On train
Hakodate, Hokkaido,
September fourteenth, 1948
Dear Mrs. Ryder,
We shall always remember you as an understanding friend, giving us the rest we so needed in such a serene, charming atmosphere. In an unusually happy way you share our love of the people of Nippon, and it did us good to hear you interpret Buddhism not only as a belief, but also as a road to peace.
Strongly I feel, Ida, that if the deep spiritual quiet which Buddhism has fostered through the ages spreads into other lands and religions, it will hasten the day when wars will cease. For wherever men and women pause a while each day for happy thoughts and fair visions, they are refreshed for work and the difficulties of life. In those long looks into soul-life they have time to see each other as brothers and sisters and to act together for the common good. By uniting the peoples and enabling them to understand each other’s problems and ways of thinking, those true followers of the Light will at last usher in world peace and a brother-loving civilization.
Our visit at the Park Hotel was the only real rest we had had in many months, and we both bless and thank you for making it possible for us to soak ourselves in the Peace that pervades the place.
Devotedly yours,
Helen Keller
(From Sunrise magazine, October/November 2005)