ABSTRACT
“The Buddha has mercy even on the meanest thing,” says a Buddhist writing. In showing compassion upon the lower animals, Buddhism is said to have a higher stand than Christianity. That this phase of the teachings of the “Light” of Asia still maintains its hold on the Japanese mind is indicated by a Buddhist service known as “kuyo,” which is performed among us in a variety of forms no doubt appealing to the curiosity of visitors from abroad on account of their novelty. “Kuyo” originally means serving Buddha, priests, parents, elders, and the departed by means of dedication, oblation, service, and deed, as an accumulation of virtue conducive to the spiritual welfare of the agent.
