the soul of the far east-第23章

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ture's　place　is　taken　by　Buddha。　　For　there　are　two　classes　of　statues；　divided　the　one　from　the　other　by　that　step　which　separates　the　sublime　from　the　ridiculous；　namely；　the　colossal　and　the　diminutive。　　There　is　no　happy　human　mean。　　Of　the　first　kind　are　the　beautiful　bronze　figures　of　the　Buddha；　like　the　Kamakura　Buddha；　fifty　feet　high　and　ninety…seven　feet　round；　in　whose　face　all　that　is　grand　and　noble　lies　sleeping；　the　living　representation　of　Nirvana；　and　of　the　second；　those　odd　little　ornaments　known　as　netsuke；　comical　carvings　for　the　most　part；　grotesque　figures　of　men　and　monkeys；　saints　and　sinners；　gods　and　devils。　　Appealing　bits　of　ivory；　bone；　or　wood　they　are；　in　which　the　dumb　animals　are　as　speaking　likenesses　as　their　human　fellows。

The　other　arts　show　the　same　motif　in　their　decorations。　　Pottery　and　lacquer　alike　witness　the　respective　positions　assigned　to　the　serious　and　the　comic　in　Far　Eastern　feeling。

The　Far　Oriental　makes　fun　of　man　and　makes　love　to　Nature；　and　it　almost　seems　as　if　Nature　heard　his　silent　prayer；　and　smiled　upon　him　in　acceptance；　as　if　the　love…light　lent　her　face　the　added　beauty　that　it　lends　the　maid's。　　For　nowhere　in　this　world；　probably；　is　she　lovelier　than　in　Japan：　a　climate　of　long；　happy　means　and　short　extremes；　months　of　spring　and　months　of　autumn；　with　but　a　few　weeks　of　winter　in　between；　a　land　of　flowers；　where　the　lotus　and　the　cherry；　the　plum　and　wistaria；　grow　wantonly　side　by　side；　a　land　where　the　bamboo　embosoms　the　maple；　where　the　pine　at　last　has　found　its　palm…tree；　and　the　tropic　and　the　temperate　zones　forget　their　separate　identity　in　one　long　self…obliterating　kiss。


Chapter　7。　　Religion。　

In　regard　to　their　religion；　nations；　like　individuals；　seem　singularly　averse　to　practising　what　they　have　preached。　　Whether　it　be　that　his　self…constructed　idols　prove　to　the　maker　too　suggestive　of　his　own　intellectual　chisel　to　deceive　him　for　long；　or　whether　sacred　soil；　like　less　hallowed　ground；　becomes　after　a　time　incapable　of　responding　to　repeated　sowings　of　the　same　seed；　certain　it　is　that　in　spiritual　matters　most　peoples　have　grown　out　of　conceit　with　their　own　conceptions。　　An　individual　may　cling　with　a　certain　sentiment　to　the　religion　of　his　mother；　but　nations　have　shown　anything　but　a　foolish　fondness　for　the　sacred　superstitions　of　their　great…grandfathers。　　To　the　charm　of　creation　succeeds　invariably　the　bitter…sweet　after…taste　of　criticism；　and　man　would　not　be　the　progressive　animal　he　is　if　he　long　remained　in　love　with　his　own　productions。

What　his　future　will　be　is　too　engrossing　a　subject；　and　one　too　deeply　shrouded　in　mystery；　not　to　be　constantly　pictured　anew。　No　wonder　that　the　consideration　at　that　country　toward　which　mankind　is　ever　being　hastened　should　prove　as　absorbing　to　fancy　as　contemplated　earthly　journeys　proverbially　are。　　Few　people　but　have　laid　out　skeleton　tours　through　its　ideal　regions；　and　perhaps；　as　in　the　mapping　beforehand　of　merely　mundane　travels；　one　element　of　attraction　has　always　consisted　in　the　possible　revision　of　one's　routes。

Besides；　there　is　a　fascination　about　the　foreign　merely　because　it　is　such。　　Distance　lends　enchantment　to　the　views　of　others；　and　never　more　so　than　when　those　views　are　religious　visions。　An　enthusiast　has　certainly　a　greater　chance　of　being　taken　for　a　god　among　a　people　who　do　not　know　him　intimately　as　a　man。　　So　with　his　doctrines。　　The　imported　is　apt　to　seem　more　important　than　the　home…made；　as　the　far…off　bewitches　more　easily　than　the　near。　　But　just　as　castles　in　the　air　do　not　commonly　become　the　property　of　their　builders；　so　mansions　in　the　skies　almost　as　frequently　have　failed　of　direct　inheritance。　　Rather　strikingly　has　this　proved　the　case　with　what　are　to…day　the　two　most　powerful　religions　of　the　world；Buddhism　and　Christianity。　　Neither　is　now　the　belief　of　its　founder's　people。　　What　was　Aryan…born　has　become　Turanian…bred；　and　what　was　Semitic　by　conception　is　at　present　Aryan　by　adoption。　The　possibilities　of　another's　hereafter　look　so　much　rosier　than　the　limitations　of　one's　own　present！

