Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-23
Prince Guatama, Founder of
Faith, Is Included in
Collection.
CROWDS PASS TEMPLE
WITH HARDLY A GLANCE
Tibetan Manuscript Is Among
Rarer Articles in This New
World Shrine.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Washington has its Temple OF the $50
! Buddhas.
| But the placid, commemorative Prince
Gautama, father of the religious faith
Of nearly a quarter of the human race,
goes unworshiped, If not unhonored, in
New World.
He has come, in a sense, to his own
mystical Nirvana of endless peace and
forgetting. The crowds which ascend
the steps of his temple pass him by
with hardly o backward glance. And
the activities OF those about him, the
pursuit of knowledge Of the material
world. are of no concern to one who
considers that creation altogether as
vestment Of sin and sorrow of which
life must divest itself if 1t is to attain
happiness.
In the u. s. National Museum, Prince
Gautama Siddhartha, the son of Sudd-
hadana, in his many incarnations has
| arrived at Nirvana.
Some Of Statues Well Known.
While some of the more conspicuous
Buddha statues in the national collec-
ton are well known to the general pub
lie, the great variety of them was hard
~ suspected until the publication this
week of the catalogue of the comparative
religions collection arranged before his
death by DR.. Emmanuel Casanowicz. He
listed q total Of 100 statues, together
WIN great number Of sacred objects
used by the Buddhas followers, most of
which would be strange indeed to the
mystical religious philosopher If his
wooden eyes could see them.
There Is the bronze Buddha of the
Five VISIONS, seated in dreamy medi-
tation with eyes almost closed, a circu-
lar halo of wood behind his head. It
let In I0V1 IT, -
yoye. hatSutane, son OF the great caster
for Shichirouyemon Tadannori Taxa
mine and his wife who desire the
blessings of future life" for the souls
OF their mother, fathers, six unnamed
relatives and themselves. It was con-
secrated by the sfonin Kwanseikudatsu
Of the Society of the Distinguished
Pure Lotus.
Then there is the giant teakwood
Buddha, standing feet tall on a lotus
fiowe. pedestal, diadem studded with
colored stones around his forehead. The
lotus Is the queen of Indian flowers to
which special sanctity Is attached,
and both Hindu and Buddhist divinities
are often represented as standing on
lotus pedestal.
One of the most ornate is the 7-foot
wooden Buddha sitting in meditation,
which was his favorite practice. The
body and robe are painted yellow, the
lips. inSides of the nostrils and piercings
of the ears red. The eyes are wide open
and the full Tipped mouth wears faint
smile. Over the statue is thrown a
mendicant's robe. On the palm of the
right hand are painted in red, blue and
green an open and closed lotus. The
sole of the right foot Is adorned in the
same colors with wheels, lotuSes and
figures of an elephant and lion. The
wheel with a thousand spokes was one
Of the marks of a Buddha. It meant
universal dominion, the great circle of
power and rule. 1t was said to appear
at rare intervals on the foot of a new
born child and meant that the infant
would be either a universal monarch,
whose chariot would roll unresiSted over
the world. or perfect Buddha, destined
to rule all the realms of the spirit.
Turning Wheel Of the Law"
Legend has it that Gsutama, as soon
as he entered the world, walked seven
steps to each of the cardinal points.
thus symbolically taking spiritual pos
session of the universe. In the Buddhist
phraseology turning the wheel Of the
law" stands for preaching the doctrine
destined to traverse the world like the
chariot Wheels of q conquering mon
arch. Thus 1t has become symbol of
Buddhism. After Gautama received his
great enlightenment at Benares he set
rolling the royal chariot wheel OF a
universal empire of truth and righteous
ness"
Again there is the Buddha of gilded
wood the right hand resting on beg
ging bowl The legend relates that the
first food offered Prince Gautama after
his attainment of supreme knowledge
| was by two merchants and consisted of
honey and wheat. But Buddha, deter
mined to live 1enceforth by begging, de-
cided he must have an almsbowl. So
the four kings of the four quarters of
the world each brought him one of
gold, which he refused Then they
brought silver, emerald and ruby dishes,
which also were refused. Then they
Joined together and brought him an
earthenware bowl, which he accepted
and used for the rest of his life. This
bowl. according to the legend now is
kept In q palace at the bottom of the
sea and will be recovered again at the
next incarnation Of Buddha
Thus the procession Of statues con-
! tinueS, some crudely carved and some
| deliberately decorated products Of ORR
entail art all depicting Buddha in the
various incidents with which tradition
has endowed the quiet life Of the humble
| philosopher.
There Is the scene Of his contest with
Mara, the prince of the demons. Hard
pressed, Buddha called upon the earth
| kOuQCSo lOI AlC1Ps 0AAC o4ASCGC0 AACA
hair and caused great river to flow
forth, which swept away Mara and his
| hordes. Another shows Buddha sur
rounded by the nagas, serpents with
power to transform themselves into
human beings. They were converted by
Gautama and showed great zeal for the
spread of his gospels. They dwell in
the center of the universe, watching
over treasures and causing rain and
certain maladies.
In nearly all the statues Buddha Is
shown In an attitude of calm medita-
ton. One Of the most grotesque shows
him being carried into Nirvana by his
weeping disciples.
Horns Believed to Be Actual.
I Among the more curious objects are
| the horns of Buddha, made of bronze.
According to the tradition Gautama
| has passed through $50 incarnations
before he appeared as the savior of
mankind. The horns are believed to
be the actual horns of Buddha, cast
| of during his incarnation as q bull.
They were found ut a shrine supposed
to have been erected on the spot where
| the bull died.
Then there are the footprints Of
Buddha cast from the original at Budd-
] hagaya in the Maghada Province of
India. Supposed footprints are found
| in all Buddhist countries, and the
devout make. pilgrimages and present
offerings to them.
In addition the collection contains