On arriving in Shanghai this morning my attention was called to an article by your correspondent, 'P.D." in which, aiter a brief reference to my recent letter from Nanking, he gives us sume very intereating information respecting that ancient worthy, Tah-mo. A few days ago [obtained a copy of a native book, The Tah-mo Kuen" (396%). published in the interests of the Buddhist fraternity by the aid of sub-options from charitably disposed persons whose names ure published in an appendix. Phe book which is probably quite modern contains much that is absurd and uninteresting, being chiefly an effort to reconcile Bud-diiism, Taoism and Confucianism. The author declares that this result will certainly follow a proper understanding of the doctrine set forth by Tah-mo. There are some statements in the book, however, which are rather remarkable as being directly opposed to the accented teachings of the Buddhists and tending to confirm the view that Tah-mo was the Apostle Thomas. I have no copy of the work by me else I would give a few quotations, T can give only the substance of these statements as I remember them. Some of your readers may perhaps be interested in them.
This writer makes Tah-mo the twenty-eighth instead of the twentieth incarnation of Buddha. He declares that the Emperor, Wu Ti, of the Liang Dynasty, looking up one day saw a peculiar cloud floating rapidly from the west and, turning to a priest near by, asked what it was. The priest replied that it was probably a holy man from the west. This was immediately shown to be presented, as saying that the true "king" the case, for Tah-mo alighting from his isa One Character King" ("Fi airy chariot saluted the Emperor and was asked whence he came and whohe was, He that he who knows this character be able to reconcile the three religions. replied that he came from India more than Near the close of the book we are told that ten myriads of li to the west and having revealed his rank and character, the Emperor this character is "M'i T'" (pg), but here we have two characters instead of expressed himself delighted' to make his one and as the latter part of the book Tah-mo would be able to tell him about acquaintance, and this expecially. because differs so greatly in character from the first few chapters, it seems not improbable that heaven and hell. The saint appears to have been 'a plain, blunt man," for without this is a later interpretation given by any respect for' the Imperial presence he Buddhist priests to reconcile the teaching of Tah-mo with their own, There li said: return to the historical narrative near the "Tam heaven and you are hell." The close of the work where it is said that this Emperor was naturally a little displeased doctrine was handed down for five genera-and said:—"'I have built a shrine every tions, when the sole possessor, finding no i's monastery and is all this merit to go five li throughout the empire and every ten converts, committed the teaching to writing for nothing that you thus consign me to and buried the book under one ofthe pillare of his temple, where after several centuries it hell!" He further ordered the guards to seize the offender and would have put was found by a Buddhist monk and restored tothe world. There are indications too that him to death, but Tah-mo laughed at his anger, told the Emperor he was powerless it formed the bond of some secret society, the candidate being compelled to injure him, and further declared his before an altar with tapers in his han temples worthless as a means of salvation. and take a solemn oath not to reveal the Later Tah-mo met a priest diligently mysteries of the order to any person outstudying his sacred books. What are ide the brotherhood under severe penal these books?" he asked, "The Law" replied the priest, All that's white is ties, One person who was guilty of such paper, all that's black is ink," rejoined the an offence is said to have had his tongue torn out. Pardon me for taking up 0 Saint, "Isee no law." He ridiculed such such valuable space. May I be permitted devotion to the study of books as utterly second the request of P.D. for more useless. The indignant priest cried that he had studied these books forty-nine years formation regarding this very interesting personage? and that they had saved no end of people.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.