Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-07-11

long seen Russians entertaining IN
secret all sorts of beliefs and unbe1iefs,
but it is only q few days since | first
made the acquaintance of Russian
Buddhists.
81 am only a novice in Buddhism"
an aged Russian holding the office of
Justice of the Peace said to me-" and
hardly consider myself as being fully
initiated into the principles of my new
religion. Yet | feel that Buddhism has
a stronger hold upon me than Chris
tianity ever had. While | was a Chris
tian l had to believe in many things
against which my mind revolted, and
so [ knew no peace in my conscience.
Buddhism brings that peace and har-
mony for which every human soul
longs"
"Do you bel eve that Buddhism can
be inoculated in E~uropeans?' | asked.
"l do, indeeds" he answered. "There
is a notion that religions are formed
according to the characteristics of raco
or nationality. 1t is wrong. Chris
t;anity was of Eastern and Jewish
origin, and yet it holds all the European
nations Consider that truth, eternal
lltlu. Gull Ut Uuu one. LucIc is only
one system OF mathematics in all the
world. one science of astronomy, n
exposition of physics and physiology,
and so on. Now, if religion embraces
truth, it can be only II for all the
world. Fam sure that to-day more than
three--uarters of mankind hold to this
or that religion only through mere
habit. cultivated from childhood. Do
not force upon your children any things
but pure moral principles, and you VIII
see that all men, whether in Europe,
or Asia, or Afric;t, or America, will
have the same religion, which will be
the true one."
And that religion will be-"
Buddhism in substance"
care there many Buddhists in Rus
sia:9n
:tWell, yesterday there were were
hundreds Of them, and to-day there are
perhaps thousands. But who will and
who can count them? Buddhism is
spreading also in Germany, England,
and, | believe, in the United States.
But leaving out the Buddhists of Eu-
rope and America, Buddhism is already
the prevailing religion of the world,
counting at least a hundred million
souls more than all the Christian de-
nominations taken together, yet it new
er has been spread by force, like Mo-
~hammedanism or Christianity. Chris.
tians will find in Buddhism the COM
mandments and moral precepts famil-
lar to them, but they will learn also
that Buddhists regard knowledge as .
virtue indispensable for those who long
for Nirvana OF paradise. To believe is
not enough for Buddhists. 1t is neces-
sarY to practice a sweeping charity Of
which Christians have no idea, and to
cleave with the thunderbolt OF science
the mountain of ig~norance,' in order to
reach the state of bliss"
Buddhism that is spreading among tho
Russians is Of q purified form, a gu
ropeanized Buddhism" as they style it
here. For instance, they do not intend
to part with music. songs, and the the
alter, and they find it impractical in our
age to abstain from taking gold and sill
yer, although Buddha counts all of these
among forbidden things.
The question of a universal religion
is warmly discussed here at private tea
parties, and the statistics are conned
over which show that in the world there
are s,0O0,0 600 Jews, $40, OO0, 900 Chris
tians, 100, 900, 900 Mohammedans, $780,
100000 Hindus or Brahmanists, $780,
100000 Buddhists, about 200, 900, 600
Pagans, and a few positivists, spirit
ualists, Free Masons, and atheists
81. Petersburg Cor. N. Y. San.