Quotations From Some Great Minds and Eminent Persons Part 2

Miss I.B. Horner who succeeded Professor Rhyswho, after many inner struggles and pain and torment,
Davids as the President of the Pali Text Society alsowas to develop into the Buddha. Edwin Arnold's 'Light
says the following words of appreciation: "Manyof Asia' became one of my favourite books. In later
people in the West can no longer believe in a creatoryears when I travelled about a great deal in my
God who is both all powerful and all merciful for theprovince, I liked to visit the many places connected
tragic events they see all around them; the oceans ofwith the Buddha legend, sometimes making a detour
suffering and distress do not support such afor the purpose."
hypothesis. At the same time many people have a"Was Buddhism passive and pessimistic? Its
strong wish for a rational way of life; something theyinterpreters may say so ... But when I think of the
can turn to use as a barrage against the almostBuddha no such feeling arises in me ..."
overwhelming materialism of our times. This is what"Seated on the lotus flower, calm and impassive,
early Buddhism gives."above passion and desire, beyond the storm and strife
Another Western writer expressed his view ofof this world, so far away he seems, out of reach,
Buddhism in these words: "Buddhism is a plan for livingunattainable. Yet again we look and behind those still,
in such a way as to derive highest benefit from life. It isunmoving features there is a passion and an emotion,
a religion of wisdom where knowledge and intelligencestrange and more powerful than the passions and
predominate. The Buddha did not preach to winemotions we have known. His eyes are closed, but
converts but to enlighten listeners."some power of the spirit looks out of them and a vital
Anatole France, a famous French poet and novelist ofenergy fills the frame. The ages roll by and Buddha
the 19th century, made this appreciative reference toseems not so far away after all; his voice whispers in
the Buddha: "It seemed that the kindly aesthetic,our ears and tells us not to run away from the
eternally young, seated cross-legged on the lotus ofstruggle, but, calm-eyed, to face it, and to see in life
purity with his right hand raised in admonition, answeredever greater opportunities for growth and
in these two words: If you wish to escape fromadvancement."
suffering, from fear, practise wisdom and compassion.""His message was one of universal benevolence, of
This beauty of Buddhism is even more stressed bylove for all. It was an ideal of righteousness and
Hermann Keyserling, a German philosopher, who says:self-discipline. Buddha relies on reason and logic and
"I know nothing more grand in the world than the figureexperience and asks people to seek the truth in their
of Buddha. This grandest creation of art, the figure ofown minds. It is remarkable how near this philosophy of
the Buddha, surely could not have been produced by athe Buddha brings us to some of the concepts of
pessimistic religion."modern physics and modern philosophic thought.
Now, the last and longest quotations here will be thoseBuddha's method was one of psychological analysis
of Nehru, the late Prime Minister of India. As a leaderand, again, it is surprising to find how deep was his
of Hindu India, his impression of Buddhism is particularlyinsight into this latest of modern science."
interesting. In his well-known book, The Discovery ofElsewhere he says:
India, he says:"It is essentially through the message of the Buddha
"The Buddha story attracted me even in earlythat the individual, national and international problems of
boyhood, and I was drawn to the young Siddharthatoday can be looked at from the right perspective.