nterfere with the chronology by which it is determined to try
him. The suspicion is strengthened when one finds in the book from
which we have been so largely quoting--a work of a purely scientific and
philological character--such frequent remarks and even prophecies as:
"History seems to teach that the whole human race required a gradual
education before, in the fulness of time, it could be admitted to the
truths of Christianity." Or, again "The ancient religions of the world
were but the milk of Nature, which was in due time to be succeeded by
the bread of life;" and such broad sentiments expressed as that "there
is some truth in Buddhism, as there is in every one of the false
religions of the world, but...." *
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* Max Muller's "History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature."
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The atmosphere of Cambridge and Oxford seems decidedly unpropitious to
the recognition of either Indian antiquity, or the merit of the
philosophies sprung from its soil!*
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* And how one-sided and biased most of the Western Orientalists are may
be seen by reading carefully "The History of Indian Literature," by
Albrecht Weber--a Sanskrit scholiast classed with the highest
authorities. The incessant harping upon the one special string of
Christianity, and the ill-concealed efforts to pass it off as the
keynote of all other religions, is painfully pre-eminent in his work.
Christian influences are shown to have affected not only the growth of
Buddhism and Krishna worship, but even that of the Siva-cult and its
legends; it is openly stated that "it is not at all a far-fetched
hypothesis that they have reference to scattered Christian
missionaries!" The eminent Orientalist evidently forgets that,
notwithstanding his efforts, none of the Vedic, Sutra or Buddhist
periods can be possibly crammed into this Christian period--their
universal tank of all ancient creeds, and of which some Orientalists
would fain make a poor-house for all decayed archaic religions and
philosophy. Even Tibet, in his opinion, has not escaped "Western
influence." Let us hope to the contrary. It can be proved that Buddhist
missionaries were as numerous in Palestine, Alexandria, Persia, and even
Greece, two centuries before the Christian era, as the Padris are now in
Asia. That the Gnostic doctrines (as he is obliged to confess) are
permeated with Buddhism. Basilides, Valentinian, Bardesanes, and
especially Manes were simply heretical Buddhis
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