Show A CONVERT TO BUDDHISM the buddhists can boast of an american convert to their faith in the person of mr J W strauss strause of new york the gentleman was born of jewish parents but embraced christianity in later years the doctrines doctrin ee of this religion as ae he understood them being insufficient for his big spiritual wants he turned his mind toward the theology of the orient and finally determined ter mined to study more thoroughly the principles of buddhism he went to chicago and became an attentive listener to the add delivered at the religious congress the lecture of the brakmo comaj sect captured him and be became a disciple of that school being initiated in the brotherhood in the presence of it large gathering mr strauss is spoken of as a highly educated gentleman who has devoted the greater part of bis life to religious investigations it is ia therefore perhaps all the mure more startling that hip bip close attention to the various religious speakers at chicago during the famous parliament of divines ol of almost every bade abade should lead him to decide fur for buddha it to is not known whether the exponents of have made any converts during the congress buddhism is the religion of about four hundred million people its origin is traced to hindostan hindustan Hind it has existed for at let least 2500 years the name is from bu id ba a mysterious personage who to is looked upon as the founder of the system it means the W wise I 1 ise 22 the thee E lightened PY according to this religion when a man dies he to is immediately reborn in some new shape which may according to his merits be all the way from a worm to ao an angelic be ng dg arid and it his ain sins be so many that his reappearance to in a slave a women woman a plant or an odious animal would be no adequate punishment he be vill ill be born iu in one of the hel bells Is that are prepared for such cases aud and situated in the earth earthy Is interior this of souls is one of the most important doctrines of that faith salvation is sought in nirvana which is supposed to mean simply an all existence is in looked upon lipon as an a curse and lull full happiness is attainable only in extinction the way goes through faith judgment language purpose practice obedience memory and meditation provided all these are of the right klud kind of the moral precepts of buddha ome csome proof are of universal obligation those who break them must be to greater misery not to kill steal jie commit adultery tire are among these other precepts are binding valy only on those who enter a religious race for Nir nirvana Nirva ua they must fast abstain atom dunces dances theatrical performances aces songs and music and such things charity purity patience courage and knowledge are looked upon as essential to salvation charity chanty in particular every buddhist la Is his big own priest the monks have no clerical functions to perform but they are supposed to look after the ed education of the people such Is a brief outline of the faith of about a third part of the inhabitants of the earth and with which mr strauss has identified himself elf he is probably the first person in this country to join the disciples of buddha aud and formally adopt their peculiarities |