The University Of California
Clark Kerr
Chancellor at Berkeley
April 23, 1957
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
#31, El Paseo
Mill Valley, California
Dear Mr. Lewis:
Thank you very much for sending me a carbon copy of your letter to Chief
Justice Warren on the subject of research by the University of California. It
is good to know that my article on Research at Berkeley found so informed and
interested a reader. I realize, of course, that in singling out certain of the
innumerable research projects carried on here I might appear to be slighting
others no less worthy of mention. However, the limited space available for the
article made selection and compression mandatory. As you undoubtedly know, the
fine work of the College of Agriculture and the Agricultural Experiment Station
has been featured in numerous issues of the California Monthly. Also, research
being done in the College of Engineering was publicized in a comparatively
recent issue.
I hope you will continue your good work as an advocate of the University’s
research contributions to society.
Sincerely yours,
Clark Kerr
Morland House
16, Sharia Kemal ed din Salah
Kasr el Dubara
Cairo, U.A.R.
Nov. 22, 1960
To the Near East Department
University of California, Berkeley, Calif.
Dear Sirs :
I have been in this country now nearly three months. I have been functioning
as a sort of roving alumnus for the University of California, and also have
taken upon myself the task of acquainting peoples of various countries with the
work being done by agricultural research stations in the United States.
This work is highly appreciated here and I have been publicly thanked by the
Ministry of Agriculture. Besides that I have met many Californians beginning
with Dr. Paul Keim who is in charge of certain rural resettlement projects; Dr.
Hasan Bagdadi, Minister of rural cultural Reform; Dr. Azauni, director of
Horticultural Research, University of Cairo, etc. etc. I occasionally report to
the “California Monthly” in this regard.
Some of you have met me on rare occasions at 2030 Broadway either at
lectures in the presumably defunct A.A.A.S. or at Islamic meetings or even at
the gatherings of the World Affairs Council.
I have sent out feelers then that I was a Sufi, a member of Dervish Orders.
I do not think this was taken very seriously. Now my success here has been
almost entirely due to these two factors, being an alumnus and being a Sufi and
neither one of them is more objective and factual or important than the other,
but it seems that certain types of minds do not relish objectivity.
I am now asking in all earnestness and sincerity to grant an interview on my
return, whenever that is either in regard to my studies and researches as a
whole or the quite different matter of Sufism.
If anybody wants to know about Catholicism we send him to a priest; if he
wants to know about Judaism we send him to a rabbi; if he wants to know about
Sufism we send him to a book or an “authority” who usually knows very
little. In fact I am taking up now for the second time and most seriously this
exceedingly blind spot in our educational system of going to non-American,
non-Muslims for “materials” on Sufism. At the present time I do not know of
a single “authority” educated in Europe, or connected with Yale or Chicago
who has ever answered any letters.
There are 50,000,000 Sufis, perhaps more and they are in entire control of
several governments and any further inhibitions in this field by non-American
non-Muslims will be taken up with the proper authorities. There is no objection
on my part for Americans, however educated, to take any negative view,
provided they recognize the living status of millions of people—from
Prime Ministers down to beggars and more up than down.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
University of California
July 29, 1963
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
1088 Fulton Street
San Francisco 17, California
Dear Mr. Lewis:
It was nice hearing from you after so many years. I would be pleased to
discuss your experiences with you in Davis or elsewhere whenever we can get
together. As you probably know, I am away a good deal of the time and so you
are not likely to find me in my office.
Since seeing you I have been in Pakistan on three different occasions, have
spent six months in India, and various lengths of time in a number of other
countries in an attempt to find out what we might learn from areas where
irrigation has been practiced for thousands of years.
Dr. Ayers is now located in New Delhi, India. I was interested in your
remarks regarding California graduates in Egypt. Just recently at least a dozen
research workers and professors from the University spent varying lengths of
time in Egypt helping with various phases of academic and research work.
While in India and Pakistan I became well aware of the problems of
cooperation and administration, particularly with regard to pushing forward a
reasonable program in the field of agriculture.
I am just reminded that Mr. Schoonover will be leaving for Egypt in a very
few days where he will teach some aspect of soil science in the University of
Alexandria.
Your remarks about the salt tolerance of the date palm brings to mind that
there are a number of crops in India, such as the mango, breadfruit, papaya,
etc., that should be investigated for tolerance to both salinity and water
logging. Just by accident some farmers do well with some of these crops, but
there is not much knowledge commonly available to help direct farmers in their
planning.
Your notion of establishing an “Arab City” in the Coachella Valley is a
very interesting one and I hope it succeeds. It would be a concrete expression
of our interest and good will toward the Arabs. If I know a Moslem well enough
I generally make quite a thing of visiting Mecca (in the Coachella Valley) with
him and then calling him Hadji, etc.
You may be sure that I would be willing to help handle inquiries from
Pakistan provided they are in my field of competence. I have some friends and
some professional connections in Pakistan with whom I carry on a more or less
regular correspondence. Some of this apparently is for the same purpose that
you have in mind, but if this can be expanded to be helpful to you or to other
Pakistanis than the ones I am now working with, I would be most happy to be
helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Milton Fireman
Extension Soils and Water Specialist
University of California, Berkeley
December 18, 1963
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
58 Harriet Street
San Francisco 3, California
Dear Mr. Lewis:
I am sorry that letters that you have written to members of the Berkeley
faculty, other than Dr. Gumperz, have not been acknowledged. The participation
of members of the faculty in conferences is a matter of their own interest and
election. I quite understand your concern to establish better communication
bearing upon Asian affairs. Perhaps the suggestions that you are making to
Professor Fireman of Davis may be productive. I would suggest that you might
obtain a better response from specialists attached to universities if you
approached them in a more conciliatory way.
Sincerely yours,
E. W. Strong
Chancellor at Berkeley
University of California Agricultural Extension Service
Davis, California 95616
June 9, 1964
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina Street
San Francisco, California
Dear Mr. Lewis:
Your kind letter of May 27 with the copy of a letter dated May 23 addressed
to Professor
Revelle arrived during my absence—hence my delayed reply.
I appreciate your consideration in sending me a copy of your letter to
Revelle. I am quite interested in Pakistan and appreciate every bit of
information I can get on conditions and programs being planned or put into
effect there. In fact, WAPDA is presently trying to interest me in a rather
large-scale “pilot project” in the Punjab. I am interested in the
objectives and in the set-up, particularly since I helped write the project,
but I am awaiting more information on how the project is to be financed and
administered, how long it is to be carried on, and what support it will have
from the Government etc before I make up my mind about it.
As you are aware and as you mention in your letter to Revelle, American
engineering companies are doing a great deal of good in Pakistan and Iran in
particular; however, much of this is being done by extrapolation of information
gathered in the United States or elsewhere to conditions in these countries. To
make projects most valuable to the countries concerned it is necessary that
some of this information be correlated with and checked against local
conditions. That is, while fundamental principles apply universally, their
applicability to local conditions depends upon the local technological level,
the economic condition of the farmer and the country, the local level of
production, etc. For these reasons, practices that are quite feasible in highly
developed countries like the United States may not be feasible in countries
like Pakistan. And on the other hand, practices that we have found not suitable
to our conditions may be most valuable where economic conditions and education
are so different. In particular, I am of the opinion that the salinity and
alkali levels that are considered intolerable under California conditions may
not be intolerable under present conditions in Pakistan. Hence, the criteria,
methods, etc., should be re-examined for potential applicability to less
developed countries and these cannot be adequately examined in the United
States, but must be done where conditions are similar to those where
application is intended. This is an area in which I am most interested at
present.
Furthermore, I am fully in accord with your concern that the sociologists
and technologists do not seem to be working closely enough. In many cases what
one group does is relatively ineffective because of lack of cooperation with
the other.
Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in furthering your most
laudable objectives. I wish you success in your efforts.
Milton Fireman
Extension Soils and Water Specialist
June 23, 1964
Department of Near East Studies,
University of California,
Berkeley 4, Calif.
My dear Dr. Brinner:
You will find enclosed copy of a letter from my god-daughter, Miss Khawar
(Saadia) Khan. Her original plan had been to come to the University as soon as
possible. Now she has been called on to participate in the top councils
relating both to studies in Islamics and Philosophy for several countries of
Asia, and also for the reinvigoration of education in Pakistan. At the same
time I have been asked to participate in parallel efforts to bring the Muslims
of different areas together on the basis of intellectual and spiritual
understanding.
I do not know whether these efforts are coordinate or rival. At the end
there is a foot note on “Muqadimmah.” I found it advisable to leave copy of
this work in this region where there are several disciples in tasawwuf. The
footnote will be followed shortly by the first visit on this trip to the White
Memorial Library in Cleveland, an institution visited many times now.
But since the last visit (1960) I have been the guest of top intellectual
groups in both the Near East and South Asia. And while this has been going on,
indirectly I have also been advised of a sort of renaissance in Iran. It will
therefore be advisable for me to go carefully were the literature in the White
Collection.
This collection has never been properly annotated and a compromise was made
between two quite different library systems with tragic results. Only
specialists can find what they seek quickly and I have never met any librarian
who had an overall picture of Asian literature as a whole (this does not apply
to the Library of Congress).
I am assuming that your department is acquainted with the work of Ibn
Khaldun—or will make efforts in that direction if not already done.
Some of the Pan-Muslims of South Asia have ignored or chosen to
ignore the efforts of the Pan Arabic Congress in Cairo, etc. It has been the
Arabs rather than the Pakistanis who have submitted real practical “peace”
proposals. Although I was in Cairo when Ayub Khan visited there, the reports of
agreements and differences were reported much better than any other news items
I have ever seen, from those areas.
The acceptance of “Muqadimmah” will be a jolt to the “dialectical”
theologians, and a rejection of it means a jolt to their “Islamic
research,” which, as Dr. Cantwell Smith and others have observed, is largely
apologetics and not research at all. And it is this I am fighting tooth and
nail.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.,
San Francisco 94103, Calif.
July 14, 1964
G. E. Von Grünebaum,
Department of Near East Studies, University of California,
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dear Professor Von Grünebaum:
In re: “Modern Islam—The Search for Cultural Identity.”
This book has been read completely and so far as a first reading is
concerned, one finds oneself in entire accord, so much so that even a
commentary seem redundant. But more than a commentary, a good deal of the
material was to me, semi-autobiographic.
I have visited India and Pakistan twice, and stayed six months in Cairo.
Some of the characters and much of the literature is known, and besides I have
been studying the cultures for years, a fact mentioned merely to corroborate
what you have written.
There is, however, another side, that I am being involved in movements more
or less associated with the title and thematic material, and more, rather than
less these past few months. My god-daughter is still planning to come to the
States and I hope to take this up in detail when I return, both on the Berkeley
Campus and with the Graduate Studies Section in San Francisco.
This god-daughter, Miss Khawar Khan, has already published a text-book on
Urdu and working with the Islamic Philosophical Society of Lahore has been
commissioned to take part in philosophical revival movements. This has brought
her into partial collaborator with one Dr. Nasr of Teheran and he, in turn, has
had his latest book published by Harvard University Press and is in touch with
Dr. Slater there of the School for Religious Studies.
While this has been going on there has been a continuance of efforts along
lines you have described. There is even here in Cleveland, where I am
temporarily staying, a to me conservative, if not reactionary effort to
introduce Islamic studies here along very restricted lines, and these efforts
have succeeded only in further dividing the Islamic community here. (If there
is anything far from human brotherhood, it is found in the so-called Muslims in
this vicinity.)
I did have a long interview with Dr. Quadrullah Shahab on this matter. He
favors modern cultural tendencies and realizes that many missionary efforts are
obscurantic—as well as competitive.
There is anything annoying and that is so far as Pakistan is concerned the
identity of Islamic and Urdu movements. The set-back in Bengal (East Pakistan)
has not affected this much.
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 30 Calif.
October 23, 1964
David A. Wilson
Department of Political Science, UCLA
Los Angeles, 24, Calif.
Dear Professor Wilson;
Thank you for your letter of the 24th.
It has been my usual custom to visit Hollywood Around Thanksgiving and it is
my intention now to try to see you about Monday, the 23rd.
The reason is recent developments in SE Asia and private news which has come
to me, originating with Princess Poon Diskul of the Royal Family of Thailand
and now the President of the WBF, World Buddhist Federation.
My two hosts in Thailand sere the aforesaid Princess and the late Phra
Sumangalo, founder of this WBF. I was closely associated with Phra Sumangalo
for about thirty five years and some of his associates are now in this city. I
intend to get as much material as possible for you, or to check on any factors
I have which ought to be of historical record. For instance the whole history
of SE Asia is found in letter of the late Phra Sumangalo.
The matter also concerns the strange behavior of American agencies toward
Asian anti-Communist groups, several of which are also among my close
associates.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
November 4, 1964
Prof. Paul Keim
Engineering Building
University of Calif.
Berkeley 4, Calif.
Deer Paul:
The complaint letters written previously have long passed the academic
stage. The news item that old South Hall will be refurbished or rebuilt will
cause an active demonstration on the part of this person unless he is given
some sort of interview—not satisfaction, not “apology,” nothing but a
simple plain interview.
I have already written to UCLA stating my presence on their campus about the
23rd. This was fortunate for the most receptive commission comes from the World
Buddhist Federation who meet next month to establish new leadership and prevent
the communist takeover of their organization which has been partly
successful.
Up to this time practically nobody has presented the views of the
Vietnamese, never mind their religion, culture and outlooks. And the same
non-recognition extends to other lands. On this coming Sunday I am to sup with
a friend who has lived in Cambodia; known Norodom personally and has also, like
the fabled “Anna,” tutored the children of the royal family of Thailand.
We had already made this engagement before the commission was received.
Present also will be a Korean Buddhist leader, a Chinese Buddhist “Master”
and others. And also I may be with other Chinese on Saturday night and Sunday
morning. All of these people are anti-communist and equally ignored by the
press, State Department and by “experts” in “international
relations.”
As I have said, the corresponding department at Harvard University granted
me six interviews when I held no commissions. So after returning from Los
Angeles, unless advised to the contrary, I shall write a full report to the
Board of Regents. The Governor will be easy to reach because of connections. So
far one has tried to keep out of politics but I do not think Republicans are
going to look kindly on a Director of any “Institute of International
Relations” who has no time for interviews but plenty to assist in a political
campaign.
During the past week the head of the Indian Form Bureau Delegation was here.
I am sorry to report he fell into the hands of his countrymen, one of whom took
him through the campus without his visiting any departments or buildings at
all. His objective data, however, is not of the types acceptable to the
Institute of International Religions who seem to rely only on communicated
deductive or inductive abstractions and not on in situ reports.
Most to the point—and Allah must be with me. For waiting along Montgomery
St. in San Francisco I ran plumb into the representative of “Pakistan
Times” who is in this city and will remain here for some time. In the past
one has thought of writing to “Dawn” of Karachi that the representative of
the University of Islamabad has been refused even an interview with the
Institute of International Relations. Than emotional people would not only have
published it but would have started a riot before the USIS and our embassy, I
know them.
But with the receipt of further information and developments of the
University of Islamabad and with this press representative here we are
constantly going to draw up a strong protest letter. Fortunately I believe both
the congressmen from this city will be sympathetic and I notice Baldwin has
been re-elected. He has been most cooperative and interested in my projects. A
letter has also been written to Asia Foundation about the Buddhist commission.
And I know if I bring the Pakistani newsman there, there will be an instant
interview and no lame excuses.
Who pays this Institute of International Relations! Fortunately being a free
man I have nothing to lose, but what I want is a meeting, not publicity. We are
not going to stop communism in Asia by continual subjective dialectics of our
own choice.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
November 10, 1964
E. W. Strong, Chancellor
University of California
Berkeley 4, Calif.
Dear Chancellor Strong;
In re: Refusal of Courtesy visit by a representative of a foreign
university.
It is not possible to withdraw request for an appointment with somebody,
anybody at the so-called “Institute of International Studies,” which is,
after all, a subsidiary of a public institution, supported by public funds.
On the last day of my visit to Japan I was honored by a great tea given by
friends of the Emperor himself and a document also was placed in my hands. This
document was an appeal to the Buddhist leaders of the world to unite culturally
and also not to be entangled with the polities of nations who were determined
to upset the economies and traditions based on spiritual philosophies.
This was necessary because the then Vice-President of the United States who
had just visited Japan, was in his private life a leader of a massive
organization purporting to combat communism through efforts of Protestant
Christianity. This was the factor, censored from the American public, which
brought so many anti-Nixon riots which were not anti-American riots and which
Khrushchev quite properly disclaimed.
The massage—the contents of which also became known to Asia Foundation of
this city—finally found its way into the hands of Dr. Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan who happens incidentally to be a personal friend and spiritual
colleague—if you have any doubts you might contact I. Pande, the Indian
teacher in the basement of Dwinhelle Hall. Dr. Radhakrishnan then went to Japan
and was given a rousing welcome.
Now after many years, the leaders of the anti-Communist factions in the
Buddhist world have taken over the World Buddhist Federation. And incidentally
the Christian churches here have had the integrity and decency to recognize the
Vice-President of this World Buddhist Federation as the spokesman for his
religion which he officially is.
In addition the writer has met an important newspaper man from Pakistan. If
his paper should publish that this person, as representative of Islamabad
University has been refused a courtesy appointment by the so-called
“Institute of International Relations” at Berkeley it could lead to
recriminations. This is the last thing wanted. There have already been attacks
on the USIS in Pakistan for lesser causes.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
University of California
772 Clementina Street
San Francisco 3, California
November 11, 1964
Dear Mr. Lewis:
Professor Lipset has forwarded your letter of September 8 to me for reply.
