Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jul 6, 1915
Buddhism, and the Desire for Extinction
By Arthur G. Daniels
A Religion That Presents Annihilation as the Only Relief from Misery—Feeding the Priests to Gain the Boon of Extinction—What Christian Men and Women Are Doing to Dispel That Darkness
By ARTHUR G. DANIELS
THAT which impressed me most deeply in Burma was the manifestation of religious sentiment. Here, as in other parts of India, “the people are deeply and absorbingly religious.” This appears in their literature and science, and in all their business and social relationships. They are all religious, and they are religious all the time. As one writer says: “From the womb to the burning ground, mortal man is held to be the plaything of the Divine, and is bound to the legion toils of religious observances. There is not a single event which transpires in the social, domestic, or individual life which is not definitely regarded as the expression of the attitude of the infinite, Brahm, towards the soul.”
PROFESSOR AND MRS. LUDDINGTON IN THE RANGOON GARDENS
One observer described the people as being “God-intoxicated.” In the census reports of 1911 for India, out of 315,000,000, only seventeen persons claimed to be atheists. Fifty called themselves agnostics. Forty-five of these were from Burma, and it is supposed they were Chinese. It is said that “one third of the population of the world worship at the shrines of the faiths begotten” in India.
THE RELIGION OF BURMA
The religion of Burma is Buddhism. Of the 12,000,000 inhabitants given in the census of 1911, 10,000,000 were reported to be Buddhists. Thus it is plain that Buddhism is the one great non-Christian religion with which the Christian missionary has to deal in Burma. It is remarkable in the history of Buddhism that it has no place as a separate, distinct religion in the land of its birth.
A GROUP OF OUR MISSION WORKERS IN BURMA
The founder, Gautama, is supposed to have been born near Benares, the great center of Hinduism, about 600 B.C. It was here that the tenets of Buddhism were first set forth by Gautama, and where he gained his first disciples. The faith spread rapidly, and for nearly a thousand years it was the principal religion of India. But as it spread to other countries—Ceylon, Burma, Tibet, China, and Japan—it ceased to exist in India as a separate, dominant religion. Not more than a third of a million profess to be Buddhists. However, its most important features are said to have been absorbed by Hinduism.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM?
The answer is not easy to give. Volumes have been written explaining it. Perhaps the following statement of its most important tenets will make it as clear as any brief statement that can be made:
“(1) Misery is the inevitable consequence of existence. (2) Misery has its source in desire. (3) Misery can be escaped only by the extinction of desire. (4) Desire can be extinguished only by becoming fully unconscious of the world and self. (5) He who attains to such unconsciousness attains to Neikban. (6) Evil actions constitute demerit. Good actions constitute merit.”
This brief outline practically covers the range of Buddhistic teaching as it is elaborated in their sacred books. From this it will be seen that Buddhism has no God, and no Saviour to redeem man from sin and misery. It holds out no future triumphant life in God for even the most faithful. While it recognizes the existence of sin, and the suffering and misery it entails on the human race, the only way of escape it offers is by the utter extinction of all desire; and the only way to secure this extinction is by the annihilation of one’s own existence. This self extinction is called Neikban, or Nirvana, which means annihilation. Thus it is seen that the one supreme and final end to which every Buddhist looks and for which he longs all through life is total extinction as a living, conscious being.
THE HOPE OF EXTINCTION
No Buddhist expects this extinction to take place402at the close of his present life. His doctrine of reincarnation, or millions of rebirths, places the time of extinction far away in the distant future. And here comes in the doctrine of merit and demerit. The Buddhist is always keeping a merit and demerit or credit and debit account in his life. Every act he performs has either merit or demerit. All the acts of merit performed during life will stand to his credit at death. But from these meritorious deeds must be subtracted the deeds of demerit. Should there be a surplus of meritorious deeds, these will lift him a little higher in the scale of life when this life closes. Should his demerits exceed his merits, his next existence will be in a lower scale than his present life. Thus he must toil and strive through countless ages to rise in the scale of merit until he has earned Nirvana, or nonexistence, when his sufferings and sorrows will be over.
FEEDING THE PRIESTS FOR MERIT
The Buddhist ideas regarding what acts will count for merit, and what for demerit, are shaped almost wholly by the priests, who are the leaders of the people. The list of meritorious deeds seems well calculated to maintain and propagate the faith, care for the priests, and give display and show to the worship.
