ADYAR PAMPHLETS
No. 15
The Life of Buddha and Its
Lessons
BY
H. S. OLCOTT
THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE
Adyar, Madras, India
First Edition: May 1912
Second Edition: Sept. 1919
The Life of Buddha and Its Lessons
The thoughtful student, in scanning the religious history of the race,has one fact continually forced upon his notice, viz., that there isan invariable tendency to deify whomsoever shows himself superior tothe weakness of our common humanity. Look where we will, we find thesaint-like man exalted into a divine personage and worshipped for agod. Though perhaps misunderstood, reviled and even persecuted whileliving, the apotheosis is almost sure to come after death: and thevictim of yesterday's mob, raised to the state of an Intercessor inHeaven, is besought with prayer and tears, and placatory penances, tomediate with God for the pardon of human sin. This is a mean and viletrait of human nature, the proof of ignorance, selfishness, brutalcowardice, and a superstitious materialism. It shows the base instinctto put down and destroy whatever or whoever makes men feel their ownimperfections; with the alternative of ignoring and denying these veryimperfections by turning into gods men who have merely spiritualised[2]their natures, so that it may be supposed that they were heavenlyincarnations and not mortal like other men.
This process of euhemerisation, as it is called, or the making of meninto gods and gods into men, sometimes, though more rarely, beginsduring the life of the hero, but usually after death. The true historyof his life is gradually amplified and decorated with fancifulincidents, to fit it to the new character which has been posthumouslygiven him. Omens and portents are now made to attend his earthlyavaṭāra: his precocity is described as superhuman: as a babe orlisping child he silences the wisest logicians by his divineknowledge: miracles he produces as other boys do soap-bubbles: theterrible energies of nature are his playthings: the gods, angels, anddemons are his habitual attendants: the sun, moon, and all the starryhost wheel around his cradle in joyful measures, and the earth thrillswith joy at having borne such a prodigy: and at his last hour ofmortal life the whole universe shakes with conflicting emotions.
Why need I use the few moments at my disposal to marshal before youthe various personages of whom these fables have been written? Let itsuffice to recall the interesting fact to your notice, and invite youto compare the respective biographies of the BrāhmaṇicalKṛṣhṇa, the Persian Zoroaster, the Egyptian Hermes, theIndian Gauṭama, and the canonical, especially the apocryphal,Jesus. Taking Kṛṣhṇa or Zoroaster, as you please, as the mostancient, and coming down the chronological line of descent, you willfind them all[3] made after the same pattern. The real personage is allcovered up and concealed under the embroidered veils of the romancerand the enthusiastic historiographer. What is surprising to me is thatthis tendency to exaggeration and hyperbole is not more commonlyallowed for by those who in our days attempt to discuss and comparereligions. We are constantly and painfully reminded that the prejudiceof inimical critics, on the one hand, and the furious bigotry ofdevotees, on the other, blind men to fact and probability, and lead togross injustice. Let me take as an example the mythical biographies ofJesus. At the t