As well, I have received another inquiry about you. Let me simply say briefly
that this Institute is primarily concerned with social science research; that
the University of California is establishing a Center for the Study of Arid
Lands which will no doubt include the problem of salinity as part of its proper
concerns, and Asia will be one of the main areas for carrying on research. In
addition, last year we discussed this very problem with AID which has plans for
desalinization projects in Pakistan.
I am delighted to know that you have both intense interest and strong
feelings about the need for such programs, and I share these sentiments fully.
I hope you understand, however, that we are first of all an academic
institution and not an agency of government.
Sincerely yours,
David Apter
Professor of Political Science
Acting Director
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
December 5, 1964
Dr. Seymour M. Farber
University medical Center
Parnassus & Third Ave
San Francisco, Calif.
Dear Mr. Farber:
How California Can Help Asia and How Not To Do It.
At the time you first tapped me on the shoulder at the Unruh meeting in the
Sheraton-Palace I was under a difficulty because representing a foreign
university (University of Islamabad), I had been unable to get any courtesy
meeting from those involved on the campus of the University of California.
Scientists yes, and thoroughly, even from those branches of the sciences akin
to your own where I have no background.
When the Alumni Association asked for funds for life memberships I was one
of the first to come forward. And the only thing I came near to asking for
anything was because, as an alternative to going to Asia I had a plan to write
on “Great Research on the University of California Campuses.” And I can
assure you, Dr. Farber, that even now, in the pursuance of the programs common
to my own life, and following your “Food and Civilization” conference last
may, I am finding more and more wonders, though often the research is
technical, and so “unexciting” that I am fearful of some laboratories being
closed while other funds are being channeled into “researches” distinctly
private, personal and subjective.
For at the moment there is more than a danger of a scandalous situation
being aired before the Board of Regents and the Governor himself, and only
quick action will prevent this, for I a not the only person who has been in a
sense victimized by salary drawing specialists who will not grand
interviews.
In “Asian Survey” it says—and this is public record on a public
document: “The Institute of International Studies, established in 1955, to
give direction and purpose to an area of rapidly expanding interest, carries on
organized research in comparative and international affairs, provides
facilities for research to individual scholars and serves as an administrative
agency which assists in the development of new research interest among the
faculty. Programs of the Institute are carried on through carious Centers and
Committees which deal with diverse areas of the world including Japanese,,
Chinese, Slavic, South Asia … and African Studies. In addition to the various
studies to be undertaken directly under its aegis, the Institute is to be the
primary agency on the Berkeley Campus to facilitate and coordinate comparative
international research programs.”
Then a list of names is given, which is no use repeating because they will
neither grant interviews or even answer letters and inquiries. And in view of
the international situations this matter is not going to lie still.
In my 1956 visit to Asia I had such an astounding career, details appearing
in the kept diary, that I wished to present it to the UC Berkeley, but got
nowhere. I was the guest in Japan of a man who was a veritable Pooh-Bah, who
selected the Prime Ministers, and through whose intercession I was able to
visit the stupa over the ashes of Lord Buddha, the Royal Cemetery and the
Palatial Grounds and Botanical Gardens in Japan, all details kept. I then acted
as his messenger through the Buddhist countries in a first abortive effort to
prevent infiltration by the communists—which incidentally succeeded. The
State Department not only paid no attention but challenged my reports.
Fortunately Asia Foundation acted and reacted otherwise. The message was
carried to my good-will, dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the famous philosopher and now
President of India. He then went to Japan and was received royally (literally)
so the message was not an entire failure, but has had its aftermath, now.
Although I have been utterly unable to present any facet of the above to the
so-called Institute of International Studies, the whole thing has been accepted
by UCLA, and later on I am going to bring them documentary materials which will
be of interest and importance, but this at once brings up the challenge as to
for what is this “Institute of International Studies” established?
Whatever my career of 1956, it was dwarfed by the events of 1960-62. Before
leaving this country I was given six sessions at the Institute of International
Studies on the Harvard Campus at a time when I did not carry the credentials I
now have. And this brings up another question, too.
Actually I represent far more than the Islamabad University which is on my
card, but first because of our subjective “conflict of interest” and
second, because this is the only institution which is compensating me, it is
left that way.
There are certain courtesies expended to representatives of foreign
universities. On my last return, before establishing a home I visited UCSD,
UCR, and UCLA with nothing but absolute cordiality, candor and the discovery of
excellent research work both under way and already accomplished by your
colleagues. It is so vast that it almost stupefies one and I have discussed
this many times at the Alumni House, Berkeley.
(Here it is awkward that “Asian Survey” published at Berkeley with UC
funds, seems to have by-passed in almost every respect the actual researches,
accomplishments and even visits by some of your topmost men. Indeed I am going
to mention, but not necessarily stress, the continues use of materials from
either foreign lands or “foreign” universities, when so many of your
colleagues have done more, seen more, and know more than writers of articles.
These articles of themselves are not to be criticized. But who puts up the
funds? Why? And for what purposes? We are largely ignorant of Asia because when
we send men to Asia their colleagues in the humanities pay no attention and
this alone is serious.)
As I have already told you, Islamabad University is not seeking
funds—indeed it is oversubscribed and President Ayub Khan is on the Board of
Directors. This fact will be communicated soon to the Pakistani Embassy before
the UN meets here in 1965, if it so does. Nothing but a courtesy meeting in
this respect was asked for, and this has been denied.
In several visits to the various offices held by the Institute of
International Affairs, the most I have been able to do is to get to the
research scholar for African matters. He and his colleagues act as if I were
seeking some favor, and as several of them are “foreign” professors—no
objection to that—they do not take into consideration the various
ramifications of the University of California on its several campuses. I am not
again going to ask for a courtesy meeting. The professor I charge of the
African research to whom I have been assigned, could not name a single person
or instructor in Asiatics to whom he could send me. This is not Love’s labor
lost—it is a matter which will be protested. It did not take me four hours on
the UCLA campus to accomplish all that I have tried for two years to get at
Berkeley, and this is certainly going to be passed on to the Board of Regents
and Governor unless there is some kind of correction.
This person is not interested in any job now on any campus at any level and
has not asked for any grant or anything because his freedom is the most
important asset in the promotion of good-will between real California and real
Asia, between America and real Asia.
Now we have come to some more recent serious events.
In view of the accomplishments of 1956 I have been asked recently to
represent the new Board of Directors of the World Buddhist federation. They
have seized power to keep the communists out. The head is Princess (Royal) Poon
Diskul, a granddaughter of the famous King Mongkut who incidentally bears some
of his characteristics. This ought to be of concern to the Institute of
International Studies and to Prof. Scalapino, who has yet to answer a single
inquiry or communication at any level. The complex of South Vietnam is too
dramatic to be by-passed and I have not only met in person one of the great
spiritual leaders of the Vietnamese, I have met now too many persons, important
or otherwise, who have been down there. the transference of this material and
confidences will certainly be reported officially.
Or, to skip to an incident the other day. The deputy leader of the Congress
Party in the Indian Parliament, Sri Surendra Ghose, upset an audience by
pointing his finger at me: “Why, you are the man I came to San Francisco to
meet. I came five thousand miles just to meet you.” This was at a public
gathering. Why did he come to see me? At least here I can say there is complete
good-will with the whole staff in Dwinhelle Hall covering various branches of
Asian and Near East languages and culture. Why two distinct policies on the
same campus? Which is the real research?
Finally, Prof. David Apter had the audacity two write: “The University of
California is establishing a Center for the Study of Arid Lands which will no
doubt include the problem of salinity….” You know, Dr. Faber, what I have
been doing. I went to Pennsylvania this summer for fertilizer and Tomato work.
Then I visited (re-visit) the research station at Wooster, Ohio, meeting more
and more men who are acquainted with Asian agriculture and coming up with a top
answer which I am unable to communicate to Prof. Apter, excepting by meeting
but which will certainly go—I think it has gone—to Prof. George Mehren in
Washington. Then I spent a whole week at the library of the Garden Center,
Cleveland, collecting all the data available in literature on these subjects.
Then stopped off in Texas to get Texas A&E material. And now in the visit
to UCLA have obtained the finest element in my plans to help Asia, and the
finest and latest technical accomplishments which will certainly help the
United States and certainly “How California Can Help Asia.”
It is ridiculous that any people should have vetoes on censoring
accomplishments, accomplishments which will be of greatest value to our country
and the world.
A little later on I am going to UCLA again to follow the above, and perhaps
UCR also.
And if you were to ask me to draw up a plan and name names, it would include
so many of your colleagues close at hand whom the public does not know. There
is hardly a problem that has had not its answer in the researches of University
of California campuses in this direction—supplemented slightly by some USDA
work and that done at Saratoga. If the so-called “Institute of International
Studies” were engaged in real research on real problems they would certainly
grand interviews.
Nothing here is in reflection to or on the great work being done at all
levels by all persons on all campuses other that the above. And one does not
like to add to confusion to involve some parties who are at least partially
guilty for this situation because they are now in the front headlines on
entirely different matters.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.,
San Francisco 3, Calif.
December 10, 1964
Dr. Carroll Parrish
Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
Whether one believes in “Buddhism” or not, there are laws, perhaps
inexorable laws behind the operation of this universe. The failure on the part
of this writer to take seriously the warnings of Dr. M. T. Kirby of Japanese
plans on the Hawaiian Islands, followed by the bombing of Pearl Harbor made a
deep mark on his consciousness and a resolve to be of service of my country
whenever any such warnings came. Instead of being a “hero,” it has been a
life of utter frustration, of almost unanimous rejection of warnings (and not
mere “advice”) followed in every instance—I do not know any
exception—of either infiltration of subversive groups into hitherto friendly
countries, or the mobbing of USIS and Embassy buildings.
The single exception has been the Military Intelligence, to the degree that
my name was enrolled in the “heroes” book at Fort Mason just under
Carlson’s Raiders, in 1945. And since then only the military have listened to
anything with two exceptions after the fact, that State Department officials
were then heeded. And my fourth, and I hope last, accidental running into
communist nests was so horrible I do not wish to live through it again.
Even now I am the on-the-record representative of four anti-communist
centers in various parts of Asia which has been for the most part treated very
lightly. Not a newspaper or radio station in the US has given me any sort of
interview even, and every article to every magazine has been rejected. Now let
us on to better things.
Thanksgiving Day was spent with a man seeking knowledge of deep Buddhism. In
the search therefor he has been in Vietnam and I hope to have him visit me. In
this city are representatives of nearly all Buddhist Schools, or else in this
vicinity, and I guess all told we cannot draw thirty people. But when something
real is wanted that is different. For example the neglected Karl Phillip
Eidmann, etc. Also disciples of the late Phra Sumangalo who have been in
various parts of S. E. Asia, including Laos. They have been even more
unsuccessful in getting anybody to listen to their stories.
Reaching Santa Barbara one Mrs. Evans came up to my companion and myself.
“I have the copyright on Dr. Evans-Wentz books and am proceeding to Hollywood
to get funds to put “The life of Milarepa.” This was the great Tibetan
saint. Mrs. Evans and I have the same mutual friends. I told her I could get
her in touch with the Buddhist leaders all over the world.
On my first night in San Francisco I was inducted into a group at the first
rehearsal of “The Birth of Lord Buddha.” It is not a Buddhist group. Few of
the “Buddhist” groups here have anything to do with either the historical
Buddha or Buddhistic literature. Nor is there any standardization for the
selection of a Buddhist prelate. One is interested because the World Affairs
Council has put on programs of “Thrust and Counterthrust in Asia” which is
mostly verbal. Our “counter-thrusts” fare for editorial columns and
applauding audiences. But before one could even suggest taking advantage of the
Milarepa theme above or this already MGM has sent out a scout.
The failure of the Japanese to give a real historical version of Buddha, and
the possibility of “Milarepa” are infinite. Nicol Smith may be here soon
and I wish to contact him. He also belongs to that fairly large number of
“Ugly Americans” whose warnings go unheeded. The writer of “Burma Road”
was by-passed and we lost Tibet.
Finally I have heard Admiral Harry Donald Felt speak on the whole picture in
S.E. Asia. I do not know whether you agree on “One Chain of Command.” After
having handled secret papers in the War, I have never been reconciled to the
privileges given to the press, many of whose leaders vaunt to dictate military
policy.
In any case the Admiral was kind enough to be willing to review a paper on
“The Buddhism of Vietnam” which I hope to write shortly but there are still
some obstacles to overcome.
Years ago I ran into the so-called “American Academy of Asian Studies”
which, like alas, a number of other “American” institutions employed
Europeans to lecture on Asian cultures. I ran afoul of every one of them and
they succeeded also in getting my name blackballed on at least three
institutions of higher learning in this country.
When I reached Japan I was amazed to:
a. Admitted immediately into Zen monasteries—no waiting, ever.
b. Satori experiences
c. Visits to the Royal Cemetery, ashes of Lord Buddha and Shingi Shingon
esoteric temple on Mt. Takao.
d. Guest of Honor at the Imperial Gardens and Imperial Botanical
Gardens. On the last day in Japan I was given teas in turn by
a. The Ambassador of Pakistan.
b. The colleagues of his Imperial Majesty*
c. The Japanese Travel Bureau which has not only accepted but instituted all
suggestions.
*Baron Nakashima entrusted me with a document sent out to establish a
liaison between Buddhist schools to prevent communist infiltrations. Although I
was publicly denounced in this city for making this claim, I met my friend, Wm.
Eihlers of Asia Foundation, in the pursuit thereof, so one can testify.
The denouement of this mission was to extend invitation to Dr. Radhakrishnan
to visit Japan, and this mission was accomplished though not a member of our
foreign service would believe it, then.
As an interlude. If anybody doubts my relation with Dr. Radhakrishnan or the
spiritual leaders in India. My return to this city was necessitated by the
visit of Shi Surendra Ghose, Deputy Leader of the Congress Party in India. To
the astonishment of an audience, unfavorably conditioned by the so-called
“American Academy of Asian Studies,” Sri Ghose pointed his finger to me and
said: “Why you are the man I came to San Francisco to meet. I came five
thousand miles to meet you!”
He has accepted my “Dance of Universal Peace” which may be discussed
with your Department of Musicology on my next visit.
Princess Peon Diskul had been my guest here in San Francisco and was one of
my two hosts in Thailand, the other being Phra Sumangalo. There also I met one
of the spiritual leaders of the Vietnamese who, to my surprise, embraced me.
Because although it has not been taken seriously, I know something about the
form of Mahayana which exists in both Vietnam and Korea (rather similar) which
will be the basis of a paper for Admiral Felt.
It will have to be made as simple as possible. Very difficult unless one
accepts Spengler’s teachings. But for every American who accepts Spengler ten
accept dialectical approaches.
Finally—and this is not pleasant. I have taken full advantage of the
troubles on the campus at Berkeley. Refused appointments and with practically
no answers to letters from either “Asian Survey” or the so-called
“Institute of International Relations” I have told them point blank that it
was now a matter of total indifference whether they gave me any appointment or
not, that the matters would be taken up with the Board of Regents and the State
Legislature. The result was an immediate appointment, taking place tomorrow.
However I am going to protest in no uncertain terms about “Asian
Survey.” The money for that publication is put up either from public funds or
from people who wish to subsidize the University of California. On our several
campuses there are many men who have been to that part of the world and
accomplished wonders. Do you see their articles published? Years ago I
presented to the Alumni Association the idea of a “California in Asia,”
something like “Princeton in Asia.” All over I found graduates doing
marvelous things—unknown to the public at large. I wish to see “Asia
Survey” modified to give room for articles by or about University of
California personnel in the Asian field.
Copy of the paper for Admiral Felt will be sent to you.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
P.S. Am taking part in panels at the Blaisdell Institute, Claremont, next
September, on the world’s great religions.
2538 Channing Way
Berkeley 4, California
January 5, 1965
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
722 Clementina
San Francisco 3, California
Dear Mr. Lewis:
When I saw you some weeks ago I promised that I would follow our
conversation with a letter giving you the information which you requested. I am
now back from leave but before I write you I would much appreciate it if you
would come to see me, as Dr. Apter has asked me to discuss some of the matters
which arise from your letter to him of December 19.
I shall be happy to explain fully the position of the Institute of
International Studies in relation to the various matters which concern you and
would appreciate it if you would kindly telephone (845-6000, extension 4064)
and let me know when it would be convenient for you to call here.
Yours sincerely,
David Brokensha
cc -Dr. David Apter
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
January 14, 1965
David W. Brokensha
Institute of International Studies
University of California
Berkeley 4, Calif.
My dear Mr. Brokensha:
One left your office very satisfied with the agreement reached but not so
satisfied with my own personal behavior. But after recollecting the missing
pieces can be put together.
If you will look on page 53 of this issue of “Newsweek” you will find
that Ford Foundation has given grants to Columbia and Harvard Universities for
their Schools of International Affairs. Anything written here can be discussed,
and events prior to 1960 have already been discussed at Harvard. But my whole
life is concentrated on “How California Can Help Asia” and is of such a
nature, that if successful, the materials collected and the objectives in view
could be of great assistance to those interested in collecting funds for any
and all purposes germane to those efforts.
A few months back the Alumni of Columbia University met in San Francisco and
at that time I met the Hon. Roger Hilsman and the Hon. J. Badeau, and our
interviews were very cordial and to the point. Both of these men have had
considerable experience and it was rather a pleasant surprise to get along so
with Hillman whose TV and press announcements have been so equivocal and
indeterminate.
