JAPAN AND SOME OF ITS PROBLEMS^ RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL. 39 



because there was a Jesuit word for this ah-eady existing, which was 

 not acceptable to the C.M.S. 



The Rev. Murray AValtox said that we had to remember that 

 Buddhism in Japan to-day was a very powerful religion, and indeed 

 the most strongly entrenched foe of Christianity. Of the Buddhist 

 sects, the Shin was the most powerful ; this was largely because of 

 their conception of Amida as a Saviour, in many ways similar to our 

 ideas of Christ, but their teaching as to sin was entirely different ; 

 whereas we look to Christ to save us from sin, the Japanese look to 

 Amida to save them in sin. Further, Amida never existed — he was 

 pure myth — he had no historical basis. The Shin priests at the 

 present time were carefully trained, and ignorant and immoral 

 priests were certainly the exception. It must be remembered that 

 89 per cent, of the population of Japan was rural, and was 

 largely unaffected by intercourse with Europe. Buddhism had all 

 the strength of this 80 per cent, behind it. In the towns things 

 were different, and even sadder. Materialism and agnosticism had 

 made great advances amongst the educated classes ; western science 

 was shattering their faith. In the Tokyo University of some 4,600 

 students a religious census recently was taken, in which 3,000 of 

 them declared themselves agnostics, 1,500 atheists, 60 were 

 Buddhist, 50 Shintoists and 8 Christians. 



Gen. Halliday asked the lecturer if he would kindly tell them 

 what Nirvana really meant. 



Bishop Thornton asked if any explanation could be given of the 

 unfavourable opinion amongst business men as to the integrity of 

 the Japanese. He had heard it said in Australia that Japanese men 

 of business were unsatisfactory as regards commercial honour, and 

 presented an unfavourable contrast to the Chinese in this respect. 

 Is honesty insisted upon in the Imperial Rescripts 1 Does not love 

 of truth, for its own sake, lie at the base of a good character 1 



Rev. T. H. Darlow said : It was hardly possible to decide how 

 far early Christianity had acted upon Buddhism, and how far 

 Buddhism had modified Christianity. When the Jesuits landed in 

 India, and saw the Buddhist ritual, they concluded that Satan must 

 have been before them to caricature Christianity. One great 

 obstacle to the Gospel in Japan to-day was the hold that Buddhism 

 had on the rural districts. The Japanese use the religious 

 machinery that we use — tracts, Sunday schools, Young Men's and 



