Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-02-25
THE DOCTRNEOF BUDDHA.
A Plain Statement About Some of Its Mys
terfous Phase

terious Phase
4 deep Buddhistical vein is now going
through the modern world of western ma
tons, having become especially forceful
and penetrating since the period when
Schoptnhaner erected his philosophical
system, more or less, on the very old teach
lngs of Buddha Gautama, says the Arena.
There Is no want of comprehensive scien-
tlhc works In relation to Buddhism, and
posts, also. have been unable to resist the
great attraction of the doctrines of this
Indian sage, as shown in the works of
Richard Wagner, which are largely in
huenced by the ground thoughts of Bud
dhism. The Samsara and Nirvana have
become current expressions In many of our
modern poets, not only in their descrip-
ton OF scenes relating to the world in
which we live, but also in their pictures of
salvation from this world of error, guilt,
suffering, birth and death. = The
doctrine of Buddhism, Of rebirth. i. e..
the continued reincorporation of our real
spiritual being, forms the fundamental
principle of the great Asiatic religious.
The doctrine of tue rebirth is
alone sufficient to explain to the Bud,
dahists the mystery of existence; it
explains why the righteous man is often so
poor and dispised, while the evil-doer
enjoys riches and honor; it replies to the
despairlng question, addressed constantly,
hut valnly, to heaven by millions of souls.
"Why have we to suffer and endure so
much p It explains that, lndestructible
as are the forces Of nature and matter. So
likewise; Is the innermost being of man.
Death is no humiliation, hut only the
passing over from one feeble form into an
other; whatsoever takes pleasure in this
world. there is none to gainsay him {:
neither a God nor a 1evil can rob him of
them, but he must abide by the conse
quences. Mans real fate depends solely
on his inward being, on his own will, and
he has the prospect of countless re-births,
IN which he will earn the fruits of both
his COED and his evil deeds. But to him
who Is weary of this unceasing renewed
existence and will earnestly strive for
freedom and release, is opened d way Of
REDEEM ption. The cause of suffering, death
and re- birth is the will to live. which fills
Us all; the desire of individual existence
In this or in some other world. The will
to live In Buddhistlcal sense is not only
the conscious will, but that unconsciou
life force which dwells in all creatures
and organisms, in animals and plants, as
well as IN man. Only by abandoning this
will, and by totally suppressing the desire
for au individual existence, in this or in
some future world, can man ever be
freed or redeemed, and reach eternal
peace.
The road to this release, to Nirvana. we
can find through the recognition of four
healing truths, viz: The truth of suffer.
ing, the truth of the cause of suffering
the truth of the cessation of suffering, and
the truth of the way which will lead to
cessation from suffering.
Buddha teaches that it is because of our
non-recognition of these four cardinal
truths that We have to travel SO long the
mournful and dreary road OF rebirths. But
when the truths are once fully recognized
and acted upon the will to live disappears,
the longing which leads to renewed exist
ence ceases, and the Samsara is thing of
the past. There are two roads of
error, brethren, which he who is striving
for freedom from earth dominion may not
travel. The one, the longing to satisfy
our passions and sense-desires of whatever
kind. is low, mean, dishonorable and de-
structive; it is the road on which travel
the children of this world. The other, the
asceticism and self.torture, is somber,
painful and utterly useless. The middle
road alone, which has been found by the
one who has attained perfection, avoids
these two roads, opens the eyes, imparts
self knowledge, and leads to peace, to
truth, to enlightment, to Nirvana.
The Nirvana, according to the explana.
ton Of the Buddhist scholar, is coodi-
ton of holy peace, accompanied by the in
destructibe certainty of obtained freedom
and release. Nirvana means literally, to
be extinguished. The will to live, the
longing for earthly joys, here or some
where else, is extinguished. The false
idea that material goods can have any
value, or be lasting, has evaporated.
Gone is the fame of sensaality and sell
Fl shness.
Although it is possible to reach Nirvana
already In this life, an extremely email
number are able to accomplish 1t. Our
mental and moral condition, through the
effect of deeds in former births, is gener-
ally so deficient that many rehirths are
needed before we can arrive atithis. haven
of peace. But to obtain a rebirth under
favorable conditions IS within the power
of every one who earnestly strives for it. 1t
solely depends on the wish to live which
dwells in all of us, and forms the kernel Of
our existence.
The nature of cur rebirth depend en-
tirely On our deeds, and is regulated by
merit and guilt as exhibited in our former
lives. If our merit is greatest, we shall
be born again in higher state or world,
and under favorable conditinns. If, how
ever, we have subjected oursel res to heavy
guilt through evil deeds, a rebIrth IN a
lower place, and rich in sorrow and suffer
ing, is the necessary and inevitable re-
suit. The consequences depend on our
Karma, the moral law of the world, of
which the physical law, as seen by Us, is
only the sensual and temporal appearance.
Karma is that which other religions, desig
nate as divine purpose, providence or
fate