VEN LOKANATHA
FOREWORD.
Scanning the workaday horizon of world conditions today, one is confronted with nothing but stark revelations of crude selfishness and deceitfulness of man and man’s greed and lust for the basest things in life. After the Second World War, which nearly collapsed civilization, human destiny finds itself again at the mercy of career politicians and the trend of civilization a pawn to Power Politics. Expansion, traditionally the keynote of Power Politics, brings in its train, nothing but chaos and catastrophe in International Relations and Finance. In their insatiable quest for ever increasing power and vain glory, World Powers, in their game of Power Politics, will not hesitate running the risk of precipitating a Third World War the horrors of atomic warfare notwithstanding. From poison gas and the death ray to the atom bomb, there seem to be no end to this quest for more powerful weapons of destruction and annihilation—this time not of enemies but of the entire human race and consequently a total blackout to civilization itself. The intensive research into the potentialities of atomic power will reduce into child’s play the horrors of Hiroshima compared to what is yet to come. With scientists toying with the atom bomb and politicians playing with conflicting political ideologies, a Third World War is as inevitable as it is near at hand.
Thus with World Destiny perching on the brink of the abyss of everlasting darkness, more sensible people of the West cannot help realizing with morbid disdain the dismal end Western materialism is driving them to and in despair seeking solace in the asceticism of Oriental religions and philosophies. Many are seriously taking up the study of Buddhist Doctrines. The ever increasing numbers of Buddhist converts throughout the world is concrete manifestation of this trend in the mental attitudes of world Literati. Evangelists and Buddhist missionaries have not lost sight of this and are sparing no efforts in preaching the doctrines of “Ahimsa” and “Maitri” in an attempt to promote closer human amity and more permanent peace—though feeble as it may seem, I can see no
other way out of avoiding war and disaster.
