There are only some twenty thousand Burmese Christians as yet,
although, within the confines of Burma there is a far larger number of
Christians, and the Karens are already a great church. What, then, are
the reasons for confidence that Burma will at some time be a Christian
country, albeit with a Christianity whose type will differ very
greatly from the prevailing types of the West?
(a) _The Burmese are truly Religious in Temperament_.--The natural
instinct of the Burmese for religion is strong. They are not content
with mere ritual and with offerings, lavish as these are. Gratitude to
Gotama, the great Teacher and lord of life, is a real motive to many.
Not uncommonly are Christian hymns adapted by modern educated
Buddhists and sung in honour of the Buddha:
"Glory, laud and honour
To our Lord and King,
This through countless ages,
Men and Devas sing."
These Buddhists have organised Buddhist Sunday Schools. In these the
children not only closely imitate Protestant Sunday Schools but sing
to a small portable harmonium:
"Buddha loves me, this I know;
For the Scriptures tell me so,"
or more usually Burmese hymns and "carols."
(b) _They tend to view Gotama as a Saviour_.--Again many look upon
Gotama as a loving saviour. So strong is this attitude toward him that
when a father blesses his child, he says to him: "May you be reborn
when the Loving One, _Metteya_[6] comes." Gotama is reported as having
promised the coming of such a redeemer. Even in Southern Asia,
therefore, Buddhism is changing from a way of merit and self-mastery
into a way of salvation by faith. May we not reckon this transition as
a preparation for the message of Christianity? Buddhism everywhere is
to-day almost more like Christianity than it is like the Buddhism of
Gotama and the Elders. The Buddhism of Burma is more of a religion and
less of a philosophy than that of the Books.
(c) _The Christian Heaven is more Attractive than _Nibbāna_.--It is
clear again that Buddhists to-day are much more ready than before to
accept the idea of a Christian heaven. This heaven, preached as a
state of progress, a meeting-place of friends, and the beatific vision
of God, is very attractive to them. The appeal of _Nibbāna_ is dying:
"_Nibbāna_," said a monk in Burma, "is a fearsome thought. I have no
hope of attaining it." "We are walking in darkness," said another
leader, "without seeing a light, a person, or a hope."
Missionaries both in Burma and Ceylon are agreed that the teaching of
Buddhism has changed very greatly during the last few decades, among
those who have come directly or indirectly in touch with Christianity.
Formerly Buddhists preached that there was no supreme god, that
_Nibbāna_ meant total quiescence, almost total annihilation, that man
is his own saviour, and that there is no possible escape from the
penalty of sin; now many admit that there must be a God, declare that
Gotama is a saviour, that sin is forgiven and that there is a heaven
in place of _Nibbāna_.
On the other hand, there is still much work for the Christian
missionary. Buddhism in many parts of Burma seems to be making one
great last stand against the gospel of Christ. Its own standard is in
many respects so high that our Christianity is as a whole not loving
or sacrificial enough to win its adherents. The Christianity which is
to be an overpowering argument for the efficacy and truth of the
Christian faith is too rare. The Buddhist Revival is largely a
reaction from our Western pseudo-Christianity, and from the shameless
aggression of Christendom.
(d) _Moral Conditions Demand a Vital Christianity_.--The moral
situation in Burma clearly demands that either a revivified Buddhism
or Christianity in its most vital form should come to the rescue. The
need is grave. Burma is at once the most literate and the most
criminal portion of the Indian Empire. A government report for 1912
reads: "The moral sense of the people is diminishing with a slackening
of religious observances. With the decay of ancient beliefs the
Buddhist religion is losing its moral sanction as an inspiring force
in the lives of its adherents. Drunkenness, gambling, drug-taking and
vicious habits, increasing as they all are, tend to produce a
weakening of self-control and a loss of self-respect which in
favouring circumstances easily create the criminal." A fair-minded
missionary would agree that these deplorable conditions are in large
measure chargeable to the impact of Western "civilisation." It is
incumbent upon us, in ordinary justice and fair play, to see that the
West is represented by our very best men in missionary service, in
commerce and in government posts. On the other hand, these deplorable
moral conditions are also due to the fact that Buddhism has not
succeeded in its task of building character. A genuine and vital
Christianity has a large and hopeful task in Burma. These very
attractive people need a dynamic and a bond of union in great
enterprises. They are seeking such a religion.
(e) _Loving Social Service finds its own Way to the Heart_.--When
Christianity is expressed in deeds of loving social service, such as
work for lepers, for the deaf and the blind, or for any other needy
class in the community, it touches a responsive chord in every
Buddhist heart. They subscribe to our Christian mission work for the
afflicted. The social appeal of Christianity will go far toward
breaking down all forms of prejudice: and it is significant that the
young Burmese are organising their own Y.M.B.A.'s and their own social
service clubs, though at present these movements do not exhibit much
staying-power.
(f) _Christianity dispels the Fear of the Demon World_.--Christianity
reveals its power by dispelling the terrors of demon-haunted villages,
and lessening the horrors of the slums of the great cities. A country
like Burma is not interested in a new system of ethics. It is wholly
satisfied with the admirable system it already possesses. But it does
welcome the sense of spiritual freedom and power which Christianity
can impart. "The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." May we
not say that Christ can give strength to follow the Noble Path of
which Gotama spoke?
[1] The ancient and still the classic language of S. Buddhism in which
its scriptures are preserved. It is used religiously, much as Latin is
used in the Roman Catholic services.
[2] The Tipitaka (Sanskrit, Tripitika) (1) _Vinaya_; (2) _Sutta_; (3)
_Abhidhamma_. The Pāli scriptures were originally written on palm
leaves and preserved, layer upon layer, in the three "baskets." This,
at least, is one explanation of the use of this term.
[3] Gotama is the Pāli form (common in S. Asia) of the Sanskrit
Gautama, more familiar to Western readers.
[4] Sanskrit, _Karma_.
[5] Sanskrit, _Nirvāna_.
[6] Sanskrit, _Maitri_.