Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-24

By
ned Abdullah

Tzu. in the chapter OF the Yellow En-
peror:
"'When forms shall move. it be that
though burned to cinders, to oblivion
of death. the shadow still shall re,
main foreign to oblivion. Can sound
save life?'"
The first thing which struck me as
odd was the fact that this confession,
though written to a Buddhist priest.
spoke SO freely of the other two re-
igfons of China. There was alse no
reason why Yuan Kee should speak at
length about the number three, since.
contrary TO the superstitions of nearly
all the other faiths, the prosaic Chinese
attach no special significance. either
good or bad. to any of the numerals.
To make a long story short. after
trying half a dozen ways of reading
the cryptic message, took the writer's
advice and ''rneditated on the number
three" Reading every third word OF
the quotation. ! got the following. re-
suit:
Shall be burned to death. still foreign
The second paragraph IAN thus:
There is one miracle. It is--the
fame. Everything is in flames BY
what fire is it kindled? By the fire
of desire. the fire Of infatuation--pain
lamentation, sorrow. grief, despair.
Let. then. this flame be quenched.
For there is still second miracle.
though often forgotten, ..ar =.
miracle OF forgiveness and mercy and
compassion. For water kills the name:
IL directed by an unerring hand- ANA
great will be the reward.
and helps an enemy. lie his sins as
black as night. viii receite as re-
ward the giving of many tnihgs. inc
telling of valuable secrets the warm
ing against other enemies.
mediate on this. o holy one"
| didn't have to mediate very long.
The meaning. though couched ~ re-
ligious and metaphoricai terms was
a reward for 1.-THE quenchiag II flames,
giving away OF secrets ARD
warning against other enemies.
Beautifully simple and beautifully
to the point And the next paragraph
was thus:
my life is ended. shall never build
me another house. For / have been
traitor. am an outcast from my
own land If ! should live every hand
would be against me. If ! should NV
would have to seek refuge IN IN
house of the foreigner My rafters
4 shall die. and. dying. bless-th"
BrahEan priests who viii give me the
death of flames.
This wasn't even metaphorical. i
was simple statement that tn
Manchu for reasons of his own. de-
clared himself guilty OF treacherF.
which he was not. DtherWise IL WIS y
statement of facts.
For it was certain that, even IL he
could be saved. he would ever after pc
an outcast in Asia, with eNeryDodS
hand against him. The Brahmans
would see to that. Therefore, Htlens
volens. he would have to be loyal 10
me-proyided I could save him.
The final paragraph bore as a -Shorf.
formal introduction the few words
which are said to contain in themselves
the essence Of northern Buddhism
Consider. blessed priest, the dew on
the lotus flower"
Then came the paragraph Itself
Think. learned abbot of the day
when returning from a feast given by
the women and the little children e.
Kwangvin. the goddess of mercy and
we stopped to pray at the
famed monastery of Shao-ltn, in the
province OF Honan.
we looked at the second tablet; how We
meditated on the Sakyamuni. the fam
ing aureole. and the sacred lotus
flower?
rs, then, our faith our birth and-our
death even as the mystery of the Bud
dhas flame? Does the fire pass from
the lotus flower up to the aureole above
the Buddha's head?
.iOh. the dew on the lotus flower, To
be quenched? To save? To acquire
merit by helping the enemy? Merit and
the giving away of secrets?
Mediate. priest. for tomorrow night
die!''
Thus the message ended. and 7 was
Continued on Fifth Page)