| The elaboration of marvelous episodes is regarded in | | | | The later Buddhist writings are perhaps not less |
| India as a legitimate form of literary art, no more | | | | extravagant than the Puranas, but the Pitakas are |
| blamable than dramatization, and in sacred writings it | | | | relatively sober, though not quite consistent in their |
| flourishes unchecked. In Hinduism, as in Buddhism, there | | | | account of the Buddha's attitude to the miraculous. |
| is not wanting a feeling that the soul is weary of the | | | | Thus he encourages Sâgata to give a display of |
| crowd of deities who demand sacrifices and promise | | | | miracles, such as walking in the air, in order to prepare |
| happiness, and on the serener heights of philosophy | | | | the mind of a congregation to whom he is going to |
| gods have little place. Still most forms of Hinduism | | | | preach, but in other narratives which seem ancient and |
| cannot like Buddhism be detached from the gods, and | | | | authentic, he expresses his disapproval of such |
| no extravagance is too improbable to be included in | | | | performances (just as Christ refused to give signs), |
| the legends about them. | | | | and says that they do not "conduce to the conversion |
| The extravagance is the more startling because their | | | | of the unconverted or to the increase of the |
| exploits form part of quasi-historical narratives. | | | | converted." Those who know India will easily call up a |
| Râma and Krishna seem to be idealized and | | | | picture of how the Bhikkhus strove to impress the |
| deified portraits of ancient heroes, who came to be | | | | crowd by exhibitions not unlike a modern juggler's |
| regarded as incarnations of the Almighty. This is | | | | tricks and how the master stopped them. |
| understood by Indians to mean not that the Almighty | | | | His motives are clear: these performances had nothing |
| submitted consistently to human limitations, but that he, | | | | to do with the essence of his teaching. If it be true that |
| though incarnate, exercised whenever it pleased him | | | | he ever countenanced them, he soon saw his error. |
| and often most capriciously his full divine force. With | | | | He did not want people to say that he was a conjurer |
| this idea before them and no historical scruples to | | | | who knew the Gândhâra charm or any |
| restrain them, Indian writers tell how Krishna held up a | | | | other trick. And though we have no warrant for |
| mountain on his finger, Indian readers accept the | | | | doubting that he believed in the reality of the powers |
| statement, and crowds of pilgrims visit the scene of | | | | known as iddhi, it is equally certain that he did not |
| the exploit. | | | | consider them essential or even important for religion. |