The later phases of both Hinduism and Buddhism are permeated by what is called Tantrism[81], that is to say the endeavour to attain spiritual ends by ritual acts such as gestures and the repetition of formulae.  These expedients are dangerous and may become puerile, but those who ridicule them often forget that they may be termed sacramental with as much propriety as magical and are in fact based on the same theory as the sacraments of the Catholic Church.  When a child is made eligible for salvation by sprinkling with water, by the sign of the cross and by the mantra “In the Name of the Father,” etc., or when the divine spirit is localized in bread and wine and worshipped, these rites are closely analogous to tantric ceremonial.

The Buddhist temples of the Far East are in original intention copies of Indian edifices and in the larger establishments there is a daily routine of services performed by resident monks.  But the management of religious foundations in these countries has been much influenced by old pagan usages as to temples and worship which show an interesting resemblance to the customs of classical antiquity but have little in common with Buddhist or Christian ideas.  A Chinese municipal temple is a public building dedicated to a spirit or departed worthy.  If sacrifices are offered in it, they are not likely to take place more than three or four times a year.  Private persons may go there to obtain luck by burning a little incense or still more frequently to divine the future:  public meetings and theatrical performances may be held there, but anything like a congregational service is rare.  Just so in ancient Rome a temple might be used for a meeting of the Senate or for funeral games.

22. The Worship of the Reproductive Forces

One aspect of Indian religions is so singular that it demands notice, although it is difficult to discuss.  I mean the worship of the generative forces.  The cult of a god, or more often of a goddess, who personifies the reproductive and also the destructive powers of nature (for it is not only in India that the two activities are seen to be akin) existed in many countries.  It was prominent in Babylonia and Asia Minor, less prominent but still distinctly present in Egypt and in many cases was accompanied by hysterical and immoral rites, by mutilations of the body and offerings of blood.  But in most countries such deities and rites are a matter of ancient history:  they decayed as civilization grew:  in China and Japan, as formerly in Greece and Rome, they are not an important constituent of religion.  It is only in India and to some extent in Tibet, which has been influenced by India, that they have remained unabashed until modern times.