Then I remembered back. They were engaged in “Thrust and Counter Thrust in
Asia” and I had just been called in for the fourth counter-thrust
mission by Asians and this is the first time I was able to deliver a message
from anti-Communists of Asia to Americans, and in this fourth effort have been
most fortunate in new contacts, ending with an into view at KPFA who have
promised to review my “The Religion of Vietnam” with a proviso from them,
that they may wish to include other adventures of Asian knowledges.
To be more successful than my fellow-countrymen in mingling with Asians or
addressing Asian audiences is one thing. To step unwittingly into communist
nests or to be followed by communists is another. In India, when this happened,
the foreign service thought I was putting on a stunt. I was saved because the
then head of security in India was a fellow Sufi.
In Pakistan I was warned about communists first by a Christian missionary
who was asked to leave the country as a trouble-maker; then by my fellow Sufis
in Intelligence. And when I ran into a communist nest unwittingly again the
Embassy at Karachi point blank refused my report thinking I was putting on a
stunt to atone for some stupid mistakes they had made. It was no stunt. For
example one Ismael Nur, then head of the film industry in Lahore, was the head
of the communist underground, etc.
When it was over the Intelligence official at Lahore agreed I should never
carry any credentials with me that might endanger my life. I do not wish to go
over the most terrible experiences but there are collaborating witnesses and I
am not going to inform Consul-General Ahmed nor remind him where I previously
met him either.
From almost the moment I returned to Pakistan in 1961 Pir Dewwal Shereef, a
Sufi leader sent for me. He had agents come to me constantly in every part.
When we did meet, outside the Sufi instructions which need not concern you, he
and his colleagues had already outlined a complete counter-thrust campaign, to
use the term of your Columbia U. colleagues, and asked me to act as their
American agent.
They were also in agreement that I should not carry any endangering
credentials—I had to go to India after that, or any incriminating papers.
Besides, Sufis do not operate that way. And if I have not the details in
earlier diary entrees I can supply names and places and details of other
counter-thrust efforts by Sufis, all of which would be welcome at Columbia, if
they are not at California and this person is not going to force any issue.
I have plenty of correspondence from colleagues I this regard and whenever
my closest friend, Major Sadiq comes here, or an assign because he now has a
big job with the Central Government of Pakistan, the above can be
substantiated.
My first “counter-thrust” series of experiences came upon me in a number
of episodes rising out of the first effort in Asia. The late secretary Dulles
approved of a plan to work for better international understanding in the field
of Horticulture. (This has been superseded by efforts in the food field, and
here I can supply a long data list covering subject matter and the names of
colleagues on most UC campuses.) It brought me in immediate contact with one
Baron Nakashima, since deceased.
I did not know that Nakashima was the “Pooh-Bah” of Japan, being the top
Genro, the top lay Buddhist, the top Horticulturalist and the biggest political
person in Japan. This was later substantiated on the visit of the former Prime
Minister of Japan (Kishi) to this city.
This person was tested in every respect in Japan and it might bring up a
question to an anthropologist, whether there is any difference between social
and mystical initiation, how far do they overlap, how far are they identical
and how far are they totally different? I do have substantiating photographs,
but did not take any when I was the first humble guest of Honor at the Imperial
Gardens, both the Palace and Botanical gardens of his majesty, the Emperor.
Besides, then I have seen many monasteries from the inside and “graduated”
in Zen Buddhism, etc.
The upshot was that Baron Nakashima sent me on an anti-communist errand
which was successful to the degree that more recently princess Poon Diskul and
her associate, Aiem Sangkavasi asked me to continue that work. But I had
already met Princess Poon in San Francisco where, almost fairy-story-like I had
helped a princess in distress and I can assure you that Princess Poon Diskul is
very much like a fairy-princess anyhow.
I am hoping to continue this with a meeting with Prof. Scalapino. Being
primarily a scientist and data-collector, any materials I have can be properly
interpreted by men in his field better than by a roving adventurer like myself.
It is only that my whole life is built on “How California Can Help Asia,”
with ever growing response abroad, but very slow recognition that somewhere we
have failed to establish ground-work friendships with Asian peoples.
Appreciating your kindness and efforts to end misunderstandings,
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
January 15, 1965
Dr. Caroll Parrish
Administration Building, UCLA
Los Angeles, 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
In: re: Institute of International Studies.
I have before me copy of “Asian Survey” published by this Institute
which has headquarters in Berkeley. It has taken me over two and one half years
to get a simple interview in one case, and a letter promising an interview in
another instance. This came only after a threat to take the matter up with the
legislature and even with Congress.
It says on the blurb that “The Institute of International Studies …
carries on organized research in comparative and international affairs …
etc.” In the interview finally obtained one find in practice that there is no
such thing, it is an almost private matter responsible only to the Chancellor,
so I am told, and that the bulk of its money comes from private sources.
Neither Dr. Lipset nor Dr. Apter has ever consented to an interview-which, I
believe can lead to serious consequences. In the case of Dr. Saalapino a
meeting has been promised.
Now I must call to your attention two matters, one personal and one quite
impersonal and it is the latter in which I am most interested and also most
ineffective. A hint has been dropped to Mr. Ericson at Alumni House and he
is behind me, in fact he may take the lead toward promoting intercampus
cooperation and integration—which was the reason for my calling on Mr. Wilson
recently.
On the personal side. In 1947, I believe, I was sent on a cultural errand by
some dignitaries of Hyderabad State, then still independent but under Indian
control. Arriving at Washington I was give a severe cultural, not personal
examination and passed gloriously. I then went to Penn U. and met Dr. W. Norman
Brown, perhaps the dean in Asian studies in this country, or maybe anywhere.
All that was asked was backgrounds. Then incidentally met Dr. Norman Kingsley
for the first time who later came to the Berkeley campus.
On the editorial board of “Asian Survey” in addition to D. Norman Brown
are Dr. Guy Pauker whom I have visited several times to entire satisfaction;
and Dr. Richard L. Park, now at Pittsburgh University. In the cases of Brown
and Park this was before actually going to Asia.
Now as to backgrounds. When I met Princess Poon Diskul for the first time
she was teaching at the Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco which was
then under the famous-infamous Alan Watts who knew nothing about Asian history
but could give out degrees. As he would under no circumstances let me express
myself I discussed personally in his presence, with Princess Poon Diskul the
person of Townsend Harris, the Ayuthia Chronicles and Pali Literature.
When I was with the American Foreign Service in Lahore in 1961 at
Thanksgiving Dinner I was the only person present who knew the history of the
hinterland. There were all kinds of men with all kinds of degrees on all kinds
of subjects, and none knew the backgrounds.
Apart from reading, in 1956 I attended a convention which was once written
up—rejected as usual called “The Health of a Nation.” I was the only
outsider—Americans never attend such affairs, when Papa Tara Singh made peace
with Prime Minister Nehru. It was never written up and besides excepting a few
specialists nobody seems to know about “Sikhistan,” an actual political
country until about 1846.
This is only one of innumerable instances of my incidentally or unwittingly
being present when “history is made .” The natural is that an institution
dedicated to international research would at least record eye-witness reports.
This has been granted at Berkeley, not because it was asked for, but in a
counter-challenge. Because at the moment I have been more interested in the
impersonal requests—a point I failed to put over. But years ago in these
rooms with the late Phra Sumangalo (Robert Clifton) we discussed how easy it
was to meet a Prime Minister or high dignitary, how difficult it was to get the
matter recorded.
And later when I was in Thailand and sent to the Chief Mahathero and he
showed me documents signed by President Eisenhower. I went to the Embassy and
they insisted the documents were forgeries, which they were not. If that
happened today I would do just as I did to compel an interview with the
Institute of International Studies.
My Real Mission. The same day I visited, at last, the Institute,
there was another mission to obtain speakers for a conference on Salinity. I
not only met the right person in the right place in the right time but was told
that most of the specialists in this field are now at Riverside. This shows the
acme of proper intercampus cooperation, activity and research. Excepting
geographically the Agricultural Departments are one and I understand the same
is true of Cancer research, both laboratory work at home and applied research
abroad (as in Indonesia.)
My life-theme “How California Can Help Asia” if completely formulated
would do much to advertise the fine work done in hidden nooks and crannies of
the University of California, all campuses. This also was achieved on your
campus.
But when one comes to “Asian Survey” put out by Institute of
International Studies, University of California and looks at the names of
contributors, they might be anywhere. In other words, “Asian Survey” is a
fine, cultural magazine, like “Pacific Affairs” etc., etc. which might be
put out by any private commercial venture in this field.
There is practically nothing in all its pages of contributions, social,
political, scientific or otherwise done by graduate specialists of the
University of California.
Before going to the Institute I dropped in on Mr. Ericson, Alumni House, who
discussed with enthusiasm the Cancer work in Indonesia. This is one of the
things I am not only in entire accord with but am disgusted with the whole
Foreign Service and the Press for overemphasizing forms of “foreign aid”
not requested by nationals abroad, and for de-emphasizing cooperative movements
requested by such nationals. Indeed last night I met the head of Near East
Foundation who has carried this one step ahead, into practice.
It seems to me—and I am sure Mr. Ericson would support this contention,
that “Asian Survey” should not only be open to all work done in its
geographical field by professors, scholars and researchers, all departments,
but that this should become a must for them to have it on record.
In the history of the world, or in the history of the University, it is a
small matter whether the writer, as an individual, is recognized. But it is a
very serious thing that when men go abroad on sabbatical, or on official
university business, or on official but non-university business, some record is
made thereof to be at the disposal of the actual research scholars.
While the “Death of a Nation” is one personal example, I run into all
sorts of things of this nature. In keeping laboratory records all things are
taken into consideration, no matter who or why so long as the what is
made available. I do not know whether this point can be made clear. Private
research is not something I think legitimate on the campus of a State
University, unless for a particular social purpose.
If the points above were to be accepted, as a person I would be willing to
go further and contact legislators and congressmen to see the value of
increasing stipends for the University, for real impersonal research. And I
should like to see reviews of Mr. Wilson’s works, or student reports, or
anything pertinent to the above subject at a clearing-house depository.
There is a vast hiatus between the real Asia and the abstraction so often
substituted therefor. In a short while I expect to meet the Ambassador from
Cambodia who is visiting this city. This will be at the World Affairs Council
which is become more and more aware of the lack of valid knowledge in the hands
of the public.
As you know, my main objection to the deposed Chancellor at Berkeley was his
exclusion of Asians from panels on Asian affairs. There is here an
“American-Asian Friendship League” just encountered, when there are serious
speakers and serious discussions.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
January 21, 1965
I. Pandey
Department of Near East Languages
Dwinelle Hall
University of California
Pandey ji;
So many things happen in one’s private life that it is very difficult to
follow social courtesies. And indeed when I come to Berkeley and especially to
the University, it is with difficulty that I can cross the whole campus, there
being so many items of interest or importance to take up with different
departments. But I was sending a copy of this to Prof., Robert Scalapino who is
editor of “Asian Survey.” For practical purposes I shall separate the news
into countries;
Japan: A lady who has studied Oriental philosophies for years visited
San Francisco this week. She has obtained rights over Evans-Wents’ works and
at the moment is planning a cinema on “The Life of Milarepa.” She has been
very much interested in meeting people with Buddhist backgrounds.
You were present when Dr. Richard Robinson spoke last summer, so you are
aware that I have had these backgrounds. But this was one of the few occasions
to be able to tell how this person visited the Royal Cemetery, the Imperial
Gardens, etc. when he had no “credentials” from the usual acceptance of
“credentials,” his studying being off campus or with actual Japanese, and
Chinese. The practical experiences, especially from the monastic and social
views were important because this lady and her colleagues do not wish to repeat
the mistakes done in the Japanese version of “Buddha” which was more
Hollywoodian than authentic. Also this has been the best encouragement for my
“The Lotus and the Universe” which will be based on personal experiences
and not on speculations.
Vietnam. At long last has there been some acceptance of having
knowledge of these people and their religion in particular. I was able to
explain this to Dr. Chaudhuri that Indo-China meant the assimilation of Indian
and Chinese cultures and so long as we look upon these people as misplaced
Europeans we can never reach any agreement. We know neither their religion nor
cultures. It is possible that I may appear on KPFA in this regard. I keep in
close touch with friends who have been there—none interviewed, none have
letters answered by the State Department, etc.
Thailand. All my suggestions have been accepted by the World Buddhist
Federation and this means another royal welcome when I return. By royal welcome
I mean literally and not figuratively as was the case in visiting your
country.
Pakistan. In my private life I keep on being consulted and was about
to give it up when a letter of recognition came from the Embassy at Washington.
After spending weeks in Islamabad going over the plans for a University the
consul-general, for quite separate reasons, refused to recognize my person. Now
my friends have been very successful in this recent election and I await
details.
Congresses on World Regions. A letter came today concluding my
appearance on a panel to be held at Claremont College this coming September. I
shall give all the details to Prof. Brinner when I write my briefs, due in
March. This has reacted and I must tell you a story:
[next page(s) missing]
January 22, 1965
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina Street
San Francisco 3, Calif.
My dear Mr. Lewis:
Thank you for your interesting letter of January 14. I have much pleasure in
confirming our conversation, and saying that the Institute of International
Studies will be happy to provide you with an experienced graduate student who
will go through such papers as you make available, and will make a preliminary
report on their contents and with recommendations where they can best be used.
Professor David Apter, who has authorized this help, joins me in expressing our
thanks for your willingness to help.
You appreciate (as you indicated in our conversation) that we shall not be
able to do this immediately. One factor in the delay is that we are
reorganizing our Center for South Asian Studies; when this is done, I shall
take up the details of working out our arrangement, and you will be hearing
from me later in the semester.
With best wishes, and the hopes that your long efforts to establish ways for
California to help Asia will eventually be successful.
Sincerely,
David W. Brokensha
cc: Professor David E. Apter
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
March 7, 1965
Dr. Caroll Parrish
Administration Building, UCLA
Los Angeles, 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish: “Snow all the year around”
Now you asked me about Princess Poon Diskul and in the last few weeks
letters have been flying between her associate Hon. Aiem Sanghavasi and the
writer. And the Gatha (poem) on a Buddhist peace plan is being published. There
is a long history behind this which comes out of my pseudo-witticism: “East
is East and West is West and never shall the Oriental meet the Orientalist.”
(I was the last guest of honor in Kipling’s workshop in Lahore some time
back.)
A number of years ago, speaking to Dr. Bryant at the USIA in Karachi: “I
have written a paper on Maize Growing in Hazara District which will no
doubt be published if it has not already, but no attempt was made to write on
their Religion, Folklore and Ethnology of these people because I know it
would be rejected.”
“I agree with you.” And that, Dean Parrish, was before reading
Lord Snow, and yet it is illustrative of everything, not only the complex which
is maintained—a la “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” in
Southeast Asia, but it is going to manifest elsewhere, because it is
almost impossible for real “Ugly Americans” to get hearings anywhere, but
most especially the press, and the State Department.
Information has just come that “Los Angeles Times” has at long last
published and article on the Buddhist point of view from Vietnam. The truth is,
Dean Parrish, that there are three enemies of American foreign policy: Dale
Carnegie, Jesus Christ and Oswald Spengler and the greatest of those is
Spengler. We pretend to be fighting Marx—with dialectical weapons only,
anything else would be “unfair.”
Many years ago in these very rooms my now dead friend who knew everybody
intimately from Bao Dai to Abdul Rahman Tenggu, and from the Laotian royalty to
the Buddhist monks in Singapore sobbed in vain over the utter inability to get
any hearings anywhere—until it was discovered he was a third cousin of
Senator Fulbright by marriage. He was so disgusted he left America forever and
died of a broken heart. But it has taken years of hard fighting to make a few
of your associates on the Berkeley campus even accept that I knew such a person
and had some very good first hand information about the causes of troubles in
the region involved.
But I have to repeat, this is not a single incident and no American, other
than a newsman, no matter how much he knows, has much of a chance to be
heard.
My friends have outlined to me a huge program of “food in exchange for
gold.” They have outlined it because they have been engaged on it on a small
scale. If they can get American capital interested either in
a. Agricultural and fishing development, or
b. Mineral development,
they say they could have made it and know all the details for the
possibilities of capital investment and returns in exact places.
My personal program has been changed, going back to college on Mondays and
Wednesdays and on the first free Tuesday went to the World Affairs Council, to
find that the speaker was Karl Brandt. And in his talk—which was on the
general field of answers to world food problems—he talked much about
investment possibilities, that people are coming to him. So an incipient
appointment has been made with him, depending on mutual free time.
I do not know if one can integrate African development in such a way as to
combine engineering, agriculture and mining development but the seeds are
there. And this would be the first purpose in bringing my Sudanese friends to
your doors.
My change of program came because I am now taking up landscape design and am
learning first, concrete mixing, masonry, etc. No more troughs and hand mixes
but meanwhile these knees are in fine condition. To learn by doing may be of
help in some future projects, I hope.
If we come Thursday will go to your office first either for an appointment
or any other mutually satisfactory arrangement. And I can see, too, where a lot
of UC research, in a hundred fields can be applied, whether the social science
departments recognize it or not.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
March 19, 1965
G.F. Von Grünebaum
Near East Center, University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
In re: Sufis and the Multiversity
Dear Professor Von Grünebaum:
You will find enclosed the draft copy of paper on “Repentance” to be
used, inshallah, so the afternoon presentation from the Islamic or more
specially the Sufi point of view at the conference on the world faiths to be
held in Claremont this coming September. But because of the coinage of an
excellent term by President Clark Kerr I am sending you some news which does
not usually go through regular channels and which may have some bearings, one
hopes, into a somatic manifestation of this term within and among the various
campuses of the university.
