the soul of the far east-第30部分

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he　West　is　from　the　East。　For　here；　at　this　idea　of　self；　we　are　suddenly　aware　of　standing　on　the　brink　of　a　fathomless　abyss；　gazing　giddily　down　into　that　great　gulf　which　divides　Buddhism　from　Christianity。　　We　cannot　see　the　bottom。　　It　is　a　separation　more　profound　than　death；　it　seems　to　necessitate　annihilation。　　To　cross　it　we　must　bury　in　its　depths　all　we　know　as　ourselves。

Christianity　is　a　personal　religion；　Buddhism；　an　impersonal　one。　　In　this　fundamental　difference　lies　the　world…wide　opposition　of　the　two　beliefs。　　Christianity　tells　us　to　purify　ourselves　that　we　may　enjoy　countless　aeons　of　that　bettered　self　hereafter；　Buddhism　would　have　us　purify　ourselves　that　we　may　lose　all　sense　of　self　for　evermore。

For　all　that　it　preaches　the　essential　vileness　of　the　natural　man；　Christianity　is　a　gospel　of　optimism。　　While　it　affirms　that　at　present　you　are　bad；　it　also　affirms　that　this　depravity　is　no　intrinsic　part　of　yourself。　　It　unquestioningly　asserts　that　it　is　something　foreign　to　your　true　being。　　It　even　believes　that　in　a　more　or　less　spiritual　manner　your　very　body　will　survive。　It　essentially　clings　to　the　ego。　　What　it　inculcates　is　really　present　endeavor　sanctioned　by　the　prospect　of　future　bliss。　It　tacitly　takes　for　granted　the　desirability　of　personal　existence；　and　promises　the　certainty　of　personal　immortality；a　terror　to　evildoers；　and　a　sustaining　sense　of　coming　unalloyed　happiness　to　the　good。　　Through　and　through　its　teachings　runs　the　feeling　of　the　fullness　of　life；　that　desire　which　will　not　die；　that　wish　of　the　soul　which　beats　its　wings　against　its　earthly　casement　in　its　longing　for　expansion　beyond　the　narrow　confines　of　threescore　years　and　ten。

Buddhism；　on　the　contrary；　is　the　cri　du　coeur　of　pessimism。　This　life；　it　says；　is　but　a　chain　of　sorrows。　　To　multiply　days　is　only　to　multiply　evil。　　These　desires　that　urge　us　on　are　really　cause　of　all　our　woe。　　We　think　they　are　ourselves。　　We　are　mistaken。　　They　are　all　illusion；　and　we　are　victims　of　a　mirage。　　This　personality；　this　sense　of　self；　is　a　cruel　deception　and　a　snare。　　Realize　once　the　true　soul　behind　it；　devoid　of　attributes；　therefore　without　this　capacity　for　suffering；　an　indivisible　part　of　the　great　impersonal　soul　of　nature：　then；　and　then　only；　will　you　have　found　happiness　in　the　blissful　quiescence　of　Nirvana。

With　a　certain　poetic　fitness；　misery　and　impersonality　were　both　present　in　the　occasion　that　gave　the　belief　birth。　　Many　have　turned　to　the　consolations　of　religion　by　reason　of　their　own　wretchedness；　Gautama　sought　its　help　touched　by　the　woes　of　others　whom；　in　his　own　happy　life　journey；　he　chanced　one　day　to　come　across。　　Shocked　by　the　sight　of　human　disease；　old　age；　and　death；　sad　facts　to　which　hitherto　he　had　been　sedulously　kept　a　stranger；　he　renounced　the　world　that　he　might　find　for　it　an　escape　from　its　ills。　　But　bliss；　as　he　conceived　it；　lay　not　in　wanting　to　be　something　he　was　not；　but　in　actual　want　of　being。　　His　quest　for　mankind　was　immunity　from　suffering；　not　the　active　enjoyment　of　life。　　In　this　negative　way　of　looking　at　happiness；　he　acted　in　strict　conformity　with　the　spirit　of　his　world。　　For　the　doctrine　of　pessimism　had　already　been　preached。　　It　underlay　the　whole　Brahman　philosophy；　and　everybody　believed　it　implicitly。　　Already　the　East　looked　at　this　life　as　an　evil；　and　had　affirmed　for　the　individual　spirit　extinction　to　be　happier　than　existence。　　The　wish　for　an　end　to　the　ego；　the　hope　to　be　eventually　nothing；　Gautama　accepted　for　a　truism　as　undeniably　as　the　Brahmans　did。　　What　he　pronounced　false　was　the　Brahman　prospectus　of　the　way　to　reach　this　desirable　impersonal　state。　Their　road；　be　said；　could　not　possibly　land　the　traveller　where　it　professed；　since　it　began　wrong；　and　ended　nowhere。　　The　way；　he　asserted；　is　within　a　man。　　He　has　but　to　realize　the　truth；　and　from　that　moment　he　will　see　his　goal　and　the　road　that　leads　there。　There　is　no　panacea　for　human　ills；　of　external　application。　　The　Brahman　homoeopathic　treatment　of　sin　is　folly。　　The　slaughtering　of　men　and　bulls　cannot　possibly　bring　life　to　the　soul。　　To　mortify　the　body　for　the　sins　of　the　flesh　is　palpably　futile；　for　in　desire　alone　lies　all　the　ill。　　Quench　the　desire；　and　the　deeds　will　die　of　inanition。　　Man　himself　is　sole　cause　of　his　own　misery。　　Get　rid；　then；　said　the　Buddha；　of　these　passions；　these　strivings　for　the　sake　of　self；　that　hold　the　true　soul　a　prisoner。　　They　have　to　do　with　things　which　we　know　are　transitory：　how　can　they　be　immortal　themselves？　　We　recognize　them　as　subject　to　our　will；　they　are；　then；　not　the　I。

