the soul of the far east-第24章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


e　peculiarly　sacred　spots　in　the　Shinto　faith。　　The　fact　is　perhaps　an　expression　of　man's　instinctive　desire　to　rise；　as　if　the　bodily　act　in　some　wise　betokened　the　mental　action。　　The　shrine　in　so　exalted　a　position　is　of　the　simplest：　a　rude　hut；　with　or　without　the　only　distinctive　emblems　of　the　cult；　a　mirror　typical　of　the　god　and　the　pendent　gohei；　or　zigzag　strips　of　paper；　permanent　votive　offerings　of　man。　　As　for　the　belief　itself；　it　is　but　the　deification　of　those　natural　elements　which　aboriginal　man　instinctively　wonders　at　or　fears；　the　sun；　the　moon；　the　thunder；　the　lightning；　and　the　wind；　all；　in　short；　that　he　sees；　hears；　and　feels；　yet　cannot　comprehend。　　He　clothes　his　terrors　with　forms　which　resemble　the　human；　because　he　can　conceive　of　nothing　else　that　could　cause　the　unexpected。　　But　the　awful　shapes　he　conjures　up　have　naught　in　common　with　himself。　　They　are　far　too　fearful　to　be　followed。　　Their　way　is　the　〃highway　of　the　gods；〃　but　no　Jacob's　ladder　for　wayward　man。

In　this　externality　to　the　human　lies　the　reason　that　Shintoism　and　Buddhism　can　agree　so　well；　and　can　both　join　with　Confucianism　in　helping　to　form　that　happy　family　of　faith　which　is　so　singular　a　feature　of　Far　Eastern　religious　capability。　　It　is　not　simply　that　the　two　contrive　to　live　peaceably　together；　they　are　actually　both　of　them　implicitly　believed　by　the　same　individual。　　Millions　of　Japanese　are　good　Buddhists　and　good　Shintoists　at　the　same　time。　That　such　a　combination　should　be　possible　is　due　to　the　essential　difference　in　the　character　of　the　two　beliefs。　　The　one　is　extrinsic；　the　other　intrinsic；　in　its　relations　to　the　human　soul。　Shintoism　tells　man　but　little　about　himself　and　his　hereafter；　Buddhism；　little　but　about　himself　and　what　he　may　become。　　In　examining　Far　Eastern　religion；　therefore；　for　personality；　or　the　reverse；　we　may　dismiss　Shintoism　as　having　no　particular　bearing　upon　the　subject。　　The　only　effect　it　has　is　indirect　in　furthering　the　natural　propensity　of　these　people　to　an　adoration　of　nature。

In　Korea　and　in　China；　again；　Confucianism　is　the　great　moral　law；　as　by　reflection　it　is　to　a　certain　extent　in　Japan。　　But　that　in　its　turn　may　be　omitted　in　the　present　argument；　inasmuch　as　Confucius　taught　confessedly　and　designedly　only　a　system　of　morals；　and　religiously　abstained　from　pronouncing　any　opinion　whatever　upon　the　character　or　the　career　of　the　human　soul。

Taouism；　the　third　great　religion　of　China；　resembles　Shintoism　to　this　extent；　that　it　is　a　body　of　superstition；　and　not　a　form　of　philosophy。　　It　undertakes　to　provide　nostrums　for　spiritual　ills；　but　is　dumb　as　to　the　constitution　of　the　soul　for　which　it　professes　to　prescribe。　　Its　pills　are　to　be　swallowed　unquestioningly　by　the　patient；　and　are　warranted　to　cure；　and　owing　to　the　two　great　human　frailties；　fear　and　credulity；　its　practice　is　very　large。　　Possessing；　however；　no　philosophic　diploma；　it　is　without　the　pale　of　the　present　discussion。

The　demon…worship　of　Korea　is　a　mild　form　of　the　same　thing　with　the　hierarchy　left　out；　every　man　there　being　his　own　spiritual　adviser。　An　ordinary　Korean　is　born　with　an　innate　belief　in　malevolent　spirits；　whom　he　accordingly　propitiates　from　time　to　time。　　One　of　nobler　birth　propitiates　only　the　spirits　of　his　own　ancestors。

We　come；　then；　by　a　process　of　elimination　to　a　consideration　of　Buddhism；　the　great　philosophic　faith　of　the　whole　Far　East。

Not　uncommonly　in　the　courtyard　of　a　Japanese　temple；　in　the　solemn　half…light　of　the　sombre　firs；　there　stands　a　large　stone　basin；　cut　from　a　single　block；　and　filled　to　the　brim　with　water。　　The　trees；　the　basin；　and　a　few　stone　lanternsso　called　from　their　form；　and　not　their　function；　for　they　have　votive　pebbles　where　we　should　look　for　wicksare　the　sole　occupants　of　the　place。　　Sheltered　from　the　wind；　withdrawn　from　sound；　and　only　piously　approached　by　man；　this　antechamber　of　the　god　seems　the　very　abode　of　silence　and　rest。　It　might　be　Nirvana　itself；　human　entrance　to　an　immortality　like　the　god's　within；　so　peaceful；　so　pervasive　is　its　calm；　and　in　its　midst　is　the　moss…covered　monolith；　holding　in　its　embrace　the　little　imprisoned　pool　of　water。　　So　still　is　the　spot　and　so　clear　the　liquid　that　you　know　the　one　only　as　the　reflection　of　the　other。　Mirrored　in　its　glassy　surface　appears　everything　around　it。　As　you　peer　in；　far　down　you　see　a　tiny　bit　of　sky；　as　deep　as　the　blue　is　high　above；　across　which　slowly　sail　the　passing　clouds；　then　nearer　stand　the　trees；　arching　overhead；　as　if　bending　to　catch　glimpses　of　themselves　in　that　other　world　below；　and　then；　nearer　yetyourself。

