1896
When foreign architects visit Japan and see the Cathedral of Buddhism for the first time they are generally astonished at the magnificent structure. It is executed in pure Oriental style, and is richly ornamented with curvings. H. Ito, a famous builder, of Nagova City, designed it. The structure was commenced in 1878, and was completed this year. The cost has been estimated at $17,000,000. It would have greatly exceeded this amount had not numbers of Buddhists worked without any recompense.
As the structure neared completion the committee having the work in charge was much perplexed as to fire insurance. They found that no company would assume the risk on such a valuable wooden structure, the danger of destruction by fire being very great, and thus the premiums would amount to an enormous sum of money. At last the committee decided on a design devised by Dr. Tanabe. Numbers of powerful foundations were constructed, both exterior and interior, which can be made to play on all parts of the structure at the same time.
Usually only one great ornamental fountain is playing, rising to the great height of 157 feet. This is probably the largest artificial fountain in existence, emitting 82,080 gallons per hour. In case of fire all the water pressure is directed through the numbers of exterior and interior fountains, thus every part of the structure, both inside and out, could soon be drenched, and any conflagration soon extinguished.
Showing posts with label Buddha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buddha. Show all posts
Monday, June 25, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Buddha's Sacred Eyeball Kept as Relic
1893
It Is the Veritable Visible Organ of Buddha
The following on Buddha's sacred eyeball is from the pen of a traveler who visited the Orient in 1888:
"Among the sacred relics of Horluji is the veritable eyeball of Buddha. It looks like nothing else but the tiny, black, veil-boiled pearl that one so often finds in an oyster stew. This 'Eye of Buddha' is shown every day at high noon, special mass being chanted by the priests while the relic is being brought out and displayed.
"For a consideration, and for the welfare of the temple's treasury, the mass can be repeated at any hour. We sent for the old priest, who came in company with a brother whose office was that of holding a big yellow umbrella over the 'holy man's' head. First he knelt, touched a silver gong and played before a gilded shrine with closed doors and golden lotus ornaments. Next he drew from one side of the shrine a large bundle covered with a wrapping of rich old gold and red brocade and tied with silk cords. This was reverently laid on a low ornamented table near the altar. Then, with muttered chants of prayer going on all the time, the old priest untied and laid out bag after bag of brocade, each lined with some dull contrasting color and tied with silken cords. After the ninth bag had been taken out and untied, an upright box, covered with more brocade, appeared and, lifting it out, the priest opened it and produced a little rock crystal reliquary and set it upon a gilded lotus pedestal that stood near. This reliquary was shaped like the tombstones in a cemetery — a cube, a sphere and a pyramid being placed one above the other and held together with gold wire. In the hollow of the sphere lay the tiny little dingy relic, which rattled around like a pearl or pebble when the priest turned and tipped the box so that I could get a better view of the sacred object.
"He never stopped once in his muttered chant, and after a proper time had been given for me to see it to my satisfaction he replaced the relic in its ten wrappings and again consigned it to its sacred shrine."
It Is the Veritable Visible Organ of Buddha
The following on Buddha's sacred eyeball is from the pen of a traveler who visited the Orient in 1888:
"Among the sacred relics of Horluji is the veritable eyeball of Buddha. It looks like nothing else but the tiny, black, veil-boiled pearl that one so often finds in an oyster stew. This 'Eye of Buddha' is shown every day at high noon, special mass being chanted by the priests while the relic is being brought out and displayed.
"For a consideration, and for the welfare of the temple's treasury, the mass can be repeated at any hour. We sent for the old priest, who came in company with a brother whose office was that of holding a big yellow umbrella over the 'holy man's' head. First he knelt, touched a silver gong and played before a gilded shrine with closed doors and golden lotus ornaments. Next he drew from one side of the shrine a large bundle covered with a wrapping of rich old gold and red brocade and tied with silk cords. This was reverently laid on a low ornamented table near the altar. Then, with muttered chants of prayer going on all the time, the old priest untied and laid out bag after bag of brocade, each lined with some dull contrasting color and tied with silken cords. After the ninth bag had been taken out and untied, an upright box, covered with more brocade, appeared and, lifting it out, the priest opened it and produced a little rock crystal reliquary and set it upon a gilded lotus pedestal that stood near. This reliquary was shaped like the tombstones in a cemetery — a cube, a sphere and a pyramid being placed one above the other and held together with gold wire. In the hollow of the sphere lay the tiny little dingy relic, which rattled around like a pearl or pebble when the priest turned and tipped the box so that I could get a better view of the sacred object.
"He never stopped once in his muttered chant, and after a proper time had been given for me to see it to my satisfaction he replaced the relic in its ten wrappings and again consigned it to its sacred shrine."
