GREATNESS OF CHINA

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20522, 11 June 1938, Page 9

GREATNESS OF CHINA

RELIGIONS OF THE PEOPLE MANY FAMOUB TEACHERS EFFECT OF CHRISTIANITY [Tixe following* is the fifth or a •enes ot articies wraiea lor me Waikato Tlines toy captain h. Rub* •fta, of Hamilton, wuu nas recently retumea ai k ei sueuu.ua a..v \eaia m China.—Copy rigtu.^ The Chinese has had manv teachers, In the long historv oi the world half-a-score of names leap out as those of the uiu»ler» oi men in religione. Uut oi that hltle handlul he claims two as Ins own, a third as his by whole-hearted adopt.on. The vast mass of Chinese are at once Confucianism Taoist and Buddhist. Confucius has had more to do with the shaping of Chinese character than either of the other religious teachers. Doubtless it is due to his confessed desire to Introduce nothing new, but rather to take for his Ideal the best features of Chinese life in the golden ages of the past. Moreover, he remained content with rules of conduct. He was himself a typical scholar and official. His guiding star Is "propriety.” The supreme object of his teaching is to tell a man what is correct In one's relationships with those in authority, with one s father, brother, friend, and wife. There are no puzzling doctrines to understand. no gods to love or fear. Confucius refused to speculate about the existence of the soul or of spirits, though he cautiously advised inquirers to act as though spirits were present—and so run no risks! To the old name “Shang Ti” (Supreme Ruler; used to indicate the Great Unknown, he preferred “Tien" (Heaven). So now the Chinese speaks of worshipping, not God, but Heaven and Earth." The classics in which he enshrined his teaching are honourably distinguished among non-Christian religious books by their moral purity and practical bearing. If they are lacking In fervour and inspiration- Every word of them can be taught to the schoolboy. They have been his text-book. Scholarship in the old days consisted solely in proficiency there in and in ability to write essays or compose verses on a similar model. Lao Tezu

Yet the heart of China has always craved something more. Lao Tszu, who lived a few years before Confucius in the sixth century B.C. (the two probably met), tried to penetrade deeply Into the secret of life. He sought a “way” which was hidden from the eyes of all but the philosopher and the mystic. His little book tells of that which is both a manner of life and the essence of existence Unlike Confucius he lays down no law and the essence of existence. Unlike Confucius he lays down no law, but only emphasises the hidden powers, which make all things what they are. Confucius supplies you with a maxim for every conceivable occasion in life. Lao Eszu leaves you vaguely wondering what life itself can be. Confucius gave China a remarkable code of morals, but it has tended to produce the ceremonialism, the dislike of change, the contentment with things seen, the self-suffi-ciency and lack of spiritual sensitiveness that so often characterises the Chinese. Lao Tszu's great effort to emphasise the supernatural brought in the train of Its failure the whole host of superstitions which contrast so strangely, sometimes so ludicrously. with the matter-of-fact teachings of Confucius. The philosophical aspect of Taoism still appeals to some men In China, but for the majority the Taoist element In religion is concerned more with charms, spells, the propitiation of evil spirits, rewards and punishments. The common people seek advice as to the propitious day for a wedding, a funeral, a Journey or even a crime. The average Chinese prefers to keep the dead body of a relative above the ground for weeks, or even months, rather than inter it before the Taoist priest has indicated the lucky spot. Greed of gold could not induce Chinese to mine for coal, or iron, or surrender land for the construction of a railway, if thereby the earthdragon would be disturbed or the favourite resort of dreaded spirits Invaded. Roofs, walls, towers, and gate-ways In a Chinese city are arranged with an Irregularity designed to obstruct the course of spirits of the air and so prevent their evil activities from bringing harm upon the place- Lack of drainage and uncleanly habits could have no such relation to pestilence, for the Chinese mind, as the unreason'nc and malicious spite of mischievous spirits.

