Page:Monier Monier-Williams - Indian Wisdom.djvu/40

 which, originating among Semitic Jews afterwards spread among the Aryans of Europe, Buddhism originated with the Aryans of India and afterwards spread among Turanian races (see p. 4, Lecture I, and p. 5, note i); still India was most undoubtedly the original home of this most popular system—the nominal creed of the majority of the human race. Moreover, it may be gathered from a perusal of the dramas (such as the Malati-madhava. p. 480), that Hinduism and Buddhism coexisted and were tolerant of each other in India till about the end of the eighth century of our era. A reference, too, to pp. 138-132 will show that the Buddhistic philosophy and Buddhistic ideas have left a deep impression on Hinduism, and still linger everywhere scattered throughout our Eastern Empire, especially among the Jainasl (see p. 128); and Buddhism is to tins day, as is well known, the faith of our fellow- subjects in Ceylon, Pegu, and British Burmah, being also found in outlying districts of India, such as Chittagong, Daijeeling, Assam, Nepal, Bhotau, and Sikkim.

It is one of the aims, then, of the following pages to indicate the jwints of contact between Christianity and the three chief false religions of the world, as they are thus represented in India'2.

1 According to the last census the number of Buddhists and Jainas in India amounts to nearly three millions (2,629,200). Sir George Campbell's Report gives 86,496 as the number of Buddhists in the Bengal provinces. Although Jainism has much in common with Buddhism, it is nevertheless u very different system. The Jainas always call themselves and are considered Hindus (see p. 130, note i). According to Rajendraliila Mitra, the Jaiua scriptures are comprised in fifty different works, collectively called the Sutras, and sometimes the Siddkantas, and classed in two different ways: ist, under the two heads of Kalpa-mtra and Agama, five works coming under the former, and forty-five under the latter head: 2iidly, under eight different heads, viz. i. eleven Angas; 2. twelve Up&n-gas; 3. four Mula-sHtra; 4. five Kalpa-siltra; 5. six Cheddas; 6. ten Payannas; 7. Nandi-sutra; '8. Anuyoya-dvara-sutra. Some of them have a four-fold commentary, under the names Tlka, Nir- yukti, <Jurtn, and Bhashya, constituting with the original the five-fold (pah(an-ga) Sutra. They are partly in Sanskrit, partly iu Magadhi Prakrit, and the total of the fifty works is said to amount to 600,000 Slokas (see Notices of Sanskrit 1LSS. No. VIII. p. 67).

2 Of course, the religion of ancient Persia, sometimes called Zoroas- trianism—a most important and interesting creed (see p. 4)—is also represented, but the Parsls are numerically insignificant (see note, p. xviii).