Consequently from the Northern Buddhists, who, as confessed by Professor
Weber, "alone possess these (Buddhist) Scriptures complete," and have
"preserved more authentic information regarding the circumstances of
their redaction"--the Orientalists have up to this time learned next to
nothing. The Tibetans say that Tathagata became a full Buddha--i.e.,
reached absolute Nirvana--in 2544 of the Kali era (according to
Souramana), and thus lived indeed but eighty years, as no Nirvanee of
the seventh degree can be reckoned among the living (i.e., existing)
men. It is no better than loose conjecture to argue that it would have
entered as little into the thoughts of the Brahmans to note the day of
Buddha's birth "as the Romans or even the Jews (would have) thought of
preserving the date of the birth of Jesus before he had become the
founder of a religion." (Max Muller's "Hist. S. L.") For, while the
Jews had been from the first rejecting the claim of Messiah-ship set up
by the Chelas of the Jewish prophet and were not expecting their Messiah
at that time, the Brahmans (the initiates, at any rate) knew of the
coming of him whom they regarded as an incarnation of Divine wisdom, and
therefore were well aware of the astrological date of his birth.
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