Gautama Buddha We cannot wonder that when the emperor Ming-tl. In response to a mysterious vision, sent emissaries to the West in A.D. Si that they might enquire about religious matters, their return from India with a Buddhist priest, a statue of the Buddha, and a Buddhist sacred book, was welcomed. Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was the son of the king in a petty Indian state, and was horn during the seventh century. B.C. He surrendered all that most men hold dear In order to seek a rem*»*!v for the pain and sorrow of which he found the world to he full. After long pilgrimage and much meditation, he received “enlightenment." He taught that the onb refuge from sorrow* was to rid oneself of nit desire, which meant escape from life into “Nirvana." a state comparable only to a "dreamless sleep.” This, however. eould bo attained onlv after passing through manv lives the number of wh : rh would be shortened or lengthened :»e----cording as each ..as »rw.-|| or HI. Gentleness, self-sscrlflce. the withdrawal from life and the ultimate loss of all consciousness in \"rv .n V did not appeal to the prn-t‘cn! riif n e«» as much as to the mor** • <*d h-itive Indian rnind. Rut the Rud lh.i gave China some clear thought of a world beyond. With both a Ifeavsn and a He’ll. His teaching stimulated meditation and prayer. Though the Buddha himself said nothing of a personal God. the later developments of Buddhism in India gave to China the Goddess of Mercy—the favourite deity who is also known as Goddess of Motherhood The orders of monks and nuns, with the impressive ritual of the temple services, influenced Chinese religious- life widely and deeply- Buddhism seemed supply in some measure the warmth, col-

our and power of evoking religious whi . mism and Taoism lacked. Superstition and Idol-Worship Buddhism. however, was only nfucian stem, as Taoism had been. Strangely enough, I Ta Bn d< g< ne*.t - d rapidly and completely. Both fostered endless superstition and sclfany true answer to the great questions about God, the soul, and immortality which Botli afforded excuse for tlie introduction oi creation of gods innumerable. So China became tlie home of countless idols. Though early Confucianism did not tolerate any imaga of "Tien," t C nfu :ius himself, or of the ancestors, Buddhism and Taoism vied In crowding the temples with tlie repreesntations of deified men. with clay images to act as the dwelling-places of spirits and conceivable kindi and with monks, priests, and fortunetellers whose ignorance and laziness ore equalled only by their rapacity and cunning. By a strange instinct the Chinese, while losing respect for gods, priests, and services, have yet clung to the practice of religion, howover degraded, superstitious, or perfunctory. The Confucian teachings concerning conduct and the nobler elements in an-cestor-worship and nature-worship have kept the national character from the corruption which the baser forms of Taoist and Buddhist superstition would otherwise have brought about. Except at festival time, temples are often almost deserted of worshippers. their courts left, in most cases, to dirt and desolation, or put to more practical purposes. Yet still the heart of the people cries out for the unseen. The sacred mountains are thronged by those who have gone on pilgrimage "seeking happiness.” Confucius has been elevated to the rank of a god, to be worshipped as Christians worship Jesus. Practically, with the exception of certain elements in Confucianism (which can scarcely be called a religion so much as a system of rules for conduct) the religions of the Chinese have failed them. China has long suffered from the fact. The significant feature of the present situation in China is that the people are awakening to it, though slowly. Buddhism In Decay

