But with all this the ordinary ritual of Hindu temples[79] has nothing in common.  It derives from another origin and follows other lines.  The temple is regarded as the court of a prince and the daily ceremonies are the attendance of his courtiers on him.  He must be awakened, fed, amused and finally put to bed.  This conception of ritual prevailed in Egypt but in India there is no trace of it in Vedic literature and perhaps it did not come into fashion until Gupta times.  Although the laity may be present and salute the god, such worship cannot be called congregational.  Yet in other ways a Hindu temple may provide as much popular worship as a Nonconformist chapel.  In the corridors will generally be found readers surrounded by an attentive crowd to whom they recite and expound the Mahabharata or some other sacred text.  At festivals and times of pilgrimage the precincts are thronged by a crowd of worshippers the like of which is hardly to be seen in Europe, worshippers not only devout but fired with an enthusiasm which bursts into a mighty chorus of welcome when the image of the god is brought forth from the inner shrine.

The earlier forms of Buddhist ceremonial are of the synagogue type (though in no way derived from Jewish sources) for, though there is no prayer, they consist chiefly of confession, preaching and reading the scriptures.  But this puritanic severity could not be popular and the veneration of images and relics was soon added to the ritual.  The former was adopted by Buddhism earlier than by the Brahmans.  The latter, though a conspicuous feature of Buddhism in all lands, is almost unknown to Hinduism.  In their later developments Buddhist and Christian ceremonies show an extraordinary resemblance due in my opinion chiefly to convergence, though I do not entirely exclude mutual influence.  Both Buddhism and Roman Catholicism accepted pagan ritual with some reservations and refinements.  The worship has for its object an image or a shrine containing a relic which is placed in a conspicuous position at the end of the hall of worship[80].  Animal sacrifices are rejected but offerings of flowers, lights and incense are permitted, as well as the singing of hymns.  It is not altogether strange if Buddhist and Catholic rituals starting from the same elements ended by producing similar scenic effects.

Yet though the scenic effect may be similar, there is often a difference in the nature of the rite.  Direct invocations are not wanting in Tibetan and Far Eastern Buddhism but many services consist not of prayers but of the recitation of scripture by which merit is acquired.  This merit is then formally transferred by the officiants to some special object, such as the peace of the dead or the prosperity of a living suppliant.