IDOL AND PAINTING IN A TEMPLE OF GUATAMA, 0 R FO, AT FAIFO.
With respect to the religion of Buddha, or Fo,
as far as I could discover, it appears to be the belief
of but a small portion of the people ; and as it
is not the religion of the ruling authorities, and
receives no support from the civil power, it has
none of the spirit, and bears even little external
resemblance to the Buddhism of the countries lying
immediately to the westward of Cochin China.
The Talapoins of Cochin China are so few in
number, that we happened not to see any of
them during our sta y ; and as to the temples,
they had neither the size, splendour, nor even
form of those of Siam, and might not have been
recognized as places of Buddhist worship at all,
but for the images which they contained, and
which were too characteristic to be mistaken. The
worship of Fo is said to have been introduced into
Cochin China and Tonquin, in the year of Christ
540, through China; but neither with respect to
this circumstance, nor the peculiarities which distinguish
it from the Buddhism of Siam, Ava, Ceylon,
or Hindostán, could we procure any detailed
information.