There are three possible ways of solving our problems. The first is direct attack which seems to be the best way to meet them. Most people who succeeded in their undertakings chose this way. This type of man is willing to confront and attack the problem with his own courage and might, and never regret his decisions and actions. A typical example of this type of man is found in the attitude of Musashi Miyamoto, a classical Japanese swordsman. He said, "Under the sword lifted high, there is a hell making me tremble; but attack and attack, and I have the land of bliss." His greatness as a knight is not attributed to his fine skill but to his spirit which made his challengers realize that they were more inferior in skills and motives than he.
However, the majority of us cannot simply, or always follow this way. Therefore, in the second place, a detour is provided for the less strong people. Instead of choosing the way of direct attack, we solve the problem indirectly by adopting a substitute feeling and deed and actively achieve the desired end. William James, an American philosopher, once said, "To feel brave, act as if we were brave, use all of our will to the end, and a courage fit will very likely replace the fit of fear." This detour way certainly helps those who need strength and courage in order to achieve their desired end.
The third method of solving our problems is the way of totally abandoning our efforts. When we are too weak and fail to attack our problems, because of our failure, we are thrown into despair and regret. We are often helpless and blocked in our efforts to solve the problems. In this case, we sometimes react by simply giving up and withdrawing from situations confronting us and escape into the world of day dreaming. We explain our weakness and failure by giving excuses that may be socially acceptable, but there is, in reality, an attempt to hide even from ourselves the true reason for failure. If we have someone whom we can fully trust and rely upon, we can restore our confidence and courage by overcoming feelings of inferiority which may have resulted from failure in the pursuit of solving our problems. Henry Ford once said, "When I cannot handle events, I let them handle themselves." He gives up his hope and effort when he realizes that he has no way of solving the problems. Many people have solved seemingly difficult problems when they gave up their self centered efforts and simply looked upon someone's advice and suggestions. Whosoever he may be, Buddha, God, teachers or friends, the way of self abandonment saves us from the depression of our miserable self.
It is said that there are three kinds of flowers in a pond of lotus, and so in the world there are three kinds of people. Some, rising above the level of the waters or of mankind, have come into blossom; some are already near the light and have only a last effort to make; and some are too deeply sunk in the original mud to come up into daylight. Out of compassion the Buddha preached his teaching of salvation and tried to rescue all of them regardless of their circumstances and capacities. He recommended the way of direct attack for the strong, the way of detour for the less strong, and the way of total abandonment of selfish effort for the weak. It was the Buddha's greatness that he never abandoned rescuing the strong as well as the helpless people, but he extended his helping hands whenever necessity arose.
Buddhism has provided these three ways of solving the problems which are always confronting us. The first way of direct attack can be mainly characterized in the attitude of Zen and Nichiren followers, the second way of compensation found in the attitude of Tendai and Shingon followers, and the third way of self-abandonment is in the attitude of the Pure Land followers. These different types of Buddhism have met the needs of different types of men who seek to solve their own life problems. Whichever we may follow, there is always a common ground on which we stand, namely, the Oneness of Life.
In this way, Buddhism has served its original purpose by introducing many different aspects of its tradition, and people living within it solved their life problems in different ways. Although there exist some discrepancies and misleading elements in the methods adopted to introduce it, Buddhism is not a passive, pessimistic or exotic religion which has in its character feudalistic, magical and mystical elements, but is a part of our heritage brought from the East. It has no connection with the artificial notions of correctness or superiority. It is descriptive and not prescriptive about our life problems. It is practical and peaceful, and is always related to us, our nature, and the dynamics of our development. This I could not possibly find in any other religion. In this sense, I believe that Buddhism will play an important role in the making of more spiritually enriched men if we truly seek the Oneness of all Life in our divided and troubled world.
Chapter 3
Buddhism and Other Religions
Religion is the most important and yet the most neglected thing for people in this contemporary world. Is it not necessary for us any more as a guiding principle for the enrichment of our lives, just like fame, power or wealth? If so, the study and practice of any religion are utter nonsense, and the comparative study of religion is out of the question. Although we can admit that in the past many a bloody strife had occurred in the name of religion, it is an undeniable fact that religion has played an important role in providing the inner security and relief among the people who were molded according to its discipline. Particularly in this divided and troubled world, many people are yearning for the rise of a new spiritual civilization which is trustworthy and applicable to the modern mind. I wonder whether the existing religions will play the same role as in the past to meet the demands of those people. We need to have a unified guiding principle under which each religion has its own place, and where we can find peace and freedom.
There are many religions, institutionalized or not, in the world, and those who believe in them take for granted that their way is eventually bound to win the allegiance of the whole human race. They claim that their way of life is the most desirable and the ultimate one for all to follow, and there seems to be no finality in agreement because of their character of exclusiveness to each other. Here lies tension, conflict, dispute and war. I believe that the truth is one, but modes of its expression are never the same. Therefore, each religion is just like the instrument in an orchestra. The concert cannot go on without the different instruments; no instrument can contribute to the harmony of the whole without regard for the general theme. A noted Japanese Christian Kanzo Uchimura once said, "If all trees would become cherry trees, all birds peacocks, and all people believing the same as I have believed, then I'd wish to get away from this world as soon as possible." An old Buddhist proverb says that there are many paths and roads in forests and valleys, but those who climb up to the hilltop by any of these routes will enjoy the same moonlight on the summit.
Although there are many religions and pseudo-religions in the world, they can be roughly divided into two streams; namely, Semitic and non-Semitic religions. The former is represented by Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Communism in a sense, and the latter, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. I believe that both Christianity and Buddhism are the most talked-about religions in the contemporary world, and are comparatively less attached to any particular ethnic groups or nations, so that in this chapter I would like to take up some basic ideas on the similarities and differences of these two religions, and their peculiarities which would influence the future world. I hope it will not serve as a basis for proof or disproof of superiority or inferiority, but as a tool which we might make use of in our further inquiries into these two religions.
In order to make the study effectively, we must observe three precautions. First of all, we must admit that these two religious phenomena are facts and each is a unique system of thought in its own right. Even though others' views and ideas are hostile or contradictory to ours, we must try to gather and present accurate and undistorted information about them so that we can interpret and compare them impartially. Secondly, we must bear in mind that the comparison of these two religious phenomena must be made on the same footing in the same framework,