The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-01-15
Buddhism in America.

The mantle of Madam BLAvATsKY has
fallen upon Mrs. ANNIE BEsANT. That's
meant in figurative sense, because ma
terial mantle that would fit the BLAvAT-
SKY would overwhelm and shut out of
sight the BEsANT. The living exponent
of occultism devoutly believes in the doc
trines and personal mystic powers of the
dead disciple of esoteric Buddhism. And
she is travelling through the country to
expound them. She is the widow of a
clergyman of the Church of England, but
has ''evoluted' from the creed of that
church and has advanced or retrogaded
as different minds may determine, to the
ideas and ethics of GAUTAMA.
We mentioned few days ago the at
tempt which is being made to introduce
Mohammedanism into the United States
A much older religion. if it may be so
termed, has been in vogue in this country
for some time. IL numbers a great many
disciples. It is called by some Theosophy
and incorporates in its system the princi-
pies of Buddhism. 1t has in the world
about $50, 600, 600 followers and existed
before the Christian era. So if antiquity
and converts form any argument in its
favor, it is ahead of both Mohammedan-
ism and Christianity as system.
The truth of any creed or statement,
however, does not depend either upon its
age or the number of its adherents, and
if it has nothing else than these to adj
vance as claim to modern credulity, it
will fall very short of acceptance by
thinkers, particularly in this western
Hemisphere.
One of the most salient principles of
Buddhism and of its modern exponent,
Theosophy, is that all things, abstract
and concrete, are the effects of preceding
causes and combinations which create or
destroy, in one sense of the terms, but
that the essences Of things always did and
always will exist. Their forms and con-
ditions are results OF previous acts or
conditions and their future will be the
result of the present. Thisis the "Karma''
OF Theosophy.
Sentient beings have a series of births
and deaths, rewards and punishments
being meted out in succeeding life as
consequences of former life, and the
great object and ultimatum of existence
being Nirvana; that is, absorption into
Buddha and state of passionless. emo
tionless content for ever. 1t is rather
difficult to determine whether this means
destruction of individual identity or not,
but it has that appearance. In order to
attain to this s'perfect" condition the
passions and desires must become
extinct; overcome until they cease
to effect the person in any way. The re-
suit is not humiliation perhaps, but
floss OF the consciousness of existence''
which, SO far as personality is concerned,
is pretty much the same in effect.
A true Buddhist must not kill any liv-
ing creature, lie, steal, indulge in lust,
cruelty, anger, pride, envy, covetousness
or the use of intoxicants. Love of par
ents, gratitude, patience, fcrtitude, mod
GRAFTON, and calmness OF spirit are
inculcated. But none OF these things
is taught as obedience to q su-
preme Ruler or as pleasing to
any Deity, but simply as means to the
great end, Nirvana, Generosity is in this
creed selfishness in certain form; the
object of all good deeds and avoidance Of
evil is the exemption of the individual
from unpleasant consequences in another
life. The practice OF good for its own
sake is not considered.