The Legacy of Karl Ludvig Reichelt

a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things what it means to work interdependently for peace with justice in in heaven and things on earth" (Eph. 1:9-10). the world to the mutual good of all peoples. What the next 30 After 30 years perhaps Christians in China and America can years hold for the. new relationship between Chinese and Ameri begin to explore what it means to be obedient to Jesus Christ anew can Christians will largely be dependent on the foundation of un in the larger context of the world Christian community. Together, derstanding, mutual respect and affirmation that we lay today. with all Christians and all people of good will we need to explore Notes 1. See Wolfgang Franke, A Century of Chinese Revolution 1851-1949 (Colum 7. "Religion and Feudal Superstitution," People's Daily, March IS, 1979. bia, S. C.: Univ. Press, 1970). 8. See Joseph R. Levenson, Confucian China and Its Modern Fate (Berkeley: 2. William J. Nottingham, "Why China?" Contemporary China, World Out Univ. of California Press, 1968), pp. 59-78. reach Study Material, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), May 9. For an understanding of secret societies in the late 19th century, see June 1978. Fei-Ling Davis, Primitive Revolutionaries of China (London and Henley: 3. John K. Fairbank, "The Impact of Christian Missions in the New Chi Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1977). na," Christianity and Crisis, June 27, 1966. Some of the essays of the late 10. See M. Searle Bates, "The Chinese State and Religion, with Particular professor, M. Searle Bates, covering the Christian effort in China, Reference to Christianity, 1840-1949," New York, Modern China Sem 1900-50, are only now being organized for publication by the East Asia inar, Columbia University, 1967 (mimeographed). and the Pacific Office, DOM/NCCC/USA. 11. See Statement of Rev. Edwin M. Luidens, Director, Office for East Asia 4. "Relationships between China and the United States: Some Implica and the Pacific, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the tons of the New Situation for United Presbyterians and Our Re U.S.A. Hearings before the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs sponse." Adopted by the Program Agency, United Presbyterian and the International Organizations of the Committee on Foreign Af Church in the U.S.A., February 24, 1979. fairs, House of Representatives, February 4, 1980. 5. "Facing the Future or Restoring the Past?" China Notes, Autumn-Winter 12. Policies for United Methodist China Program, adopted September 24, 1979-80. 1979, Board of Global Ministries. 6. Robert Lee and Frank Mar, "Reopening Church Doors in China," The Christian Century, January 30, 1980. The Legacy of Karl Ludvig Reichelt Noffo R. TheIle ne of the famous pictures of Karl Ludvig Reichelt (1877 seen partially in the pietistic Christianity of his childhood and dis O1952) shows him on his beloved mountain, Tao Fong covered more fully as the cosmic Christ, working in the lives of all Shan, outside Hong Kong, ready to begin one of his numerous people. Finally, it was a pilgrimage into the lives of his Buddhist travels: a small, rather corpulent man in dark suit, flat felt hat, and friends and brothers. He entered their lives with the consciousness with a pilgrim's walking stick in his hand. Several other walking of being on holy ground', wanting to share with them the Way that sticks, brought back from his travels, were placed around the desk was his life, the Tao who had become human in Christ and was in his office. Through many decades of missionary work Reichelt the undiscovered guide of their lives. traveled to all the famous Buddhist temples and pilgrim centers, Reichelt's missionary work is not conceivable without his pil not only in central China, but even to the borders of Tibet and grim spirit. And his pilgrimage loses its meaning if it is not seen Mongolia, to Taiwan and Japan, to Malaya, Burma, Thailand, as a part of his missionary concern. Indochina, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Reichelt was a Christian pil grim. Let us keep in mind the image of the missionary pilgrim in I. The Life of K. L. Reichelt order to hold together some of the central concerns in his life as a missionary. Reichelt was born on September 1, 1877, in the parish of Barbu, Reichelt's life was a pilgrimage with many dimensions. It was near Arendal, a small city on the south coast of Norway. The home a pilgrimage into Buddhism. He was observing, seeking, and lis was characterized by "godliness with contentment." His father tening in order to discover the Buddhist insight into the Way, the died when he was a baby, but his mother was a remarkable per Logos,the Tao. At the same time it was a lifelong inner pilgrimage, sonality who opened the home for visiting