Monday, June 11, 2007
Odd Tibetan Devils in Lamaism
1915
Lamas Draw Frightful Pictures of the Fiends
F. N. Nicholas, reporting to the Geographical society on lamasery life in Tibet, says:
Fantastic and absurd as lamaism is, there is, with one exception, nothing in Cho that is immoral or repugnant to western ethics. That one exception is the belief in the "Dre" or devils. Somewhere in the lowest hell, Sangee has chained the chief devil, whose name is Sa-nin-ize or Sa-tin-tze (not very far from Satan). Pictures of this fiend are in every temple. They are made as horrible and revolting as Tibetan ingenuity will permit. Although Sa-tin-tze is a prisoner, he has under his control legions of lesser devils whose business it is to harass humanity.
Lamaist devils do not tempt men as the Christian devil does. Temptation according to the lamas, is merely the result of a man turning his back on Sangee. The devils of Tibet injure, molest and destroy mankind. All the misfortunes of life are the work of the "Dre" sickness. Business, misfortune and calamities, both individual and national, are caused by devils. They are not only "personal," but also rampant and omnipresent. Almost every lama has seen a devil and has had a personal encounter with him. Devils hate lamas because of their piety, and take especial delight in attacking them. Devils are greatly afraid of guns. During the devotional exercises a Tibetan rifle was fired three times every day to scare the devils. They may be fought and killed with swords. More than one lama has told me how he has slain a devil. My only unpleasant experiences in the lamasery have resulted from the belief in devils.
Sudenye suddenly ran amuck one afternoon. He stripped himself to the waist, drew his sword and shouted that devils were fighting against Cho. The Kenpo and I were compelled to sit on Sudenye's chest for nearly an hour before he returned to a normal state. I promptly discharged him and sent him to Ta Chien Lo. The direct cause of the outbreak was his secret smoking of opium in celebrating New Year's day, but his hallucinations and his peculiar manner are traceable, I believe, to the morbid talk of the lamas about devils and incarnations and ma-na-ga, and all the rest of it.
My other servant, Yichi, walked in his sleep one night and fell down stairs. On the following evening, when Kenpo dropped in for a little chat around the hopen, Yichi turned to him as to a father confessor and told him how a devil had gripped him by the throat and then had hurled him downstairs. The Kenpo looked worried and said that the Dre were evidently at their old tricks again and were hovering about the lamasery. He advised me to fire my rifle three times. I did so, and this greatly reassured the Kenpo and Yichi.
Later Yichi described to me the devil's appearance. It was precisely the same as the horrid picture of the Sa-tin-tze that is pasted on the wall of the residence of the Living Buddha. Yichi had looked and shuddered at the picture so often that it had at last developed into a nightmare. Lamasery life is almost certain to get on the nerves of any man who takes it too seriously. If the average American believed as lamas do and lived their sort of life, he would be a candidate for a lunatic asylum within six months.
Lamas Draw Frightful Pictures of the Fiends
F. N. Nicholas, reporting to the Geographical society on lamasery life in Tibet, says:
Fantastic and absurd as lamaism is, there is, with one exception, nothing in Cho that is immoral or repugnant to western ethics. That one exception is the belief in the "Dre" or devils. Somewhere in the lowest hell, Sangee has chained the chief devil, whose name is Sa-nin-ize or Sa-tin-tze (not very far from Satan). Pictures of this fiend are in every temple. They are made as horrible and revolting as Tibetan ingenuity will permit. Although Sa-tin-tze is a prisoner, he has under his control legions of lesser devils whose business it is to harass humanity.
Lamaist devils do not tempt men as the Christian devil does. Temptation according to the lamas, is merely the result of a man turning his back on Sangee. The devils of Tibet injure, molest and destroy mankind. All the misfortunes of life are the work of the "Dre" sickness. Business, misfortune and calamities, both individual and national, are caused by devils. They are not only "personal," but also rampant and omnipresent. Almost every lama has seen a devil and has had a personal encounter with him. Devils hate lamas because of their piety, and take especial delight in attacking them. Devils are greatly afraid of guns. During the devotional exercises a Tibetan rifle was fired three times every day to scare the devils. They may be fought and killed with swords. More than one lama has told me how he has slain a devil. My only unpleasant experiences in the lamasery have resulted from the belief in devils.
Sudenye suddenly ran amuck one afternoon. He stripped himself to the waist, drew his sword and shouted that devils were fighting against Cho. The Kenpo and I were compelled to sit on Sudenye's chest for nearly an hour before he returned to a normal state. I promptly discharged him and sent him to Ta Chien Lo. The direct cause of the outbreak was his secret smoking of opium in celebrating New Year's day, but his hallucinations and his peculiar manner are traceable, I believe, to the morbid talk of the lamas about devils and incarnations and ma-na-ga, and all the rest of it.
My other servant, Yichi, walked in his sleep one night and fell down stairs. On the following evening, when Kenpo dropped in for a little chat around the hopen, Yichi turned to him as to a father confessor and told him how a devil had gripped him by the throat and then had hurled him downstairs. The Kenpo looked worried and said that the Dre were evidently at their old tricks again and were hovering about the lamasery. He advised me to fire my rifle three times. I did so, and this greatly reassured the Kenpo and Yichi.