One of the deeds of merit that counts most is to provide priests with their daily food. In all the towns of Burma, the priests may be seen every morning going through the residence streets with their large food bowls, to receive the food the people wish to give them. The people are looking for them, and have the food ready to drop into their bowls.
This is not regarded by either the priests or the people as begging. It is so good and meritorious on the part of the priests to give the people an opportunity to give them food, and thus lay up merit that the priests never express a word of thanks or appreciation for what is given them. The people are supposed to be grateful to the priests for coming their way through the hot sun or the rain to give them a chance to increase the credit side of life’s ledger.
This doctrine of merit is a tremendous factor in tightening the grip of Buddhism on its followers, and also in giving it prominence, and keeping it alive and aggressive in the world. Believing that acts of merit are the only possible way of escape from countless rebirths and lives of toil, oppression, pain, and misery, they are goaded on to do what they never would were it not for this conviction. But the deeds of merit are not all beneficial and helpful to either the ones who perform them or their fellow men around them.
THE MERIT OF PAGODA BUILDING
One of the greatest deeds that counts on the merit side of a Buddhist’s life is the building of a pagoda. A pagoda is to Buddhists what a church is to Christians, and a temple to Hindus. Wherever you see a pagoda, you are reminded of the great and good Buddha, you are assured of the triumphs of Buddhism in that place, you behold a witness of its onward march.
A man may do a great many deeds of demerit to gain certain selfish ends, and having gained what he wanted, may offset these demerits by building a pagoda. The larger and more costly the pagoda, the greater will be the merit. For this reason, tens of thousands of pagodas are to be seen occupying the most prominent places in cities and country in Burma. Thousands of them are so small and cheap that they are not worth mentioning, but they represent all the builders could do, and counted a little for merit. But some of these pagodas are immense, and represent years of labor and millions of dollars of expense.
The first sight one gets of the city of Rangoon, as his steamer approaches Burma, is a pagoda—the world-famous Shwe Dagon. It is built on a great eminence made for the purpose. Hundreds of thousands of tons of earth were carried in small baskets on the heads of the people to this spot, until a great hill was made. On this was built a pagoda which measures 1,350 feet in circumference at the base, and 328 feet in height.
This immense structure is entirely covered with gold leaf. Its umbrella-shaped pinnacle is ornamented with gold and gems valued at $200,000. This pagoda has been re-gilded many times at fabulous cost. In fact, re-gilding is going on every day.
SMALL BRIDGE IN RANGOON PARK
One meritorious feature of the worship at these pagodas is to buy a package of gold leaf, and, after kneeling before the image of Buddha and presenting the package as a grateful gift, to take it to the priest, who will see that the leaves are spread on the pagoda.
In reply to inquiries regarding the sale of this gold leaf, a priest told me that the average daily sale amounted to two hundred packages. Each package contains one hundred small sheets of gold leaf, valued at about $1.30. The sales each day total $260, amounting to $95,000 a year. This gold leaf is spread over the pagoda, and also over the hundred images of Buddha. In addition to this, the candles, flowers, and food offered before the images of Buddha at the pagoda cost the worshipers $100,000 a year.
All this is to gain merit, and thus secure an existence in a higher scale of life in the next reincarnation, and at last to secure self extinction. Of this central tenet in the religion of Buddhism, one writer has said: “The gift of Gautama is eternal death. How different from the central truth of the Christian religion, ‘The gift of God is eternal life.’”
WHAT JUDSON AND WIFE DID FOR BURMA
It was to bring God’s gift of eternal life to the knowledge of these millions of devotees of Buddhism that Adoniram Judson and his saintly wife came to Burma a century ago. There they lived, toiled, suffered, and died for these Buddhists. They sowed the gospel seed in faith, believing that in time it would spring up and bear fruit. They did not labor nor believe in vain. A marvelous change has taken place in Burma since these consecrated missionaries landed there. To-day Burma is enjoying the benefits of modern civilization—steamship, railway, cable, telegraph, and telephone service, the advantages of the printing press, and of educational and medical institutions, and the commercial prosperity derived from the intelligent development of its agricultural, mineral, and other natural resources.
But above all, the people of Burma are blessed with the light and power of the gospel of Christ. The words of the prophet Isaiah have had a wonderful fulfillment: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
Judson landed in Burma in 1812. Six years later, he baptized his first Burman convert from Buddhism to Christianity. To-day there are 50,000 baptized Christians in the Baptist missions in Burma. The census returns for 1911 report 90,000 Protestant Christians. It is understood that as many more attend religious services under the teaching and preparation necessary for full membership in the church. Of course, statistics of this kind cannot convey the tremendous influence for good these Christian people exert over the lives of their fellow men, but this influence is seen and felt by all who come in contact with the people.