This person has long been influenced by Padisha Akbar, the Great Mogul, has
visited Fatehpur Sikri on various occasions and has in his possession copy of
“Dabistan,” the first work, in a sense, in cooperative religion. On the
last visit I danced there and this dance was altered into “The Dance of
Universal Peace,” inspired by my “fairy god-mother” Miss Ruth St. Denis.
The dance itself has already been officially accepted by representatives of the
Government of India. It is based on an eclectic synthesis from the actual
rituals of the world’s leading faiths.
This universal Sufi point of view in not only inherent, sometimes explicit
in Sufi philosophy and poetry but has come to the surface in the rise of an
institution in Ceylon which turns “Cooperative Religion” and especially
mysticism into a Multiversity subject. But another step has been taken
recently, of which I must furnish come details.
On my return to this area in 1957, having had some unusual experiences
(plenty of data on file), only the then living former Ambassador Henry Grady
and Asia Foundation accepted these reports. Ambassador Grady himself had
associated with Sufis in India and elsewhere and his widow, Mrs. Grady, can
still attest to this. But the influence of the then functioning Rom Landau
vetoed all efforts to get any hearings. Landau himself was either a student of
or an associate of Arthur Arberry and all of Arberry’s associates (Watt,
Gibb, etc.) have refused adamantly to give any consideration to living Sufis. I
could offer whole history of what has happened to my “brothers” but these
do not concern the University of California.
The world University itself arose in the mind of Prof. Oliver Reiser of
Pittsburgh University. He and I share in having been student-disciples of the
late Cassius Keyser of Columbia whose mathematical philosophy and especially
that of integration we have applied, in theory, to many problems.
Somewhere around 1956, visiting the first Indian Embassy as a representative
of the Sufis of Hyderabad, Deccan, I was challenged about Moineddin
Ibnu’l-Arabi and surprised them by talking on “The relation between
Ibnu’l-Arabi and Shankaracharya. From this point it was easy to synthesize
the Integrational outlooks of the disciples of Keyser, the Sufis and the
Vedantists (all branches). But this ability had divers effects—on the one
hand it lead to easy and simple contacts, social, official and spiritual with
top Orientals, at the other pole it found me opposed by the vast majority of
“Orientalists,” but the latter negative state is changing rapidly.
I had been working, aside from personal efforts, to promote integration of
research results on various campuses of the University of California. It looks
like boasting to say: “Give me an Asian problem and I can point to some U.C.
campus and show you the solution either in printed pamphlets or in purpose or
both.” I am going to give one example here, after some preliminary
reports.
This person was successful in bringing the attention of the work of Prof.
Reiser to President Radhakrishnan on the one hand and to several Sufis on the
other. Now all these people and many others already contacted have joined to
establish the World University in New Delhi and I personally had nothing to
do with it other than introducing these people on to the others.
While this has been going on, this person’s “Peace Plan” for S.E. Asia
has been accepted in Thailand, is being or has been published and lots more.
The work and especially the experience of this person in bringing Buddhists
into contact one with the other in the eastern part of Asia and Sufis in
contact with each other in the western part of Asia is on record, and during
the fracas on the Berkeley campus, I am thankful to having been able to get
acknowledged so historical records which are on my films—both by
communication and autobiography, can be used when we wish to write objective
histories.
From the Sufi angle there is little need to pressure for the Claremont
conference will bring out many things into the open. But to my surprise the
Board of Trustees of the World University not only includes many men I have not
but two prominent Sufis, who are not in the least like the Arberry-Gibb
structure.
For some time and especially since meeting Dr. Appleman on your campus I
have hoped to have more correspondence between Algaeologists, whose work for
the main part has been disjunctive. I had just written to Dr. Milton Fireman at
Davis hoping that the first U.C. Multiversity project would be to bring the
Algae research under one heading, etc. But three days after the letter was
written two separate communications same here that Algae research was the first
project to be undertaken by the World University, which means that there will
be the Multiversity method, integrating and bringing into cooperation the
various disjunctive efforts. And I am hoping that those who receive copies of
this letter will both recognize the Multiversity in operation and the neglect
to many excellent people on all the campuses who have solutions to many real
projects and problems.
Encouraged by the very cordial attitude today of your confreres on the
Berkeley campus, I interrupted two classes last summer to call to their
attention that the problems they were discussing had already been handled,
respectively by the now forgotten Profs. Ryder and Hopper. The constant change
of personalities brings to each campus men who do not realize what has been
done beforehand. Fortunately in these instances recognition was given—which
is quite different from recognition to the ego-personality. In other words I
have been campaigning for a Multiversity and whatever else we may think Prof.
Pepper was a pioneer and a sort of lone pioneer in his work.
Last month there came into my life a man from Sudan, where nearly everybody
belongs to at least one Sufi order (despite Arberry, Gibb & Co.) and it did
not take long for mutual recognition. This was followed almost immediately by
the complex between Israel, the Arab world and West Germany. My friend, Hashim,
has lived in many parts of the North East and in at least six African
countries. We discussed the water-problems especially and those of the Nile in
particular and after he gave me his personal experiences, I pointed to the map
and said. “This is the crucial point. We can check-mate Nasser if he turns
against us, and at the same time help Sudan without any especial foreign
aid appropriation.” He corroborated the point.
A few days later I went to the Berkeley campus to visit an engineer, name
temporarily withheld, and said I believed that a dam at a certain spot could
save Sudan, save Abu Simbel without cost and put the United States in the
driver’s seat, so to speak. Imagine my amazement when he pulled out of the
files a complete survey covering all technical and economic points, etc.
It may or may not be beside the point that the press in the United States
has under-evaluated the accomplishments of the West Germans and of our own
people and over-accentuated the efforts (not the accomplishments) of the
Russians. But here again we come face to face with Sufis, as I have in so many
places, who wish to be friendly top and be befriended by the United States, and
are ignored, at least officially. Fortunately I was able to introduce my friend
Hashim to Admiral Everson of the American Friends of the Near East and he in
turn has already introduced him to some other worthies of this region.
In face of this—recognition by Americans of importance, it is time to
overrule and override the subjectivities of British and other linguists and
meet, even if we do not agree with them, living people and work with them.
Hashim thinks I should go to Africa, either to Sudan or Nigeria (Kano).
It will also interest Prof. Appleman that Hashim has a tremendous background
on complexities involving the Israel-Arab fracas and we both feel there are
ways out, which have not been considered, when we emphasize water problems and
their solution first.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
May 21, 1965
Dr. Clark Kerr, President
The University of California
Berkeley 4, Calif.
Dear President Kerr;
In re: On the Establishment of A Multiversity.
It may seem a super-ambitious proposal for a person to write on this
subject. But this year by a wonderful combination of circumstances and
personalities one finds oneself integrated into a World University to be
established in New Delhi, India, including in its program nearly all the
projects of a personal life, of the careers of a number of persons connected
with universities in many parts, and in particular, for its first efforts
facing food problems in general and those of Algae research in particular. I
shall have reason to write on this latter further, either in a communication to
your good self or to the Botany Department on the Berkeley campus, and perhaps
to others.
As a retired horticulturalist my first trip around the globe was changed
from that of plant exchanges to seeking for solutions to food problems. And on
the following one, in 1960-2, not only did one contact key personalities and
was given what each thought was the most important problem of their respective
countries, but at the same time one met many fellow Alumni persons, both
nationals and Americans. And on return to the States, before a home was
established, the campuses of San Diego, Riverside and UCLA were visited, very
cordial meetings were held both with research men and professors emeritus and
the idea was born “How California Can Help Asia.”
This rather broad idea has been both hampered and helped. It has been helped
most by continual growth of new and important contacts both at home and abroad,
by cooperation to and from men who have been either UC graduates or former
instructors now on other campuses; and by similar careers to and with those
men, usually professors but sometimes laymen, who have had most harmonious
(with the ego-self) careers, like Dr. Schoonover, now retired, at San Rafael,
and Prof. Hilton Fireman whom I understand is leaving the Davis Campus.
It has also been helped by meetings of career personalities mostly connected
with the USDA, and with a few men on other campuses in this state. The
Agricultural Departments of State and County, the Chambers of Commerce and many
industrialists in engineering and food production have been most cordial, but
often because of common frustrations as well as common goals.
Frustrations and hamperings with people who have been abroad, as well as
those of your good self, seem to follow definite patterns and some of these can
be clarified by a different type of organization, such as those you may now be
considering. And as I have seen an “ideal” organization at the National
Research Center in Cairo, UAR, and as one such is planned for the forthcoming
World University at New Delhi, this letter is being written.
The grid-organization. This was first encountered a number of years
ago at Pennsylvania where the summer school was under the aegis of Dr. Norman
Brown and where also I met Dr. Kimberley Davis, long since transferred to the
Berkeley campus. It has been in operation since in many places and it proposes
or requires instructors covering the same general area, but teaching quite
different subjects to confer in some way and also to work out lists for
students who intend to have careers in certain areas. This seems to be followed
more and more by some. But not by others.
The difficulty encountered is that as the University has grown, there has
been specialization to the extent that each campus does not know what is going
on elsewhere. The Agricultural Departments are kept in close touch with each
other from campus to campus; the Botany Departments are not and this will
become the subject for a most important letter as inferred above, for this will
be communicated also to Botanists in other lands as well as to those on the
several campuses of the University. Indeed I expect to see some shortly.
There is a need therefore for some kind of exchange or integration, on a
multiversity idea. I am also going to visit the Pomona-Claremont complex on
this insatiate trip for quite different reasons, where, instead of a
multiversity there are cooperating colleges.
Whatever the future be it is certain that I have been recalled to Asia and
will go intensively into the work of alumni people abroad, many of whom I have
met and will meet in the course of daily talks. Excepting
“Princeton-in-Asia,” few universities have kept in touch with their
graduates and here we find far more U.C. men working, often in top positions,
who could become the nexus for promoting better international relations,
correcting serious social mistakes on the part of the foreign office, etc.
Indeed Monday the writer is visiting S.F. State to contact returned Peace
Corps people who have not had such happy careers, and who, wherever they have
gone, are totally unaware of the excellent work done by the great universities
of this country abroad. In a personal private career I have encountered Kansas
State, Washington State, Ohio State and Tennessee, at least, in addition to the
University of California. There is no clearing house achievements, the public
does not know what is going on and State Department policies over-emphasize the
work of certain agencies and by-pass that of others.
As illustrative material and to close one must call attention to Southeast
Asia. It is pitiable that the foreign offices and the press ignore the
contributions of the Universities, and while I have in mind the agencies of
UCSF (hospitals) and UCSD (Scripps), undoubtedly there are many which a single
traveler does not contact.
This morning there is a grand protest on Vietnam. The write has refused to
attend because of the dearth of speakers from Southeast Asia, in particular
nationals. But Prof. Robert A. Scalapino, editor of “Asian Survey” has
refused to attend, verbally on the same ground, but he has refused adamantly
and persistently to answer letters or to interview people who have actually
been in Southeast Asia, often in important posts.
“Asian Survey” should be the key publication to cover the problems of
the areas involved. It has had excellent articles, but often as not these have
been written by non-Americans, often non-American, non-Asians, from and in
distant places and there is no way by which the knowledge of the several
persons or departments operating in, for, and with S.E. Asia can get together
and so “Asian Survey” is not Asian Survey and the combined integrated
knowledges of that region remain apart, and aloof, and no one is more to blame
that the very editor who is keeping away from a meeting manned by others who
also are indifferent to direct experiences.
A very good book was written on Thailand by Mr. David Wilson of UCLA. But
when it came to problems I wrote that many of these problems had been faced, if
not solved by a team from UCSD. This is neither common nor uncommon knowledge.
Several years back, in receiving a legacy, I paused to talk to Dick Erickson of
the Alumni Association of two possible careers—one becoming a reporter going
from campus to campus telling of achievements thereon; the other going to Asia.
The latter was selected but in the course of working for “How California Can
Help Asia” there have been and will be visits to different campuses.
But one cannot go to Dr. Scalapino and tell him that such-and-such work is
being done on this campus or that or what one knows. It is most unfortunate
that this man who does not answer letters or grant interviews is demanding high
standards from others.
During this Southeast Asia crisis, the writer wrote a proposal to the World
Buddhist Federation which was accepted. He then wrote to Dr. Radhakrishnan,
president of India, whom he knows quite well and received a commending answer.
Then Dr. Radhakrishnan wrote his own ideas to the State Department which is
giving them some consideration. But neither one’s contacts, career, first
hand nor second hand knowledges can even be broached to “Asian Survey” and
instead we have campus dramas by groups which, while opposing each other, seem
equally unconcerned with factual information.
This dual situation was discussed years go with top people in the USIA and
is also the subject of Lord Snow’s philosophy, that with the scientists
objectivity and cooperation is almost universal, with the non-scientists quite
otherwise. Only now you have the excellent pattern of the Agricultural
Departments which ought to, in my mind, become the basis for the Multiversity
programs without seeking any other external ideas—you have them already in
operation.
If the social scientists (like Burdick and Scalapino) were compelled to
respect their colleagues of other departments covering the same areas, or on
other campuses, covering either the same studies or same areas, there would be
no need for subjective conflicting non-solving debates, not to say
mob-gatherings on or off the campuses.
A number of us Ugly Americans who have lived and worked in S.E. Asia have
locally pulled off some stunts publicly and the State Department has commanded
us. Fortunately the Institute of International Relations has shown some
interest. All of us are closely connected with one Robert Clifton who lived and
worked in every country in S.E. Asia, and we have letters on file, etc. which
will go ultimately to the institute. My closest colleague has been all over
Cambodia and Laos, and taught English to the Royal Family in Thailand, and we
have gathered a number of equally ignored personalities. But I have found them
everywhere.
Historically research, should, like scientific research, be based as much as
possible on in situ events from first-hand observers. Personally now there is
no axe to grind for the recent meetings of the American Professors of Asian
Studies held in the Sheraton-Palace hotel were dominated by Mr. Richard L. Kirk
with whom I am in excellent position to cooperate. And not only personally but
there are signs of funds on the horizon which are going to make direct
exchanges between persons, institutions and governments of South Asia and SE
Asia and the United States easy. But so far as U.C. is concerned I have to go
to other campuses. This should not be.
The integrated grid-organization, already existing between the Agricultural
groups should be extended.
And I can tell you, Mr. Frexy, that there in “more gold hidden in those
hills” on the campuses than even the wildest enthusiasts may surmise. Abroad
the University of California is known for its contributions to the destructive
sciences (atomic research, space, etc.). The truth seems to be that so many
departments have contributed to so many sciences not even sycophants can keep
up. And if these efforts were better known campaigns for funds from any and all
sources would be easy. I hope you will give this some consideration even if you
do not always otherwise agree with.
Yours sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina, St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
May 28, 1965
Dr. Carroll Parrish
Administration Building, University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
I am leaving this city tonight to visit several universities in the southern
part of the State. That to Riverside is essential to “How California Can Help
Asia” and deals largely with food problems. That to Claremont will be
preparatory to the conference on world-religions where your Dr. Von Grünebaum
will play a leading role. But one must visit UCLA for other reasons:
Correcting Peace Corps Misinformation. Dr. B. Lewis.
I met Dr. Lewis recently who teaches Anthropology and other subjects at San
Francisco State. She told me she was a graduate of UCLA and knew you. Sometime
after that I attended a luncheon of the World Affairs Council in this city,
where several Peace Corps returnees told of their frustrations and I was
particularly concerned with the man who went to the Moros. He found that the
“Islam” of humanity bore little relation to the “Islamics” of
universities.
We have two distinct types of Islamic instruction in this country, roughly
one admired by the Asians headed by Dr. Von Grünebaum and the other admired in
general here, headed almost entirely by persons of English vintage or
scholastic credentials. These are mostly brilliant men, highly regarded in this
country and among themselves, but not recognized in Asia or by the British
Museum or even Royal Asiatic society. This has not prevented them from being
called in as “experts” by the State Department.
As the returnee from the Philippines is now enrolled at the same San
Francisco State I am hoping to bring Dr. Lewis and him (Louis Webb) together
today, and if not, after I return. You must understand that a very large
portion of “How California Can Help Asia” consists of bringing the
question-people and answer-people together. This is seldom done and so we have
these elongated impasses (as on the Vietnam debates) where nationals of the
areas involved and Americans who lived and worked there are excluded—so the
arguments continue.
And likewise there will be more Peace Corps frustrations because there is
often a great hiatus between “expert”-briefing and factual information. Or
between the social scientists and anthropologists. If Dr. Lewis can be brought
to the fore and some of these enthusiastic Peace Corps clerks could meet her
and others like her we might make some positive contributions.
I have long been recalled to Pakistan and other lands but not to be in a
hurry to collect all data possible. At the UC (all campuses) conference on Food
last year Dr. Revelle, then at UCSD brought up the problems of Salinity in
the Indus Valley. An excellent presentation followed by almost no action
while more and more land is being withdrawn from cultivation and we sob and sob
and cry for funds to no end.
There are four potential approaches to the Salinity Problem and all were
originally brought to my attention by Dr. Milton Fireman, who wanders about a
good deal. Some of these answers lie in Riverside, some in personnel mostly in
this part of the State, and the fourth on your campus, i.e. the use of Algae to
clarify sewage, etc. I am hoping it will be possible to visit the Engineering
Dept. on your campus to get details. They may seem small here but they are of
vast import.
Another thing which irked one was the lack of funds for Dr. Appleman who
does Algae research. The AAAS has also complained on this and the lack of
cooperation between scientists. I hope to take this up also in detail on the
Berkeley campus when I return. But another reason for leaving the country is
the foundation of a World University at New Delhi in India, with which I am at
least off the record associated.
