Part 1 (2/2)

The new Sinhalese version (38th edition) which is being prepared by my respected friend, D. B. Jayatilaka, Princ.i.p.al of Ananda (Buddhist) College, Colombo, is partly printed, but cannot be completed until he is relieved of some of the pressure upon his time. The Tamil version (41st edition) has been undertaken by the leaders of the Panchama community of Madras, and will shortly issue from the press. The Spanish version (39th edition) is in the hands of my friend, Senor Xifre, and the French one (37th edition) in those of Commandant Courmes.

So the work goes on, and by this unpretending agency the teachings of the Buddha Dharma are being carried throughout the world.

H. S. O.

ADYAR, 7_th January_, 1905.

PREFACE

TO THE FORTY-SECOND EDITION

The writer of this Catechism has pa.s.sed away from earth, but, before he left the body, he had arranged with the High Priest Sumangala to make some small corrections in the text. These are incorporated in the present edition by the High Priest's wish, expressed to me in Colombo, in November 1907.

I have not altered the numbering of the questions, as it might cause confusion in a cla.s.s to change the numbers, if some pupils had the older editions and some the new.

ADYAR, ) 17_th February_, 1908. ) ANNIE BESANT

THE BUDDHIST CATECHISM

PART I

THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA

1. Question. _Of what religion[1] are you?_

Answer. The Buddhist.

[1] The word ”religion” is most inappropriate to apply to Buddhism which is not a religion, but a moral philosophy, as I have shown later on. But, by common usage the word has been applied to all groups of people who profess a special moral doctrine, and is so employed by statisticians. The Sinhalese Buddhists have never yet had any conception of what Europeans imply in the etymological construction of the Latin root of this term. In their creed there is no such thing as a ”binding” in the Christian sense--a submission to or merging of self in a Divine Being. _Agama_ is their vernacular word to express their relation to Buddhism and the BUDDHA. It is pure Samskrt, and means ”approach, or coming”; and as ”_Buddha_” is enlightenment, the compound word by which they indicate Buddhism--_Buddhagama_--would be properly rendered as ”an approach or coming to enlightenment,” or possibly as a following of the Doctrine of SAKYAMUNI. The missionaries, finding _Agama_ ready to their hand, adopted it as the equivalent for ”religion”; and Christianity is written by them _Christianagama_, whereas it should be _Christianibandhana_, for _bandhana_ is the etymological equivalent for ”religion”. The name _Vibhajja vada_--one who a.n.a.lyses--is another name given to a Buddhist, and Advayavadi is a third. With this explanation, I continue to employ under protest the familiar word when speaking of Buddhistic philosophy, for the convenience of the ordinary reader.

2. Q. _What is Buddhism?_

A. It is a body of teachings given out by the great personage known as the Buddha.

3. Q. _Is ”Buddhism” the best name for this teaching?_

A. No; that is only a western term: the best name for it is Bauddha Dharma.

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