Furthermore, if self-suppression is a marked characteristic of Japanese politeness and altruism (as it undoubtedly is when these qualities are real expressions of the heart and of the general character), it is a still more characteristic feature of the higher religious life of the people, which certainly does not tend to “impersonality.”  The ascription of esoteric Buddhism to the common people by advocates of the “impersonal” theory is quite a mistake, and the argument for the “impersonality” of the race on this ground is without foundation, for the masses of the people are grossly polytheistic, wholly unable to understand Buddhistic metaphysics, or to conceive of the nebulous, impersonal Absolute of Buddhism.  Now if consciousness of the unity of nature, and especially of the unity of the individual soul with the Absolute, were a characteristic of undeveloped, that is, of undifferentiated mind, then all primitive peoples should display it in a superlative degree.  It should show itself in every phase of their life.  The more primitive the people, the more divine their life—­because the less differentiated from the original divine mind!  Such are the requirements of this theory.  But what are the facts?  The primitive undeveloped mind is relatively unconscious of self; it is wholly objective; it is childlike; it does not even know that there is self to suppress.  Primitive religion is purely objective.  Implicit, in primitive religion without doubt, is the fact of a unity between God and man, but the primitive man has not discovered this implication of his religious thinking.  This is the state of mind of a large majority of Japanese.

Yet this is by no means true of all.  No nation, with such a continuous history as Japan has had, would fail to develop a class capable of considerable introspection.  In Japan introspection received early and powerful impetus from the religion of Buddha.  It came with a philosophy of life based on prolonged and profound introspection.  It commanded each man who would know more than the symbols, who desired, like Buddha, to attain the great enlightenment and thus become a Tathagata, a Blessed one, a Buddha, an Enlightened one, to know and conquer himself.  The emphasis laid by thoughtful Buddhism on the need of self-knowledge, in order to self-suppression, is well recognized by all careful students.  Advocates of Oriental “impersonality” are not one whit behind others in recognizing it.  In this connection we can hardly do better than quote a few of Mr. Lowell’s happy descriptions of the teaching of philosophic Buddhism.

“This life, it says, is but a chain of sorrows....  These desires that urge us on are really causes of all our woe.  We think they are ourselves.  We are mistaken.  They are all illusion....  This personality, this sense of self, is a cruel deception....  Realize once the true soul behind it, devoid of attributes ... an invisible part of the great impersonal soul of nature, then ... will you have found happiness