Their very first project is on a continuation of Algae research . If we can
get the various scientists on the five campuses that I know about—San Diego,
Riverside, Los Angeles, Berkeley and Davis together as the Agricultural
sections are already together it would be for the good of humanity on a vast
scale and a big talking point for funds for your campus. This matter has also
been broached to Prof. Mehren, now Asst. Secretary of Agriculture in
Washington.
It may not be necessary for me to have a long visit but I should appreciate
cooperation in the visit to the engineering department and, if you desire, a
short meeting with your good self.
We Ugly Americans put over a stunt here: the restoration of the pilgrimage
to the statue of Lord Buddha in Golden Gate Park. It was on the surface a
religious action, but actually it was a gesture of real friendship with the
real people of real S.E. Asia and the State Department later uncovered our
“plot” and was pleased, Working with ideas is one thing, working with human
beings another.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Near Eastern Languages
Berkeley, California 94720
June 1, 1965
Mr. Samuel D. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco. Calif.
Dear Friend:
I am thankful to you for your very kind and meaningful letter. I also thank
you for giving me the pleasure and privilege of reading your beautiful poems
which unfold the underlying eternal truth of life and Universe. I enjoyed
reading them and gained some insight into the mysteries of the higher self. It
has been a great pleasure indeed to have found you here in America as a source
of spiritual inspiration. It must be verb; hard for ,you here as this world is
very much out of tune.
My short stay here in America has been very interesting. On 9th June I am
flying back to India via Japan and shall be there by 20th of June. Before I
leave your crazy world and the beautiful country, I would like to see you. I
hope that you will be able to find some time to look up for me in my office and
have lunch with me.
With kindest regards,
I am Sincerely yours,
Induprakash Pandey
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
June 20, 1965
Richard F. Erickson
Editor, California Monthly
Alumni House, University of California
Berkeley 4, Calif.
My dear Dick;
I think I have reported to you the strange and unexpected successes
following my visits to campuses UCR and UCLA. The dream or hunch that given an
Asian problem one could find the means and the persons on the various campuses
has been fulfilled in so far as one person can look into such matters. But
ending with finding that top people in Washington seem to know what the public,
or even part-of the Administration, does not seem to know, brings up a moot
point. Or my saying that many departments may be having Seaborgs and Tellers
without the world being advised is more than a saying.
It is most unfortunate to me that the public gatherings on “Asia” and
“China” resulted in nothing. Public and apparently university funds were
spent abroad (both outside the campuses and outside the country) in
contradistinction to the UCSF conference on “Food” last year which combed
the campuses for its speakers, “experts” and information. Why did not the
recent Chancellor on the Berkeley campus follow the policy of Dr. Seymour
Farber at UCSF?
The recent reports indicate that sanity is much more wide-spread than
eccentricities but lacks news-value. The press and radio have thoroughly
distorted and contorted situations. Both the “Food” conference as above and
the Asian Conference held at the Sheraton-Palace by ex-Berkeley Prof. Richard
Park show what can be done if we look into our midst for solutions to problems
instead of calling on newsworthy personalities from anear or afar.
As the men whom I have met were also concerned with this lack of acceptance
of information and of their personalities on the Berkeley campus they were
impelled or compelled to extend a certain sympathy to the FSM movement without
in any way being under protests against or government or society or anything
else.
But before writing further—and I cannot perhaps entirely defend the
article copy enclosed, I would like to see you at your convenience, but not in
the immediate future. Hollywood Citizen News is one paper that has been willing
to give interviews and instead of accepting the immediate report of a team of
technicians being sent abroad from UCR and UCLA they have asked for more
biographical notes and also about the road-blocks which do exist on the
Berkeley campus. I am more than ever for exchanges between campuses and
departments.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
September 14, 1965
Dear Carroll Parrish
Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles 2 4, Calif.
Dear Dr. Parrish:
Well, Her Serene Highness, Princess Poon Diskul Pismai has come and gone and
you can bet that the comic opera situation which you might have surmised when
we two leprechauns got together, occurred.
She was in this City only a few hours attended by two of her sisters and
Hon. Aiem Sanghavasi. She was to appear at the Buddha Universal Church in this
city. There were two long lines of dignitaries awaiting her and when she espied
me among the hoi polloi in the background, she rushed forward like a little
girl beholding her brother with two arms extended and pushed some of the
dignitaries out of the way, to greet me first of all, even before her special
hosts! Although this was her doing and not mine, I received the brunt of a lot
of hard looks and worse which does not mean a thing. Talk about Buddhists and
Karma! None of the Buddhists here with one exception study Buddhism, they all
have their cliques and cults.
Aiem was forgotten or overlooked which gave me a splendid opportunity. He
was the first to greet me in 1956 and we have been carrying on correspondence.
Both her and her Serene Highness know about my special mission of 1956 which
was a great success although totally ignored by the American Foreign
office—Asia Foundation accepted it and was in on it.
Her Highness told me she was in Los Angeles only a few hours, so possibly
did not meet you. You can surmise the purpose of this mission. Our public, the
press, and almost everybody knows so little about her and because of her
unbecoming front she was ignored by the “best people” when she was here.
Besides, they are too engrossed in the “beatnik” versions of nonsense which
pass here as religion.
This is not the first time this experience has happened to me. I am trying
to see if I can get an opportunity to serve my country. The Kashmir complex is
even closer to me as the armies are now fighting on the land set aside for my
experimental garden! I have been all over the ground and know not only the
Indian and Pakistani but also the Kashmiri point of view. I was also sent on a
peace mission from Pakistan to India in 1962. Our Foreign Office positively
refused to recognize it, point blank! This is diplomacy.
My autobiography has been sought and publication promised, but how am I
going to fit the Princess in it ? We are so strong Realism, we cannot see
reality.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
October 17, 1965
Charles Y. Glock
Professor of Sociology
Director of Survey Research Center
University of California
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Dear Prof. Glock;
I have before me the Newsletter, Society for the Scientific Study of
Religion. I am a member of the AAAS and have already discussed the forthcoming
sessions with Dick Erickson at Alumni House.
I should like to attend the SSSR session, or will advise if this is
impossible.
At the present time I am working on a “peace proposal” for India and
Pakistan. I am in a sense, a spiritual brother of President Ayub and have sat
in meditation with President Radhakrishnan in his own house.
I am a life-long student of religions and at one time was associated with
Dr. Henry Atkinson of a defunct Carnegie Institution, which had the theme,
“World Peace Through Religion.” After many years by 1957 I had been able to
secure for Dr. Atkinson much background material which had not been available
to him but the organization in question has long since been
“re-amalgamated” into its parent Carnegie Peace Foundation.
I should like to see you some time at your convenience.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
November 4, 1965
Dr. Carroll Parrish
Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles, 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
I am enclosing copy of letter to an editorial writer for the San Francisco
Chronicle. For the first time a Thai point of view has been published
concerning the affairs of S.E. Asia. It has been impossible for me, as an
individual, even to present such a view and I have been on the verge of writing
“Eye Not-Witness.”
You will realize that if such a book were published abroad there would be
attacks on this Nation from every quarter. It was very easy for me to confer
with Dr. Malalasekera and Hon. Zafrullah Khan, erstwhile candidates for the
Presidency of the U.N. It was almost impossible for me to communicate even to
eye-witnesses just as the eye-witnesses to the welcoming of Princess Poon
Diskul could not accept what they themselves saw.
It would be a luxury to write on “Reporting in politics and Science.” I
received a small scholarship from the Botany Department, based on my actual
experiences. As I do not take, but give to UC, I signed up in the Anthropology
Department and now the teacher has asked me to take over for one or two
sessions to sit in the place of teacher, whereas certain departments—and all
the press have a prior rejected the possibility or the fact of being an
eye-witness. It not only illustrates our two cultures, it illustrates much
more.
One of the things which stopped my writing “Eye Not-Witness” was the
receipt of a letter from the secretary of Congressman Mailliard. This gentleman
sits on the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representative. He has
published a long report on the split between Russia and China. I wrote, “I
know all about it, I was one of the conspirators concerned but was sent in
another direction.” It was only after four vain attempts to warn the Embassy
at Cairo of an impending mob-attack that one Mr. Scout, the political attaché,
would interview me and I not only told him about the portended split between
Russia and China, I offered him some objective, collaborating evidence right in
Cairo itself.
It has not only been in Cairo but in Peshawar and Rawalpindi that I have
been involved in anti-communist movements. The one thing they have in common is
the functions of the Sufi, something rejected on your own UC campus, though the
security of the United States is involved.
At Peshawar long hours were spent on efforts to get American recognition of
the anti-Communist movement there; and also to propose a rapprochement with
India to prevent the communists from benefiting from the split between the two
Nations of Pakistan. Were it not for the appearance here of Prof. Richard L.
Park last summer I should have gotten nowhere either.
Fortunately I have now one introduction to Ambassador Goldberg. But besides
the personal aspects of the above is the constructive program. If there is one
negative united front against me—which seems paranoiac—it is still more
adamant against any constructive measures which might produce peace and
rapprochement.
I am mentioning this in the first place because my “Project—The Garden
of Allah” has almost the same philosophy as Prof. Orr is applying in the
Mekong Delta—science, technology and knowledge of local religions and
customs.
In the case of India and Pakistan the main problems are desert, salinity,
water-supply, locusts, plant protection, etc. All the problems save desert
reclamation have long had their “doctors” on UC campuses—no exceptions
whatsoever. Now UCR has a Desert Reclamation Project and one of the great
desert specialists has recently moved from the Sahara to Escondido. It is my
present intention to visit both places during intercession, unless there is
recognition either from Ambassador Goldberg or one of the local congressmen who
is interested.
I am a spiritual brother of Ayub and a personal friend of Dr. Radhakrishnan
in whose home I have sat in stage of deep meditation, and between us is
excellent understanding. Unfortunately here people will not even look at
letters received both from Radhakrishnan and top Pakistani officials. In this
they are giving aid and comfort to the very communists they really loath.
The ridiculous situation is that we are handing carte blanche to China, a
big section of Asia simply because officially and unofficially eye-witnesses
and ear-witnesses are by-passed. I am hoping to explain some facts to the
congressman by the use of maps, if they can only delete editorial reports from
their minds.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
December 7, 1965
Dean Carroll Parrish
Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
The other day I had reasons for writing to the Alumni Association on
“World University, Multiversity and University.” This came as an aftermath
from on one side an appeal for a “World University” in another State, and a
criticism of the University as a Multiversity by the State Colleges.
It was followed almost immediately by another appeal for another “World
University” and for a semi private matter about which I had intended to write
you anyhow.
My friend, Mrs. Lottie Van Stahl, whom I had not seen for a dozen years,
came to San Francisco to speak on her psychic faculties, her career and her
present work as a research subject by the Department of Parapsychology
connected with the hospital on your campus.
We had the same complaints that in general those institutions purportedly
dedicated to research in the “Psychic sciences” are all egocentric, they do
not recognize each other and they are all making public appeals for funds. None
of them have given Mrs. Van Stahl any leeway yet most of her life she has been
working with criminologists and police departments in many lands. And none of
these groups have answered any letters written by me in behalf of the
University of Islamabad in Pakistan.
Recently Prof. Rhine has been given a headline here in his appeal for funds
in what he calls “Parapsychology” which limits research and investigation
to certain narrow fields which he has delineated. This stands in contrast to
what Mrs. Van Stahl tells me is the fine work done by your Department of
Parapsychology.
In the meanwhile I have made excellent contact with the Research Survey
School at Berkeley, and it has been my intention to get as much material as
possible from this department of Parapsychology at UCLA and turn it over to the
Research Survey in Berkeley. This is well within both my “How California Can
Help Asia” and the partially purposeful, particularly actual discoveries of
research at all levels on the different campuses, but not always known to each
other.
Now we have on one hand the criticism of the State Colleges as to funds and
the campaigns by questionable authorities who can appeal to the public while so
many wonderful lines of research on the campuses may be languishing for lack of
funds.
While purportedly connected with the original “World University” which
was to be established in New Delhi, India, I see on the one hand several
individualist (!) “World Universities” being constructed and none of them
have the universalities in any direction of the “University of California”
in its larger aspects.
I had to visit the Berkeley campus this time as representative of another
Asian institution than those whom I have represented in the past and the
business was conducted rapidly and successfully. This is a World University
function.
Now the only request, if it be a request, is that you may be aware that my
next visit will include calling on the Parapsychology Department with the
double purpose of aligning them with colleagues in parts of Asia (refused by
Rhine and others who seek public funds), and with the Survey Research Bureau,
provided this is not being done at the forthcoming meetings of the AAAS which
take place shortly.
I do not think the State Colleges—against whom there is no criticism and
from whom there is excellent cooperation—realize what is going on on the
various “UC” campuses individually and collectively. A copy of this is
being sent to the Alumni House, Berkeley and anything in it may be used by them
or your good self in any way you feel inclined.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
February 12, 1966
Hon. Clark Kerr
President, The University of California
Berkeley 4, Calif.
Dear President Kerr,
Asilomar Conferences on “Asia” is “How California Can Help Asia.”
This letter is in a sense a durge and the original durge was not mailed
owing to the appearance of “Sarkhan,” the sequel to “The Ugly
American,” one of whose co-authors long served on the Berkley campus. But the
ironical situation is that this very service, this very effort of a campus
underling seems to preclude and exclude participation in a high level
conference. When after last year’s meetings Pakistan and China entered into
several treaties and this person was questioned, he said, “Why not? they are
both excluded from our conferences on “Asia.”
A number of years ago, being able to retire from gainful occupation, the
writer began a career on “How California Can Help Asia” which became, in
effect, how the University of California can help Asia. For there is hardly a
problem from Japan to the Arab world inclusive, covering the whole continent
outside the Iron Curtain which has not been solved, actually solved by either
present day or previous research or the efforts of Alumni nationals of that
part of the world. But these efforts and achievements seem to be quite
unwelcome at the Asilomar Conference.
And it is a sad thing that while there are dozens, more than scores of
processors and graduate students on the various campuses quite capable of
dealing with problems, they are not only not invited to seminars, but seldom do
their names appear in articles in “Asia Survey,” a publication of the
University but hardly by or for the University. Still, that magazine, while
restricting its writers and excluding achievements of your staffs, is not
nearly so closed as the conferences have been.
One has long dreamed of conferences on “Asia” when men from the
different campuses could come together and exchange their experiences and
opinions. But alas, in practice, opinions are much more important than
experiences and the grand experiences of your savants are hidden from the
public while the very questionable opinions of non-American, non-Asians
(including even communists) are to the fore and are discussed as if the future
of the grand continent were in the hands only of Aryan peoples from all over
the world, covering every non-Aryan opinion provided there are enough
laudations of the word “democracy.”
One of the oddest incidents came after complete failure in trying to get
some local Chinese to appear at the conference labeled “China” and rejected
on the ground that none of them could speak good English, a whole flock
appeared and participated in the Asian Studies Conference at the Sheraton
Palace last year.
No doubt it is very entertaining to listen to newsmen and commentators,
British diplomats and communists, European Ambassadors and American publishers,
but on a second look one can see that these conferences have hardly solved, and
in another sense have hardly touched the whole complex of Southeast Asian
conflicts or the terrors that beface India at the moment.
In a previous year this person visited UCLA to call on David Wilson who has
written an excellent work on “Thailand” but chose chapter on “Problems”
was not exact. For what that writer called “problems” and what all our
commentators and editors are calling “problems” had in large part been
dealt with by teams sent from one or another of the campuses. As the work of
these teams is reported neither by the press nor pulp magazines nor “Asian
Survey” one can hardly blame anybody. But it is a pity that scholars,
professors and research works who have been to Asia and done excellent work are
excluded from seminars. And it is still more a pity that there are funds
available for the types referred to in the first paragraph on this page.
It seems to be a public policy that a person becomes an “expert” not in
the degree that he knows the subject matter, but to the decree of the quantity
spent for travel expenses. And while one does not wish to protest against these
expenses, I believe, Mr. President, that it would be both wisdom and economy to
invite more and more of your own staffs to participate in Asilomar meetings.
On a later venture to UCR I met so many men who had been to Asia that all
they wished to discuss was “How California Can Help Asia” and not on my
errands of the time. This led me to Prof. Orr who has been selected by the
President of the University States to held the Mekong River Survey and I said
to some people, “What is it that causes the President of the United States to
recognize the worthy on the California campuses whom the President of the
University has not yet recognized?” This is, of course, an unfair statement
for questions of security may be involved.
One of the greatest problems of the day appears to be the food situation in
India. I met Prof. S. Chandrasekhar on the Riverside campus at the Dry Lands
Research Center but though evident the Indian Government knows about Riverside
research—and so many professors at Riverside have been to India, how can one
make it possible for one or more of them to appear at a Seminar labeled
“Asia” and be given equal status with diplomats and newsmen, especially
from foreign parts? This, one submits is unfair and brings us back to
“Sarkhan.”
The solution of the complex of South India and Southeast Asia has been
delayed because those Americans, nay those Americans who staff your several
campuses have not been brought into the public arena. So our people remain in
ignorance. And one cannot afford to bombard Senator Fulbright when the obvious
answer is so simple, right at our feet, but heretofore has been ignored.
Two other sides of the picture are even uglier but perhaps outside your
jurisdiction. With about ten Asian Consulates in this City not one of them was
properly represented at the last Asilomar Conference. It is hard to understand
why. It causes Asians to ignore our exhortations to liberty, democracy and
brotherhood because the actions belie the words.
Or, giving my own history as an example—it is just the experience of one
of a vast group of “Ugly Americans.” In 1256 I was sent on an
anti-Communist Mission to the Buddhists of Asia. It was a successful mission.
