The Revival of Buddhism

Abstract

"The first European people to govern Ceylon were the Portuguese, who were masters of the island for about a century. They made strenuous efforts to " Christianize" the people; and to curry favour with the Government, with the view of obtaining Government employment and preferment, the people professed Christianity in shoals. Side by side with this merely nominal religion, and mingling with it, was a less considerable stream of really spiritual religion, produced by the labours of some of the Spanish priests. Under the Dutch, who followed, and under the English Government after them, a Christian profession opened the road to favours and advancements which was closed to heathen. Consequently, about one-tenth of the population could be, 20 years ago, reckoned as nominally Christian, but nobody knew better than the missionaries that not more than perhaps a tenth of these could be relied on"