xistence;

"On the cessation of existence, ceases birth.

"On the cessation of birth cease old age, and death; sorrow; lamentation;
misery; grief and despair. Thus does the entire aggregation of misery
cease."

But, as to the exact interpretation of all these, Buddha himself says:

"Ye must rely upon the truth; this is your highest, strongest vantage
ground; the foolish masters practicing superficial wisdom, grasp not the
meaning of the truth; but to receive the law, not skillfully to handle
words and sentences, the meaning then is hard to know, as in the
night-time, if traveling and seeking for a house, if all be dark within,
how difficult to find."

But let it be understood, that Buddhism as now taught and practiced is
necessarily colored by the effect of the centuries which have elapsed since
the Lord Buddha lived and taught the precepts of his Illumination. Modern
Buddhism, as a religious system of worship bears the same relation to
Prince Siddhartha, as does modern Christianity to Jesus of Nazareth.

A short review of the life and character of the personalities around whom
the great religious systems of the world have been formed will aid us in
perceiving the unity of thought and character of the Illumined, and the
similarity of reports as to the effect of this realization of cosmic
consciousness will be apparent.

CHAPTER VII

MOSES, THE LAW-GIVER

The salient feature of the law as given by Moses unto his people, the Jews,
is that of strict cleanliness of mind and body. In this we find a
similarity to the oft-repeated behest of Gautama, the Buddha, who
constantly admonished his followers to keep their hearts pure and their
minds and bodies clean.

This spirit of cleanliness finds also a counterpart in the saying ascribed
to Jesus, "blessed are the pure in heart."

The cleanliness here referred to is doubtless not so much physical neatness
as mental purity of thought--thought free from doubt and calumny and petty
deceits and hypocrisy and selfishness and debasing perversions of the life
forces; but during various stages of history we find that all teachings
have their esoteric and their exoteric application.

The law, as enunciated by Moses, according to the Jewish reports, laid much
stress upon physical cleanliness, as an attribute of godhood.

But Moses, if we may credit reports, was something far more inspired and
illumined than a mere physical culturist--commendable as is personal
cleanl