In our effort to win people of all creeds the points of agreement of faith and doctrine must be tactfully emphasized. A few suggestions for work among Japanese Buddhists are given to help the Bible instructors.
Inasmuch as the Buddhist believes in the golden rule and the spirit of tolerance, the sermon on the mount can be taught with effect. Guatama taught that desire was the cause of human misery, and that the eradication of desire must be its cure. In this connection, the studies on sin and the principles of Christian living can be brought out.
The ceremonies of Buddhism have much to do with the dead. This fact can be incorporated into talks on the other side of death and the resurrection. One of the most important contributions Buddhism has made to the moral and spiritual culture of the Japanese people is the love of nature. This can tie in with the studies on the true God and the creation.
In working for the Japanese people there is one more point of agreement which should be mentioned. That is the very unique similarity between the sanctuary system of the Old Testament and Shintoism, the native religion of Japan. Here is an approach which is productive. For detailed study on this very similarity, see the article on Shintoism which appeared in The MINISTRY of March and April, 1949.