PRESENT EFFORTS IN RANGOON
On the occasion of my recent visit to Burma, I accompanied Prof. H. R. Salisbury, president of our Indian Union Mission. We were glad to find our mission in Rangoon, the capital, in a prosperous condition. This is the headquarters of our work in Burma. In this mission field, we are carrying on four lines of work—evangelical, printing, educational, and medical. The evangelistic features enter into all the branches of work. The literature printed and circulated is all religious, setting forth the blessings of the gospel and the conditions of salvation.
Our hydropathic treatment rooms in Rangoon are in a good location, and are splendidly equipped. The nurses in charge, Brother F. A. Wyman and wife, are doing most efficient work. The institution is patronized by some of the best people in the city. It is our desire and endeavor to make this institution a radiating center of gospel light and truth.
At Meiktila, three hundred miles north of Rangoon, we are conducting an industrial school. I was pleased with our location, the buildings, and the practical work of the school. Besides giving full literary work, several industries are taught, such as carpentry, basket making, wickerwork, and shoemaking. This school is under the leadership of Professor Luddington. The Bible holds a prominent place in the school; and the aim of those in charge is, to lead all the students to accept Christ and devote their lives to His service.
EVANGELISTS IN MEIKTILA
A hundred miles north of Meiktila, in the old city of Mandalay, the last capital of the Burmese kings, we found Brother Robert Beckner and his wife engaged in evangelistic work. It was a great pleasure to meet these earnest missionaries and the converts they have won to Christ. Mandalay is the center of an immense population. From the top of Mandalay hill, Brother Beckner pointed out scores of villages he had visited and in which he had people reading religious literature.
A MISSION FOR THE KARENS
The most interesting feature of our visit to Burma was the locating of a mission station among the Karens. Starting at Maulmain, at the mouth of the great Salwin River, we ascended the river nearly one hundred miles. Here we found a place that seemed eminently suited for a permanent station. Arrangements were made for Pastors Thurber and Hamilton, who had previously investigated this part of the country, to proceed with the purchase of land and the erection of buildings. Our Australasian believers have donated the funds to establish this mission.
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Buddhism, and the Desire for Extinction
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We found our missionaries in Burma in as good health as could be expected in such a hot corner of the earth. It is a common saying in Burma that it is “hot and hotter.” But although the climate is very trying, our workers are of good courage. It is most inspiring to find young people glad to leave their native land and everything they hold dear in this life, to toil and sweat in mission fields of this kind. They should have the prayers and the hearty, liberal support of the Christian people in the home land.
MEN NEED NEIGHBORS
By Ellen G. White
Who Is a Neighbor? — The Touch of Sympathy Required — The Broad Field of Service
By MRS. E. G. WHITE
AMONG the Jews, the question, “Who is my neighbor?” caused endless dispute. They had no doubt as to the heathen and the Samaritans. These were strangers and enemies. But where should the distinction be made among the people of their own nation, and among the different classes of society? Whom should the priest, the rabbi, the elder, regard as neighbor? They spent their lives in a round of ceremonies to make themselves pure. Contact with the ignorant and careless multitude, they taught, would cause defilement that would require wearisome effort to remove. Were they to regard the “unclean” as neighbors?
NO REFERENCE TO CHURCH, RACE, COLOR, OR CLASS
This question Christ answered in the parable of the good Samaritan. He showed that our neighbor does not mean merely one of the church or faith to which we belong. It has no reference to race, color, or class distinction. Our neighbor is every person who needs our help. Our neighbor is every soul who is wounded and bruised by the adversary. Our neighbor is every one who is the property of God.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?
As the Saviour was teaching, “a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, ‘Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” Luke 10:25. The Pharisees had suggested this question to the lawyer, in the hope that they might entrap Christ in His words, and they listened eagerly for His answer. But the Saviour entered into no controversy. He required the answer from the questioner himself. “What is written in the law?” He asked; “how readest thou?” Verse 26. The Jews still accused Jesus of lightly regarding the law given from Sinai, but He turned the question of salvation upon the keeping of God’s commandments.
