world. As soon as the Buddha had gathered together sixty followers, he sent them out with the exhor- tation: "Go ye forth for the good of the many, the welfare of the many, in compassion for the world. Proclaim the doctrine, glorious in the beginning, glorious in the middle, glorious in the end. Preach ye a life of holiness, perfect and pure". It was for this purpose that He had attained Enlighten- ment, striving through many lives, making sacrifices of every kind, beyond description, that He might make available to all living beings the way out of suffering and sorrow into happiness and peace and joy.

Truth is a Gift

It was never, however, the Buddhist way t o proselytize, in the sense of forcing ideas and beliefs upon an unwilling audience, much less to exert pressure of any kind, or flattery, deceit or cajolery, to win adherence to one's own point of view. Buddhist missionaries have never competed for converts in the market-place. The history of Buddhism has never been sullied by holy wars, by inquisitions or persecutions. A man's sole right, which to the Buddhist is also a duty, is to make known to all, to the best of ability, the knowledge of the Path which the Buddha declared to be the way to Enlighten- ment and which he himself, so far as he has trodden that Path, has found t o be true and effective. The Dhamma or Truth is a gift greater, according t o the Buddha, than all other gifts, but yet it is a gift to be offered with kindness and compassion, so that it may be accepted or rejected.

Messengers of the Dhamrna

The Buddha Himself was the greatest of the Dhamma- dutas or Messengers of the Dhamma. His was a long ministry

o f forty-five years, from the time of His Enlightenment at the age of thirty-five to His final Passing Away when He was 80 years old. During this period He laboured unceasingly, sleeping but two hours dunng the night, teaching and preaching, walking many hundreds and thousands of miles, carrying the good tidings t o all those that would care to listen to it. "Wide open are the doors t o Imn~ortality", He would tell them, "let those that have ears, listen and put forth effort." He did not teach them a finished technique of religion, though, being the Buddha, H e knew all that there was to know. Instead, He taught His audiences a number of fundamental principles, which a t first sight might even seem obvious, so simple were they, yet containing the keys to endless mysteries. As He taught them, these principles were like tiny grains of corn but, planted in the thoughtful mind, they multiplied beyond imagining. This was the secret of His greatness as a teacher. He gave men just the seed, not an elaborate and completed growth; He let fall a hint, and left them to work out its implications for themselves. Thus His Teachings remains t o this day as something living and creative; a finished system is dead and worthless, for it leaves us with nothing t o d o but t o sit back and admire. In the course of 2500 years the best minds of Asia have developed that seed into the con~plex tree of modern Buddhism. Some branches have decayed: others bear ample fruit and fertile seeds. And where these seeds are planted they multiply again. Recently, the winds have blown them across the oceans into Europe and America where, In new soil, they have taken root and in time will produce trees. bearing both flowers and fruits.

Asoka's Missions t o Ceylon

During the first 200 years of its history, Buddhism was

confined, more or less, to the northern part of the Indian peninsula. Then came Asoka, unique among rulers of the world. For, having won a vast empire during a career of bloody conquest, he accepted as his ethic the Doctrine of the compassionate Buddha and thereafter forswore war for ever and devoted his entire energy and the vast resources of his kingdom to the propagation of that Doctrine. As a result, Buddhism not only spread into every part of the Indian continent but also found its way into neighbouring lands. The most successful of Asoka's missions and one that bore immediate fruit was the one that he sent to Ceylon, under the leadership of his own son Mahinda and, later, his daughter, Sanghamitta. The planting of a branch of the sacred Bodhi-tree, under which the Buddha had attained Enlightenment, a t once made Ceylon's capital city the centre of Buddhist pilgrimage. In later years, many relics of the Buddha found their way into Ceylon, including the Tooth Relic which in course of time became the most precious possession of the kings of the land, for it conferred upon them the right of succession t o the throne. It was the monks ot' Ceylon who first reduced into writing, in the first century B.C., the sacred books of the Tripitaka and thus ensured their permanence and authenticity. The Maha Vihara, or Great Institute, a t Anuradhapura, became the centre of Buddhist learning, rivalling in fame the university of Nalanda in the mainland of India. Buddhism in Ceylon has had its ups and downs but even today its shrines are regarded with as much veneration as the holy places o f Buddhism in India and Lanka- is considered as the fountain-head of the pure Theravada doctrine.

Buddhism in Burma

The earliest history of Buddhism in Burma is obscure.

