| The later phases of Buddhism, described as | | | | question whether an unusual intelligence disciplined by |
| Mahâyâna, show this feature among many | | | | meditation might not attain to such knowledge. |
| others, that the supernatural and mythological side of | | | | Still, though the essence of the doctrine may be |
| religion becomes prominent. Gods or angels play an | | | | detachable from miracles and even be scientific, one |
| increasingly important part, the Buddha himself | | | | cannot read very far in the Vinaya or the Sutta Pitaka |
| becomes a being superior to all gods, and Buddhas, | | | | without coming upon unearthly beings or supernatural |
| gods and saints perform at every turn feats for which | | | | occurrences. |
| miracle seems too modest a name. | | | | The credibility of miracles is to my mind simply a |
| It may be fairly said that Buddhism is not a miraculous | | | | question of evidence. Any extraordinary event, such |
| religion in the sense that none of its essential doctrines | | | | as a person doing a thing totally foreign to his |
| depend on miracles. It would seem that such a religion | | | | character, is improbable a priori. But the law does not |
| as Mormonism must collapse if it were admitted that | | | | allow that the best of men is incapable of committing |
| the Book of Mormon is not a revelation delivered to | | | | the worst of crimes, if the evidence proves he did. Nor |
| Joseph Smith. But the content of the Buddha's | | | | can the most extraordinary violation of nature's laws |
| teaching is not miraculous and, though he is alleged to | | | | be pronounced impossible if supported by sufficient |
| have possessed insight exceeding ordinary human | | | | evidence, only the evidence must be strong in |
| knowledge, yet this is not exactly a miracle and it is a | | | | proportion to the strangeness of the circumstances. |