" In his article on M.J. Barthelemy Saint-Hilaire's "Le Bouddha
et sa Religion," republished in his "Chips from a German workshop," vol.
i. (1868), Professor Max Mueller says, "The young prince became the
founder of a religion which, after more than two thousand years, is
still professed by four hundred and fifty-five millions of human
beings," and he appends the following note: "Though truth is not settled
by majorities, it would be interesting to know which religion counts at
the present moment the largest numbers of believers. Berghaus, in his
'Physical Atlas,' gives the following division of the human race
according to religion: 'Buddhists 31.2 per cent., Christians 30.7,
Mohammedans 15.7, Brahmanists 13.4, Heathens 8.7, and Jews O.3.' As
Berghaus does not distinguish the Buddhists in China from the followers
of Confucius and Laotse, the first place on the scale belongs really to
Christianity. It is difficult in China to say to what religion a man
belongs, as the same person may profess two or three. The emperor
himself, after sacrificing according to the ritual of Confucius, visits
a Tao-tse temple, and afterwards bows before an image of Fo in a
Buddhist chapel." ("Melanges Asiatiques de St. Petersbourg," vol. ii. p.
374.)
Both these estimates are exceeded by Dr. T.W. Rhys Davids (intimating
also the uncertainty of the statements, and that numbers are no evidence
of truth) in the introduction to his "Manual of Buddhism.
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