Our chronicles state that Asoka sent missionaries to Suvanna- bhumi (the Golden Land) which apparently means Burma, and recent archaeological evidence supports their tradition to a remarkable degree. The infiltration of Indian culture both by land and sea must inevitably have brought with i t into Burma the teachings of the Buddha at a very early period. But that influence does not seem to have endured fbr long. Some Burmese records say that Buddhaghosa, the great Pali commentator, introduced Buddhism into Burma after his labours in Ceylon has been completed, but the Ceylon chronicles support no such claim. But whatever may have been the source from which it was introduced and whatever the period of introduction, the impact of Buddhism upon the people of Burma had the most far-reaching effects, and the prevalent form is the Theravada, whose greatest patron was king Anawrata of Pagan who reigned from 1044-1 077 A.C. The Shwe-Dagon Pagoda, which was built in Rangoon a century later, is one of the greatest Buddhist shrines in the world, dominating with its pinnacle of plated gold not only the city, but also the life of the people, making of this gay and care-free nation some of most intense and devout Buddhists to be found anywhere. The Burmese monks have selected for their special study that most difficult section of the Buddhist texts, the Abhidhamma Pitaka, and their mastery of its complexities is unique.

Buddhism in Thailand

Siam (or Thailand) Cambodia and Laos, like Burma, claim that it was from Ceylor~ that Buddhism was introduced into those lands; when and how this happened, it is not easy

f o say. Uut it can be said that the relationship between these countries and Ceylon has been long and most intimate. In the case of Siam, for example, history records that in the

14th century, the king of Sukhotai, the then capital of Siam, sent to Ceylon for a Theravadin Bhikkhu and when he amved he was received by the king with great honour and later appointed Supreme Head of the Order. The king himself, following the example of Asoka, entered the Order. So began the close association between the royal house and the Sangha which is so significant a feature of Buddhism in Siam even today.

Ceylon Mission to Siam

Several hundred years later, in the 18th century, when the vicissitudes of political fortunes had destroyed almost completely the Order of the Sangha in Ceylon, the king of Ceylon sent a mission t o Siam asking for a Chapter of monks to be despatched t o Ceylon in order to re-establish the higher Ordination there. The request was granted and thus was founded the "Siamese" Sect which is the largest and most influential section of monks in the Island. The countries of Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Cambodia and Laos have for centuries jointly arltl proudly maintained the Theravada tradition as the custodiarls of the Teachings of the Buddha in their pristine purity. I t was for this reason that when in Burma the Chattlla Sangayana (or Great Recital of the Sacred Texts) was inaugur:~tctl in Rangoon, all the other countries of this group wcrc invited to participate on terms of equality, an invitation wl~icll they accepted with whole-hearted joy and enthusiasm 'I'lic sprcad of Buddhism from India was not confined to expa~ision in a south and southeasterly direction only. Buddhism l'ound its way north and north-east as well.

Cllitiese Pilgrims visited India

In the first cclltury B.C., we are told, the Chinese

Emperor, as a result of a ilrealn llc hacl, sent lncsscngers beyond the Ilimalayas into Intlia to I'intl out the mealling of his dream ant1 they brougllt hack to hit11 information about the Buddha and llis cloctrine. A short wliile later, Indian monks went into China tliroi~gh tlic moutilain passes, and thus began a lively spiritual intercourse hctwecn the two countries which lasted for several centuries.

Pilgrims went backward and forward. Somc o f the Chinese pilgrims, particularly Fa-Hsien, Hiouen ?'sang and I-Tsing, who visited Buddhist shrines in India and in the neighbouring regions, have left records of their travels, which make fascinating reading and provide much valuable histo- rical information.

The routes followed by these and other travellers took them across the lands of Central Asia, right up to Asia Minor, and north and west into many parts of Russia. It has been opined that, prior to the conversion of Abyssinia to Christia- nity in 330 A.C., the strongest outside influence on the country had probably been Buddhism. James Ferguson has indicated the admixture of Indian art motifs in the great Axum monolith and the touch of Buddha Gaya temple in other monuments. As a result, these countries, too, learnt of the Buddha's message of salvation. What was more, the Chinese pilgrims, who visited India and Ceylon, took back with them into China great masses of books and manuscripts dealing with Buddhism, which were thereafter translated in to Chinese with meticulous care.

Buddhism - State Religion of China

Emperors of the Tang Dynasty made Buddhism their

State Religion, and many of the greatest artists in Chinese history, who flourished at this time, devoted themselves to Buddhist Art. Their work commands our admiration even at the present day.

