El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-05-20
I'll. wh..,a. vXTsI..~ ON A BUDDHIST
AAto w lASOA NUN.
IS, humility. chastity. industry and

ness, humility. chastity. industry and
love.
Christians Might Profit.
All this seemed very beautiful to us
as we listened and we wished some of
the same methods Of instruction might
be adopted by the Christian schools Of
Europe ard America.
One of the Buddhistic ideas we found
very offensive, just as we have always
found the same idea in orthodox Chris
tianity offensive. This is the idea that
life on earth in the body is to be re-
garded as a misfortune and that only
in the spiritual state can happiness
be found. I urged the good sister
Suddhammdara to introduce a little
healthful new thought into her cur
riculum; to tell her children that this
life was privilege; that it was one of
the rooms in the Fathers Home Of
Many Mansions and that it was a joy
to be one of the workers in the great
mansion and to be endowed with pow
er to make the room beautiful and the
time passed in it happy.
told her the modern and intelligent
Christians had abandoned all those old
ideas about earth being "a vale Of
tears" and mortals were worms OF the
sod" that we knew we were royal
princes and princesses of God, and that
we had dominion over material things,
and could be well. successful and use
full and happy IL we chose to realize
our divine inheritance.
But, the good nun, like a large ma
jority of our good Christians. cannot
at once come into an understanding
of new thought
We went down to the Temple of
Tooth sister Suddhammdara taking
me in her bullock cart; assuring me as
We drove along that we were to see
many sacred relics in the temple; even
if the sacred tooth was not there. 1t
had been burned, this tooth of Buddha,
centuries ago by fanatics of opposing
faiths, and a large piece of ivory like
an elephants tooth had been after
wards substituted. This is hidden in
a jeweled case within a glass shrine,
in the upper story of the old, old tenn
pie. We found it surrounded with
the heavily sweet fragipanf blossoms
and by crowds of worshipers The nun
made way for herself ard bid me fol-
low, and happy and proud and grateful
she seemed that 1 made onesiance three
times with both hands clasped and
lifted to my brow, and when l said
little prayer and flung the heavily
sweet Transplant blossom closer about
the shrine.
0uudna Great MASTER.
Most pleased was she when I told
her believed Buddha was one of the
great avatars; one of the divine mas
ters sent to help humanity, but like
my Christian friends she was disap-
pointed because I would not say 1 be-
lieved he was the only avatar; the God
of Creation Himself
Sister Suddhammdara expressed re-
gret that good many children in Kan
dy were attending Christian schools:
Because she said, they are not
taught to respect their parents and
their parents ideas. They are made to
regard the faith of their parents with
contempt. and to ape. European dress
and manners And many times this
has produced great unhappiness in the
homes Of the Buddhists."
7 agreed with her that Buddhism In
its highest and best phases was a bet
ter religion for the Orient than Chris
tianity Gas it is taught and under
stood here). And we parted the best
OF friends, with the understanding
that some day the Buddhist nun is to
come to America and study US at
home.
1 wonder if she will find as much
that seems admirable. and sweet and
wholesome. in our schools and among
our children, as we found in her land?