Kuling, 11 August 1937
To the Leader of the German People, Mr Adolf Hitler.
The scientific civilization of our time is borne by the Aryan race, but the religious culture of the past has its culmination in Buddhism, whose founder, Buddha Shakyamuni, was also of Aryan origin.
People in Europe and America today are not happy, obviously because their lives are ordered by science alone. They are in need of religion.
Now, most religions stand in contradiction to natural science; only Buddhism has fully absorbed its insights, indeed surpassing them. Thus Buddhism is destined to become the religion of the peoples of Europe and America.
Buddhism has recognized the fundamental truth that there are four primary virtues that man must possess in order to achieve perfection: compassion (for the needs of one’s neighbour), conformity (to the social hierarchy), good works (for improvement), and courage (to break down opposition).
The peoples in India and China possess the first two of these virtues, but they do not have the last two in sufficient measure. Thus their personality is incomplete and the full extent of the blessing of Buddhism cannot yet reveal itself to them.
I believe that the Germanic people, now united under their Führer, have wondrously developed three characteristics: knowledge, conformity, and courage.
Thus only the Buddhist religion, in which these three characteristics are primary virtues, can be the religion of the Germanic people. And only that most excellent scion of ancient Aryan stock, Shakyamuni, the Holy, can be the religious leader of the Germanic people, that most excellent scion of ancient Aryan stock.
If the Führer desires to study the Buddhist religion, which can become so important for Europe and America today and for the Germanic people, I request that he write to me and I will gladly answer to the best of my knowledge.
I wish your government undaunted stability!
Leader of the Buddhists in China
T’ai-hsü
