ds him in a union with the material
world. Virtue and goodness will only insure him for a time, and, in
another birth, a higher form of material life. From the chains of
existence only the complete eradication of all evil will set him free.

But these ideas must not be confused with Christian beliefs, for
Buddhism teaches nothing of any immaterial existence. The foundations of
its creed have been summed up in the Four Great Truths, which are as
follows:

1. That misery always accompanies existence;

2. That all modes of existence of men or animals, in death or heaven,
result from passion or desire (tanha);

3. That there is no escape from existence except by destruction of
desire;

4. That this may be accomplished by following the fourfold way to
Nirvana.

The four stages are called the Paths, the first being an awakening of
the heart. The first enemy which the believer has to fight against is
sensuality and the last is unkindliness. Above everything is universal
charity. Till he has gained that the believer is still bound, his mind
is still dark. True enlightenment, true freedom, are complete only in
love. The last great reward is "Nirvana," eternal rest or extinction.

For forty-five years Gautama taught in the valley of the Ganges. In the
twentieth year his cousin Ananda became a mendicant and attended on
Gautama. Another cousin, however, stirred up some persecution of the
great teacher, and the oppositions of the Brahmans had to be faced.

There are clear accounts of the last few days of Gautama's life. On a
journey toward Kusi-nagara he had rested in a grove at Pawa, presented
to the society by a goldsmith of that place named Chunda. After a midday
meal of rice and pork, prepared by Chunda, the Master started for
Kusi-nagara, but stopped to rest at the river Kukusta. Feeling that he
was dying, he left a message for Chunda, promising him a great reward in
some future existence. He died at the river Kukusta, near Kusi-nagara,
teaching to the last.

Gautama's power arose from his practical philanthropy. His philosophy
and ethics attracted the masses. He did not seek to found a new
religion, but thought that all men would accept his form of the ancient
creed. It was his society, the Sangha, or Buddhist order, rather than
his doctrine, which gave to his religion its practical vitality.

The following lines, filled with the poetic beauty of the Orient, are
taken from the last spoken words of the great founder