Later Yichi described to me the devil's appearance. It was precisely the same as the horrid picture of the Sa-tin-tze that is pasted on the wall of the residence of the Living Buddha. Yichi had looked and shuddered at the picture so often that it had at last developed into a nightmare. Lamasery life is almost certain to get on the nerves of any man who takes it too seriously. If the average American believed as lamas do and lived their sort of life, he would be a candidate for a lunatic asylum within six months.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Bible and Morality — A Survey of Morality in Religions
1899
The Bible and Morality
From our boyhood days until the time we were able to reason from cause to effect and to become in a limited degree familiar with the laws of nature and the laws which govern and regulate the universe regardless of our likes or dislikes, we had been led to believe by the defenders, the upholders and the expounders of the Bible that it was impossible for persons to form any high conceptions of morals and morality outside the morality which is contained within the lids of the Bible, and if we reject its ideal or standard of morality there is no way whereby we can become cognizant of the fact that it is absolutely wrong to lie, steal, kill, or to commit other crimes. While we have the highest respect for those who may entertain these ideas, we must not lose sight of the fact that morals or the practice of morality is universal, while on the other hand Christianity and those believing in the teachings of the Bible are local.
As we have heretofore stated, it is not our intention to cast any reflections upon those who have implicit faith in the Bible, but the greatest and the most beneficent moral maxims and percepts have been handed down to us through other channels than the Bible, and if all the bibles which have been in existence and which are in existence today were destroyed, morality would still exist in the world independent of them all.
The morality or the moral precepts which are contained in the Rig-veda (Bible) which was composed 2,400 years before Christ surpasses in beauty of expression the sentiments in the Bible. Its teachings about sin; its revelations; its belief in the ability of the gods to forgive; its belief that its Bible came from God; its rigid code of morals; its prayers; hymns, offerings and sacrifices are all rigidly believed in and lived up to by more than two hundred million people.
The Brahmin's idea of the trinity corresponds with the ideas which are taught to the people respecting the trinity at the present time. The Yend-Avesta (Bible) which is over twelve hundred years older than Christ or the Bible, contains many beautiful moral precepts. Its adherents believe in a Supreme Spirit, in gods and demons, who interfere with the affairs of this world, and who are ever at war with each other. Zoroaster, its great prophet, promulgated many commandments which are similar to those in the Jewish Bible. He also taught that he was in direct communication with the Lord. His creed and faith is of the simplest kind. It is "to fear God, to live a life of pure thoughts, pure words, pure deeds, and to die in the hope of a world to come. It is the creed of those who live nearest to the gods and served them faithfulest in every age, and wherever they dwell who accept it and practice it they bear witness to that which makes them children of the gods and brethren of the prophets among whom Zoroaster was not the least.
We must bear in mind that the Jews were carried away as captives to Babylon some six hundred years before Christ, and during the seventy years of exile there they came in contact with the Persian religion and derived their ideas from it pertaining to the immortality of the soul, which their own religion did not teach. They also borrowed from it their belief in a multitude of angels, and in Satan as the ruler of evil spirits, for prior to that time no Jewish writer nor the Jewish people had the faintest idea of heaven or h—ll or the plurality of worlds.
Buddha the awakened, whose followers number more than any other religious faith or system, is five hundred years older than Christ or the Bible. The Bible which was constructed by him contains many lofty and elevating moral precepts. It contains nothing to shock the minds of little children, nor to blunt the finer sensibilities of men and women. Buddha taught that "nothing on earth is stable, nothing is real. Life is as transitory as a spark of fire, or the sound of a lyre. There must be some supreme intelligence where we could find rest. If I attained it I could bring light to men. If I were free myself I could deliver the world." He also said: "The succoring of mother and father, the cherishing of wife and child and the following of a lawful calling, this is the greatest blessing."
"The giving alms, aid rendered to relations, blameless acts, this is the greatest blessing." "The abstaining from sins and the avoiding them, the eschewing of intoxicating drinks, diligence in good deeds, reverence and humility, contentment and gratefulness, this is the greatest blessing."
"Those who having done these things, become invincible on all sides, attain happiness on all sides. This is the greatest blessing."
"He who lives a hundred years vicious and unrestrained, a life of one day is better if a man is virtuous and reflecting. Let no man think lightly of evil, saying in his heart, it will not come near unto me. Even by the falling of water drops a water pot is filled; the fool becomes full of evil if he gathers it little by little." "Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us!" "Let us dwell free from hatred among men who hate! and not to commit any sin, to do good and to purify one's mind." After these most wholesome maxims there follows ten commandments of which the first five apply to all people, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to lie, not get drunk, etc.
Buddha taught that it is the duty of all men to honor their parents and care for their children, to be kind to the sick and poor and sorrowing. We must keep in mind that Buddha lived more than five hundred years before Christ, and the rites and ceremonies which his priests performed adopted with slight modifications by the Catholic church. He also held religious councils and sent out missionaries to all parts of the east.
