LECTURE ON "BUDDHA."

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 484, 28 June 1890, Page 5

LECTURE ON "BUDDHA."

The Rev. Dr. Hooper gave another of his interesting lectures on the religions of India last night at tho Mount Albert Public Hall. There was a very poor attendance, bub those present expressed themselves as being greutly pleased with the lecture. “ Buddhism and the Life of Buddha ” was the subject of tho Rev. doctor’s discourse.

Buddha, who lived some 500 years bofove Christ, was the son of a rich farmer. The popular idea that he was son of a king is erroneous, but it was usual with the people of India to address wealthy persons by the Hindoo name for akingas a mark of respect. When a young man, Buddha determined to seek what to the Indian mind is supreme bliss—the Nirvana. He left his home, wife and family, and subjected himself to all sorts of mortification. Once he lived on starvation diet for six years, and is said to have brought himself down to a diet of ono grain of rice a day. Then he passed years in contemplation, seated under a tree, and here lie arrived at that blessed state to which he aspired. Many Indians before this also arrived at this state, but they were content to enjoy the consciousness to themselves. But Buddha, however, instituted an order of priests to disseminate his ideas, and was therefore less selfish than other holy men. He was engaged in preaching and disseminating his doctrines for forty-five years, and met his death by partaking too freely of pork. His death is a satire on the religion he advocated, for the chief points of the Buddhist religion are not to destroy animal life, and to be abstemious, both of which Buddha in his last hours ignored. The above is a bald outline of a most interesting discourse ; and one which in any hall in Auckland would have been listened to by a crowded audience.