May Not Fight, but Will Help in Other Ways Nanking, Aug. 31. the present acute national crisis, what part will Buddhist monks and nuns play? Numbering no less than, 730,000 throughout the country, will they stand aloof and murmur "ahemtto-fo* while the nation is facing allen aggression? Are they actually tunder= going military training, as reported by local papers, and, if and. when required, are they going to take up arms in defence of the State? These questions and "others wore put. {0 Tai-Hisu-Fa-Shih, the renowned Chie nese Buddhist monk who is chairman of the China Buddhist Society.
"In the present acute national crisis," the pious man replied, "monks, less than other classes of peopl should do their part for their cout ry, for Buddhism teaches its fclloweF8, to, repay "the favour' of the Not as in olden times, when they could tive in almost entire seclusion, hho pointed out, monks nowadays have fo make contact "with the outside world, which fact renders it impossible for them to be indifferent to affairs of the State, However, 1 monk's contribution to the nation primarily is along cultural and moral ines. To attain this end, he frst strives to cultivate his own personality and knowledge, and then helps to elevate the cultural and moral level of the nation, In times of nax Hional emergency, the nation must not expect the monks to become com bat ants, but they can engage in frst aid and other kinds of work' which do not conflict with their Buddhist tenets, He denied press reports that some monks in Chekiang had petitioned the Central Government. for military training. "A proposal that monks should undergo military training was made by the magistrate of Chinghalhsien, Chekiang, to the Government.
has in mind to propagate Buddhism, Questioned "ae to. what plang in China and abroad, he said. that efforts will be exerted to widely spread the Buddhist teachings and strengthen the organization and. administration of the monks, According to the monk's experience, the German people are. most inter:
sted in Buddhism, and he expressed the belief that" Buddhism easily would command a hearty rocepti in Germany.—Contral News,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.