REALISM AND IDEALISM

maestrokh

Lecture by Ven.:

Hutulktu Kwang Hsih
Lord Abbot
De Ch'An Cheng-Lob '
Búdhic Center, Sin-Kiang

September 22, 1934
Pasadena, California

(Beyond time and space)

 

Mr. Howard Reed:

The subject tonight is “Realism and Idealism”. The Lord Abbot has covered this subject before here, and tonight will cover it again more in the form of review of principal points, which will make the lecture rather short. The remainder of the time he will devote to questions and answers on subjects relative to his work and the subject matter discussed here.

A point we wish to make clear regarding his work and mission here: we of the Western world have sent missionaries of all creeds, denominations and sects to convert the balance of the world to our philosophies. The Orient has not returned the complement, by sending us missionaries. It is a rather ironical condition; but so far they have not returned our favor. We of the Western world are more or less prone to herald to the world each new discovery which we believe we make, in science, in religion and in philosophy, while it has been the custom of the East, and we will grant that they have as good thinkers there as we have here, to keep in the sanctity of their own institutions those discoveries that they have made, perhaps giving rise to the expression “The Silent East”.

The mission of the Lord Abbot is not as a missionary to convert us to the philosophy of the East. He is not seeking converts to some faith. His mission is to clarify the minds of the people of the world – not of America alone, but people of the world, as he is visiting the world as a whole, to bring forth a clearer concept of values and to eradicate to same measure many of our preconceived and perhaps erroneous beliefs. He is giving us, perhaps for the first time, many new facts, and you will probably agree that they are not according to the rule of facts as they have heretofore been heard in the Western world. They are at variance. Therefore we must expect to find in him one who is at variance with our preconceived notions. He is giving us the facts of ages of learning from the philosophical centers of Central Asia. He does not call them Monasteries. He calls them Spiritual Universities, and from these facts we must arrive at our own conclusions, because he is not propounding any dogma or new creed. He is not bringing forth to us any new doctrine. It is merely to bring clarity in our minds as to the true values, our true relation with nature as a whole. He wishes to direct our minds along a Pathway, not a given marked Pathway, but one that will ultimately lead us to higher experiences. He offers us no rash affirmations. Such as he gives us are facts, which he can prove, I might say, with mathematical accuracy, because he uses higher mathematics to illustrate his points.

Begin a scientist as well as a philosopher, he is well qualified to bring us his message in terms that we can easily understand. He is qualified to answer our questions in our own particular field.

I now introduce the Lord Abbot:

 

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