It ended when Dr. Radhakrishnan of India was sent to Japan and was royally
received. He became one of the Top Three of Buddhism when the International
Conference was held sometime back. My own very close friend, Her Serene
Highness, Princess Poon Diskul, became the President of the World Buddhist
Conference. This should be history and later will become history.
In 1962 I was sent on a peace-feeler mission from Pakistan to India and
again this led to the home of Dr. Radhakrishnan. But the American Foreign
Office which spurned the fist mission became openly hostile as to the second.
The result is that Asians are sending for my autobiography and notes.
This is nothing compared to what happened to certain of my colleagues and we
are in the Vietnam complex because policies are determined by personalities and
not by events.
In the scientific field—and this was exemplified throughout by the recent
conferences of AAAS on the Berkeley campus—the first move is to get facts,
records, data, etc. Conclusions come thereafter.
A thorough or a brief examination of the researches on the campus, the work
of graduate scholars, the endeavors of the present time, indicate that there is
hardly a problem of real Asia left untouched. But when will this be recognized
by the public? Or the government?
Here is your opportunity and one hopes something will come of it.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
Now representing directly or indirectly:
University of Islamabad, Pakistan
Pushtu Academy, Peshawar, Pakistan
University of Tehran
World University, New Delhi
University of Bangalore, India
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
February 22, 1966
Richard E. Erickson
Editor, California Monthly
Alumni House
University of California
Berkeley 4, Calif.
Dear Dick:
There are two things which make one feel very proud this morning, the
February issue of “California Monthly” and “my day” on the campus
yesterday, the details of which are too “grand” to relate and support in
every way the tenor of this issue. I hope you will bear this in mind when some
seemingly “critical” remarks are made. But both the “following” and
“critical” remarks have in view the coordination of the efforts on the
various campuses and pride in Berkeley is extended, not diminished, by pride in
Riverside, Los Angeles, Davis, etc.
The “following” discussions were on my recent visits to UCR and UCLA
and, in discussing with various colleagues on the Berkeley campus there was the
general acceptance of furthering of “pride.” Prof. Seaborg does not lose in
luster by having colleagues of equal rank in other departments on other
campuses. And in discussing both with professors at Berkeley and UCLA alumni
here there was some question whether articles on either UCR or UCLA would be
sufficient, yet we agreed books would be out of the question now.
But the dream of glory of the “Six Campuses” is marred by news
headlines, of resignations, etc., particularly at San Diego. And, so far as my
private life is concerned the sympathy is all on the other side. Nevertheless
there is no intention of calling either on the press or on political
representatives to “right” what I consider a grievous wrong.
When I returned from Asia, before settling down I visited in turn UCSD, UCLA
and UCR. Especially at UCSD and UCR I met a number of professors, mostly
emeritus, who had been to Asia and these meetings were so harmonious, so
hopeful that I returned to the Bay region with hope and joy, only to receive
showers of cold water from and in every direction.
When the University of California took over the directives of seminars on
“Asia” either at the Berkeley campus or Asilomar or elsewhere I had vast
visions of the various professors whom I had met coming to a public arena and
let the world know what they had done. Alas, it was not to be. If there have
been any types excluded from conferences labeled “Asia”—most of
which have little to do with objective Asia—it has been University of
California professors, research workers and Asians themselves. An institution
which has thousands of dollars to import “experts” on “Asia” from
Europe, and also a British communist, but which ignores its own specialists, is
not always to be commended.
When David Wilson wrote an excellent “History of Thailand” I found the
work impeccable excepting the chapter on “Problems.” I wrote him saying
that practically every one of these “problems” had already been given
consideration and were often solved by colleagues on other campuses. On the
whole I have been able to get your colleagues on campuses other than Berkeley
to recognize this. And it is a great pity, nay it is downright tragedy, that
with all the meetings labeled “Vietnam,” etc., hardly anybody is talking
about objective realities, all our discussing their private philosophies and
politics, ignoring mankind.
Recently I have written President Kerr hoping that at the next seminar on
“Asia” he would have on panels some of his colleagues who have done real
work in real Asia and not spend money on important “experts” and
diplomats” from Europe and England informing (?) us about “Asia,” its
problems and the solutions thereof.
In this so called “democracy” wherein the eye-witnesses are smothered by
experts, it becomes an open hazard when the heads of a splendid institution
like UCSD have to submit their resignations. But in all these complexes on Asia
and in particular Vietnam, there has been a notable lack of attention to the
splendid work done on all campuses by so many dedicated savants—none of whom
seem to be recognized at the conferences on “Asia” and evidently not
recognized otherwise either.
My dream has been to see editions of “California Monthly” like those of
this month on Berkeley. My dream has also been to see other issues of some
publication on the equally splendid work at UCD, UCSB, UCLA, UCR and UCSR. No
doubt it has required a shock and maybe more than a shock to bring such matters
to public attention.
I do protest, and shall protest on any more seminars on “Asia” which
exclude all references to all work done by your splendid colleagues at UCSD. If
I were to attend Alumni meetings and bring this up it would cause quite a stir
and this I do not wish to do. One is still too busy evaluating the AAAS
sessions at the end of last year and preparing to bring VIP visitors to the
Berkeley campus.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
University of California, Berkeley
The General Library
Berkeley, California 94720
24 February 1966
Mr. Samuel Lewis
772 Clementina Street
San Francisco, California 94103
Dear Mr. Lewis:
This is a belated acknowledgment of your kindness in having given to the
Library of the University of California through the Department of Near Eastern
Languages 33 volumes in the Persian language. Because the Gift Division has
been in the throes of moving both its office accommodations and its storage
area within the Library Building during the months of December and January, we
were unable to pick up any incoming gifts. The Department of Near Eastern
Languages sent to us last week the volumes which you have given. We are greatly
indebted to you for your interest in providing us with this unusual and
valuable material. We are endeavoring to build up our collection of books
written in Persian and appreciate very much the support you have given us in
adding to material in this field. The interest of donors like yourself in
building up the collection of the University Library to its present
preeminence, is a very valuable asset to both the Library and University. Thank
you very much indeed for your gift and support.
Very sincerely yours,
(Mrs.) Helen C. Brenner
Head, Gift Division Acquisition Department
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
March 27, 1966
Dear Dean Parrish:
One may visit your campus in about two weeks but if I come to your office it
will be just perfunctory.
A number of groups here are interested in the collection of Mr. J. Davidson
of the Art Department and I may drop by the give him details. The same is also
true in a lesser extent of the Department of Ethnomusicology.
The morning paper has a long article by or about Vice-President Humphreys.
This State, at least, is full of people who know considerable about Asia. For
one I have not gotten a single newspaper to make a single visit to a single
campus to follow up the matter of actual accomplishments abroad. The nearest is
Mr. Braden and it would be very impolitic, in all senses of this term, to
approach him now.
Actually one is quite nervous became as soon as legal matters are
straightened out one returns to Asia and one has to meet the question from
editors, “Why don’t your countrymen accept your articles?” and no matter
what one does this will be used as anti-American propaganda.
When Mr. Humphreys was in New Delhi the editorials of the day praised the
Tashkent conference and when Mr. Morse was there they praised Mr. Morse.
At the same time I never saw a more tragic event than the so-called “Peace
Parade” here. I want peace through love, fellowship, camaraderie and mutual
understanding and there is one very hard fact, that the trouble was started by
a deliberate infiltration of Buddhist monasteries by communists. (Vide
“Sarkhan.”) Unfortunately it was answered by a deliberate attempt at
Christian counter-propaganda and the masses who are Buddhists would lose either
way.
It is nonsense when the Vice-President says we have not enough “experts”
on Asia. I met many, many when the American professors of Asiatica gathered at
the Sheraton Palace last year. It was not covered by the press! For
twenty years I have been saying: “The real world war is between the
professors and the commentators.” I have not changed.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
April 18, 1966
Dr. Carroll Parrish
Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
I have been on your campus recently and the business was concluded so
rapidly that one went on. It is impossible to convey to our culture certain
elements of existence, posited in the wisdoms or religions of the Orient but
effaced from our traditions. In other words, while thinking of Mr. Davidson of
the Art Department I ran into him at the entrance to the elevator and we
concluded our affairs very rapidly. However the end is not in sight for
immediately afterwards another event took place which will redound to his
benefit. (He had already performed a mission which was conveyed to him.)
I do not know how much you are aware of the One Mind teaching (it
appears in St. Paul too but it’s not part of Christianity), and it is
difficult to impress upon closed minds and ears.
Within twenty four hours I was approached by a wealthy Hollywood dowager
about a possible organization for the studying of Asian philosophies and
religion—not the superficial churches and cults and ersatz movements which
dot the panorama, and still less the blind acceptance or rejection of
personality philosophies of brand names, English or otherwise, but the actual
study of actual Asian “wisdoms.”
You will notice in the copy of letter enclosed mention is made of Prof.
Richard Robinson of Wisconsin who I have named temporarily as heir-at-law
because of some complicated tragic events which involve more the whole Vietnam
imbroglio than our private lives. He is the one man who has been designated by
the universities and by the real Buddhists as a savant in this direction.
One is busy writing two Buddhist autobiographies based on experiences within
and without and there is no question that the outer experiences which even a
skeptic should accept have run into more road blocks than the inner ones
(Satori, Samadhi, etc, etc.) Recently when the Grand Master of Korea was here
he designated this person as his representative here because he found him more
versed in any and all phases of the Dharma than others. This is old hat and I
am not going to add to it here. Some events will appear in the second
autobiography (‘The Lotus and the Universe”) which will not appear in
“Dharma Transmission.” The future generations will look askance at the a
priori rejection of factual evidence by our contemporaries.
Although “God is dead” and “Buddha never was,” on Wesak Day I shall
publicly dedicate the picture of my “fairy godmother” (Ruth St. Denis) as
the Bodhisattva Kwan Yin, and shall make copies to send to all the world
(yourself included) as a gesture to world peace and under-standing.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
May 17, 1966
Sidney Cohen
Department of Medicine
University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
Dear Dr. Cohen,
Last night I watched you on TV and was very much interested in your remarks.
Then I find you are among the chief speakers at the forthcoming LSD conference
in Berkeley.
You will see on my card that at the moment I represent the University of
Islamabad which is being constructed at the capital of Pakistan. This
University is peculiar in many ways—for instance it is over-subscribed. But
its main peculiarity is that the entire Board of Directors are disciples in
Sufism and several of them are advanced mystics, in what used to be the
definition of mystics, i.e. those who have experienced higher states of
consciousness.
Among my instructions were to contact people doing research in
“Spiritualism” which covers a much larger ground that was heretofore
recognized. Roughly speaking it would mean experiences at any higher level than
what the Indian philosophies call the manushic stage.
The directors wished to use this grand field as a portion of a potential
cultural exchange program which would bring Asians and Americans closer
together.
After writing a paper on “The Ten Stages of Consciousness” from the
Zen-standpoint (not literature but deep experience) one did receive copy of the
late Nyogen Senzaki’s paper on the same subject. But this person’s
knowledge came therefor what in Zen schools is called “transmissioned.”
The differentiation between different schools of mystics is largely of our
own making. When E.G. Brown was in Persia in the ‘90’s, he was told by a
Sufi, “Among the Gnostics there is no differentiation of sects,” a point
reflected also in Sir Richard Burton’s “Kasidah.”
One hopes that a representative of actual living mystical schools may be
heard in the same spirit that occurs in scientific conferences, that human
experience, especially within the context of the subject matter be given the
opportunity to present this experience or these experiences within the matrices
of the Conference.
One visits your campus often in connection with his “life-project,”
“How California Can Help Asia.” One way would be to be receptive to Asian
points of view as learned by a disciple. In any event I feel sooner or later we
are going to break through. The existence of several bodies and several stages
of consciousness has been affirmed by all Founders of all religions.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
August 8, 1966
Dean C. Parrish
Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
I am enclosing here copy of letter to Senator Kuchel. It has remained a sort
of enigma that history has been “made” where either my close friends or
myself have been and we have been totally unable to get any consideration from
the foreign offices.
I am making an effort to speak in public this Thursday night at 8 o’clock,
subject being “Vietnamese Buddhism.” This will not be a political talk and
the references to politics will be largely that most vociferous persons are
those with last access to facts.
One might even be against the war—and I am but only on the grounds that
this Nation, to be rashly and blindly, signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact and it
was considered very bad taste to oppose that pact. But as I think you have
surmised, one has no sympathy for the leaders in the various “peace”
efforts here.
I think you have heard that those close to Princess Poon are now making a
separate effort toward peace. My own talk will be for the purpose of collecting
funds for the Buddhist war orphans. This will be turned over to Rev. Iru Price,
one of my “Sarkhanian” friends who has had ordination in both Soto Zen and
Theravadin Buddhism and who was selected as the personal reprsentative of her
Serene Highness when who was here.
Already another talk has been arranged by Rev. Price.
Any sort of attendance will be followed by another letter to Ambassador
Goldberg. One must say that this department answers letters and the State
Department otherwise does not.
There is a rising tide of anti-Americanism in Asia. This is the only country
in the world which looks to Englishmen as the chief “experts” on Buddhism.
I shall have reason to visit some of the personnel at the Medical Center to
carry on direct contacts between themselves and Asian savants as part of a
movement toward cultural exchange.
I am now working on a project to get Buddhist Logic recognized, or at least
studied. Of course this can easily be taken up at the Universities of Chicago
and Wisconsin. But so long as any bodies of Americans not only accept British
“experts” on Buddhism but ignore their fellows on other campuses we shall
have neither cultural exchange or the consideration from Asians we should like
to have.
I give an example of where we could learn. The Russians sent a group of
Asians to East Pakistan who went as Muslims and prayed at Mosques and then gave
out pictures to the assemblages. There was no counter-propaganda. I spoke to
more Pakistanis in Mosques than the whole bunch of Russians but the foreign
office paid no attention at all. I walk in the path of the late Sir Richard
Burton, and to some extent of the American, Dr. Garden Murphy.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
September 4, 1966
Carroll Parrish
Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles 49, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
Enclosed is a copy of a letter to Senator Kuchel which may have some items
of interest. At the moment one is particularly delighted at the efforts of UCLA
to sent to Asia (particularly Korea and India) technical books which they want
instead of literary works which we insist on sending to them.
One is now concerned with the threat of Lord Russell to put LBJ on trial in
effigy or otherwise. Lord Russell is getting a good compendium of facts from
eye-witnesses
and these will to easily be overcome by opinion-mongers.
At the center for the Study of Democratic Institutions in Santa Barbara one
found they had published the opinions of an American communist who had lived in
North Vietnam. There is no direct counter-testimony to this excepting the
“fictional” Sarkhan.”
Now I must enter a personal note. I mentioned your name to my life-long
friend, Vocha Fiske and she said, “Yes, I used to know him.” Answer: “I
know you knew him because you introduced me to him years ago.” This or
related matters were not mentioned to you, and I hope they do not impinge on
“the cause.” Actually I had a very favorable opinion of you when a boy, and
this has not changed.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
University of California,
Santa Barbara
21 September 1966
Dear Mr. Lewis,
I was pleased to have your interesting letter waiting for me when I arrived
on this campus. I had been in West Africa for most of the summer, was delighted
with the opportunity to re-visit those parts but very concerned with a general
economic crisis, and a poor use of the natural resources.
I am looking forward with much pleasure to teaching here: I have bought one
of these splendid hillside homes, with a view of the bay, and I have some good
colleagues, and keen students, at the university. I hope you will call in if
you visit Santa Barbara.
You mentioned some books which you have available, presumably on Africa and
Middle East? I could certainly find a home for them, either on my own shelves
or with a deserving student, and should be glad to have them, so tell me how I
should go about it, please.
Best wishes,
David Brokensha
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
January 13, 1967
David Brokensha
Department of Anthropology
University of California
Santa, Barbara, Calif.
Dear Professor Brokensha:
I was very sorry to learn of the death in your family but as matters have
turned out, it will be much better to see you are momentary matters are
clarified.
I was particularly disturbed by the a priori rejections of a number of
professors on the Berkeley campus because my father left an enigmatic will
which could transfer considerable funds to “The University of California,”
and I do not mind being rejected or ejected after a meeting or hearing. But the
refusal to be granted any interview stood in such perked contradiction and
contradistinction to the cordiality from all professors of all sciences,
on all campuses, and of certain “social” scientists on the campus at Los
Angeles that my brother, attorneys and myself are seeking a clarification.
Neither my brother nor I have direct heirs and our close kinsmen are both
well to do and rather non persona grata. And if his (my brother’s) latest
measures go through I may have or leave funds which could be diverted. While
this was not in my mind even two weeks ago, the possibility of additional funds
means the establishment of a scholarship at the University of Wisconsin, and if
not one on the U.C. campuses, at least certain projects.
At the moment these include one on “Psychedelic Effects of Vedic
Ceremonies” for your Department at UCSB, and an effort to obtain Gandhara Art
for UCLA. I have my “ins” and all responsibilities would be on my
shoulders.
I would like very much to meet Prof. Bunting whom I am sure you may have
met; also Dr. Huston Smith with whom I have corresponded and whom I understand
is on your campus. In this case it is to bring copy of “Real Mysticism versus
pseudo-mysticism” for which I received an “A” last semester at the
Extension here. Copy also to go to Prof. Maupin at UCLA.
I have also learned that some distant relatives have moved to Santa Barbara
and I shall have many reasons for “commuting” this semester. Thank you for
your courtesies and I shall advise well in time before coming down again.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina
San Francisco 3, Calif.
March 2, 1967
Carroll Parrish,
Administration building
University of California
Los Angeles 49, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
Family illness has prevented me from visiting your campus.
My brother assures me we shall have a very good chance for a proper
interpretation of our father’s will. We are kept in comparative poverty while
well into six figures will go to charity the way affairs are being managed.