Buddhist Philosphy

It was said of the old Tang capital of Changan (modern Sian), that Buddhist scholars could be found in that city propounding their doctrine and successfully holding their own in argument with disputants of other faiths. Changan was at that time the centre of great religious activity and followers of many creeds, Taoists and Confucians, Zoroa- strians and Manicheans and even Nestorian Christians had their places of worship in the capital. Some of the finest flowering of Buddhist philosophy, indeed, of the human mind, was on Chinese soil and was the result of these scholarly clashes.

Buddhism in Korea and Japan

From China, Buddhism spread north and east, first into Korea and then into Japan, through the searoute. It was the Prince Shotoku, scholar, administrator and saint, who, in 552 A.C., established Buddhism as the national religion of Japan. Together with Buddhism, the culture of the Tang Dynasty of China found its way into Japan and profoundly changed the whole course of Japanese civilization. There is no single aspect of life in Japan, from the elegant tea- ceremony to the dainty art of flower-arrangement, from its Literature and Art and Drama, that was not permanently affected by the impact of Buddhism.

"Zen Tasto"

It was upon the Japanese military caste, the Samurai, that Buddhism had its greatest influence. In their hands its monastic discipline became more rigid than ever. The monks who came from this aristocracy became the chief bearers of Chinese culture, travelling between China and Japan returning home not only with books but with all manner of artistic works which are now valued as Japan's most precious treasures. Buddhism thereupon began to be applied seriously to even the smaller details of life. The Samurai, with secular duties to perform, did not often become regular monks; they would go to the monasteries for short periods and, when they returned, their home life would assume some of the qualities of the Zen monastery - absolute cleanliness, with a maxi- mum of empty space and a freedom from over-decoration. This is what the Japanese call "Zen tasto", for the Buddhist mind emptiness is full of potential power, suggestive of freedom, room to move about, stimulating creative energy. The single picture one finds in a Japanese home indicates the all-important Buddhist principle of "one-pointedness" of mind, which is controlled and concentrated thought, going straight ahead without wavering from one thing to another. The Buddhism of Japan become in some ways different from that of China. Chinese Buddhism was easy- going, wise, old and mature, savoured throughout with a profound sense of humour, which was something much more than just fun. But with the Japanese it became highly organised, almost too much so, and it developed into a technique, without much vitality and inspiration. Yet, where there was spiritual genius, in addition to the arduous schooling, the Buddhist monks in Japan produced not only great scholars but also great saints and all of them were, if nothing else, great gentlemen.

Buddhism in the Mahayana form was carried in the sixth century into Sumatra (Palembang) under King Vichai.

Buddhism in Tibet, Vietnam and Indonesia

In 750 A.C., through the efforts of an Indian Buddhist monk, Padmasambhava by name, Tibet, where Buddhism had already existed in various monasteries in different parts of the country, definitely became a Buddl~ist Kingdom. Along with his colleague Santirakshita, it was the Theravada form o f Sarvastivada which he introduced. Padmasambhava (the Lotus-Born) also built Tibet's largest monastery and admitted into the Sangha the first Tibetan members, comprising seven youths. From China it travelled down into what is now Viet Minh and Vietnam. In the following century the religion reached what we now called Indonesia where, in the island of Java, was built the architectural wonder of Boro-Budur. Northward from Korea and Japan, the religion spread into Mongolia and Manchuria, receiving the patronage of mighty rulers like Kublai Khan, some of whom became proficient in its doctrines or personally supervised the translation of Buddhist scriptures into the language of their own people.

Eclipse of Buddhism in lndia

Paradoxically enough, Buddhism, which for over a 1000 years had been the most powerful force in moulding the religious, cultural and social life of India, gradually dis- appeared from the land of its birth, and from about the 14th century almost up to the present day, the Buddhists in India have formed but a small minority. This fading away of Buddhism'from India was due to many causes. Later day Hinduism absorbed many of the doctrines of Buddhism;

some of the religious fanatics have cven pcrscculctl Ilic Buddhists, a process which other foreign i l iva~1~1.s 01' I l i c l i ; ~

followed, till Buddhism was practically driven out .

Buddhist Renaissance

A Buddhist renaissance, however, began in India to- wards the end of last century and it is good to recall that the pioneer of that renaissance was a Sinhalese Buddhist, the late Rev. Devamitta Dharmapala, better known as the Anagarika Dharmapala. The present leaders of free India have been quick to recognise the greatness o f Inclia's noblest son, the Buddha Sakyamuni, and they have taken practical steps to make His sublime Doctrine better known and appreciated by millions of their countrymen. The Golden Age of India was undoubtedly the period when Buddhism flourished most vigorously and signs are not wanting that Buddhism will once more come back to its own in the land of its birth.