Confucius, the great moral teacher and philosopher of China lived 551 years before Christ was born, and he gave us the golden rule. Among other wise and moral things Confucius said: "Coarse rice for food, water to drink, the bended arm for a pillow — happiness may be enjoyed even with these. But without virtue both riches and honor seem to me like a passing cloud."
Mahomet counseled his follower, to live good lives and to strive after the mercy of God by fasting, charity and prayer. He said: "A man's true wealth hereafter is the good he has done to his fellow men. When he dies people will ask, what property has he left behind him? But the angels will ask what good deeds has he sent before him. Mahomet enjoined his followers to show mercy to the weak and orphaned and kindness to brutes, to abstain from gambling, and the use of strong drink.
Out of one billion six hundred million people who are scattered over the face of the earth more than eleven hundred million believe in the teachings of the great moralists whom we have alluded to. In passing we cannot refrain from referring to Egypt and those wonderful people who inhibit the valleys of the Nile. Those strange people can trace their history back, 5,550 years before the Christian era. The morality which they practiced and the moral laws which they placed upon their statutes cannot be equalled. For instance, if the master of a slave caused the death of a slave, the owner was also put to death.
No other country in the civilized world ever enacted such a law. In America where all the slave holders were Christians the slaves were not in the possession of any rights which their masters were bound to respect.
It is admitted by all who are familiar with Egyptian history that the ten commandments which Moses claimed were written by the finger of God upon two tables of stone on Mount Sinai came from Egypt.
So it must be apparent to all that morality is not dependent upon the Bible. Our chief objection to the Bible is that it places a premium on vice and crime while at the same time it puts its everlasting seal of condemnation upon all honest and upright men and women who do not accept it as the infallible word of an all wise and merciful God.
—The Broad Ax, Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 18, 1899, p. 1.
The Bible and Morality
From our boyhood days until the time we were able to reason from cause to effect and to become in a limited degree familiar with the laws of nature and the laws which govern and regulate the universe regardless of our likes or dislikes, we had been led to believe by the defenders, the upholders and the expounders of the Bible that it was impossible for persons to form any high conceptions of morals and morality outside the morality which is contained within the lids of the Bible, and if we reject its ideal or standard of morality there is no way whereby we can become cognizant of the fact that it is absolutely wrong to lie, steal, kill, or to commit other crimes. While we have the highest respect for those who may entertain these ideas, we must not lose sight of the fact that morals or the practice of morality is universal, while on the other hand Christianity and those believing in the teachings of the Bible are local.
As we have heretofore stated, it is not our intention to cast any reflections upon those who have implicit faith in the Bible, but the greatest and the most beneficent moral maxims and percepts have been handed down to us through other channels than the Bible, and if all the bibles which have been in existence and which are in existence today were destroyed, morality would still exist in the world independent of them all.
The morality or the moral precepts which are contained in the Rig-veda (Bible) which was composed 2,400 years before Christ surpasses in beauty of expression the sentiments in the Bible. Its teachings about sin; its revelations; its belief in the ability of the gods to forgive; its belief that its Bible came from God; its rigid code of morals; its prayers; hymns, offerings and sacrifices are all rigidly believed in and lived up to by more than two hundred million people.
The Brahmin's idea of the trinity corresponds with the ideas which are taught to the people respecting the trinity at the present time. The Yend-Avesta (Bible) which is over twelve hundred years older than Christ or the Bible, contains many beautiful moral precepts. Its adherents believe in a Supreme Spirit, in gods and demons, who interfere with the affairs of this world, and who are ever at war with each other. Zoroaster, its great prophet, promulgated many commandments which are similar to those in the Jewish Bible. He also taught that he was in direct communication with the Lord. His creed and faith is of the simplest kind. It is "to fear God, to live a life of pure thoughts, pure words, pure deeds, and to die in the hope of a world to come. It is the creed of those who live nearest to the gods and served them faithfulest in every age, and wherever they dwell who accept it and practice it they bear witness to that which makes them children of the gods and brethren of the prophets among whom Zoroaster was not the least.
We must bear in mind that the Jews were carried away as captives to Babylon some six hundred years before Christ, and during the seventy years of exile there they came in contact with the Persian religion and derived their ideas from it pertaining to the immortality of the soul, which their own religion did not teach. They also borrowed from it their belief in a multitude of angels, and in Satan as the ruler of evil spirits, for prior to that time no Jewish writer nor the Jewish people had the faintest idea of heaven or h—ll or the plurality of worlds.
Buddha the awakened, whose followers number more than any other religious faith or system, is five hundred years older than Christ or the Bible. The Bible which was constructed by him contains many lofty and elevating moral precepts. It contains nothing to shock the minds of little children, nor to blunt the finer sensibilities of men and women. Buddha taught that "nothing on earth is stable, nothing is real. Life is as transitory as a spark of fire, or the sound of a lyre. There must be some supreme intelligence where we could find rest. If I attained it I could bring light to men. If I were free myself I could deliver the world." He also said: "The succoring of mother and father, the cherishing of wife and child and the following of a lawful calling, this is the greatest blessing."