Any success at all will enable either or both of us to make some kind of
endowment, either now or later which will provide for a proper study of the
affairs of Asia, especially this Vietnamese complex.
I have to prepare to go to England to audiences already waiting who will
welcome an eye -witness over against all the ersatz news which can never be
history. I shall have photo-static documents. These will not be given to Lord
Russell because he overlooks the fact that though Johnson is guilty in his
metonymies the communists started it. My difference is that I have documents,
not imaginary dialectics to support this. (Of course Princess Poon knows all
the details, but here in America facts must not upset discussions.)
There is a project financed by Colgate University on “The Influence of
Buddhism in American Culture.” This seems to mean Watts, Kerouac and Salinger
and not what you are doing at UCLA. This is most unfortunate but it is in line
with the methods of the times.
There is going to be a “Peace Conference” in Oakland Saturday. Although
I shall go well-documented, I shall be surprised if any attention is paid. It
will be my last effort.
On the other hand the applications of “How California Can Help Asia” are
being well received in the proper quarters.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
March 12, 1967
Charles Y. Glock
Regional Representative
The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
Research Survey Center
University of California
Berkeley 4, Calif
Dear Professor Glock:
Whitman’s “Song of the Answerer” in Real Life
I am preparing to go to England. I am preparing to go to England because of
not being taken seriously here, with manuscripts that someday will be regarded
as historical documents. I could draw a line on the Berkeley campus, following
the principles of Lord Snow and his “The Two Culture” and I can pretty well
tell, without looking, what is going to happen at an interview, an almost
absolute acceptance of any factual knowledge or experience by about 75% of the
departments and an almost absolute rejection by the other 25% including
generally what may be called “social” or “humanities” studies.
The documents I shall be taking to England will be Photostats of letters by
the late Robert Clifton who far more than exemplified the characters in the
late Prof. Eugene Burdick’s The Ugly American and Sarkhan, real
materials on real life in real places. These rejections were a blow because I
was one of the original life members of the Alumni Association and my
father’s will permits either my brother or myself to release funds to the
University of California, mentioned in the will. And it was a shock to have no
less than six a priori rejections—refusals to even meet me, and then two
other rejections after meeting me—which is ridiculous from what followed.
When Prof. david Wilson wrote the official history of Thailand I wrote and
told him I would not criticize the book excepting the chapter on
“Problems.” That chapter was useless because every problem he had mentioned
had been solved by some team or other from some campus or another of the
multiversity. This is based on solid facts, investigations and meets and not on
metaphorical dialectics which dominates one part of our culture (and the most
vociferous). Prof. Wilson was very glad to have objective material which only
redounded to the glory of our multiversity (which was before the coining of
this term by our late President). And later I did have a long session on the
Los Angeles campus with Prof. Orr who dominates the Mekong River Project and,
if one goes from campus to campus one will find the solutions both in personnel
and research to a majority of the real problems of real Asia into which I do
not wish to go now.
Prof. Wilson sent me to a colleague who occupies a top position on the UCLA
campus. Without looking up that man asked, “Do you know Princess Poon
Diskul?” “Who the heck do you think sent me?”
This incident had a humorous sequel. When her Serene Highness came to San
Francisco and all the VIPs were lined up to meet her, she literally pushed them
all aside to greet me personally. It is not always that a single person has a
royal princess for guide in visiting a foreign land; we were associated in
gigantic anti-communist cabal, which succeeded. And when recently his
Excellency President Radhakrishnan dissociated himself from Lord Russell in
accusations leveled at the President of the United States, I can say from first
person that I was the errand boy between the Princess and the President in this
affair—which is of no interest to the CIA, the State Department and, until
last week, the press. Facts are of no importance in international conflicts,
only those which support policies. Anyhow, although he does not know it,
the possibilities are that either David Wilson or UCLA will get my memoirs and
documents, especially if I am successful in my present venture.
This is nothing more than a re-interpretation of my father’s will. The
principal has increased while I am in poverty and my brother in debt. He needs
money because of accidents and illness and he cannot get it unless I have an
equal right. But I have not had accidents or illness and what I need money for
is connected with the principles of Lord Snow’s “The Two Cultures,”
efforts to bring about peace and understanding, both from research done on real
food problems of the real world, and peace based on The Temple of
Understanding, being erected at Washington, where we may have “a house of
prayer for all people.”
There is a matter of hilarity at Asia Foundation when I returned from my
last trip. I went into India when there were no interviews being given on
account of a national holiday, yet saw in quick succession the Chief Protocol,
the President, the Chief Sufi (Hasan Sani Nizami) and the Chief Vedantist
(Swami Maharaj Ranganathananda), the departed. You would think such a person
would be of use in this country—not a chance. It follows the
principles of “Sarkhan” and I don’t want to write any more on that here.
We have two cultures, we have an interminable war in Vietnam and we are about
to see others in Africa. Agreeing with the late Eugene Burdick is the Hon. G.
Malalasekera, High Commissioner of Ceylon, living in London, who will receive
the Photostats I shall bring, which seem to be of no interest to the press,
CIA, State Department and various people engaged in “international
research,” whatever that means.
I studied real Buddhism with a man who later became the teacher of Dr.
Malalasekera, so there will be no difficulty here. But we, as a country,
reacted violently when he said, “We shared in being forewarned by the same
person about World War II, and again about Vietnam. When future historians
write history, as David Wilson has done, facts will be important, evidence, not
personalities nor policies.
In 1928 I met the late Dr. Henry Atkinson, long head of the World Church
Peace Union. He asked me to study the fairly unknown religions of Asia. I did
and reported to him. His successors have refused to grant even an interview
(this is “religion in action?”). So years of research stand and man can be
as selfish or as honest or egocentric as he will and it is particularly notable
that in the world of “religion” a large number of people will not accept,
“Whatsoever ye do to the least of these, My creatures, ye do it unto
Me.”
This becomes particularly awkward when one knows so many of the leaders of
the various faiths of other parts of the world. These faiths have in part made
travesties of themselves but even greater in America, they are likely as not to
be misrepresented by socially accepted Englishmen, socially unaccepted
Americans and complex-minded Europeans filled with Kant and Hegel. What these
people have to do with Asian religions I don’t know, nor do Asians know. When
the American professors of Asiatics met a few years ago (consult Joan Bonderant
for details) this person was able to answer the most profound questions of
Prof. M. Singer of Chicago U. but generally he is a priori excluded. Which
shows how little we believe in God. To be refuted or challenged is quite
different from being excluded.
Now, Professor, you sent me on a long trail on which I did not wish to go,
but have gone, the contemporary relation between Religion, and, let us say,
Sociology. I have been enrolled at the U.C. Extension on courses roughly in the
field of Religion and Sociology. Also I attended the LSD conference on the San
Francisco campus where I met, among others, Dr. Huston Smith of MIT. This
venture immediately splits:
a. Rev. Earl Blighton, Church of Mans, 1005 market St., San Francisco, has
made it his business to work among the “Hippies” and “Homos” and has
been quite successful not only in social rehabilitation but in spiritual
regeneration. I have seen young men transformed rapidly and almost
miraculously. This is going on now. And during the Hunter’s Point riots these
men were permitted by the police to assist and succeeded where others including
professional sociologists failed.
I began teaching Christian Mysticism here based mostly on Paul and the
Gospel according to Thomas. But the next venture will be on the uncovering
practically all the elements of what we call “Oriental Philosophy” in the
Bible. So long as we permit socially acceptable Englishmen, socially
unacceptable Americans and complex Germans to teach (?) us Asian philosophies
we shall never know them. But there is only one God and one Revelation. Thus I
have explained the Three Bodies which Paul presented but which Christianity has
rejected, and shall do the same even regarding that which was known as Zen a
few years ago.
It is notable because of attainment on this person’s part both Roshi Sogen
Asahina in Japan, and the Korean Grand Master, Seo (now teaching at Temple
University in Philadelphia), said, “Christ and Buddha are one.” This, of
course, is rejected by the three accepted classes of authority (?) on Zen, who
lead the ignorant and think if they are doing everything contrary to Jesus
Christ they are “experts” in Zen. I have been ordained, initiated and
documented and can present even Five Minute Zen and Instant Zen,
but as “Christ and Buddha are one,” it is not necessary to work outside
traditional matrices.
The Gospel of Thomas says: “The Father is and Activity and a Rest.”
b. The Hippies. At the Psychedelic Conference I met, among others, Dr.
Huston Smith of MIT. The conference leaned on Prof. Sydney Cohen of UCLA who
leaned on Huston Smith. (He has more recently been on the Santa Barbara campus,
he is too well known for further comment.)
I recently wrote a paper, “True Mysticism versus Pseudo-Mysticism” for
Prof. Kelley at the UC Extension. Copy was sent to Dr. Huston Smith and he
asked me to visit him—which is on my agenda anyhow, as I have relatives
living nearby.
All this would be theory. But now comes the test: do we really, really,
believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ? At a recent Peace Conference, largely
manned by church members, it was almost unanimously concluded that churches as
such are not interested in the solutions of problems. They have their
membership rolls to consider. But this has nothing to do with Jesus Christ.
The Hippies began accepting me—and this is very dangerous—simply because
their elders do not. The fact that I have either been an eye-witness or
one-person removed means nothing but we go back to Prof. Burdick again. Then
they began accepting my teachings of real Oriental philosophies, basically
meditations and breathings. My meditations are not in accord with “only in
America”-Zen. They are not to make mental idiots and they are based on the
principle that the Temple of God is in the heart, not the buttocks. (This
seeming sarcasm is very valid.)
I have uncovered the source of the difficulty which leads to this seemingly
outlandish behavior. It is simple. We won’t accept the experiences of
scriptures, we don’t dare to go into “God’s Laboratory and the young,
seeking, accept any laboratory. And the churches, notable exceptions, seem
afraid of any valid, semantic experience of God. Now I have tried Love and it
is succeeding and will continue and although our whole culture will disdain
Love, i.e. agape, mahakaruna, ishk, they will remain, and as God is Love, all
the verbalisms, all the scribes and Pharisees cannot stop it.
Newsmen and Sufism. I am a Sufi in India, Pakistan, Iran and the Arab world.
I am not a Sufi because in America so much of Asian culture is dominated by
on-American, non-Asians (this includes California, and it is ridiculous).
Anyhow for the first time a representative of an important publication came
and visited me this last week asking for information and he got information
based on the habits of real people in real places in 1967 and not on
speculations of Englishmen and Germans based on behavior patterns long ago.
Although Cantwell Smith has said, and rightly, that Islam lacks humanism, his
findings exclude so much of humanity, especially eye-witnesses, that we are
trapped into dialectical dualism, and thus are not loved in Asia because Asians
are not equals and verbal protestation is of no account.
Immediately after I was told by a staff writer that he was taking an
extended tour to test my claims, that logically he was satisfied that sometimes
or more than sometimes “the experience of the little man who was there might
be better that the editorials and opinions of the big man who was not.” We
prefer war.
Communism. I have been on three international anti-communist missions
headed by religious or mystical people. The details of all have been rejected,
and are found in my diaries. Facts substantiate them. I am in two more now and
these have been rejected by one portion of Lord Snow’s cultures and accepted
by the other, here a very hard and fast line.
My “How California Can Help Asia” is based almost entirely on the work
done on the “Multiversity campuses” and the USDA in this State, all
objective, documented and all objectionable to the dialectical mores of the
moment which want to win hot and cold wars by editorials. (I can document this
entirely, no speculations when the lives of multitudes are at stake.)
Personally, and this does not matter, I don’t go to Port Chicago. I am
thoroughly against Napalm bombs but I also ask two very rude questions of
“Doves”:
a. Why haven’t you protested against ethnocide by the Chinese?
b. When are you ever going to listen to any Vietnamese of any outlook?
Future Research. All of the above lead to a present situation. While
I am battling for a release of funds tied up in the family estate, far, far
more than either my brother or I will ever need, I am caught in two projects
which are of at least passing interest to the “Society for the Scientific
Study of Religion” and your good self personally.
The Temple of Understanding. I am not going to try to convince
anybody of its merits. After studying the various religions of the world, with
the Bible’s “My house of prayer shall be a house for all peoples,” I am
convinced that this undertaking will do much to promote peace and
understanding. If the inheritance comes through, I shall be free to travel
anywhere for them. (Here there is the controversial character of Rev. James
Pike.)
New Magazine on the Religions of the World. For some time I have been
acting as liaison between the Department of Near East Languages on the Campus
and Tehran University (as well as Islamabad University which I represent
despite certain departments on the Berkeley campus). Now I have been asked to
join in an international undertaking to promote peace and understanding through
objective articles on the activities of religions and their potential
contributions to the solutions of the problems of the day.
Dr. Glock, I used to know what I called the “American way.” In 1893 we
had the World Congress of Religions in which each faith was represented by its
own devotees. No matter how high or low, there were devotees. We changed that.
We began accepting legates and then ersatz proxies and I have seen so many
ersatz proxies. Whom are we fooling? So now there is a reaction against it and
it is lead by Europeans who have gone to Asia and lived in Asia with Asians and
so come to the conclusions they have now. They are at war with the
“official” authorities on “Asian” religions, some of whom are
particularly persona non grata with Asians themselves. It may be a feeble
effort, it may be more than that.
Personally all I have sought has been the same objectivity in religious
study as in, let us say, biological or chemical studies—the ideal would be to
be as impersonal and objective as in Geology.
Omission. Dr. Talcott parsons has sent out a writer on the subject of
“The influence of Buddhism on American Thought.” I was also interviewed by
him, but no attempt was made to influence him. Only he has also lived I Asia
among Asians, been influenced by them and got the “only in America” Sarkhan
treatment. I am hoping this will terminate. the young are not going to accept
the personality dialectics of their elders. opinions are not always “right”
and facts are not always “wrong.”
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.,
San Francisco 3, Calif.
March 22, 1967
Carroll Parrish
Dean of Studies, Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
This is a strange letter prompted by strange circumstances. I have to make a
Will. There are no immediate heirs and neither my brother nor I, who have no
offspring, wish our immediate cousins to inherit. Besides, the Will of our late
father, one Jacob E. Lewis, well known here, proposes that if any
heir—ourselves and certain institutions, do not wish the money it is to go to
“The University of California.” This term is not explained.
By some curious quirk the executors have been managing the estate,
excellently for themselves and we discovered if we were to receive the maximum
we might demand—and we are not demanding it—we could not in our lives come
anywhere near touching the Principal. Anyhow the Trustees have now given a
totally different interpretation which will leave me free to travel anywhere on
earth, or to indulge in a certain research which will be mentioned below,
There is a strange condition, and it is exactly as in Lord Snow’s “The
Two Cultures.” It is certain that in crossing the Berkeley Campus I can tell
or foretell the result of an interview merely by knowing the subject-matter in
which some professor is adept. It hardly ever (I think once) fails. And it left
me in a quandary for I have historical documents which will be of use to those
who wish to write on Vietnam and on other occurrences in South and Southeast
Asia and it is certain that I shall now prepare to lay aside a fund both for
these documents and memoires and for somebody to go over them, select or
destroy after I am gone.
The ridiculousness of refusing interviews comes now to the fore for I am
awaiting Dr. Thich Thien-An from your campus who comes as the very time when I
have been relieved from all financial worries. And when my brother dies—he
believes he will predecease me—I shall certainly be able to go into those
researches which are deep in my heart and which also will effect certain
departments of the “Multiversity” of California.
The immediate plans are to go to England. I shall have Photostats of letters
written from Vietnam years ago before the war. I have, but cannot mention the
persons, absolute confirmations of even the wildest statements. But as opposed
as I am to the State Department and all its appendages I am very much for the
rest of the Government and for most institutions of the United States.
Senator Church was here the other night and I told him that so long as
wishing determined American policies and so long as neither he nor his
antagonists were the least bit interested in American eye-witnesses they could
not blame me for running off to England. I now have a letter from an
eye-witness in Africa (I have been asked not to reveal the place) just as I
have had letters of impending Japanese plans on Pearl Harbor (at least Naval
Intelligence accepted that), and Vietnam.
I am totally opposed to both groups in this country and want to see the same
thing done in Vietnam as we did in the Dominican Republic plus the restoration
of the plans of GII in World War II, successful methods which have been since
shunned. Anyhow I have stood for the Vietnamese and, as you know, have had too
many imbroglios with real communists in real places not to know firsthand and
as eye-witness and even presumable victim of the enemies of the United States,
without ever getting any succor from our Foreign-Office. All of this is in
“The Ugly American” and “Sarkhan.”
So when I return from abroad it is my intention to establish here “Sarkhan
House” to give to those who want real Buddhist and real Islamic teachings,
certain professors to the contrary notwithstanding. Indeed I have been invited
to attend an international conference composed of Asians and Occidentals who
studied Asian philosophies with Asians and not with the gnat scholars of
Oxford, Glasgow, Leyden and Heidelberg to mention no others.
My god-daughter is coming to this country as an exchange professor. She won
first prize in an international philosophical (All-Asian) conference—with
my paper. I was not eligible but have several persons and institutions
in Asia under obligation to me now. Here I have the good-will of the Department
of Near East Languages on the Berkeley campus. I have been liaison between them
and Asian Universities never heard of by Assemblyman Unruh, our “official”
representative. I am telling you this for a strange reason.
I have long wished to be paid by the Pakistanis with specimens of Gandhara
Art. I think I can get them. I shall return there in 1968-9 and intend to go to
the Gandhi Centennial. I had written Brundage here and he refused and the next
in line is your Prof. Davidson and the Art Museum on your campus. And being
rejected by the locales it is my deepest wish to try to get these specimens for
your campus. I could speak on Gandhara Art at the Lahore Museum and take it up
at Peshawar, and the refusal of any interview here produces a ridiculous but
quite normal situation.
