Comparison of Buddhist, Greek, and Christian conceptions of God—­Nirvana—­The Buddhistic Ultimate Reality absolute vacuity—­Greek affirmation of intelligence in the Ultimate Reality—­Christian affirmation of Divine Personality—­The Buddhist universe is partly rational and ethical—­The Greek universe is partly rational and ethical—­Corresponding views of sin, salvation, change, and history—­Resulting pessimism and optimism—­Consequences to the respective civilizations and their social orders, 398

XXXV.  COMMUNAL AND INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS IN THE EVOLUTION OF JAPANESE RELIGIOUS LIFE

Japanese religious life has been predominantly communal—­Shinto provided the sanctions for the social order—­Recent abdication of Shinto as a religion—­Primitive Shinto world—­view—­Shinto and modern science—­Shinto sanctions for the modern social order—­Buddhism is individualistic—­Lacks social ideals and sanctions—­Hence it could not displace Shinto—­Shinto and Buddhism are supplementary—­Produced a period of prosperity—­The defect of Buddhist individualism—­Imperfect acceptance of Shinto—­Effect of political history—­Confucianism restored the waning communal sanctions—­The difference between Shinto and Confucian social ideals and sanctions—­The difference between Shinto and Confucian world-views—­Rejection of the Confucian social order—­An interpretation—­The failure of Confucianism to become a religion—­Western intercourse re-established Shinto sanctions—­Japan’s modern religious problem—­Difficulty of combining individual and communal religious elements—­Christianity has accomplished it—­Individualism in and through communalism—­A modern expansion of communal religion—­Shared by Japan—­Some Japanese recognize the need of religion for Japan—­Sociological function of individualistic religion in the higher human evolution—­Obstacle to evolution through the development of intellect—­The Japanese mind is outgrowing its old religious conceptions—­The dependence of religious phenomena on the ideas dominating society—­Note on National and Universal religions—­Buddhism not properly classified as Universal—­The classification of religions, 404

XXXVI.  WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ORIENT

The conclusion reached in this work—­Contrary to the opinion of tourists, residents, and many sociologists—­Professor Le Bon quoted—­Social psychic characteristics not inherent—­Evolution and involution—­Advocates of inherent Oriental traits should catalogue those traits—­An attempt by the London Daily Mail—­Is the East inherently intuitive, and the West logical?—­The difficulty of becoming mutually acquainted—­The secret of genuine acquaintance—­Is the East inherently meditative and the West active?—­Oriental unity and characteristics are social, not inherent—­Isolated evolution is divergent—­Mutual influence of the East and the West—­Summary statement, 422