Charan, Shiva [VerfasserIn]: Life of Gautama Buddha (Lucknow, 1902)

( 190 )

Asoka and his successors, did not at anv time
have recourse to sword, to spread their
religion. It would be difficult to name a re-
ligion, whose followers, whenever they come
to power, spared to use their swords on the
necks of those who were unwilling to accept
the religion of their rulers. The persecution of
the non-Catholics by the followers of the
High Priest ; the harassing of the Catholics
in their turn by the Protestants ; the blood-
shed of the Christians by the Saracens ; the
ultimate defeat of the creseut by the Cross;
the massacre of the Buddhists by the followers
of Shanker ; the wading of the followers of
Mahmud and Nadir in the streams of Hindu
blood, speak with ever increasing terror after a
lapse of hundreds of years of the inhumanities,
perpetrated by the followers of one creed over
others. The pages of History are ‘gory’ with
the blood spilt in these wars of Peace. It
might boldly be proclaimed, equally to the
credit of Buddha and his followers, that they
remained faithful to their Mission, even in the