The Buddha and his Religion [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION AUTHENTICITY OF BUDDHISM Purpose of this work : the knowledge of Buddhism enables us to judge some of our contemporary systems. General view of the Buddhist doctrine: the absence of God and belief in annihilation. Atithen-ticity of Buddhism. The works of B. H. Hodgson, Csoma of Körös, Tumour, E. Burnouf and A. Rémusat. Original Sanskrit and Pâli writings ; Tibetan, Mangolian, Chinese, Burmese, and Siamese translations. Piyadasi's inscriptions. Evidence of the Greek historians of Alexander's expedition. Division of the work. In publishing this work on Buddhism, I have but one purpose in view : that of bringing out in striking contrast the beneficial truths and the greatness of our spiritualistic beliefs. Nurtured in an admirable philosophy and religion, we do not seek to know their value, and we remain ignorant of the great debt we owe to them. We are satisfied to possess them, while, at the same time, we are often indifferent and even ungrateful towards them. Although civilization is incessant in its progress, and we reap its benefits, we never think of inquiring whence come the welfare, the security and the comparative enlightenment which civilization brings with it; while we see around us a multitude of other races, which from the beginning of time have remained in a semi-barbarous condition, incapable of forming any tolerable social conditions or governments. I believe that the study of Buddhism