FDR Letter to Dalai Lama & January 28, 1940 Life Magazine

As promised, here are a few of the letters to the editor in response to Life Magazines article about Buddhism by Quentin Roosevelt. Unlike Quentin's article's, I think you may find these comments a bit more interesting....or perhaps not.

January 28, 1940

Sirs:

Permit me to congratulate you on your excellent article on Buddhism and Quentin Rossevelts's expedition. I do feel, however, that your mention of the corruption and embellishment of the Buddhist doctrine as it spread should not be allowed to stand without qualification.

While it is incontrovertibly true that the Buddhist religion of Tibet and China has to a large extent lost sight of he Gautama's teachings, it should not be forgotten that these teachings, in a relatively pure form, are the basis of the Southern, or Theravada School of Buddhism, which numbers among its adherents the millions of the Buddhists in Ceylon, Burma and Siam. The importance of this school, with its extensive literature in the Pali language, entitle it to mention in any discussion of Buddhism, particularly since it has ket alive the original Buddhist doctrine, almost entirely devoid of the myths, superstitions, demons and idols which characterize Northern Buddhism.

R.W. Greenbaum

Harvard University

Cambridge, Mass.

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Sirs:

I am not a Buddhist - I have no label - but I have found much in their philosophy, especially at dark hours, and many who live it. It is not merely an Oriental belief - there are many Buddhists in the U.S.A., and lodge of Englishmen in London. It has two special points of interest. It outlines many truths that scientists are beginning to rediscover nowadays, and it presents a clear workable system for making practical the words of Jesus Christ.

Winthrop Steele

New York, NY

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Sirs:

~There are many Buddhists devoted to the purer strain of the philosopher's teachings. They find in Buddha a very modern philosopher who, among other things, laid down a system of psychology like that of the 20th Century's Freud. But Buddhism, wherever it is preached as a religion, worships Buddha as a god, and to that extent corrupts his agnostic teaching. - E.D

You can find the other couple of letters here at the Google Archives.

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And speaking of which, during a highly publicized meeting, President Obama recently gave the Dalai Lama a letter from FDR to him, dated from July 1942. From what I understand, below are the contents of that letter. There is a lot more to this story, about the real reasons China invaded Tibet, why many countries turned a blind eye after the Chinese Civil war that I will discuss in another post, however I do expand to it a bit on a comment on Barbara O'Briens blog.

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President Roosevelt’s letter (U.S. Foreign Relations, China, 1942, 103.91802/687, Letter from President Roosevelt to Dalai Lama, dated 3 July 1942)

“Your Holiness:

“Two of my fellow countrymen, Ilia Tolstoy and Brooke Dolan, hope to visit your Pontificate and the historic and widely famed city of Lhasa. There are in the United States of America many persons, among them myself, who, long and greatly interested in your land and people, would highly value such an opportunity.

“As you know, the people of the United States, in association with those of twenty-seven other countries, are now engaged in a war which has been thrust upon the world by nations bent on conquest who are intent on destroying freedom of thought, of religion, and of action everywhere. The United Nations are fighting today in defense of and for preservation of freedom, confident that we shall be victorious because cause is just, our capacity is adequate, and our determination is unshakable.

“I am asking Ilia Tolstoy and Brooke Dolan to convey to you a little gift in token of my friendly sentiment toward you.

“With cordial greetings [etc.]

“Franklin D. Roosevelt”