Emblem　of　the　spirit　of　man　is　this　little　pool　to　Far　Oriental　eyes。　Subtile　as　the　soul　is　the　incomprehensible　water；　so　responsive　to　light　that　it　remains　itself　invisible；　so　clear　that　it　seems　illusion！　　Though　portrayer　so　perfect　of　forms　about　it；　all　we　know　of　the　thing　itself　is　that　it　is。　　Through　none　of　the　five　senses　do　we　perceive　it。　　Neither　sight；　nor　hearing；　nor　taste；　nor　smell；　nor　touch　can　tell　us　it　exists；　we　feel　it　to　be　by　the　muscular　sense　alone；　that　blind　and　dumb　analogue　for　the　body　of　what　consciousness　is　for　the　soul。　　Only　when　disturbed；　troubled；　does　the　water　itself　become　visible；　and　then　it　is　but　the　surface　that　we　see。　　So　to　the　Far　Oriental　this　still　little　lake　typifies　the　soul；　the　eventual　purification　of　his　own；　a　something　lost　in　reflection；　self…effaced；　only　the　alter　ego　of　the　outer　world。

For　contemplation；　not　action；　is　the　Far　Oriental's　ideal　of　life。　The　repose　of　self…adjustment　like　that　to　which　our　whole　solar　system　is　slowly　tending　as　its　death；this　to　him　appears；　though　from　no　scientific　deduction；　the　end　of　all　existence。　　So　he　sits　and　ponders；　abstractly；　vaguely；　upon　everything　in　general；　synonym；　alas；　to　man's　finite　mind；　for　nothing　in　particular；　till　even　the　sense　of　self　seems　to　vanish；　and　through　the　mist…like　portal　of　unconsciousness　he　floats　out　into　the　vast　indistinguishable　sameness　of　Nirvana's　sea。

At　first　sight　Buddhism　is　much　more　like　Christianity　than　those　of　us　who　stay　at　home　and　speculate　upon　it　commonly　appreciate。　　As　a　system　of　philosophy　it　sounds　exceedingly　foreign；　but　it　looks　unexpectedly　familiar　as　a　faith。　　Indeed；　the　one　religion　might　well　pass　for　the　counterfeit　presentment　of　the　other。　　The　resemblance　so　struck　the　early　Catholic　missionaries　that　they　felt　obliged　to　explain　the　remarkable　similarity　between　the　two。　With　them　ingenuous　surprise　instantly　begot　ingenious　sophistry。　Externally；　the　likeness　was　so　exact　that　at　first　they　could　not　bring　themselves　to　believe　that　the　Buddhist　ceremonials　had　not　been　filched　bodily　from　the　practices　of　the　true　faith。　　Finding；　however；　that　no　known　human　agency　had　acted　in　the　matter；　they　bethought　them　of　introducing；　to　account　for　things；　a　deus　ex　machina　in　the　shape　of　the　devil。　　They　were　so　pleased　with　this　solution　of　the　difficulty　that　they　imparted　it　at　once　with　much　pride　to　the　natives。　　You　have　indeed　got；　they　graciously　if　somewhat　gratuitously　informed　them；　the　outward　semblance　of　the　true　faith；　but　you　are　in　fact　the　miserable　victims　of　an　impious　fraud。　　Satan　has　stolen　the　insignia　of　divinity；　and　is　now　masquerading　before　you　as　the　deity；　your　god　is　really　our　devil；　a　recognition　of　antipodal　inversion　truly　worthy　the　Jesuitical　mind！

Perhaps　it　is　not　matter　for　great　surprise　that　they　converted　but　few　of　their　hearers。　　The　suggestion　was　hardly　so　diplomatic　as　might　have　been　expected　from　so　generally　astute　a　body；　for　it　could　not　make　much　difference　what　the　all…presiding　deity　was　called；　if　his　actions　were　the　same；　since　his　motives　were　beyond　human　observation。　　Besides；　the　bare　idea　of　a　foreign　bogus　was　not　very　terrifying。　　The　Chinese　possessed　too　many　familiar　devils　of　their　own。　　But　there　was　another　and　a　much　deeper　reason；　which　we　shall　come　to　later；　why　Christianity　made　but　little　headway　in　the　Far　East。

But　it　is　by　no　means　in　externals　only　that　the　two　religions　are　alike。　　If　the　first　glance　at　them　awakens　that　peculiar