In the north of the city of Peking is the great Lama Temple sacred to Buddhism. Its priests are Thibetan “lamas,” who in the past have had great influence over the court. One wanders through courtyard after courtyard surrounded by low-roofed temple buildings, beautiful in their hoary age. In the dm gloom of these temples are thousands of idols, once resplendent with gold-leaf and paint. About them are tapestried hangings; incense and candles burn on the altars. There are signs of great wealth in former times. But the impression at present is one of decay and desertion. The buildings are dingy, the idols dusty, the hangings torn. No worshippers are to j be seen save an occasional priest, f while most of the priests in sight are ; engaged in the hy-no-means religious task of trying to wheedle or force money from the curious visitor from übroad. One leaves the great temple feeling that there no true religion is j to he found, and not sorry, if this truly represents Chinese Buddhism, ! that’it has lost its hold on the people. All over China the new life is undermining the old religion. The priests are degraded and despised. Thinking men have lost their faith in idols: only in times of trouble, such as sickness or death, or when some favour is being sought from the gods, are the idols appealed to. A man embarking on a new business venture, a woman praying for a child, a traveller going to a far country, a thief planning some robbery, a harlot asking for success in her trade —these may come to petition the god. Of true worship, savo in a few minor sects, such as the Vegetarians, there is no trace. Small wonder then that many of the temples are deserted, many more turned into schools, public offices, or police stations, while the idols have been huddled into corners or e\on broken to pieces and thrown into the rivers. In some parts of ttie country an attempt is being made to revive pure Buddhism. Time alone will show if it can be even temporarily successful. Near the Lama Temple is the Confucian Temple. Here the buildings are exquisitely graceful, and set among wonderful old trees. There is a peace and an age-old stillness here, untroubled by importunate priests, for Confucianism has no priesthood. In the gloom of the central building one finds with relief only a simple glided tablet with the name of Confucius upon it. before which, every year, the i Confucian scholars render homage, a ceremony regarded as of the greatest | Importance. There are no images, j only a name! Here seems to be an ; approximation to the "religion in , spirit and in truth.” Yet we remember that reverence to this great man has been turned to worship of him, although he would himself have been the first to protest against this transfer to a man of the reverence and awe he felt for Heaven alone. Confucius was figie of the world s greatest men. a reformer, a philosoj pher. the giver of the moral system, that has preserved China. But he practically left God out of his systorn. The "Five Relations” say nothing of that which alone gives real .. . mfng to the others —the relation of men. Individually and socially, to Cod. It is simply because of the failure of the religions of Buddhism and Taoism that modern China has turned its great philosopher and sage into a godThe Temple of Heaven Come to one more place, the most sacred in China. Down the Emperor's avenue from the Palace, hidden in a meat park, lies the Temple of Heaven. Here is a magnificent white marble altar, open to the sky. Near it is t|,,. covered Temple, an exquisite circular building, with roof of sky-blue titles*. Three times a year the Emworship. The g niglit 1 spent in the Hall ..i i.!•• msirg. a perfectly empty room, wl l *.,*•■ by meditation he cleansed his >n\ of the moriw\\ At sunrise he stood on the ,ltar among the trees. and in the name „■ t,is people offered sacrifice to Heaven above. This was the most s; ritual form of worship in Ctiina, ind this is ne of the places where Cod seems very near. Y.*t alas! this worship of Heaven i by custom to the Emperor. and his 'subjects were forced to turn to other gods. I'nder the Republic, even this last vestige of the worship of one God lapsed, though now it has been resumed by the President. The grounds were used in the winter of 1933 for a great fair,

and from the marble steps of the Altar of Heaven cigarette vendors plied their trade. Even the outward symbols of religion are losing their place in China’s everyday life. And beyond? It is lace to face with death that the immense difference between Christianity and non-Christianity appears. The Chinese believe in a future existence, but it is a shadowy, ghostly life with no joys. Death is the end of all that is worth while. Afterwards the spirit is entirely dependent upon the kindly remembrance and offerings of his children and descendants for all it needs of money, foqd, and comforts in the other world.

At death the priests, who are despised at other times, are engaged to perform for many days strange and noisy rites. Crowds gather, friends and relatives come from near

and far, feasts must be provided for all, including the hired mourners. There is talking and laughter, hanging of cymbals by the priests and the drone of their cnant, and perhaps the shrill lament of the dead man's widow or mother. Amid the noise and confusion lies the great black coffin, waiting for the day when it is carried out for burial. On the day set the procession winds slowly out of the city to the burying-grounds that stretch far and wide around every Chinese city, hiding the dead of centur.es. A new grave has been opened; one more tenant comes to claim the hospitality of "the beautiful city.’’ a* it is pathetically called; one less toiler struggles in the rushing town. There is no thought for a loving Father to comfort the mourning, no hope of other mansions and a glad reunion. Over every Chinese grave may be written the words THE END, and there is no sequel to follow.

Appeal of Christianity Many of these forces that make the Chinese what he is render it difficult for him to understand the Gospel. His belief in countless spirits and demons makes it far from easy to grasp the idea of one Supreme Power, Who is good; the insistence on the family as the unit of life is opposed to the Christian idea of individual responsibility; ancestor worship as the centre of his life is an almost insuperable barrier to the worship of one God alone; emphasis on appearance rather than on reality in social conventions militates against any sense of sin; and his belief in the glorious past of his race blinds him to the value of the new "foreign” religion.