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observe our national life on the surface and fail toconsider the great undercurrent in our nationalhistory.

3.

BUDDHISM AS SOURCE OF JAPANESECULTURE

Buddhism has made the original Japanese culturea religious and international force, by deeping andexpanding it. Although we admit that the ancientJapanese national idea was based on a deep reli-gious conviction, that conviction was not consciouslyexpressed. And it was Buddhism that imparted areal spiritual force to Japanese culture, by insist-ing that all social achievements are the result ofcausal relations and human harmony, and by hold-ing that nothing alone is permanent or real, and thatvalue is created through perfection and the combina-tion of parts into the complete whole. This charac-teristic idea of Buddhism in Japan is seen in theclose and inseparable relations between the Emperorand the people every one of whom is regarded asa child of the Ruler and whose combined endeavorsand harmony with one another is the basis of ournational power. Every Japanese is conscious of hisbeing a subject of the Emperor and is convincedthat his act, however humble, will affect the generalmarch of the State. He also feels that he has tofulfill his duties to society and to the State by way