Quite three-quarters of the population of this planet, as represented by its religious beliefs, which is supposed to find life worth living, looks through the spectacles of faith towards a life more worth living, after the dissolution of the body. In short, there are two distinct lives recognized by Buddhists--the _living_ life and the _non-living_ life; and it goes without saying that the latter is by far the more desirable of the two. "Not the life of men's veins, Not of flesh that conceives; But the grace that remains, The fair beauty that cleaves To the life of the rains in the grasses, the life of the dews on the leaves." Dr. Paul Carus says: "The good tidings of Buddha's religion are not so much the recognition of the existence of pain and care as the conquest of evil and the escape from suffering. The following verses from the Dhammapada have no pessimistic ring:-- "'Let us live happily, then, not hating those who hate us! "'Among men who hate us, let us dwell free from hatred! "'Let us live happily, then, free from ailments among the ailing! "'Among men who are ailing, let us dwell free from ailments! "'Let us live happily, then, free from greed among the greedy! "'Among men who are greedy, let us dwell free from greed!'" There are many passages to be found in the New Testament, in our Christian Liturgy, and especially in the Hymnology of the Churches, which emphasize "suffering" as the normal and inevitable condition of humanity, almost leading one to suppose that it is the predominant factor in human life. In the Burial Service we thank God that our brother has been delivered from the miseries of a sinful world, and Job is brought into requisition to show that "man that is born of woman is _full_ of sorrows." In a beautiful hymn we have the following verse:-- "If I find Him, if I follow, What His guerdon _here_? Many a sorrow, many a labour, Many a tear." For an assembly of young men and maidens in the first rapturous dawn of maturing youth to sing-- "O Paradise, O Paradise, 'Tis weary waiting here," though delightfully pessimistic, does not seem quite up to the standard of absolute truth. These sorrows, these labours, these tears, this weary waiting, represent the experiences in store for the initiate, and the conditions under which the Christian must progress who would reach the goal of his dearest aspirations.