Page:Monier Monier-Williams - Indian Wisdom.djvu/57

 cent of the human racel. Now it is noteworthy that the idea of a direct revelation, though apparently never entertained in a definite manner by the Greeks and Eomans2, is perfectly familiar, first, to the Hindus; secondly, to the Parsis, as representing the ancient Zoroastrian Persians; thirdly, to all the numerous races who have adopted the religion founded by Muhammad3, and by

1 Rather more than two-thirds of the human race arc still unchristian- ized (see note, p. xxxv). Christianity and Buddhism, the two most prevalent religions of the world, and in their very essence the two most opposed to each other, though, at the same time, the two which have most common ground in their moral teaching, have both been rejected by the races which gave them birth; yet both, when adopted by other races, have acquired the greatest number of adherents. Christianity, originating with a Semitic race, has spread among Aryans; Buddhism, originating among Hindu Aryans, has spread chiefly among Turanian races. Buddhism was driven out of India into Ceylon and still continues there. Thence it passed into Burmah, Siam, Tibet, China, and Japan. It does not seem to have become established in China till the first century of our era, and did not reach Japan till much later. The form it has assumed in these countries deviates widely from the system founded by the great Indian Buddha, and its adoption by the masses of the people is after all more nominal than real. The ancient superstitious belief in good and evil spirits of all kinds (of the sun, wind, and rain; of the earth, mountain^ rivers, trees, fields, &c., and of the dead) appears to prevail everywhere among the Chinese people, while the more educated are chiefly adherents of the old moral and philosophical systems taught by Kuug-fu- tsze (Confucius) and Lau-tsze. The latter taught belief in one universal spirit called Taw,' the way,' and his disciples are therefore styled Tau-ists.

8 Numa Pompilius is, however, supposed to have derived his inspirations from the prophetic nymph Aegeria; as the Greek poets are imagined to have owed theirs to the Muses.

5 The name of the great Arabian Pseudo-prophet popularly spelt Mohammed, means 'the highly praised' or 'praiseworthy.' "We very naturally call the religion he founded Mohammedanism, but he laid no claim to be a founder. Islam is a word denoting 'submission to the will and ordinances of God,' whose absolute unity Mohammed claimed as a prophet to have been commissioned to proclaim.