Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 133
BUDDHISM literature from the Pali language by Buddhist scholars who had permitted their own biased, godless philosophy to influence their translations. Few among them understood the Pali language, which is the language of the source material. Moreover, instead of drawing their own inferences directly from a study of reliable Buddhist sources, they leaned entirely on the beliefs about Buddhism prevailing among the major Buddhist sects. . CONTRARY TO this general trend of Western scholars, a. Co solitary voice in India was raised by Hazrat Mirza. Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian (1835-1908), who presented a diametrically opposed view. He maintained that. Buddhas had firm belief in the existence of God who. Himself had raised him as His messenger with a specific mission to perform. He demonstrated that Buddhaas, like all other prophets of God, also believed in the existence of. Satan, as well as in heaven and hell, in angels and in the. Day of Resurrection. Hence, the allegation that Buddhaas did not believe in God is pure fabrication. What Buddha rejected was Vedanta (i. e. doctrines and beliefs found in the. Hindu sacred books, the Vedas). He rejected the belief in corporeal manifestations of gods as found in Hinduism. He was severely critical of the Brahmans and regarded them to have corrupted their Divine teaching through their distorted interpretation. . The voice of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was not to remain solitary for long. Soon, other voices from among the second generation of Western scholars and researchers on Buddhism began to follow suit. The most prominent among them was the great French scholar Dr Gustav Le. Bon (1841-1931) who writes:. Unfortunately, the study of Indian monuments has been completely neglected by European scholars. . The specialists of Indian studies, through whom we 133