The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-15
Conducted By , martba ycuna

las man thinks so is he, so Buddha
 taught that mans thoughts make | his soul. t4 Buddhas Novana is an ideal state | In which mans soul, after being cleans | ed from all selfishness and sin has be- come the habitation of truth, teaching
 the man to turn from the allurements of pleasure and to give his entire being
 to the dictates of duty. Buddha's doc trines are not negative. he opens. is his claim, the door of immortality to man kind. There must be q prutive aspect in a religion which yields its influ- ence upon many millions of people The purpose of the present volume is to present picture of religious | leader of the remote past with the view of making 1t bear upon the living present and become a factor in the formation of the future"
 i We quote the beginning of the In troduction: "Buddha dispels the H. | lusions of our minds and redeems us from the terrors of death. Buddha, our Lord, brings comfort to the weary and 1 sorrow-laden; he restores peace to those who are broken down under the
 burden of life. H gives courage to the weak when they would fain give up | self-reliance and hope There is balm for the wounded, and there is bread for the hungry. There is water for the l thirsty. and there Is hope for the de- lspairing. There is light for those in darkness, and there is inexhaustible
 blessings for the upright. Buddha, our Lord, has revealed the truth. The truth cures our diseases aSI redeems us from perdition; the truth strength | ems us in life and in death; the truth alone can conquer the evils of error. Rejoice in the glad tidings."
 l The beautiful story begins with the birth of Prince Siddhartha, X Buddha. At
 which birth the blind saw, the deaf | and dumb speak. the lame walked. the
 prisoners were freed, the fires of hell were extinguished.
 | The Naga kings brought the young | to honor him. The hermit Asita proph- esied over his cradle: His pure | teaching will be like the shore that rescues the shipwrecked. His power of meditation will be like the cool lake | and all creations parched with the drought of lust may freely Brink there
 of. The heavy gates of despondency
 he will open. and give deliverance to | all creations increased in the self-twfn ed
 meshes of folly and ignorance" The | beautiful story continues through the | forming of trees of life by Siddhartha,
 through the three woes, through jour-
 neys such as those that Pilgrims went to the conquering of Mora the 1 Evil One" begins to preach his gospel of Righteousness, his sermons at Benases | with the story of the conversion true of
 the young man Tashas, with the send ing forth of the disciples follow, to- gether with sermons at other places with the conversions attendant upon his ministrations.
 The 'Dhampada" is full of the wis dom of the great teacher, hte truth that | lives in each heart, the truth that all great teachers renew in the world: If one man conquers in battle thou sand times a thousand men, and if an- other conquer himself, he is the great est of conquerors." 'If anything is to ! be done, let a man do it, let him attack lit vigorously" sE
 Quite half of the volume is made of parab1es and stories. Here Is the story | of Shariputia who, by faith, walked | upon the waters to come near his mas l ter.
 "Shariputia felt desire to see the Lord and to hear him preach. Coming | to the river where the water was deep | and the current strong, lie said to him self: This stream shall not prevent me. I shall go and see the Blessed Cne.' and he stepped upon the water
 which was as firm under his feet as a slab of granite. When he arrived at I where the banks were high, Sharipu-
 tia's heart gave way. and he began to l sink. But recovering his faith and renewing his mental effort, he pro-
 ceeded as before and reached the other
 side. The people of the village were Iastonished to see Shariputia, and they | asked him how he could cross the stream where there was neither bridge
 nor a ferry. And Sharipetia replied:
 I lived in ignorance until I heard the
 voice of Buddha. As I was anxious to hear the doctrine of salvation, I crossed the river and walked over | it's troubled waters because had faith. Faith, nothing else, enabled me
 to do so, and now am here in the bliss of the Masters presence"
 | The parables are beautiful as rounded lotus blooms, ending with | truths as the white leaves of the lotos 1 enclose the heart of gold. I This is book to be kept close and read often. Perusal of its truths light
 ems the heart and refreshes the mind. | It is beautiful to find blessed truths lin perfection of beauty here as in our ! town Gospel the truth of self-learners,