sophy, 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. _[=A]gama_ 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--_Buddh[=a]gama_--would
be properly rendered as "an approach or coming to enlightenment," or
possibly as a following of the Doctrine of S[=A]KYAMUNI. The
missionaries, finding _[=A]gama_ ready to their hand, adopted it as the
equivalent for "religion"; and Christianity is written by them
_Christian[=a]gama_, whereas it should be _Christianibandhana_, for
_bandhana_ is the etymological equivalent for "religion". The name
_Vibhajja v[=a]da_--one who analyses--is another name given to a
Buddhist, and Advayav[=a]d[=i] 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] See the definition of _deva_ given later.

[3] For an admirable account of this interview consult Dr. Paul Carus'
_Gospel of Buddha_, page 20, _et seq._

[4] The term Hind[=u], once a contemptuous term, used by the
Musalm[=a]ns to designate the people of Sindh, whom they conquered, is
now used in an ecclesiastical sense.

[5] No reason is given in the canonical books for the choice of this
side of the tree, though an explanation is to be found in the popular
legends upon which the books of Bishop Bigandet and other European
commentators are based. There are always certain influences coming
upon us from the different quarters of the sky. Sometimes the
influence from one quarter will be best, sometimes that from another
quarter. But the Buddha thought that the perfected man is superior to
all extraneous influences.

[6] The ancient story is that the God Brahm[=a] himself implored him
not to withhold the glorious truth.

[7] Br[=a]hmanism not being offered to non-Hind[=u]s, Buddhism is
consequently, the oldest missionary religion in the world. The