Few　pastimes　are　more　delightful　than　tossing　pebbles　into　some　still；　dark　pool；　and　watching　the　ripples　that　rise　responsive；　as　they　run　in　ever　widening　circles　to　the　shore。　　Most　of　us　have　felt　its　fascination　second　only　to　that　of　the　dotted　spiral　of　the　skipping…stone；　a　fascination　not　outgrown　with　years。　　There　is　something　singularly　attractive　in　the　subtle　force　that　for　a　moment　sways　each　particle　only　to　pass　on　to　the　next；　a　motion　mysterious　in　its　immateriality。　　Some　such　pleasure　must　be　theirs　who　have　thrown　their　thoughts　into　the　hearts　of　men；　and　seen　them　spread　in　waves　of　feeling；　whose　sphere　time　widens　through　the　world。　　For　like　the　mobile　water　is　the　mind　of　man；quick　to　catch　emotions；　quick　to　transmit　them。　　Of　all　waves　of　feeling；　this　is　not　the　least　true　of　religious　ones；　that；　starting　from　their　birthplace；　pass　out　to　stir　others；　who　have　but　humanity　in　common　with　those　who　professed　them　first。　　Like　the　ripples　in　the　pool；　they　leave　their　initial　converts　to　sink　back　again　into　comparative　quiescence；　as　they　advance　to　throw　into　sudden　tremors　hordes　of　outer　barbarians。　　In　both　of　the　great　religions　in　question　this　wave　propagation　has　been　most　marked；　only　the　direction　it　took　differed。　　Christianity　went　westward；　Buddhism　travelled　east。　　Proselytes　in　Asia　Minor；　Greece；　and　Italy　find　counterparts　in　Eastern　India；　Burmah；　and　Thibet。　　Eventually　the　taught　surpassed　their　teachers　both　in　zeal　and　numbers。　　Jerusalem　and　Benares　at　last　gave　place　to　Rome　and　Lassa　as　sacerdotal　centres。　　Still　the　movement　journeyed　on。　　Popes　and　Lhamas　remained　where　their　predecessors　had　founded　sees；　but　the　tide　of　belief　surged　past　them　in　its　irresistible　advance。　　Farther　yet　from　where　each　faith　began　are　to　be　found　to…day　the　greater　part　of　its　adherents。　　The　home　that　the　Western　hemisphere　seems　to　promise　to　the　one；　the　extreme　Orient　affords　the　other。　　As　Roman　Catholicism　now　looks　to　America　for　its　strength；　so　Buddhism　to…day　finds　its　worshippers　chiefly　in　China　and　Japan。

But　though　the　Japanese　may　be　said　to　be　all　Buddhists；　Buddhist　is　by　no　means　all　that　they　are。　　At　the　time　of　their　adoption　of　the　great　Indian　faith；　the　Japanese　were　already　in　possession　of　a　system　of　superstition　which　has　held　its　own　to　this　day。　　In　fact；　as　the　state　religion　of　the　land；　it　has　just　experienced　a　revival；　a　regalvanizing　of　its　old…time　energy；　at　the　hands　of　some　of　the　native　archaeologists。　　Its　sacred　mirror；　held　up　to　Nature；　has　been　burnished　anew。　　Formerly　this　body　of　belief　was　the　national　faith；　the　Mikado；　the　direct　descendant　of　the　early　gods；　being　its　head　on　earth。　　His　reinstatement　to　temporal　power　formed　a　very　fitting　first　step　toward　reinvesting　the　cult　with　its　former　prestige；　a　curious　instance；　indeed；　of　a　religious　revival　due　to　archaeological；　not　to　religious　zeal。

This　cult　is　the　mythological　inheritance　of　the　whole　eastern　seaboard　of　Asia；　from　Siam　to　Kamtchatka。　　In　Japan　it　is　called　Shintoism。　　The　word　〃Shinto〃　means　literally　〃the　way　of　the　gods；〃　and　the　letter　of　its　name　is　a　true　exponent　of　the　spirit　of　the　belief。　　For　its　scriptures　are　rather　an　itinerary　of　the　gods'　lives　than　a　guide　to　that　road　by　which　man　himself　may　attain　to　immortality。　　Thus　with　a　certain　fitness　pilgrimages　are　its　most　noticeable　rites。　　One　cannot　journey　anywhere　in　the　heart　of　Japan　without　meeting　multitudes　of　these　pilgrims；　with　their　neat　white　leggings　and　their　mushroom…like　hats；　nor　rest　at　night　at　any　inn　that　is　not　hung　with　countless　little　banners　of　the　pilgrim　associations；　of　which　they　all　are　members。　　Being　a　pilgrim　there　is　equivalent　to　being　a　tourist　here；　only　that　to　the　excitement　of　doing　the　country　is　added　a　sustaining　sense　of　the　meritoriousness　of　the　deed。　　Oftener　than　not　the　objective　point　of　the　devout　is　the　summit　of　some　noted　mountain。　　For　peaks　are　peculiarly　sacred　spots　in　the　Shinto　faith。　　The　fact　is　perhaps　an　expression　of　man's　instincti