Spread of Buddhism to Europe and America

In recent times, a great deal of interest in Buddhism has been awakened both in Europe and in America, and Buddhist groups, some large but generally small, are t o be found in many parts of these two continents. Within the last four years, several Buddhist Societies have been established in Al~sitralia,-htt -in. G f r i c a . 0 ~ 1 ~ isplated Buddhists are t o be

found in a few places.

Two "Schools" of Buddhism

The story of the spread of Buddhism forms one of the greatest chapters in human history. In the process of its vast

expansion, the religion itself underwent profound changes; the further it journeyed, both in space and in time, the deeper the remoulding it experienced in ideas and in empha- sis. Some of these changes were due to variations in the national temperament of the peoples among whom it spread, for Buddhism, specially in its more popular aspects, absorbed local beliefs and ceremonies and adapted them for its own purposes.

Historians of Buddhism record that, as a result of these changes, there ultimately arose two "Schools" of Buddhism, one of which came to be designated Hinayana and the other Mahayana. Of these, broadly speaking, the Hinay ana means the Narrow Way, which enjoins upon men and women the necessity of actively pursuing the path of self-conquest, throwing aside the fetters which bind them to the cycle of birth and death, and thus gain the indescribable peace of Nirvana.

Theravadins

Its emphasis is on individual salvation; the follower of this Way accomplishes what it behoves him to accomplish, to find his way out of the suffering involved in transitory forms of existence. In doing this himself, he also does for others the greatest thing that can be done, by setting them an inspiring example so that they, too, when they are ready in understanding and determination, will follow the same way and achieve the same spiritual goal.

The adherents of t.his School maintain that their prac- tices are in close accord with the practice of the immediate disciples of the Master, whose spiritual ideal they strive to realize by laying stress on renunciation, philosophical detach-

ment and austere discipline. They, therefore, call themselves followers of the Theravada, or Teaching of the Llders. They thus prefer to be designated Theravadins and object to being called Hinayanists. The man who attains ultimate salvation by following the Theravada is called "Arahant" or the "Man of Perfection."

A Glorious Redeemer

As the followers of Buddhism greatly increased in number, the need was felt for a doctrine which was less rigorous and exacting, and more easily adapted to common minds, where faith and devotion largely replace renunciation and discipline. The Buddha Himself, from being regarded as a physician whose prescription had to be strictly followed by each one in order to be cured of the ills of transitory exis- tence, came to be respected more and more as a glorious redeemer, who, out of boundless compassion, had appeared in the world to save mankind.

Mahayana

It is this conception chiefly that gave rise to the School known as the Mahayana or the "Broad Way", the Path that could be followed by all, whatever the degree of their aspira- tion and their spiritual development. This constituted an attempt to bring about a community of spiritual fellowship of those united by faith in the Buddha and His teaching, a fellowship in which the fundamental idea of the oneness of being is emphasised and the life of a tender and consuming eagerness to help all creatures in order that they may achieve the goal of salvation. The ideal to be cultivated is not that of an Arahan, the ideal of personal perfection, but that of the Bodhisatva, who seeks to attain enlightenment not for him-

self alone but for all living creatures, who strives to save himself only by saving others with him, because of the realization that one's spiritual peace cannot be perfect as long as salvation has not been universally won.

In Theravada there is a tendency to regard the things of the world as illusory while in Mahayana, broadly speaking, the highest expression of religion, both in life and art, is concerned with ordinary, everyday things, with birds, trees, branches, wisps of grass, gathering rice and drawing water.

The same doctrine

It must be stated however, that Theravada (or Hina- yana) and Mahayana are but two different aspects of the same doctrine and contain no mutual contradictions. As a Japanese Buddhist wrote recently: "When properly examined, the discrimination between Theravada and Maha- yana is like a demarcation of flower-beds in the same garden." In spite of the existence of numerous ramifications of these two main Schools of Buddhism, the fundamental teachings are alike, accepted by all, and there have never existed unbridgable cleavages amongst them. The differences, such as they are, are mainly concerned with emphasis on various aspects of the Buddha's teaching and external cere- monial observance, none of which are irreconcilable with each other.