As　a　man；　he　taught；　becomes　conscious　that　he　himself　is　something　distinct　from　his　body；　so；　if　he　reflect　and　ponder；　he　will　come　to　see　that　in　like　manner　his　appetites；　ambitions；　hopes；　are　really　extrinsic　to　the　spirit　proper。　　Neither　heart　nor　head　is　truly　the　man；　for　he　is　conscious　of　something　that　stands　behind　both。　　Behind　desire；　behind　even　the　will；　lies　the　soul；　the　same　for　all　men；　one　with　the　soul　of　the　universe。　　When　he　has　once　realized　this　eternal　truth；　the　man　has　entered　Nirvana。　　For　Nirvana　is　not　an　absorption　of　the　individual　soul　into　the　soul　of　all　things；　since　the　one　has　always　been　a　part　of　the　other。　　Still　less　is　it　utter　annihilation。　　It　is　simply　the　recognition　of　the　eternal　oneness　of　the　two；　back　through　an　everlasting　past　on　through　an　everlasting　future。

Such　is　the　belief　which　the　Japanese　adopted；　and　which　they　profess　to…day。　　Such　to　them　is　to　be　the　dawn　of　death's　to…morrow；　a　blessed　impersonal　immortality；　in　which　all　sense　of　self；　illusion　that　it　is；　shall　itself　have　ceased　to　be；　a　long　dreamless　sleep；　a　beatified　rest；　which　no　awakening　shall　ever　disturb。

Among　such　a　people　personal　Christianity　converts　but　few。　They　accept　our　material　civilization；　but　they　reject　our　creeds。　　To　preach　a　prolongation　of　life　appears　to　them　like　preaching　an　extension　of　sorrow。　　At　most；　Christianity　succeeds　only　in　making　them　doubters　of　what　lies　beyond　this　life。　　But　though　professing　agnosticism　while　they　live；　they　turn；　when　the　shadows　of　death's　night　come　on；　to　the　bosom　of　that　faith　which　teaches　that；　whatever　may　have　been　one's　earthly　share　of　happiness；　〃'tis　something　better　not　to　be。〃

Strange　it　seems　at　first　that　those　who　have　looked　so　long　to　the　rising　sun　for　inspiration　should　be　they　who　live　only　in　a　sort　of　lethargy　of　life；　while　those　who　for　so　many　centuries　have　turned　their　faces　steadily　to　the　fading　glory　of　the　sunset　should　be　the　ones　who　have　embodied　the　spirit　of　progress　of　the　world。　　Perhaps　the　light；　by　its　very　rising；　checks　the　desire　to　pursue；　in　its　setting　it　lures　one　on　to　follow。

Though　this　religion　of　impersonality　is　not　their　child；　it　is　their　choice。　　They　embraced　it　with　the　rest　that　India　taught　them；　centuries　ago。　　But　though　just　as　eager　to　learn　of　us　now　as　of　India　then；　Christianity　fails　to　commend　itself。　　This　is　not　due　to　the　fact　that　the　Buddhist　missionaries　came　by　invitation；　and　ours　do　not。　　Nor　is　it　due　to　any　want　of　personal　character　in　these　la