The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-04
STATE OF BUDDHISM.
WHY THE ORIENTAL RELIGION CAN
NEVER MAKE HEADWAY.

Il Is Not in Accordance with the Pro-
Gressive Spirit of the Age-The Bud
dhist Idea Is Dramatically Opposed to
the Tendency of Civilization
Every few weeks the newspapers give
voice to some one of q certain class OF Tnys-
tits who announce, or perhaps We should
say threaten, revival or buddhism
" aich is to revolutiunize the world The
Bdddhists are already said to be numerous
in all the great cities Of the Western world,
and their ranks are daily swelied by new
converts. We are assured that there are
10000 in Paris, as many more in London.
unnumbered thousands in Boston, New
York and Philadelphia, with Chicago and
St Louis yet to be heard from The fig
ures seem to be slightly exaggerated
Granting for the sake of argument that
there are in Europe and America a million
persons who incline toward this form OF
religion, which inculcates a great deA that
Is admirable and true in morals. we shall
yet be very far from that sweeping CONVEX
zion 10 the dOgulas of the Indian messiah
which his admirers predict IL is strange
to note in this connection that while
small faction Of Christianity desires TO
convert the world TO Buddhism, there has
been growing sentiment in Japan,
Buddhist country, that Christianity Is
greatly preferable. and that the japanese
would do well to discard their ancient,
non-progressve faith and adopt its rights
and practices
Buddhism is the faith of perhaps 500 o00,-
900 persons, inhabiting Burmah, Siam,
Cambodia, Cochin China, Ceylon, Anam,
Tonquin, Thibet, the Chinese empire and
Japan There are none in Hindostan, the
country where Gautama, the father Of the
faith, was born some 800 years before
Christ, his followers all having persisted in
. persecution that took place about the
commencement of the Christian era
THE BUDDHIST IDEA
The life of Buddha is the keynote Of the
belief of his followers. The son of pow
erful rajah, married to beautiful woman
and surrounded by every luxury, he left
his home on account of the impression
made on him by the evidences of human
misery that he saw about him, and lived
thenceforward the life of an ascetic, his
only effort being to extinguish in his
breast every human desire and passion. To
attainment of "nirvana," state of perfect
repose, which could not generally be ao
complished till after death. He recognized
no God as a separate being, his theory Of
the universe being pantheistic, not a soul
separate from the body, though every hui
man being had before his present life
passed through a series Of existences,
which after his death would be continued
to all eternity This theory of the trans
migration of souls Tor of existences) has
been for some years past in favor among
spiritists.
The morality Of Buddhism in its nscetic
form is naturally above suspicion. But
what chance in this swiftly moving age,
when everything is on fire, has a religion
which involves conventual inactivity and
has for its chief end, its ideal of happiness,
the nirvana, state Of perfect repose, which
is equivalent to mental death or physical
annihilation2 Could anything be more
foreign to the American habit of thought
and actionS
Buddhism is inferior to Christianity not
only in that it is unprogressive, but in that
it is highly personal and selfish. The gov
erning motive of the Buddhist is to purify
and save himself The leading ,dea OF
Christianity is doing good to others. The
difference is vital, since every living gen
GRAFTON has as its benefcent task to create
q new world for that which is to follow.
"Savs Eyourselfp is the cry Of Buddhism;
'Save othersP' is the cry Of Christianity,
and when we say Christianity we mean not
those merely who regard themselves as its
orthodox representatives, but all who in
30 called Christian countries acknowledge
what faith has done for the world, and ae-
cept its principles in general, without put
ting implicit faith in all its dogmas
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