audiobook American Legends: The Life of John Belushi by Charles River Editors in History

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From the Preface: In the autumn of the year 1906; when I was leaving the shores of Japan; as a Post-Graduate Research Scholar of the Sôtô-shiû Daigak of Tôkiô; with the object of studying Sanskrit and Pa1i in the land of Buddha's birth; I came across a fellow-passenger; a kind-hearted American gentleman; who; on learning that I was a Buddhist priest; enquired of me in a half-curious; half-condescending manner; what Buddhism really meant. I fully understood the import of the question; and; though my heart was over-flowing with eagerness to explain to my interlocutor the doctrines of the religion in which I had been brought up; I discovered; to my very great regret; that my defective knowledge of the English language proved an unsurmountable barrier to the accomplishment of my pious purpose. A few words of broken English came to my lips and melted there. But my fellow-passenger was inexorable; he was determined to have an answer. Being at a loss to satisfy his laudable curiosity; I went down to my cabin and brought up Hepburn's English-Japanese Dictionary and a brand-new copy of Dr. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable; the parting gift of a benevolent friend and fellow-countryman. The English-Japanese Dictionary was unfortunately of little or no use; but Brewer's work appeared for the time being to relieve me of my helplessness. Without hesitating for a single moment; I turned over the leaves of Brewer's book until I came to the article on Buddhism; and showed it to my trans-Atlantic companion who read it with apparent pleasure; thanked me for the information thus supplied; and departed in good humour. "When he had gone out of sight; I retired to my cabin and attempted the then somewhat heroic feat of interpreting to myself with the help of Hepburn's Dictionary; the account given of Buddhism by the venerable Brewer; and distressing indeed was my surprise when I had made the passage intelligible to myself. Most of you; who are no doubt more familiar with Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable than I can claim to be; will recollect how even in the revised; corrected and enlarged edition of that work published in 1900; the article on Buddhism reads. "Buddhism;" says 'Brewer on p. 184 of that book; "is a system of religion established in India in the third (!) century. The general outline of the system is that the world is a transient reflex of deity (!); that the soul is a 'vital spark' (!) of deity; and that after death it will be bound to matter again till the 'wearer' has; by divine contemplation; been so purged and purified that it is fit to be absorbed into the divine essence (!)". "Surely;" said I to myself after perusiug Brewer's statements; "there must be some error somewhere; for the Buddhism which I have practised and studied from my earliest youth believes in neither deity nor its 'spark;' and is something quite different". And the necessity of exposing the erroneous notions prevalent in occidental countries about Buddhism — the enormity of which might be measured by the fact of their having misled even the octogenarian encyclopedic Brewer — urged itself upon me more strongly than ever. At that very time I made a solemn resolve that; should I be spared to acquire a sufficient command over English and Sanskrit; it would be my first care to explain to the inhabitants of the country which gave us our religion; what Buddhism really is and what it is not. Such an opportunity; however; seemed never to be coming; until; to my great surprise; I was informed one day that the large-hearted and erudite Vice-Chancellor and the learned Syndicate had appointed me Reader on Buddhism to the University of Calcutta. And great indeed is the thankfulness and delight with which I embrace this opportunity which promises an early fulfillment of my long-cherished hope of expounding to the countrymen of Buddha the real essence of the faith which he preached...