the soul of the far east-第32章

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　lapping　of　its　waters　proved　a　nation's　lullaby。

One　thing；　I　think；　then；　our　glance　at　Far　Eastern　civilization　has　more　than　suggested。　　The　soul；　in　its　progress　through　the　world；　tends　inevitably　to　individualization。　　Yet　the　more　we　perceive　of　the　cosmos　the　more　do　we　recognize　an　all…pervading　unity　in　it。　Its　soul　must　be　one；　not　many。　　The　divine　power　that　made　all　things　is　not　itself　multifold。　　How　to　reconcile　the　ever…increasing　divergence　with　an　eventual　similarity　is　a　problem　at　present　transcending　our　generalizations。　　What　we　know　would　seem　to　be　opposed　to　what　we　must　infer。　　But　perception　of　how　we　shall　merge　the　personal　in　the　universal；　though　at　present　hidden　from　sight；　may　sometime　come　to　us；　and　the　seemingly　irreconcilable　will　then　turn　out　to　involve　no　contradiction　at　all。　For　this　much　is　certain：　grand　as　is　the　great　conception　of　Buddhism；　majestic　as　is　the　idea　of　the　stately　rest　it　would　lead　us　to；　the　road　here　below　is　not　one　the　life　of　the　world　can　follow。　　If　earthly　existence　be　an　evil；　then　Buddhism　will　help　us　ignore　it；　but　if　by　an　impulse　we　cannot　explain　we　instinctively　crave　activity　of　mind；　then　the　great　gospel　of　Gautama　touches　us　not；　for　to　abandon　selfegoism；　that　is；　not　selfishness　is　the　true　vacuum　which　nature　abhors。　　As　for　Far　Orientals；　they　themselves　furnish　proof　against　themselves。　　That　impersonality　is　not　man's　earthly　goal　they　unwittingly　bear　witness；　for　they　are　not　of　those　who　will　survive。　　Artistic　attractive　people　that　they　are；　their　civilization　is　like　their　own　tree　flowers；　beautiful　blossoms　destined　never　to　bear　fruit；　for　whatever　we　may　conceive　the　far　future　of　another　life　to　be；　the　immediate　effect　of　impersonality　cannot　but　be　annihilating。　　If　these　people　continue　in　their　old　course；　their　earthly　career　is　closed。　　Just　as　surely　as　morning　passes　into　afternoon；　so　surely　are　these　races　of　the　Far　East；　if　unchanged；　destined　to　disappear　before　the　advancing　nations　of　the　West。　　Vanish　they　will　off　the　face　of　the　earth　and　leave　our　planet　the　eventual　possession　of　the　dwellers　where　the　day　declines。　　Unless　their　newly　imported　ideas　really　take　root；　it　is　from　this　whole　world　that　Japanese　and　Koreans；　as　well　as　Chinese；　will　inevitably　be　excluded。　　Their　Nirvana　is　already　being　realized；　already　it　has　wrapped　Far　Eastern　Asia　in　its　winding…sheet；　the　shroud　of　those　whose　day　was　but　a　dawn；　as　if　in　prophetic　keeping　with　the　names　they　gave　their　homes；the　Land　of　the　Day's　Beginning；　and　the　Land　of　the　Morning　Calm。





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