IF YOU DO THIS, YOU LIVE
The lawyer said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” “Thou hast answered right,” Christ said; “this do, and thou shalt live.” Verses 27, 28.
Christ knew that no one could obey the law in his own strength. He desired to lead the lawyer to clearer and more critical research, that he might find the truth. Only by accepting the virtue and grace of Christ can we keep the law. Belief in the propitiation for sin enables fallen man to love God with his whole heart, and his neighbor as himself.
WAS CONSCIOUS OF HIS GUILT
The lawyer knew that he had kept neither the first four nor the last six commandments. He was convicted under Christ’s searching words; but instead of confessing his sin, he tried to excuse it. Rather than acknowledge the truth, he endeavored to show how difficult of fulfillment the commandment is. Thus he hoped both to parry conviction and to vindicate himself in the eyes of the people. The Saviour’s words had shown that his question was needless, since he was able to answer it himself. Yet he put another question, saying, “Who is my neighbor?”
HE ANSWERED BY A NARRATIVE
Again Christ refused to be drawn into controversy. He answered the question by relating an incident, the memory of which was fresh in the minds of His hearers. “A certain man,” He said, “went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.” Verse 30.
In journeying from Jerusalem to Jericho, the traveler had to pass through a portion of the wilderness of Judea. The road led down a wild, rocky ravine, which was infested with robbers, and was often the scene of violence. It was here that the traveler was attacked, stripped of all that was valuable, and left half dead by the wayside.
As he lay thus, a priest came that way. He saw the man lying wounded and bruised, weltering in his own blood; but he left him without rendering any assistance. He “passed by on the other side.” Then a Levite appeared. Curious to know what had happened, he stopped and looked at the sufferer. He was convicted of what he ought to do, but it was not an agreeable duty. He wished that he had not come that way, so that he would not have seen the wounded man. He persuaded himself that the case was no concern of his, and he too “passed by on the other side.”
THE SAMARITAN SHOWED KINDNESS
But a Samaritan, traveling the same road, saw the sufferer, and he did the work that the others had refused to do. With gentleness and kindness he ministered to the wounded man. “When he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, ‘Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.’” Verses 33-35. The priest and the Levite both professed piety, but the Samaritan showed that he was truly converted. It was no more agreeable for him to do the work than for the priest and the Levite, but in spirit and works he proved himself to be in harmony with God.
THE EVIDENCE OF KEEPING THE LAW
The lawyer found in the lesson nothing that he could criticize. His prejudice in regard to Christ was removed. But he had not overcome his national dislike sufficiently to give credit to the Samaritan by name. When Christ asked, “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?” he answered, “He that showed mercy on him.” “Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” Verses 36, 37. Show the same tender kindness to those in need. Thus you will give evidence that you keep the whole law.404
The Samaritan had fulfilled the command, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” thus showing that he was more righteous than those by whom he was denounced. Risking his own life, he had treated the wounded man as his brother.
AN EXAMPLE OF LOVE
This Samaritan represents Christ. Our Saviour manifested for us a love that the love of man can never equal. When we were bruised and dying, He had pity upon us. He did not pass us by on the other side, and leave us, helpless and hopeless, to perish. He did not remain in His holy, happy home, where He was beloved by all the heavenly host. He beheld our sore need, He undertook our case, and identified His interests with those of humanity. He died to save His enemies. He prayed for His murderers. Pointing to His own example, He says to His followers, “These things I command you, that ye love one another;” “as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 15:17; 13:34.
By no selfish practices can the cause of Christ be served. His cause is the cause of the oppressed and the poor. In the hearts of His professed followers there is need of the tender sympathy of Christ,—a deeper love for those whom He has so valued as to give His own life for their salvation. These souls are precious, infinitely more precious than any other offering we can bring to God. To bend every energy toward some apparently great work, while we neglect the needy or turn the stranger from his right, is not a service that will meet His approval.
ALL ONE FAMILY
No distinction on account of nationality, race, or caste, is recognized by God. He is the Maker of all mankind. All men are of one family by creation, and all are one through redemption. Christ came to demolish every wall of partition, to throw open every compartment of the temple, that every soul may have free access to God. His love is so broad, so deep, so full, that it penetrates everywhere. It lifts out of Satan’s circle the poor souls who have been deluded by his deceptions. It places them within reach of the throne of God, the throne encircled by the rainbow of promise.