"The giving alms, aid rendered to relations, blameless acts, this is the greatest blessing." "The abstaining from sins and the avoiding them, the eschewing of intoxicating drinks, diligence in good deeds, reverence and humility, contentment and gratefulness, this is the greatest blessing."
"Those who having done these things, become invincible on all sides, attain happiness on all sides. This is the greatest blessing."
"He who lives a hundred years vicious and unrestrained, a life of one day is better if a man is virtuous and reflecting. Let no man think lightly of evil, saying in his heart, it will not come near unto me. Even by the falling of water drops a water pot is filled; the fool becomes full of evil if he gathers it little by little." "Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us!" "Let us dwell free from hatred among men who hate! and not to commit any sin, to do good and to purify one's mind." After these most wholesome maxims there follows ten commandments of which the first five apply to all people, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to lie, not get drunk, etc.
Buddha taught that it is the duty of all men to honor their parents and care for their children, to be kind to the sick and poor and sorrowing. We must keep in mind that Buddha lived more than five hundred years before Christ, and the rites and ceremonies which his priests performed adopted with slight modifications by the Catholic church. He also held religious councils and sent out missionaries to all parts of the east.
Confucius, the great moral teacher and philosopher of China lived 551 years before Christ was born, and he gave us the golden rule. Among other wise and moral things Confucius said: "Coarse rice for food, water to drink, the bended arm for a pillow — happiness may be enjoyed even with these. But without virtue both riches and honor seem to me like a passing cloud."
Mahomet counseled his follower, to live good lives and to strive after the mercy of God by fasting, charity and prayer. He said: "A man's true wealth hereafter is the good he has done to his fellow men. When he dies people will ask, what property has he left behind him? But the angels will ask what good deeds has he sent before him. Mahomet enjoined his followers to show mercy to the weak and orphaned and kindness to brutes, to abstain from gambling, and the use of strong drink.
Out of one billion six hundred million people who are scattered over the face of the earth more than eleven hundred million believe in the teachings of the great moralists whom we have alluded to. In passing we cannot refrain from referring to Egypt and those wonderful people who inhibit the valleys of the Nile. Those strange people can trace their history back, 5,550 years before the Christian era. The morality which they practiced and the moral laws which they placed upon their statutes cannot be equalled. For instance, if the master of a slave caused the death of a slave, the owner was also put to death.
No other country in the civilized world ever enacted such a law. In America where all the slave holders were Christians the slaves were not in the possession of any rights which their masters were bound to respect.
It is admitted by all who are familiar with Egyptian history that the ten commandments which Moses claimed were written by the finger of God upon two tables of stone on Mount Sinai came from Egypt.
So it must be apparent to all that morality is not dependent upon the Bible. Our chief objection to the Bible is that it places a premium on vice and crime while at the same time it puts its everlasting seal of condemnation upon all honest and upright men and women who do not accept it as the infallible word of an all wise and merciful God.
—The Broad Ax, Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 18, 1899, p. 1.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Theosophy in Butte
Montana, 1902Theosophy and its revival of occultism is establishing a firm footing in the philosophy and religion of the western world. Its teachings have been the recent occasion of extended newspaper discussion and very serious attention from the pulpit. The church is almost a unit against it, while writers are divided in opinion as to whether its influence is good or baneful. Even in Butte, where the society has one of its most active branches, theosophy has been the subject of sermons and public discussions. The advocates of the cult claim that those who attack it are actuated by a misconception of its doctrine and purpose, and by a mistaken idea that it is a new religion and antagonistic to Christianity, when in fact it is neither. Wide public attention has been called to the growth of the society by the extended reviews and notice given the new book, "Esoteric Christianity," by Annie Besant, the society's most prolific writer, in which she antagonizes the church by the declaration that there is a hidden side to religion, and that religion in its fullness is not free to all, but that it is handed out in measures as it can be received, or as man is prepared for its understanding and comprehension.
The Theosophical society now girdles the earth, and branches have been established in every country. Its headquarters are at Adyar, India, while the head of the American section is in New York, Alexander Fullerton, formerly an Episcopal clergyman, being its secretary.
Some Eminent Theosophists.
The society counts its membership among all races and in all countries, some very noted men and women being among its leaders. Camille Flammarion, the great French astronomer, is one of them. Thomas A. Edison and Professor Crookes, the eminent chemist of London, are ardent theosophists, and so was Max Mueller during his lifetime. J. C. Chattopadhyaya, a high caste Brahmin of India, is one of the converts to theosophy, and spent some time in the United States, where he delivered lectures on the subject. Annie Besant, the authoress, is a sister-in-law of the late Walter Besant, and her husband was a dean of the English church; A. P. Sinnett was for years on the editorial staff of the London Times until he received a commission in the army in India, where he met Madame Blavatsky, one of the founders of the modern society. C. W. Leadbeater, another prominent teacher and writer, was formerly a clergyman in the English church, and G. R. S. Mead, who has written some fine books on many subjects, is regarded as one of the most learned men in the world.