World Buddhism of Tomorrow

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Japan, where exist some thirty two so-called Sects belonging to different groups, and yet, when in 1955, the 3rd Japan Buddhist

Conference was held at Minobu-San, the Head-Quarters of the "True Mahayana Sect", the followers of all the other "Provisional Sects" were invited, and they came in large numbers and worked together in the closest cooperation. A comrnentator was able to say at the end of the Conference: "Great temples of various Sects in Japan, which were, so to speak, feudalistic castles, independent of one another, are gradually transforming themselves into component parts of the Buddhism of the One Teaching (Ekayana), that is, the World Buddhism of Tomorrow.

A Whole Civilization

When we speak of the history of ~ u d d h i s m , its has to be remembered that Buddhism is far more than a mere religion. a Way of Life for men to follow. It is, in addition, a whole civilization, one of the greatest and richest civiliza- tions the world has seen. It has a wonderful history of achievement in Literature and Art and Philosophy and in the social, political and education institutions which, in the course of centuries, it has brought into being among the nations whose allegiance it won.

Veditabbo Vinnuhi

Its record in literature is unique. From the very outset Buddhism appealed most strongly to the cultivated and the intellectual. It is usually described as "Veditabbo Vinnuhi" (best appreciable by the wise). Its canonical scriptures, now accepted as authoritative throughout the Eastern Hemi- sphere, far exceed those of other religions. The Buddhist monasteries and nunneries were everywhere the centres of education. Wherever it went, the new religion enriched the language of the people among whom it spread. The linguistic

difficulties involved must have been enormous, since Indian idiom and thought and speech had to be adopted to wholly different mediums of expression.

Voluminous Translations

It has been said that the labours of Jerome, who trans- lated the Hebrew of the Old Testament into Latin, must have been a child's play compared with Hiouen Tsang's translation into Chinese of the "Prajnapararnita", a work estimated at 25 times the length of the whole Bible. Equally voluminous were its productions in the Kharosthi dialects of Turkistan in the region of the Pamirs.

Realm of Art

Its achievement in the realm of Art were no less signi- ficant. Mention has already been made of the inspiration it gave to the Art of the Tang Dynasty, the golden age of Chinese civilization. The paintings which have been disco- vered in Central Asia, where they had lain for centuries, buried in the sand, are ample testimony to the universality of Buddhism's appeal. It was Buddhism that first called architecture into the service of religion.

Architectural Wonders of the World

The stone terraces of the shrine of Borobudur in Java, crowded with statues and bas-reliefs which, if placed side by side, would extend to over three miles, rank among the architectural wonders of the world. So do the temple of Ankor Vat in Cambodia and the great Buddhist monuments in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The paintings of the cave-temples of Ajanta and Ellora in India, and the wooden temple in Horyuji in Japan command our awe and our admiration. The image of the Buddha at Nara, near Kyoto, 50 ft. in height, and that at Karnakura, almost equally high, are unrivalled in their majesty by any sculpture in any country.

Then there are also the numerous statues in the Island of Ceylon, for instance the well-known stone image in the Park at Anuradhapura, which so truly symbolizes the central theme of Buddhism, the spiritual peace that comes from perfect knowledge and the subjugation of all passions.

Noble Ideals of Peace

But, greater than all these triumphs, is the indelible sway it exercised in moulding the character of the millions who became its votaries, instilling into them its noble ideals of peace and gentleness, tolerance and kindliness and hospi- tality, respect for the individual, love of nature, belief in the fundamental spiritual quality of all human beings, the care of the sick and the weary, the pursuit of the good and the beautiful and the practice of compassion towards all that lived and breathe.

Equality of the Sexes

Buddhism was the first religion to proclaim the equality of the sexes and women in Buddhist lands have been the freest in the world. The poems of the Therigatha (Psalms of the Sisters), containing the songs of women, contemporary with the Buddha, who uttered their paean of joy when they won emancipation, are unique in the annals of literature.

I t is Buddhism's proud boast that not a single drop of blood was ever shed in its name. Throughout its history, its missionaries never claimed exclusive privileges for themselves, nor attempted to preserve power over the institutes they founded. No endeavour was made by them to promote the trade of their nationals o r to establish out-posts for their empires.

Life of Amity and Service

The many-sidedness of Buddhism and of the civilization, which it brought into fruition, can be traced directly to the personality of its Founder, called by his contemporaries the Sakya Muni or the Sakyail Sage. He combined in Himself, in supreme measure, two qualities which are seldom found together. On the one hand, He was a thinker of gigantic intellect and unrivalled philosophic power, who, with analytic understanding, probed into the reality behind all appearences. On the other hand, He possessed, to the highest possible degree, a warm and responsive human sympathy, a love not only of truth but also of beauty -- as exemplified in many episodes in His life -- a deep, unreserved and limit- less friendliness and gentleness and affection.