In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free. All are brought nigh by His precious blood. Whatever the difference in religious belief, a call from suffering humanity must be heard and answered. Where bitterness of feeling exists because of difference in religion, much good may be done by personal service. Loving ministry will break down prejudice, and win souls to God.
JOIN IN BOTH THEIR SORROWS AND THEIR JOYS
We should anticipate the sorrows, the difficulties, the troubles of others. We should enter into the joys and cares of both high and low, rich and poor. “Freely ye have received,” Christ says, “freely give.” Matt. 10:8. All around us are poor, tried souls that need sympathizing words and helpful deeds. There are widows who need sympathy and assistance. There are orphans whom Christ has bidden His followers receive as a trust from God. Too often these are passed by with neglect. They may be ragged, uncouth, and seemingly in every way unattractive; yet they are God’s property.
Sin is the greatest of all evils, and it is ours to pity and help the sinner. But not all can be reached in the same way. There are many who hide their soul hunger. These would be greatly helped by a tender word or a kind remembrance. There are others who are in the greatest need, yet they know it not. They do not realize the terrible destitution of the soul. Multitudes are so sunken in sin that they have lost the sense of eternal realities, lost the similitude of God, and they hardly know whether they have souls to be saved or not. They have neither faith in God nor confidence in man. Many of these can be reached only through acts of disinterested kindness. Their physical wants must first be cared for. They must be fed, cleansed, and decently clothed. As they see the evidence of your unselfish love, it will be easier for them to believe in the love of Christ.
There are many who err, and who feel their shame and their folly. They look upon their mistakes and errors until they are driven almost to desperation. These souls we are not to neglect. When one has to swim against the stream, there is all the force of the current driving him back. Let a helping hand then be held out to him as was the elder Brother’s hand to the sinking Peter. Speak to him hopeful words,—words that will establish confidence and awaken love.
NEEDS A BROTHER’S LOVE
Thy brother, sick in spirit, needs thee, as thou thyself hast needed a brother’s love. He needs the experience of one who has been as weak as he, one who can sympathize with him and help him. The knowledge of our own weakness should help us to help another in his bitter need. Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God.
How to Realize the Promises
By A. S. Booth
By A. S. BOOTH
ALL depends upon doing just what the Lord says, in order to receive the promise. Complete surrender of the will to God will bring power and blessing into the life. The faith that grasps the forgiveness of sin should grasp the power of God to live above sin.
God told Joshua and the people to go about Jericho thirteen times, blow the trumpets, and shout. Now Jericho was the city, and thirteen was the number of times to march around. They might have marched thirteen times around all the other cities of the earth, and it would have been simply a demonstration of their unbelief and hardness of heart. It was when they had performed God’s will, going thirteen times around Jericho, and then blowing the trumpets, and shouting the victory, that the blessing came.
Elisha said to Naaman, who came to be healed of leprosy, “Go and wash in Jordan seven times.” Jordan was the river, and seven was the number of times to wash. Said Naaman, “Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?” The man Naaman might have washed in all the rivers on the face of the earth, and left Jordan out. It would have simply demonstrated his lack of faith, and he would have died of his leprosy. It was when he had performed the command of God by the prophet that healing came.
Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch forth thine hand.” The man might have said, “But, Lord, I have not stretched it forth for years. Physically it will be impossible.” However, it was not a question with Christ as to the man’s not being able to put forth his hand. The question was, Will you make the effort? Will you grant the willing mind? When the man yielded the willing mind, and made the effort, the power came, and he was healed.
Back of God’s commands is all power in heaven and in earth. He says: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” “Thou shalt not steal.” “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” We furnish the will, without murmuring or questioning; and He furnishes the power to obey, and we get the blessing.
Labor a Blessing
By James White
BEFORE sin entered happy Eden, the representatives of the race were put into the garden, “to dress it and to keep it,” when their minds could trace, in a thousand varied forms, the perfections and power of the divine creative hand. In the estimation of God and His Son, and of the holy angels, labor was honorable, and for the good of man, even for sinless hands in holy Eden.
After the transgression, God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake.” The earth was cursed in consequence of Adam’s sin. But the fact that he was to eat his bread by the sweat of his face was not the curse. Increased labor was simply a consequence which was for his best good in his fallen condition.—James White.
Have I No Interest?
“HAVE I no interest? If I have none, I am stationed here to no purpose.”
Good Religion
By John Norton Loughborough
GOOD RELIGION.— To do the will of God as He wills it, and to suffer the will of God because He wills it, is a good summary of true Christianity. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
