The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-03-30

becoming. A few years and this chair
will have disappeared, the matter in it
will have taken on another form, crunl-
bled away. A fevAthousand or hundred
thousand years and the Himalayas may
have taken on another form. And so it
is with man; nothing enduree with him
except an idea. He himself will be
blotted out absolutely"
How about his soul?'
"The Buddhist tells you lie has no
SOUL"
Does not the Buddhist believe in
future life?'
"The Buddhist does not concern him
self about the future. He puts away the
idea of soul with scorn Such a
thought is worthy only OF the Western
barbarian, who, oppressed with his ne
cessities and the evil social conditions
under which he lives, has had no time
to think and realize the true knowledge
The thought of future reward is low
and contemplate. That men should be
good and pure in order to be made angels
hereafter, that, in itself, is an evidence
of imperfection, of faint"
But what does the Buddhist strive
for, if not for future life?"
''F'or neutrality-suspicious., as you have
heard it most often in the West, the
highest form of perfection, not in the
future life, but in this. The overcoming
OF all things material, pure, high in
tellectual life, such as we cannot even
approximate at this time-that is mir
vaba. There is no God, no soul,' says
the Buddhist. Nothing is; then how
can there be a God? How soul?
"Of course the professor went on,
Gin few hours it is impossible to make
this religion clear. 1t is the highest, the
noblest form of philosophy. 1t is Of the
nature Of the philosophy of Plato. only
grander and more perfect To under
stand it even specifically one must
study, and study deeply. The Buddhist
Bible is about twice as large as the
Christian Bible. Like the Christian
Bible it is written in books, and in much
the same form. There are stories like
the Chronicles, poems like Psalms. 1t
antedates the Christian Bible about SEQ
years.
"Buddha was born in the valley of the
Gauges some 500 years before Christ.
He was the son of an influential man in
one of the oligarchies or small republics
into which India was at that time divid-
ed. He was great student and man
OF profound education.
His teachings we're handed down by
word of mouth from generation to gen.
GRAFTON until the eighteenth year Of our
era, when they were reduced to writing.
Previous to that. for 600 years, book
twice the size Of our Bible, was pre-
served by the bands of repe aters whose
duty it was to memorze it,"
Buddhism and theosophy are closely
allied, are they not?" innocently asked
the reporter. "In both, one attains to
nirvana.'
Rot" exclaimed the professor, and
then he added: Buddhism is a religions;
theosophy is hodge podge of Yogi
magic, Darwinism. Spencer, and other
things, all jumbled together"
Buddhism" the scientist said later
on, has grown to enormous proportions.
1t now has about 45O0000OO followers,
living principally in China. Japan, Bur-
nah, Ceylon and Russia. Ceylon is the
chief center of Buddhism. There it is
most highly developed, and the priests,
as they are improperly called, have at
tanned the highest state. They are not
priests at all. but members of mendi-
cant order of friars. They must be
celibates and live on little or nothing.
They do not preach, properly speaking.
They live in huts or caves near the
village, and on certain nights, when the
moon is full, talk to their people all
night, expounding to them from the
teachings of Buddha"