Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-10-14
MoNGoLlAN LAMAs IN JAPAN.
Buddhism's New Attempt to ConverG
the World.

One of the most remarkable of the
religious movements of the day is the
renewed attempt of Buddhism to con-
vert the world This activity on the
part of the Buddhist missionaries is
| evident from Ceylon, the present cen
| tere of the faith, to as far west as
| California and as far east as Japan.
| Buddhism is. indeed, mixing TO-DAY
more vehement claim for recognition
throughout the world than perhaps it
has ever done before. These mission
| airy movements, as well as the re-
markable semi-political and entirely
mysterious mission sent by the Dalai
Lama of Lhassa, Thibet, to the car
at st. Petersburg, reveal a tremen-
| dous outburst of zeal that has been
almost dormant for centuries
! The most remarkable of the recent
| Buddhist missions for religious pur-
poses, and, as it appears to us OF the
west, the most audacious, is the eff
fort begun in San Francisco to convert
Christendom to Buddhism. This at
tempt enables us to understand and
somewhat appreciate the feelings of a
heather Chinee," or some otner "pa-
gan sucked in a creed outWorn,"
| when our missionaries attempt to con-
vert him from the errors of his way"
1t is so much easier to force our opin-
ions upon some one else than to have
some one else challenge the eternal
verify of our views.
Of course Buddhism in none of it's
various forms, will convert any large
portion of the west. 1t has already
virtually failed as a world creed, even
in it's own home, the Orient 1t his
yielded in India to the simpler and
more scientific creed of Brahmanism.
which it once supplanted. In Japan
it is more of a cult than religion in
the old sense. But no one
can challenge for moment the claim
that Buddhism has been one of the
most powerful of all instruments in
the civilization and humanizing of
mankind. 1t carried peace, morality
and culture like new dawn from the
southwest over portion of the world
Inhabited by SOO,OOO,OOO of people, or
more than one-half of the population
of the globe.
Lamaism. the form of Buddhism fol-
lowed in Thibet and in certain parts of
Siberia and Mongolia, has been, per-
haps, the most quiescent and mac
tive of the yrious varieties of that
creed. 1t has rested content in its
| on cnYsio oc A1xr 11of
ed with students as cave with bats,
and has not sought the conversion of
the outside world It's missionary work
seemed ended with it's conquests of
Thibet and the sparse region it holds
in subsection in northern Asia. But
the aggressive spirit Of the day seems
at last to have entered the cloisters
of the Lamaseries, and to have stirred
up their inmates until they are as ac-
Tive as a nest of ants. The Yelled
Prophet of Lhassa, breaking the seclu-
sion of centuries sends off on a secret
and probably tremendously import
ant political mission to the white czar,
who has been peeping with covetous
ton, that Calcutta and Bombay are
ice-free ports, no less than Port Arthur
and Niuchwang.
The spirit of stir and progress has
penetrated even to the Monaghan Lam
aseries, and mission of great signifi-
canoe has been sent to Japan. 1t is led
Iby the archbishop of Mongolia, himself.
Prince Achaftokt, who is accompanied
, by five attendants and two Chinese In
terpreters. The mission is now at KY
OTTO. one of the great centers of Bud.
dhism in Japan, and the home of many
of the most distinguished priests and
teachers of that creed. 1t is the pur-
pose of the Lama to spend at least two
months for Investigating the former in
fluence of Buddhism and it's recent de-
cay among the Japanese.
The mission of these Buddhists, es.
pecially as they represent the least
progressive of the various forms or
Buddhism, will probably have no effect
in Japan All religious creeds are in
diligently tolerated by the Japanese.
Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity Confu-
cianism and the latter-day Monism and
Agnosticism exist peacefully side by
side, often under a single family roof.
The Japanese seem to have the idea,
we'll recognized by the great teachers
of India, that the main purpose of re-
ligion is morality; and they tolerate
willingly all religions as so many
paths" to the same goal. There is no
doubt, however, that many Japanese
eyes over the roof Of the world into
the fertile and populous plains of In
dia. Thibet would afford fine camp
ing ground for the cars Kacaks, and
a good base for operations against the
English. 1t is always to be borne III
mind by those who are interested in
Russia's part in the far eastern ques
look upon Buddhism as urAsuited to the
aggressive spirit of progress and devel-
opment in the modern world.
Prince Achaftokt is man of great