The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-06-27
Buddhism in Russia.

According to Russian law no subject
of the Gar, whether born in or con-
verted to the Russian Established
Church, that is, the Greek Eastern
Church, can abandon his religion under
any circumstances whatever. And there
is no punishment severe enough for the
trai or to his religion. Neither gibbet
nor bullet nor a Siberian mine is
y q; deemed enough for such criminal. He
4 - mi,st either return to his religion or die
u i'm an underground cell in some re-
ligious prison. Under such conditions
Russia certainly would seem to be not a
favorable soil for free religious thought
4 Yet no other country shows to-day such
/ q powerful religions fermentation as
abandoning the Established hui Oh for
deism, atheism, spritualism, Free
r. > Masonry, positivism and Professionalism,
~ and among the lower classes the Raskol
n. or Russian Professionalism is assuming
. b mud tifsIious forms, from the purest
rationalism 10 the crudest superstition.
BY virtue OF her geograph cal situa-
ton, Russia lies i'm the center of ali the
-. cardinal religions of the world. On the
ri N west she faces the Roman Catholics
and the Protestants on the south the
Mohammedans and on the east the
Bud6histS, the Brahmanists and the
Confucians. At home she has great
majority of Greek Catholics, s,o0o, coo
Roman Catholics, 100000 Hebrews
and as many Protestants, besides sew
eral million pagans. Since steam and
the printing press have irreparably de-
stro ed the barriers between the ma
tions of the world, momentous ques-
on has presented itself: ~ hich re-
ligion viii be the relig on of the world?"
To-day, in the immense domains of the
IL Il II. IL
going on. If which no other country
lhas any idea and it is here in Russia
tthat the principal and ina! battles will
be fought that shall forever setlle the
question as to where humanity shall
Took for mora guidance.
What curious things would happen
here if religious freedom should be pro
claimed in Russ:a- Now, there are
s-saa millions and millions of Russians who
hold double belief, one for the Gar
sake and one 10 snit their own con-
---7---- science, But with freedom of religions
many who are new officially orthodox
-. -. would a., once turn Roman Catholics,
u n oasl fetestants or Raskolmiks. or Mo-
hammedans, or positiv!stS. or atheists,
or spiritual:sts, or Buddhsts, or the
followers OF BrahmaS omaJ.
The propagation of Buddhism in
Russia is of rather recent origin. ard II
Is spreading among the educated and
well-to-do classes exclusively. / have
long seen Russians entertaining in
secret all sorts of beliefs and .unbeliefs,
but it is only few days since L first
: maae the acquaintance of Russian
Buddhists.
= II am only novice in Buddhism"
= = an aged Russian holding the office of
Justice of the Peace said to me- and
So, hardly consider myself as being fully
>" initiated into the principles of my new
religion. Yet feel that Buddhism has
IVA a stronger hold upon me than Chris
tiainity ever had. While was 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-