Origin of the Word.
The word "theosophy" is from the Greek and means "divine wisdom." The latter term is many thousand years old. The name theosophy dates from the third century of the Christian era and was applied by Ammonius Saccas, who started the electric theosophical system. Prof. Alexander Wilder, in his new Platonism, says the followers of that school were so called because of their practice of interpreting all sacred legends and narratives, myths and mysteries, by rule or principle of analogy and correspondence, so that events which were related as having occurred in the external world were regarded as expressing operations and experiences of the human soul. The object of this system was, first of all, to inculcate certain great moral truths upon its disciples, hence also the motto adopted by the theosophical society, "There Is No Religion Higher Than Truth." The chief aim of the founders of the ancient electric theosophical school was one of the three objects of its modern successor, the theosophical society of to-day, namely, to reconcile all religious sects and nations under a common system of ethics, based on eternal verities. The theosophists of olden times were large bodies and, like the modern, belonged to various religious philosophies. The mistake is often made that theosophy is a separate religion and antagonistic to other religions. This is not so, according to the claims made by the society. It is antagonistic to no religion. It teaches that all religions are streamlets of the one universal fountain of truth. Theosophy is a religious philosophy, universal in its scope and teaching and all inclusive. Its fundamental objects are: "To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color; to encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science; to investigate unexplained laws of nature and the power latent in man."
Basis of Theosophy.
The doctrine of the brotherhood of man is based on the belief that all men spring from the one spiritual source, and all bodies are from the one mother earth, but theosophy differs from other beliefs as to all men being born equal. Theosophy holds that the true evolution is the unfolding, the growth of intelligence or consciousness through physical forms. Consequently all men are not at the same grade of mental development or evolution, hence all are not equal. For instance, to compare the low intellect of an Australian bushman with the mind of an Emerson illustrates that idea of the difference of unfoldment and development. Spiritually all men are brothers and are from the same spiritual parent. In its study of comparative religions theosophy teaches that each religion has its own mission in the world, is suited to the nation to which it is given, and the type of civilization which it is to permeate. The failure to see these leads to unjust criticism, for an ideally perfect religion would not be suitable to imperfect and partially evolved men. Every religion in the course of time suffers from accretions due to ignorance. It is found in comparative religions that at base they are all one. In all ages of the world there have been great spiritual teachers — Christs or Buddhas — who gave out the truth essential to the demand of the stage of evolution and environment of the people of different nations. Christ was the latest teacher and Christianity the youngest religion. He came to the western world and gave out in a form suitable to the western mind the religion of Christianity. All religions are found to be clothed in parable, allegory, symbol and figure, and when once the key to those symbols and allegories is understood it will be found that there is no disagreement at all in the teachings of the religions of the world. The study of comparative religions naturally leads to a study of comparative mythology, in which it is found that the gods of the ancients are not the mere figures of weird and extravagant tales, but are the personification of forces of nature and intelligences, and that the stories themselves clothe great truths.
Miracles Not Supernatural.
The latent forces in man open a wide and deep subject for study. It is claimed that when once the latent forces are understood the so-called miracles of Christ will be seen not to be supernatural, but the result of the development of powers within the man that enabled him to overcome material forces external to himself. Man is an epitome of the universe, and all forces, powers and laws of the universe are centered in him. It is claimed that lying within the physical senses are senses still finer, more subtle, and that if man is made in the image of God he must possess spiritual faculties that are the root and base of all other faculties. Theosophy holds that the seeming miracles performed by the disciples of Jesus, who were only ordinary men, prior to the awakening of their spiritual faculties, were possible by reason of the development of these faculties by knowledge imparted to them by their master, Jesus. Intuition, it is claimed, is the sixth sense, now being developed to a greater or less extent by men of to-day. The surprises in store for the races are not so much in discoveries of the finer forces of nature, marvelous as they will be, but rather what man is going to find within himself, for there lies in man possibilities undreamed of by the western world. By a method of mental and spiritual training called yoga the Hindoos have developed powers that enable them to control physical forces, and which has caused them to be looked upon as miracle workers. The orientals have always studied these latent powers, while the westerners have studied everything else but themselves. If Bible statements are true men in olden times exhibited powers far beyond the comprehension of undeveloped spiritual man. Witness the statements of St. Paul and St. John, and the story of Daniel in the lion's den, and of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace.
What It Teaches.
Theosophy teaches the doctrine of reincarnation and karma. Karma is the law of retribution, the law of cause and effect, the power that controls all things, the resultant of moral action. It is the sowing and reaping, for as a man sows so shall he also reap. All thoughts and acts committed while here on earth are seeds which will produce a harvest for which the sower must return and reap. Reincarnation is the return of the soul time and time again into physical bodies until it has learned the lesson that earth can teach. It learns from experience. Hence the teaching of karma and reincarnation establishes justice in the world and exonerates God of partiality, and shows why one man is born in a palace and another in the slum, why one is born a genius and another a fool, why one is a saint and the other a sinner. It is held that man is the creator of his own destiny. To quote Sir Edwin Arnold, a believer in reincarnation:
"He cometh, reaper of the things he sow'd,
Sesamum, corn, so much cast in past birth;
And so much weed and poison-stuff, which mar
Him and the aching earth.
