God of the Scuths or Goths and Scandinavians, and said to be the inventor of their letters; as Hermes was the supposed inventor of the letters of the Egyptians. This, among other circumstances, tends to prove that the religion of the Celts and Scuths of the West was Buddhism. The Celtic Teutates is the Gothic Teut or Tuisto, Buddhas titles of Tat, Datta, or Twashta. Taranis is Tara-Nath. Hesus of Gaul is, Esa, Ma-Hesa, and Har-Esa. But those are by the Latin writers called Mercury.[1]
My reader will observe that I have given from Mr. Faber sixteen different names of Buddha, by which he undertakes to prove that he was known at different times and in different places. Mr. Faber enters at great length into the discussion of each, and proves his case, in almost every instance, in a way which cannot reasonably be disputed. I do not think it necessary to follow him, but shall take those names upon his authority. He makes it evident that Buddhism extended almost to every part of the old world: but we must remember that the British Taranis, and the Gothic Woden, were both names of Buddha. In my Celtic Druids I have shewn that the worship of Buddha is every where to be found—in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.[2] Hu, the great God of the Welsh, is called Buddwas;[3] and they call their God Budd, the God of victory, the king who rises in light and ascends the sky.[4]
In Scotland, the country people frighten their children by telling them, that old Bud or the old man will take them. In India, one of the meanings of the word Buddha is old man.
3. In this inquiry it seems of the first consequence to ascertain the meaning of the word Buddha. From the examination of the accounts of the different authors, this celebrated word appears to have the same meaning as the first word of Genesis, that is, Wisdom, or extremely wise, or wise in a high degree.[5] M. Creuzer gives it savant, sage, intelligence, excellente, et supérieure. He says, it allies itself or is closely allied to the understanding, mind, intelligence unique, and supreme of God.
This is confirmed by Mr. Ward, the missionary, who tells us, that Buddha is the Deity of wisdom, as was the Minerva of Greece. When devotees pray for wisdom to their king, they say, May Buddha give thee wisdom.[6]
The etymology of the word Buddha seems to be unknown to the Hindoos, which favours the idea of a date previous to any of the present known languages. In the Pali, of Ceylon, it means universal knowledge or holiness.[7]
The word Buddha has been thought, by some Hindoo authors, to be a general name for a philosopher; by others it has been supposed to be a generic word, like Deva, but applicable to a sage or philosopher; but still it is allowed to mean, excellence, wisdom, virtue, sanctity.
In Sanscrit we have, Sanskrit Root, Budh, to know, to be aware; Budhyati, he knows, is aware; Bodhayāmi, I inform, I teach.
Buddhi, wisdom; Buddha, sage, wise; Bodha, wisdom.[8]
בדא bda in the Hebrew means, to devise of himself alone; or I should say, to think or theorise. In Arabic it means, to begin to produce, or to devise something new.
Two facts seem to be universally agreed upon by all persons who have written respecting Buddha. The first is, that at last he is always found to resolve himself into the sun, either as the
- ↑ Faber, Orig. Pag. Idol.
- ↑ Celtic Druids, pp. 197, 306, &c.
- ↑ Davies, Celtic Myth. p. 118.
- ↑ Ib. p. 116.
- ↑ Moore’s Pantheon, p. 234.
- ↑ Ward’s Hist. of Hind. p. 452.
- ↑ Asiat. Res. Vol. XVII. p. 33.
- ↑ Some of our Indian scholars make a distinction between Buddha, and Budd, the Planet Mercury. I can no more admit this, than I can admit that the God Mercury was not the Sun; though I know that Mercury is the name of a Planet, and that the planet is not the Sun. The cases are exactly similar.
