hat a Buddhist was he who was so accepted, and
who thereafter held by the teachings of the Buddha.

But when I searched the life of the Buddha, I could not find any such
ceremonies necessary at all. So that it seemed that the religion of the
Buddha was one religion, and the religion of the Buddhists another; but
when I said so to the monks, they were horror-struck, and said that it
was because I did not understand.

In my perplexity I fell back, as we all must, to my own thoughts and
those of my own people; and I tried to imagine how a Burman would act if
he came to England to search into the religion of the English and to
know the impulses of our lives.

I saw how he would be sent to the Bible as the source of our religion,
how he would be told to study that if he would know what we believed and
what we did not--what it was that gave colour to our lives. I followed
him in imagination as he took the Bible and studied it, and then went
forth and watched our acts, and I could see him puzzled, as I was now
puzzled when I studied his people.

I thought of him reading the New Testament, and how he would come to
these verses:

'27. But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them
which hate you,

'28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you.

'29. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the
other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid him not to take thy
coat also.

'30. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away
thy goods ask them not again.'

He would read them again and again, these wonderful verses, that he was
told the people and Church believed, and then he would go forth to
observe the result of this belief. And what would he see? He would see
this: A nation proud and revengeful, glorying in her victories, always
at war, a conqueror of other peoples, a mighty hater of her enemies. He
would find that in the public life of the nation with other nations
there was no thought of this command. He would find, too, in her inner
life, that the man who took a cloak was not forgiven, but was terribly
punished--he used to be hanged. He would find---- But need I say what he
would find? Those who will read this are those very people--they know.
And the Burman would say at length to himself, Can this be the belief of
this people at all? Whatever their Book may say, they do not think that
it is good to humble yourself to your en