Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-07-02
Bob&@9,
Ddvii/NYY
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An American Version of Buddhism's
Advent Into Japan

~ pan without making Miyan-
oshita and Hakone, heart of the
natural hot springs country, part
of your itinerary; that is, if you
wish to meet nice people and
clean people, like, for example,
one of my own countrymen who blew
me to a Identification in one Of the
numerous boiling pools prevailing in
that region.
Not only was he bearcat for TAX
ing the waters twice day at any and
all temperatures, but a guide book as
we'll in matters pertaining to history
following the dawn of the Christian
era. He was at his best when review
ing the Introduction of Buddhism into
Korea, China and Japan. At 11S de-
grees Fahrenheit, seated on hot rock,
his skin glowing like boiled Holsters,
he was 100 per cent when discussing
the past.
"Actual dates never meant anything
to me-" he said, "and I don't think
they do to most people. One hundred,
three hundred, five hundred years one
way or another is near enough. What
I'm interested in is legend and mythol-
ogy, if you get what 1 mean. Now,
take the Buddhist religion and the story
of how it came to this part Of the
world. Swell stuff I call it and worth
telling, if you don't mind listening. 1t
oh hot foi fol
root and becomes permanent, belief
that time cannot shake from it's foun-
dations.
Monks Camp in a Tree.
anyhow, SO Buddhist monks shook
from their sandled feet the dust of
India, reaching, after years pilgrim
age, the peninsula of Korea, now called
Chosen. Making their way to the north
eastern section in the region of the
Diamond mountains, they came to Yu-
tenji. I was there in 1918 and know
the country thoroughly, but don't get
the idea that 1 guarantee the legend
which was handed out to me. Accept
or reject it, as you please. Remember,
dhism in Korea and it's spread to China
and Japan is founded on what oc-
Cured at the time to which 1 refer"
"Wasn't this information to be found
in existing books?" l queried.
"Never as I'm giving it to you," said
that you will find it anywhere between
covers. Appears to have been handed
down from century to century, along
with a thousand other tales, many of
which 1 have heard. But of the bunch,
this one is the best.
GAS / was saying, the SO monks, fed
up on touring, finally came to man.
moth spring, beside which grew one
whale of tree, with branches extend
ing into considerable area of space.
, In it's welcome shade the monks rested,
bathed in the pool and had a pow-wow.
Night came down. we may as well
pitch our tents and stay here for a
SPELL said one of the Buddhists. Pm
for that said the head monk but not
on the ground. Safety first, in
strange country. Let's climb the tree
and sleep in it's branches
Dragon Disturbs Sleep.
"About midnight, as the monks, all
spread out on the leafy branches, were
sleeping like one man. and dreaming of
India, dragon, with flaming eyes,
long tongue and a spine of sharp
prongs suddenly appeared on the oppo-
site side of the pool and began to bel
| low in thunderOuS tones, inviting the
Buddhists to come down and get theirs.
| Nothing doing; the tree suited the
dodgers all right all right, and that
was that. What does the dragon do
but cause hurricane to come romp-
ing down through what is now known
as Sleeping Dog Pass so named be-
cause it was so steep that dog had
to take nap before attempting to
climb it, and literally blow the tene-
ment house tree from the landscape"
To all intents and purposes, the his
tory of Buddhism in Korea, should at
this point have to come to a con-
clusion; it was quite abrupt To light
en- the suspense my informant slid
from his hot rock, Debated his lungs
and sank from view, returning rather
playfully after few seconds and blow
ing like pup seal.
Monks Vanquish Dragon
swell, SIR" he went on, swiping the
hot water from his jowls, ut certainly
looked bad for those SO monks when
the tree left for parts unknown. But
Buddhists don't quail from trouble; they
can take it. After the tree had disap-
peared, what did the dragon behold but
the batch of SO holy men suspended in
midair between heaven and earth, re-
clining or seated in the same positions
they had occupied in the tree before
the blast, and with no visible means of
support. 1t was sock in the eye for
the dragon.
"Into the pool below, the monks cast
prayer scrolls and magic gadgets that
caused the water to boil violently and
to fill the air with steam. Blinded by
this vapor, the dragon, confused for
the first time in his long life, floun-
dered about, lost his footing, tumbled
into the hot water and sank, boiled to
a turn, never to rise again. At day
break, the victorious Buddhists, de-