Summary: been absent for thirteen days, travelling in the spirit to a distant village, where he had been present at events which had then happened. And all the various statements made previously by Hindoos, Moslems, and Christians, as to the length of his trance, the object of his journey, and his actions during it, were subsequently found to tally exactly with the story told by himself (Nat. 8.1; Olcott). It is hard to decide In this case (1) how far the story was fabricated for the occasion; (2) how far the narrator was sincere in his statements; and (3) whether the whole was not the result of extaordinary nervous excitement debilitated body, and hallucination— In the Foundation of the Brahmo-Somaj (Appendix to Mill’s ‘History of British India,’ 18756) the account of the incident omits a few important particulars. After his revival the Yogi Tota Puri stayed at La- hore for some time, in order to practice with some of Runjit Singh’s Sannyasis ‘those tremendous austerities and mortifications whereby a perfect control over the body’ was to be attained (Olcott). But every advantage was taken of the facilities of intercourse with this Yogi to find out his peculiar opinions and mode of living. ‘Unless a man has control of the movements of his own psychical life, and is able to direct it at will in any required direction, he is not a true Yogi,’ said Tota Puri, impressively. And this second interview with European observers, so far from lessening, rather heightened the mystery. 257 PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. BUDDHISM The Pâli Scriptures of the Buddhists. Translated from the Burmese. By T. W. Rhys Davids. 1 vol. 8vo, pp. xx. 352. Rs. 10. REV. J. STRACHLYN, D.D. Serampore. Pâli Precepts of the Buddhists. Serampore. pp. xii. 309. Rs. 5. Burmese Buddhism; or, Lives of Saints, and the History of the Missionaries. 3 vols. 8vo. Serampore. INDEX. A. The addendum of scripture is a practice reflected in historical examples, like the Tibetan seven weeks‘ fast or the Burmese fasting to prevent contagions, showcasing the pragmatic rituals within Buddhism. The invocation of spells, like the one entailing the liberation of fish or the recital of mudra, signifies the efforts to cope with adversities through metaphysical means. The philosophical undertones of escapism from worldly misery, as voiced by old Hindu and Buddhist texts regarding life’s transience, hint at the pervasive concept of renunciation across diverse belief systems. Such practices and beliefs tether Buddhism to the core disillusionment with material life underlying a range of cultural traditions, marking the deeper, existential undercurrents of Buddhism that have endured through the ages.