A CONVERT TO BUDDHISM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2315, 27 December 1889, Page 2

A CONVERT TO BUDDHISM

Reoent Ceylon papora contain aooonnti of a remarkable oeremory which took -jlaoe recently m Oolomba Tola was the roceptlon of a gentleman fr. m Amerioa, who la'e'y arrived In Geylou, Into the Buddblat creed. The proceedings took plaoe ocder the direct on of the Baddhlst high priest, assisted by eleven yellow robad monks. The oonvert knelt before ■.he »BBemb l oi3 priests and intimated hlg 3esJre to ba admitted a member of the Buddhist Ohuroh. The high priest then o»t9chta'd him, and tho assembled monks satlefipd themselves <h*t hs was --fitted to be a follower of Buddha. The gentleman whose name iw« Powell, the&; begged of the high priaat 'to give him the Pansl!,' which tha latter d d, the candidate ttpaating it after him with the palms of tha hands brought together nplfftod. GLsving explained to tha oonveib the responsible duties of * Buddhist, the high prießtg*ve him his blessing. A <■ eetlng was aftetwsrdß held, at which Mr Powell explained bis reasons fojr having embraced Buddhism, aad described the menial prooeas whloh he bad goue through before he arrived at the oonv ! olOQ of the truth of BnddhiHm. It appears that nearly forty years ago, when he wvb a child, he came acro^a a book m his father's library, In which was a picture. I', was the figare of Buddh* seated m the conventional Attitude on a lotas. Impressed by the expression of peaoe and love on the "free, Mr Powell got into the habit of going neatly every evening to ■ room to sit m » position » neatly like it as he possibly oould., *Oa asking who or what picture it wai, 1 Mr Powell saW, * I was told: that it wai the plotnre of a heathen god, bat iti memory along to me, »nd when I heard Its name I never forgot If, but learned later what the oymb il was and Its meaning* Being, »c he said, natacally of a rellglooa tarn of mind, and beiag Intended by h(s father to be • clergyman, Mr Powell wai well educated In tbe Christian dootrlne. 'Bat I recognised and felt th>t there mast be some law thst I oould work oat myself, and that if I controlled my thoughts my life manifested an obedience to that power ; bat it was long before I r cognised that this was the,' law of right thought.' At one time he •ppaars to have sought a refuge lo aguost clam, bat soon after ho abandoned this rnenttl attitude and a perusal of ( The Light ol Asia 1 arouaed m him the desire to take refage m the law of Lord Buddha. At the same meeting a lady and gentleman of Madrai if ere a!so aUndvd to as rep n*. onvetta.;