Forlong - Rivers of Life

Preface. xvii
more ancient Turano-Bâli or Bâal worshippers, who had also left their South Indian and
Ceylonese homes—by no means their cradle—to bear in mythologic times a wondrous
civilization into Celebes and Sunda groups, nay onwards into Oceana and the Amerikas.
War, followed by civil duties, called the writer to this Eastern side of the Indian
Ocean, where, during nearly seven yars, he had ample opportunity of practically
acquainting himself with the purest Budhism that anywhere exists nationally.
Here also he had to study his first Turanian language, the character of which was,
however, found to be in close approximation to that with which he bad been so
familiar in Telingâna. All trans-Indian languages have here borrowed, though the
Lingam worshipers had long ago been driven away except from the seaports—
hateful no doubt from their social and. comparatively recent caste pretensions—yet
lower Barma. still markedly showed their ancient influence.
The faith of the great Prophet of Budha—Gayâ had long been one, the practices of
which the writer had anxiously desired to study for it crosses the student's path in all
research concerning Hinduism or the Neo-Braâhmanism which it had developed, as well
as that earlier Hermaik and then Vedik Brahmanism from which it had sprung as a
reforming and conquering faith. It seemed a vain hope to thoroughly master Budhism
without a personal acquaintance with it as a living faith and here—throughout
Barma, Siam and their coasts—it was working under numerous and much respected
leaders; perhaps the least worldly of priesthoods, with a fervor and purity far
beyond that manifested by the vastly more numerous Budhists of China and
Japan. The Barmese had indeed looked upon Ceylon as a sort of Myamu, Eden or
Paradise, where was concentrated all that they held lovely and pure in faith—
“a divine gem,” as they said, “in a wicked world;” but being long an appanage
of idolatrous lndia and then of “white Kalas who neither fear gods nor devils” it
had then (thirty years ago) fallen from its lofty pedestal and the high priests of the
Irawady were learning to themselves and seek for no aid from India beyond
an occasional relic of their Master.
From the straits of Malâka to the northern capital of the Barmese Monarch, and
from the forest-clad shores of Arakān and the hills where dwell the wild dark Khyens,
to over many of the mountains of the red Karen and of the little known Shān tribes,
all of whom are practically Nature and Nat or Fetish worshipers, the writer sought
a knowledge of present and past faiths. Almost every shrine and sacred mountain
spot within or near our own borders was visited, and. priests and people freely dwelt
amongst as in their Khymmga and Ziyâts, where the most friendly intercourse