The Buddha's teaching provided not only a rational analysis and a systematic solution of the problen~s of life, but it also furnished ways and means of living a rich and an abundant life of amity and service, where worth rather than birth is the standard, and liberty is sanely tempered and controlled by law and self-discipline.

The Middle Way

Buddhism has often been accused of being a religion so

absorbed in the impersonal and the eternal that it overlooks the importance of individual and temporal things. According to its teaching all things that have form are subject to change and are void of any enduring "self" but this does not mean that such things are unimportant. Importance, in Buddhism, is not measured by time, and change is but a sympton of life. Besides the immensity of Time and Space, man seems a being of the most utter insignificance. In comparison with the vastly complicated problems of the world, the hopes and fears of the individual may seem of no consequence. But Buddhism is the Middle Way and necessarily regards such an extreme attitude as a false philosophy. It is well that one who is too much concerned with his own affairs should consider the immensity of the universe and the destiny of the human race. But let him not forget that the responsibility not only for human prosperity but also for the order of the universe ultimately rests upon the individuals. "In this fathom-long body lies the arising of the world" says the Buddha, "and the passing-away of the world". The magnitude of the world with whose destiny we are bound up increases rather than diminishes our responsibility. A man is in himself a little universe; the ordering of his mind and body is as complex, according to the Buddha, as the ordering of the stars.

Boundless Love

The Buddha called upon men and women to build a new world on the basis of boundless love. He was not merely a physician of souls but also a surgeon, using the knife when needed, with precision and firmness. He was not a respecter of persons. He cut through all dogmas and reduced His teaching to a few simple formulas which He asked His followers to accept, not on faith but on conviction.

An Emperor with a begging bowl

The Path He proposed was a way of virtue and wisdom, with nothing of priestcraft t o hamper it. The Buddha had a quick sense of humour and a graciousness of manner which endeared Him to all who came in contact with Him. Men called Him The Elder Brother. His courtesy never failed. Though He preached that life is full of suffering He always had a radiant smile on His face. He has never been described as the Man of Sorrow. He was a 'Chakravarti' in the realm of spirit, an Emperor with a begging-bowl.

Human Virtues

To everyone, and to each one according lo his ability, the Buddha had a message of strenuous endeavour and a gospel of salvation. To those ,fit for the heights, there is the Noble Eightfold Path with its ecstatic rapture and serene contemplation; to weaker persons, a morality of a simple kind, couched in plain phrases and homely parables. He laid great insistence on the ordinary human virtues, such as duty to father and mother, wife and children, friend and servant, king and community. He asked men to strive for perfection, here and now., not in some golden age yet t o come. Body and mind alike must be "as well-strung as a bow and as well-tuned as a lyre."

Love, Sympathy and Detachment

The Buddha laid the greatest emphasis on Love, or as He called it, Friendliness, to all creatures. "All other ways are not worth a fraction of the Way of Love", says a well known text. "Be kind: oppress none; all love their lives." "Better a life of service than many sacrifices" : "He is the true aristocrat

who leads a life of amity". "Freedom 'is to be found in realization, and the Path is by way of Love."

The Buddha fitted the claims of religion to men of action, calling on them to practise lwe , sympathy and detachment, living in the world and yet not of it , unduly attached, like the lotus which grows in mud and water and yet raises its head above them into the open sky and the bright sunlight.

Majestic Personality

When we picture the Buddha, we see before us a radiant personality, serene, gracious and majestic, compassionate alike to murderer and monk, to banker and out-caste, bringing light t o those in darkness, comfort to the weary and sorrow-stricken, and inexhaustible blessing to all for their uplift.

It is His name that we seek how to commemorate, 2500 years after His Passing Away. The religion He founded has had great epochs in the course of its long and varied history. After a period of dormancy, lasting several centuries, Bud- dhism is once more on the march. Its brightest period of achievement is yet to come, when the whole world will be influenced by its message of peace and happiness, and of supreme faith in the ability of human beings to overcome all difficulties and win through. to fulfilment. The world awaits a new revitalising of the message of Buddhism. It shall be our privilege to answer this call. We must not fail.

Sukho Buddhanam uppado (Happy is the appearance of Buddhas in the world). Let it be truly so in this present age too.