preachers and house a continuous effort to penetrate to the sources of his own Chris meetings. Thus Reichelt grew up in an atmosphere of warm, some tian faith. He was challenged by his unprotected encounter with what strict, revivalist Pietism. Later, when he had discovered the Buddhist brothers, and guided by the vision of the Christ he had limitations of his childhood Pietism, he recalled the atmosphere of the numerous meetings in homes and "prayer houses": In these meetings I also met God, but mostly the God of Sinai. The Noiio R. Theile, born in Hong Kong where his father wasReichelt's closest col atmosphere was serious and gloomy, or onesidedly emotional. Ev league, has been a missionary in Japan since 1969. A specialist in Buddhist stud erything was accompanied by an inexpressible oppressive feeling. I ies, he currently serves in Kyoto as Associate Director of the National Christian realized that this was not the totality of God. Mighty aspects of the Council Center for theStudyofJapanese Religions. idea of God were not revealed under the roof of the prayer house.' April, 1981 65 His teachers, however, introduced him to other dimensions of individuals in the Scandinavian countries. Christian faith, and also helped him to clarify his missionary call Returning in 1922, this time to Nanking, Reichelt began to re ing. In addition to such influences, Reichelt often referred to the alize his dream, which had matured for more than fifteen years: a quiet beauty and grandeur of the surrounding mountains, which Christian community, organized as a sort of monastery, and serv gave him an overwhelming experience of divine presence. In this ing as a "Brother Home" for religious seekers, notably for wander way his childhood Christianity was"consecrated and gradually el ing Buddhist monks. The monks usually stayed for a couple of evated to a higher level." In spite of his somewhat negative eval days, but could extend their stay if they wanted to continue the uation of the pietistic tradition there is no doubt that throughout study of Christianity. Every year an average of one thousand his life it remained one of the vital elements of his faith. monks visited the Brother Home in Nanking. Here they could en Entering the Teachers' Training College in Notodden in 1895, counter Christianity in an atmosphere adapted to their own tradi he encountered a more open, broadminded Christiantiy, which tions, and talk about religious problems with Christians who were combined a sound faith with a deep appreciation of humanity, na familiar with their religion and, moreover, regarded them as spiri ture, national traditions, and the culture of the people. Such atti tual brothers, and "friends in the Way," or "friends in Tao." The tudes certainly helped him later when he had to meet other place became famous not only in religious circles in China, but was cultures and learn to appreciate the national and religious tradi also favorably reported in Japan by no less a person than D. T. Su tions of another people. zuki. 4 In 1897 he entered the Missionary Training College of the Because of practical difficulties with finance and support in Norwegian Missionary Society in Stavanger. He was ordained in Scandinavia, and because of theological controversies, Reichelt's 1903 and sent to China the same year. After language studies he work was separated from the Norwegian Missionary Society and was sent to Ninghsiang- in Hunan where he worked until 1911, established as an independent missionary society in 1926, under when he returned to Norway. In this period he made his first the name Christian Mission to Buddhists. stumbling contact with the Buddhist world during an unforgetta Meanwhile the work in Nanking continued until 1927 when ble visit to the famous Wei shan monastery in 1905. the so-called Nanking incident put an end to it. Looking for a more stable location for the work, Reichelt and his colleagues finally de I got a glimpse of a peculiar and exclusive world, permeated with cided on a beautiful mountain in the New Territories of Hong deep religious mysticism, a world full of superstition and despair, Kong, and called it Tao Fong Shan, "The Mountain of the Logos but also wondrously rich in points of contact and sacred religious [Tao] Spirit." Beginning in 1931 a beautiful institute was built in material. There arose in my soul an inexpressible urge to be enabled traditional Chinese Buddhist architecture: an octagonal church in 3 to reach just these circles with the eternal gospel of life. the center surrounded by guest hall, pilgrims' hall, school, library, and other houses. The years before the Japanese occupation of Reichelt realized, however, that his effort to tell the monks about Hong Kong in 1941 became the classical decade in Reichelt's life, Christ was in vain.

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