Olcott H.S. - A United Buddhist World

I have the pleasure of being able to offer to the public a platform of belief which has been officially accepted by the religious leaders of Buddhism in Burmah, Ceylon, Japan and the Chittagong country. In other words, I have been able, for the first time in history, so far as known, to secure the adhesion of both the Northern and Southern Buddhistic Schools to a common declaration of religious agreement as to certain fundamental principles. It is true that between what the Chinese and Japanese call Mahâyâna (The Greater Vehicle) and Hînayâna (The Lesser Vehicle) – distinctions repudiated by Southern Buddhists – there are immense differences. The Northern Buddhism of some of the sects is probably the teaching of Sâkya Muni plus metaphysical efflorescences, and Southern Buddhism is more or less tainted with nature-worship and a cult of elementals. That is nothing to me; I did not set myself to finding out the points of dispute, but the points of agreement. What I thought the Western world, at least, would profit by was a very plain and succinct compilation of a certain number of general principles of belief universally recognised by the entire Buddhist world. This would give students of comparative religion an easy key to the intricacies of the voluminous literature of that cult. I had successfully (as time has proved) done this much for Southern Buddhism in compiling the Buddhist Catechism: I had only to extend the system to accomplish the more important task. Personally visiting Mandalay, Ceylon and Kioto, discussing with the most influential High Priests, answering their objections, and appealing to their brotherly feelings, I succeeded, and the Fourteen Articles which are now officially published are the result.

Everybody at all conversant with Burmese and Sinhalese Buddhism will see at a glance that the signatures appended are those of the priests who hold the highest rank and wield the greatest influence. Out of the eight Buddhist sects of Japan the only one whose adhesion I did not secure is the Shin-shu. It was not that they denied any one of my fourteen propositions, they recognized them all as Buddhism, but they think these represent so very small a proportion of the whole body of Mahâyâna, that they did not care to have this platform put forth in so fragmentary a state. I should easily have overcome this objection but for two things – (a) I had only eight days to spend at Kioto, and (b) the awful earthquake occurred on the morning of the very day of my arrival from San Francisco viâ Honolulu. I came at an hour of national agony, when 80,000 houses and hundreds of temples had been destroyed, and most of the leading priests had flocked to the scene of disaster. It is to me the greatest of wonders that I accomplished what I did under the circumstances.

We have here only the beginning of a grand movement towards a complete brotherly understanding within the Buddhist Church. Siam and Cambodia, of the Southern Division, have still to concur, and China, Tibet and Corea, of the Northern. It is only a question of time, trouble and expense. The Fourteen Articles will be accepted by them as readily as they have been by the other Buddhist nations, for they are undeniably orthodox Buddhism. 505

And now, my self-imposed task being done and the document launched upon the tossing sea of modern thought, I may retire and leave the theologian, the scientist, and the philosopher to criticize as they will.

It is interesting to note that with slight changes of names, this platform may be styled as well a synthesis of certain fundamental Hindu beliefs.

What I have done has been done in the interest of Universal Brotherhood and to help to realize the first of the three declared objects of the Theosophical Society.

H. S. Olcott, P.T.S.

Footnotes