_Ibid_. p. 179.]

Will the reader forgive me if I mention some other jewels of the
Buddhist faith? One is the Buddha Ami'tabha, and the other Kuanyin
or Kwannon, his son or daughter; others will be noted presently. The
latter is especially popular in China and Japan, and is generally
spoken of by Europeans as the 'Goddess of Mercy.' 'Goddess,' however,
is incorrect, [Footnote: Johnston, _Buddhist China_, p. 123.]
just as 'God' would be incorrect in the case of Ami'tabha. Sakya
Muni was considered greater than any of the gods. All such Beings
were saviours and helpers to man, just as Jesus is looked up to by
Christian believers as a saviour and deliverer, and perhaps I might
add, just as there are, according to the seer-poet Dante, three
compassionate women (_donne_) in heaven. [Footnote: Dante,
_D.C., Inf._ ii. 124 _f_. The 'blessed women' seem to be
Mary (the mother of Christ), Beatrice, and Lucia.] Kwannon and her
Father may surely be retained by Chinese and Japanese, not as gods,
but as gracious _bodhisatts_ (i.e. Beings whose essence is
intelligence).

I would also mention here as 'jewels' of the Buddhists (1) their
tenderness for all living creatures. Legend tells of Sakya Muni that
in a previous state of existence he saved the life of a doe and her
young one by offering his own life as a substitute. In one of the
priceless panels of Borobudur in Java this legend is beautifully
used. [Footnote: Havell, _Indian Sculpture and Painting_,
p. 123.] It must indeed have been almost more impressive to the
Buddhists even than Buddha's precept.

E'en as a mother watcheth o'er her child,