m the
Lord also of all creatures, yet taking control of my nature-form, I am
born by my illusive power. For whenever piety decays, O son of Bharata,
and impiety is in the ascendant, then I produce myself. For the protection
of good men, for the destruction of evildoers, for the re-establishment of
piety, I am born from age to age." (Bhagavadgita.)

The historical Buddha taught that he was only one of a long series of
Buddhas, who appear at intervals in the world, and who all teach the same
system. After the death of each Buddha his religion flourishes for a time
and then decays, till at last it is completely forgotten and wickedness
and violence rule the earth. The names of twenty-four of these Buddhas who
appeared previous to Gautama have been handed down to us, just as the
"second coming of Christ" is believed in and referred to among the
Christians.

Even the Mohammedan Koran refers to this succession of prophets and
messengers of Allah. The same is true of the Parsis.

"I have said that I first of all chose Abad, and after him I sent thirteen
prophets in succession, all called Abad. By these fourteen prophets the
world enjoyed prosperity."

"Tradition informs us that when these auspicious prophets and their
successors behold evil to prevail among mankind, they invariably withdraw
from among them--as they could not endure to behold or hear wickedness."

This is precisely what happened to Egypt after the ambitious priesthood
had gained the ascendency. The Master Builders retired.

Bonwick says ("Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought"): "What is commonly
called the _Christ idea_ of humanity, thus appears to have been the hope
and consolation of the ancient Egyptians so many thousand years ago."

That which thus appears and disappears, dies out and is born again, is the
spiritual light in the soul of man.

The diversity of man's intellectual activities exercise, elaborate, and
deepen his mental perceptions, and these largely concern the things of
sense and time, his appetites, passions, desires, and ambitions.

Back of and beyond all these lie the things of the spirit. On the physical
plane of life the former obscure and crowd out the latter, which are thus
continually in need of renewal.

In adapting the new revelation to the conditions of life on the physical
plane, it is intellectualized and theologized. Pundits and theologians
undertake to _explain_ what it all means and how it happened to be. Hence
arise wr