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THE SYSTEMS OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
(m) And lastly, although Gautama himself disapproved of philosophical discussion, a system of Buddhist philosophy soon arose on the lines laid down by him; it ignored the existence of soul and maintained living creatures to be only assemblages of als or aggregates; it knew of no state of future existence for those who attained fagiu.
(n) What was it then that the Buddhists worshipped ? What was the concrete form which Gautama's religion took in its early career before vast monasteries and an unwieldy priesthood replaced the primitive faith? What was the actual form of worship which drew and engaged the mulitude who could not all have practised or worshipped the abstract idea of a holy life? The reply is simple. For centuries, the people worshipped holiness and virtue as typified in the life of Gautama. They revered the memories of the great Teacher, they worshipped his invisible presence. The sculptures at Sanchi, at Amaravati, Barhut and other places represent homage paid to tree, to serpent, to the wheel or to the umbrella but in every case the object represents the presence of Buddha.
(o) The moral precepts of Buddha are so well known that we shall pass over them and go at once to the history of Buddhism after Gautama's death. According to the Pali Scriptures, Buddha's death took place in 543 B.C. but the European scholars put it in 477 B.C. We are told in Chullavagga that on the death of Gautama, the venerable Maha Kashyapa proposed, “Let us chant the Dhamma and Vinaya.” The proposal was accepted and 499 STETS were selected for the purpose and Ananda, the faithful friend and follower of Gautama, completed the number 500. And so they went up to Rajagriha to chant together the Dhamma and Vinaya. Upali, who was barber before, was questioned
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