"If he shall labor rightly, rooting these,
And planting wholesome seedlings
where they grew,
Fruitful and fair and clean the ground shall be,
And rich the harvest due."
—The Anaconda Standard, Anaconda, Montana, Feb. 16, 1902, p. 19.
Friday, April 20, 2007
American Turning Out Fine Grade of Idols for East
1903
CONSOLATION FOR HEATHEN.
American Genius Turning Out a Fine Grade of Idols for the East.
Manufacturers in the Christian city of Philadelphia make idols and ship them to Asia. The traffic has horrified many who thought ruin was the only objectionable article shipped to the heathen from this country.
For years England and Germany have bean monopolizing the trade in Buddhas, Krishnas, Sivas, Ganeshes and Jum-Jums. This was because they happened to be on the ground first. The idols which they turned out were, as a matter of fact, both expensive and inefficient.
The American manufacturer has now succeeded in bringing the trade where it really belongs. His success was inevitable. His idols are cheaper, do more work and last longer. The heathen who has once used an American idol, with self-closing eyes and automatically wiggling toes, refuses to use any other. Besides, many a poor heathen who could not afford to buy an expensive English or German idol, is able to allow himself the cheaper American article. Idols have been brought within the reach of the smallest purse. Within a few years the most impoverished native of the far East will find, thanks to the energy and ingenuity of the American trade, that he need not deny himself the spiritual consolations of his religion.
Some squeamish persons think that they see something a little bit inconsistent in sending out a ship with a deckful of missionaries and a holdful of idols. Such persons have not grasped the fact that this life is a matter not of consistency but of balance. There is a certain anarchist in Chicago who owns a public hall. In the course of his business he is obliged to let this hall out to Republican, Democratic and Socialistic speakers, who take special pains to expose anarchism to the hatred and derision of their hearers. What is the hall-owning anarchist to do? In order to live and in order to retain a place in which anarchism can be occasionally expounded he has to keep his hall in constant use. His speculative opinions and his business operations have to march abreast, but in parallel lines which will never meet.
Of course, there might be some good reason for complaint if the idol manufacturing companies should begin to boom their trade by getting out advertisements in defense of idolatry or by instructing their agents to hold joint debates with, missionaries. "Worship Flim Flam! A psychological analysis by government experts shows 89 per cent of deity! In portable, collapsible form, with a case! When opened out the reverse way ceases to be Flim Flam and becomes Jim Jam! The great duality! Two gods at the same time! A clear saving of 50 per cent!" — this kind of advertisement might be objectionable. After all, though, it is a mere exchange of idols. They get Buddhas and Krishnas; we get dollars and cents.— Chicago Tribune.
—Davenport Daily Republican, Davenport, Iowa, March 5, 1903, page 5.
CONSOLATION FOR HEATHEN.
American Genius Turning Out a Fine Grade of Idols for the East.
Manufacturers in the Christian city of Philadelphia make idols and ship them to Asia. The traffic has horrified many who thought ruin was the only objectionable article shipped to the heathen from this country.
For years England and Germany have bean monopolizing the trade in Buddhas, Krishnas, Sivas, Ganeshes and Jum-Jums. This was because they happened to be on the ground first. The idols which they turned out were, as a matter of fact, both expensive and inefficient.
The American manufacturer has now succeeded in bringing the trade where it really belongs. His success was inevitable. His idols are cheaper, do more work and last longer. The heathen who has once used an American idol, with self-closing eyes and automatically wiggling toes, refuses to use any other. Besides, many a poor heathen who could not afford to buy an expensive English or German idol, is able to allow himself the cheaper American article. Idols have been brought within the reach of the smallest purse. Within a few years the most impoverished native of the far East will find, thanks to the energy and ingenuity of the American trade, that he need not deny himself the spiritual consolations of his religion.
Some squeamish persons think that they see something a little bit inconsistent in sending out a ship with a deckful of missionaries and a holdful of idols. Such persons have not grasped the fact that this life is a matter not of consistency but of balance. There is a certain anarchist in Chicago who owns a public hall. In the course of his business he is obliged to let this hall out to Republican, Democratic and Socialistic speakers, who take special pains to expose anarchism to the hatred and derision of their hearers. What is the hall-owning anarchist to do? In order to live and in order to retain a place in which anarchism can be occasionally expounded he has to keep his hall in constant use. His speculative opinions and his business operations have to march abreast, but in parallel lines which will never meet.
Of course, there might be some good reason for complaint if the idol manufacturing companies should begin to boom their trade by getting out advertisements in defense of idolatry or by instructing their agents to hold joint debates with, missionaries. "Worship Flim Flam! A psychological analysis by government experts shows 89 per cent of deity! In portable, collapsible form, with a case! When opened out the reverse way ceases to be Flim Flam and becomes Jim Jam! The great duality! Two gods at the same time! A clear saving of 50 per cent!" — this kind of advertisement might be objectionable. After all, though, it is a mere exchange of idols. They get Buddhas and Krishnas; we get dollars and cents.— Chicago Tribune.
