The sun., 1895-01-20

toisn women were subject TO fewer disabilities
than they have been in most Oriental countries.
| III.
In the authors sketch Of the doctrinal devel-
opment OF Buddhism in Japan, the point is
steadily kept in view that the religious system
which entered Japan from Corea In the sixth
century was not the simple atheism touched
| with morality the bald skepticism or benevo-
| lent aRnosticism Of Gautama, but religion
| which was already over q thousand years old.
It was the system Of the Northern Buddhists
| These, dissatisfied or unsatisfed with absorption
into q passionless state through self-sacrlfce
and moral discipline, had evolved a philosophy
| of religion in which wero gods, idols, and an
apparatus Of conversion utterly unknown TO tho
primitive faith. As, in its course through
| China, this Northern Buddhism had acted as
an all.powerful absorbent of local beliefs and
| suporstitions, go, In Japan, IL was destined to
| have a still moro remarkable record, and not
| only to absorb local IDEAS but actually TO cause
| the indigenous religion to disappear. So COM
| plete was the victory ultimately won In Japan
| by Buddhism, that for nearly a thousand years
| Shinto. considered as q religion. vanished from
sight, except in q few isolated spots and sank
into q mere mythology. or the shadow OF a
mythology. The very knowledge of the an
cient traditions was lost in the Buddhaized
forms into which the old stories were cast, or
in the omnipresent Buddhist ritual. DIR. Griffis
considers 1t q question as to which suffered tho
more from this amalgamhtion. About as many
corrupt elements from Shinto seem to have en-
tered into the various Buddhist sects Buddh-
ism gave to Shinto. 1t Is pronounced certain
that the vast development OF Japanese Buddh-
ism. unknown to the rest of the Buddhist world.
secuted by the Southern Buddhists as dreadful
hefesy and provoking tho indignation of stu
dents OF early Buddhism like Max Muller and
Prof Whitney 10 largely duo to the attempted
digestion Of Japanese mythology.
The history of tho doctrinal development Of
Buddhism In Japan is divided into four epochs.
The first, extending from $50 to s05 A. D., deals
with the first six sects which had for their centre
Of propagation Nara the Southern capital Then
follows the spread of the so-called Riyodu, or
mixed Buddhism, from the ninth to the twelfth
century. This tho period when Shinto was
digested, was succeeded by another explo-
sion Of doctrine, this time wholly and pecu-
liarly Japanese. and by a wide missionary prop
agation. From the sixteenth to the nine teenth
century there is little that is doctrinally
noticeable until our own time, when O
regeneration of Japanese Buddhism has
been attempted. 1t is significant that
although the Buddhist body of scriptures has
several times been imported and printed in
Japan. 1t has never been translated into the
vernacular. Tho Japanese Buddhist canon is
made up not simply Of writings purporting TO be
the words OF Buddha or OF the apostles who were
MS immediate companions or Ioiiowers, put on
the contrary OF DOCKS written Tor the most part
many centuries atter the last OF tho contem-
porarles OF oiautama had passed away. Ihe
most generaliy studieu Dook OF the Japanese
canon is the Saddharma Pundarika. According
to Prof Kern, who has translated this work into |
English 1t existed in $50 A. d. and, In its most |
ancient form, may date back as far tho OPEN |
ing OF the Christiah era. ts the standard OF
Orthodoxy In Japanese BUDDHISM.
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries con- |
stituted the golden age of Japanese Buddhism. |
In the sixteenth century the feudal system split
into fragments, and tho normal state Of the |
country was that Of civil war Sect was arrayed |
against scot, and the BONES of the Shin sect, |
forming great military body possessed many |
from Portuguese Christianity, Then followed
regime OF miiitarism ana oioooy prosecutions.
In ciashing with the new Conrucianism OF the
seVenteenth century buddhiem exhioited ut
ter WEAKNESS As an intenoctuAI power. Al
.houEn' 'hioukh 'no ia'or vi Inc heoo snoguns'
recovered lands ana wealth. became tho SPY,
persecutor, ana proiessed extrpator OF Chris
tahity' ana maintained its popularity among
tno masses OF Inc people, IL was during the
" o"P~
nese rs sooo as deao. ny the restored Govern
meht Oh ths mikaao IL was pohticaly disestao-
hsneo' ana its landed possessions were
seque'traoea' Hs history. since lsos mas
Deen Marked hrs~ Dy depression. and
then oy temporary revival. Ihere is now
movement oiscern'ole' winch the au-
tnor "ouia oescrioo as tho now buddn-
ISM. IL ID aemocratic' optimistic' empirical. or
practieai; IL welcomes women ana children; IL
Is ospltaoie 10 science and every form OF truth.
~ evlhces lttie' II any, OF the venom OF tho
oio budahist controVersiaiist IL Is represented
oy earnest "riters, VINO look 10 natural and
spiritual means rather than 10 external and
mechahicai methods- Despite. however. It's
apparent interest IN contemporaneous con-
ciusions OF science. IL mas gained no hold upon
educated men, or those who long for the moral
education ana purincation OF the people.