—Davenport Daily Republican, Davenport, Iowa, March 5, 1903, page 5.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Rug Symbolism of the Orient
1922
"And then the caliph sat himself down upon the magic rug," said the immortal Caliph of Baghdad, "and straightway he was there."
The fairy tales of the Western world have magic steeds whereon the fairy princess or brave prince is spirited away to fair realms, but the old legends of the spicy Orient have their rugs. There is absolutely no limit to what these rugs of age-old lore could do. They could fly like a bird, talk like a human, reveal hidden treasure, and bring happiness ever after.
There is a reason for all this. The rug has always had some part in every happening of the Oriental's life. It plays its part in his domestic, religious, and state life.
The uncouth barbarian nomad wove his rug in his mountain tent. He spoke the story of his whole life through its glowing warp and woof. Often he would arise from his weaving to peer over the craggy ledge for an enemy, and returning to his work he wove within his pattern his vision of the enemy waiting among the rocks below.
The Persian in his adobe hut told the story of his fighting ancestors, of mythical winged horses and gardens of golden fruits.
The Turkish girl wove a rug as a dowry for her husband. Her pattern told of her girlhood and her fears and dreams for the life before her.
And all the Orientals, Persian, Chinese, Turkish, Kurd or nomad, wove their prayer rugs. They put within them all the flowing colors and rich threads that they could find or money could procure. Deepest grief was it for one to take to the sacred prayer niche a rug put to shame by all the others.
Prayer Shaped Rugs
The shape of the various Oriental prayer niches accounts for many differences of shape in the rugs. The buyer of the Oriental prayer rug can know from just what part of the Orient his rug comes by comparing its outer corners with the prayer niche architecture of the shrines to Buddha or Mohammed.
Did you ever hesitate to buy an Oriental rug because of some imperfection in the weaving of the design? The imperfection was intentional. It was the voice of the one who ages ago spoke to say, "Nothing but Allah is perfect!"
Did you ever wonder why the Arabian rugs were so full of flowers -- lotus, iris, lily, poppy and rose? It is because to the Mohammedan paradise was a place of flowers and his rug spoke of his future dreams.
Did you note the gorgeous birds and animals of the Persian and Chinese Orientals and wonder why the Turkish designs were so bare of living designs? It is because the Turk's religion barred him from making any reproduction of a living creature. That was idolatry.
--Adapted from The Oil City Derrick, Oil City, Pennsylvania, October 11, 1922, page 20.
"And then the caliph sat himself down upon the magic rug," said the immortal Caliph of Baghdad, "and straightway he was there."
The fairy tales of the Western world have magic steeds whereon the fairy princess or brave prince is spirited away to fair realms, but the old legends of the spicy Orient have their rugs. There is absolutely no limit to what these rugs of age-old lore could do. They could fly like a bird, talk like a human, reveal hidden treasure, and bring happiness ever after.
There is a reason for all this. The rug has always had some part in every happening of the Oriental's life. It plays its part in his domestic, religious, and state life.
The uncouth barbarian nomad wove his rug in his mountain tent. He spoke the story of his whole life through its glowing warp and woof. Often he would arise from his weaving to peer over the craggy ledge for an enemy, and returning to his work he wove within his pattern his vision of the enemy waiting among the rocks below.
The Persian in his adobe hut told the story of his fighting ancestors, of mythical winged horses and gardens of golden fruits.
The Turkish girl wove a rug as a dowry for her husband. Her pattern told of her girlhood and her fears and dreams for the life before her.
And all the Orientals, Persian, Chinese, Turkish, Kurd or nomad, wove their prayer rugs. They put within them all the flowing colors and rich threads that they could find or money could procure. Deepest grief was it for one to take to the sacred prayer niche a rug put to shame by all the others.
Prayer Shaped Rugs
The shape of the various Oriental prayer niches accounts for many differences of shape in the rugs. The buyer of the Oriental prayer rug can know from just what part of the Orient his rug comes by comparing its outer corners with the prayer niche architecture of the shrines to Buddha or Mohammed.
Did you ever hesitate to buy an Oriental rug because of some imperfection in the weaving of the design? The imperfection was intentional. It was the voice of the one who ages ago spoke to say, "Nothing but Allah is perfect!"
Did you ever wonder why the Arabian rugs were so full of flowers -- lotus, iris, lily, poppy and rose? It is because to the Mohammedan paradise was a place of flowers and his rug spoke of his future dreams.
Did you note the gorgeous birds and animals of the Persian and Chinese Orientals and wonder why the Turkish designs were so bare of living designs? It is because the Turk's religion barred him from making any reproduction of a living creature. That was idolatry.
--Adapted from The Oil City Derrick, Oil City, Pennsylvania, October 11, 1922, page 20.
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