Beginning about June I expect to start saving for my Asian travel fund. I
may get help from abroad, too, but will not depend on it because I wish to take
several persons with me. One of the projects is not only deep to my heart but
of some concern to the Department of Ethnomusicology. I am in position to
obtain recordings of certain types of “spiritual music” not available here.
Indeed the people on the other end are now under obligation to me so I expect
no trouble. This project will take some time but returning to India for the
Gandhi centennial I expect to combine several missions.
My outline for agricultural improvement has already been accepted by
President Radhakrishnan and the #3 man of India, Sri Surendra Ghose. As
Radhakrishnan is advanced in years I shall communicate with Sri Ghose. But I
also have the good will of one of India’s top economists (Dr. Merchant) and
am pleased to find that my good friend, Dr. Chandrasekhar, the celebrated
demographer is a member of the new cabinet.
This outline has also been approved of in Pakistan and also by a member of
the World Dank stationed there. So this is my plan on return:
To concentrate on “How California Can Help Asia.” It is based on a
survey of this State, its successful methods, the researches on all the
campuses of the Multiversity and on certain names, not generally known to the
public, but certainly to those who have delved into real problems without
editorializing them. My first candidate to head any such Project would be Dr.
Milton Fireman, but next your own Prof. Orr. I have collected a multitude of
documents and some names but now intended to travel through the State.
This work would be confined almost entirely to the “Multiversity” and to
the USDA offices and stations and will be done, to some extent with the advice
and consent of Prof. McElroy on the Berkeley campus. The real food problem is
of communication, not of research; of pragmatic applications not of dialectical
commentaries. We have already done this in part in the case of Thailand.
My original wish was to have been an inter-campus reporter, but before
making this wish known I was urged to go to Asia. You know in substance my
welcome there which is in strong contrast to my non-welcome here. But this
happens to all us “Sarkhanians” of whom I know quite a few.
I am going to Kew Gardens to settle one technical problem, whether or how
the prime planting of Trees or Grasses or Ground covers (including Legumes) is
best for Desert Reclamation. Desert Reclamation which is now established at
Riverside should be the center of efforts.
But just as Prof. Wilson did not know of UCSD and other teams going to
Southeast Asia, so previously I found that Riverside did not know what is going
on on other campuses. Intercommunication is a long and slow process, newspaper
reviews are rapid, superficial and affect the thinking of multitudes.
I shall probably let Prof. McElroy at Berkeley or others know each step of
this future undertaking so that the integrated knowledge may be used by the
Multiversity in view of the present financial impasse. Not even some of the
most enthusiastic people on the various campuses know what is being
accomplished by their fellows. Or rather this is confined chiefly to the
Physics Department (no objection), but this is so lopsided it becomes
psychological false even when objectively true.
I hope to visit your campus once before going abroad, but in your case it
may be merely social and formal. It may seem queer that the solution of the
starvation problems of Asia and the impasse concerning the Multiversity are
linked. I think they are and hope to prove it.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
(First enrollment 1914, last enrollment not yet achieved, Studying at UC
Extension)
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
March 23, 1967
Jacob B. Biale,
Department of Botany
University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
Dear Sir:
I have received with some regret announcement of the 48th Annual Meeting of
the Pacific Division of the AAAS, this June. I am already prepared to leave
here on or about April 23rd, touring several Eastern States en route to Kew
Gardens. My visit to Kew has been prompted by an earlier vision in re: Grass
Problems. Now I am concerned with a gigantic Desert Reclamation Project.
The reason for writing you in person is double. The other day I wrote to
Dean Parrish advising that it was my intention to leave funds to your
institution, the University of California at Los Angeles, for several reasons
into which we need net go. Telephonic conversation with my brother yesterday
received full consent and either now or after return from England this will be
documented.
The second is that then I expect to be working on “How California, Can
Help Asia.” This is based very largely on research, accomplishments, projects
and personnel of either the “Multiversity of California” or the USDA
Stations within the confines of this State, or possibly adjacent portions of
the State of Arizona.
I have collected during the course of years considerable material,
especially from the Division of Publications on the Berkeley Campus and have
visited what used to be the “Six Campuses,” since increased. The thesis is
that the work of the several research laboratories, publishing houses and
personnel of the Multiversity, properly coordinated, synthesized and integrated
may contain most of the solutions of the food problems of Asia. I have lived
extensively in India and Pakistan and for lesser periods in Japan, Thailand and
the near East. All of the expenses in the above project will be borne by
myself, but I may look later on for a publisher.
It is with extreme interest and great regret I cannot be with you but hope
to visit the Campus shortly even if only for courtesy purposes.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis, ex-18
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
March 25, 1967
Dr. Carroll Parrish
Administration Building
University of California
Los Angeles 24, Calif.
Dear Dean Parrish:
I am enclosing copy of letter to Stewart Alsop who has written in “The
Saturday evening Post.”
Yesterday I was granted my very first newspaper interview. I don’t know
what will come of it and don’t care. It was hardly over when Dr. Thich
Thien-An arrived. He tells me he knows very few people on your campus and I
hope, if it be permissible, to get others in contact with him.
We went to “Asia Foundation” and I told them of plans for “How
California Can Help Asia,” and also of proposal to leave money to your
campus. They asked me why. “They granted me interviews.” I have never asked
for agreement an anything, but they granted me interviews. People on some other
campuses and the press and CIA, and the foreign office do not. There they do.
Besides, in my father’s will it is expressly stated that we could if we had
too much money allot some “The University of California.” That may even be
possible after the telephonic conversation with my brother who has been ill
some time.
But despite the rude refusals to grant any interview, coupled with total
cooperation of all scientists on all campuses, there is a letter here which may
someday be earned.
Dr. Thich has asked me to visit UCLA and I want to get away from here as
soon as my Income Tax complex is met and I shall at least report to your office
before the next visit.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
772 Clementina St.
San Francisco 3, Calif.
June 2, 1967
Department of Near East Languages
Dwinelle Hall
University of California
Berkeley, Calif.
Dear Prof. Bonner and Staff:
While this letter does not directly concern your department as a department
it certainly does effect each of the persons involved in some fashion, directly
or indirectly. And I believe you all would be interested in real efforts toward
real peace based on practical accomplishments rather than on mere emotional
forensics. And it is certainly written in the spirit of the late Prof. Burdick
whose missions failed, and instead of building up peace and understanding, we
see an increasing number of hostilities.
There is no person given less consideration than an eye-witness and I have
enough sagacity (I hope) to be working now on “How California Can Help
Asia” based on actual accomplishments, research and personalities who may
promote real understanding in the real universe, any relation to “realism”
being very coincidental.
There are two things which happened in my private life causing complete
change of plans (a) Sudden illness confining me to bed, in hospital and home;
(b) radical change in the interpretation of the wills of my respective parents
granting me a very substantial income for a single person, with the probability
of it being added to when and if I outlive my brother.
The spirit of my father’s will, plus some actual clauses, propose that if
there are no heirs moneys could be transferred to “The University of
California.” But I find—and it is pretty universal, that we have two
cultures, like Lord Snow says and in approaching most campuses, not only at
Berkeley, everything follows the lines of the “two cultures” that the
scientists welcome one at every level, and the “literary-humanists,”
excepting on rare occasions, refuse to see you at all.
The break came when I wrote to Prof. David Wilson at UCLA that while I would
not challenge any statement in his History of Thailand, his chapter on
“Problems” was all wrong, that every one of those “problems” had been
faced, if not actually solved by teams from other campuses of the
“multiversity.” Fortunately—this does not always happen—he took the
statements in good faith and promised to contact his colleagues on other
campuses.
This in turn lead to my meeting other personalities on the UCLA campus to
the end that my brother and I have agreed to a clause in my will, should I
outlive him, making UCLA a joint-heir with a distant relative, neither of us
having any offspring.
When my father died and left a certain lump sum I was undecided whether I
should operate as an inter-campus reporter; in the spirit I have perforce had
had to do with Prof. David Wilson or go to Asia. the decision was made by a
friend; I went to Asia; visited the royals palaces at Tokyo and Bangkok, have
had tea in the presidential homes of India and Pakistan and generally been
ignored by newspapers, the State Department, the “experts”; etc., etc.
After thirty-three rejections of my “Vietnamese Buddhism” I had the good
fortune to meet Dr. Thich Thien An who is now at UCLA, and he is working in
this field and I hope to see his work is published.
I am directly involved in three complexes in Asia—Vietnam, South Asia and
the Near Cast. In the case of South Asia it is very simple—I was sent on a
peace mission from Pakistan to India, spurned at every point by our foreign
office and the two Nations called in Kosygin.
What I have been afraid of is something like this in the Near Last. I spent
six months in Cairo where I met many members of the U.C. Alumni and worked out
both an Agricultural Program (which does not concern other lands) and a Water
Program (which does). It went so far that I was able to get favorable responses
from some of the most intransigent personalities of UAR and Saudi Arabia and
could, at least, report to the American Friends of the Middle Cast—the
Foreign Office not interested. It never is in what individuals do or can do and
there is nothing more terrible than “It is not what your country can do for
you, but what you can do for your country.” The answer is simple—martyrdom.
I don’t know whether Prof. Burdick was a martyr but I know who was and is,
mingling with Asians, learning from Asians and trying to promote peace and
understanding.
But because of emotions, and because of necessary change of plans in travel,
I shall first devote my time to “How California Can Help Asia” which
certainly depends on the earlier idea of acting as an inter-campus reporter.
And I can say fairly objectively, that no matter how much pressure is used to
“sell” the “multiversity, it is being undersold. I meet too many
professors, have found so much research, bulletins, etc. which should be known
and could save us many difficulties, only we do not have the scientific
approach, we adhere to the “humanist-literary,” or rather dialectical
approach even in the face of wars.
My peace efforts, therefore, will be directed neither to Washington nor to
the Nations involved in the Near East but to India prior to a hoped attendance
at the Gandhi Centennial. There will be no American “experts” (not
recognized in Asia) who will keep me from playing an important part in that
Centennial. And my fist step will be to write to President Zukair Husain.
As this Nation is so wholly dedicated to dialectics and “realism,” I
shall not indicate here the connections with the new President of India. I met
Dr. Radhakrishnan in his home (I already knew him) first on an anti-communist
mission devised by the late Baron Nakashima or Japan and involving our very,
very good mutual friend, Her Serena Highness, Princess Poon Diskul. And next on
a peace mission from Pakistan. (Art Hoppe in the “Chronicle” today has
written “Send a Commie to the Middle East.”) I was sent from Pakistan to
India and had It, the Nations called in Kosygin and one wonders whether
this may not be again.
I have two approaches for peace in the Near East. One will be sent to
President Husain. Some of your staff, like former Mr. Pande fully realize our
common backgrounds. In this country I have now reached former Ambassador
Senator Cooper—it is foolish to try the “Doves” and “Hawks” and the
various dialectical mutually opposed groups, none of whom understand Asians.
The other will be on the campus. For instance I have on file a brochure
submitted by an Iranian engineer who did research in Berkeley on the perfecting
of cheap adobe homes, very low cost, wind, rain, and earthquake proof. This is
the kind of things Asians (not the dialectical symbols used by us) desire. He
was summoned by the Shah to return almost immediately after the brochure was
published. The campuses of the multiversity are filled with such men and such
accomplishments and therefore I am not going to set out any individual
program.
We have multitudes of real peace-makers on all the campuses and it is by
careful interviews I hope to produce a book; or beforehand a program submitted,
as I have said to President Husain and Senator Cooper. On the Berkeley campus
the first natural is Dr. Joan Bondurant whose name I mention because of her
publications but you have many colleagues who have written brochures and
pamphlets, known only to a few, and when these are integrated a proper program
can be presented which could mean lasting peace and endeavor in the real Near
East, regardless of polities.
If any of you are interested I should be glad to relate conversations with
UN officials. These conversations belong to reality and not to “realism.”
One gets tired of rejections, a priori or not. There are, alas, too many
situations like in “Sarkhan,” and these cover the world.
As a side-line. I have studied a good deal with your Anthropologists and
built up a small African library. I offered this again and again to our local
groups politicalling about “Africa.” Not one of them picked the books up.
They are now in the hands of a former instructor, David Bokensha at UCSB. The
Nigerian complex is simply another of those confusing issues rising out of our
adherence to “realism” and our ignoring realities.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Nov. 4, 1968
Dr. William M. Brinner
Chairman, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages
University of California
Berkeley, Calif.
My Dear Professor Brinner:
“The World of Indian Thought & Art”
I have before me this most interesting (to me) brochure. At the present time
leisure is what I do not have but it may be possible to send one or more
persons in my place to attend some of these sessions.
At the present time two of my disciples are in India attending the
conference of The Temple of Understanding. My immediate associate there is the
well-known professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr of Tehran whose emissary, as you know,
I have been from time to time. The conference is now in session in Calcutta.
There have been some impediments caused by unusual weather.
The missions of these disciples fall well within the general program of the
seminar.
My own position is that the world and the United States in particular knows
too little of the great Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and Emperor Akbar of
India in whose footsteps I am following. The young of today are not only open
minded but they accept substantiated facts and do not rely on empty
prestige.
The world may not accept that a Sufi has studied the Indian epics and
been required to lecture on the Gita and Upanishads in India while
excluded rather than challenged in this country as to the possession of such
knowledge.
The inspirations of Emperor Akbar are now being manifested in my work in
poetry and spiritual dances as well as in the successful presentation of
esoteric disciplines both of Tasawwuf and Yoga. It is not necessary to
apologize; the young, especially “the new age young” come and being
open-minded accept what their elders peremptorily refuse to examine. The new
age will be one of open tolerance and fair-mindedness. Like the martyred Mogul
Prince, Dora Shikoh I teach—and I mean teach— both Sufism and spiritual
yoga, the philosophies of Ibnu’l-Arabi and Shankara Charya.
One of my hangouts is now Khyber Pass restaurant in Oakland where one often
meets spiritual teachers of Islam.
My disciple Frank Tedesco often comes here. He is rather confused,
unnecessarily so. If I see him I shall certainly pay his tuition to this
seminar. Money is not my basic problem, time is.
We have now a Sufi Khankah in the pity of Novato some 30 miles north of
here. We intend to show films of India there and arrangements will be made soon
with a the local Consulate. As the subject matter of “The World of Indian
Thought And Art” falls well within our purview we shall also be glad to
pay for any literature available before, during, and after this conference.
Kindest personal regards.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
San Francisco
Dec. 2, 1968
Richard Erickson
U.C. Alumni Association
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720
My Dear Dick,
It is many years since I first proposed the alternative careers for myself
upon retiring. The one selected has been in the general field of Asian Studies:
the alternative was to act a a sort of inter-campus reporter.
The Asian career was almost thrown at me. I only wish to say that at the
present time the general policies of the Multiversity are very satisfactory to
me and in general harmony with what I am doing or trying to do.
I have not changed my stance that no matter what is said of the activities
on campuses old and not so old, that both the University and Multiversity are
undersouled rather than otherwise. My two careers so to speak on Asian Studies
and food problems take me to all the campuses. We have to face some hard facts
which are not in the least exciting or at least not of a nature to prevent
emotional outbreaks from any source whatsoever. It takes two years for a sound
scientific paper to be published, it does not take two minutes for an emotional
outbreak sound or unsound not only to be published but to become world
news.
This to me is the most unfortunate aspect of our present culture. My
position here is almost always in agreement with the British Lord Snow and
Arnold Toynbee. I do not find any well known American of universal outlook so
published. But I do find that the answers to many of the emotional
pseudo-problems of the day have been and are answered on the various campuses
and organizations connected in some way with The University of California.
For example, when the Extension Division held forth at 540 Powell Street
(now the site of San Francisco State College activities), whenever 15 persons
signed up and paid for a course it was given. I doubt whether there has been an
radical change in this policy. It has not been called so much to public
attention.
I do not see any reason why the whole state cannot unemotionally and
practically extend such a policy in every direction. But what I am concerned of
here is not so much what the state should do as what the University of
California is doing, the results of which are not so generally known.
African Studies. I have at least two courses on African Anthropology
and one on African Archeology. The first two were for credit, the latter not
so. I think most of us enrolled have been more interested in knowledge than in
credit, but this is a minor point. I think in general the work done by the
Anthropology Departments on the several campuses is marvelous and
under-publicized. This is particularly true of UCLA. There one finds African
Studies in full force promoting human understanding and cultural exchange at
levels which vociferous Protestants hardly want. It is one thing to seek
African Studies and cultural exchange; it is another thing to use the
putative excuse of their non-existence.
I do not know the relation between the state college system and the
Multiversity. I do know that each depends to some extent on tax paying and
voluntary contributions. It is wasteful to constantly duplicate any kind of
studies in the same general vicinity when the enrollment is insufficient. Yes I
do agree we should have African Studies, Oriental Studies, South American
Studies, Russian Studies, etc., etc. I do not agree with the absence of
publicity concerning their actual existence and often very successful
functioning. More than ever the public needs to know.
Unfortunately neither to so-called broadminded nor not so broad-minded radio
and television stations have turned down most of the efforts to make this
information public. The Ivy colleges in New England have their own broadcasting
network. It might even become feasible for the Multiversity with or without the
state college system to enter this field. It is also being done to some extent
in the area of Agriculture.
I do not know how far the defeat of bonds at the last general election
affected the University. I do feel that both the alumni association and the
academic senates should be more aware of hard realities which might greatly
affect future financial and educational transactions. In other words, I believe
even if there be a degree of chauvinism, the real great achievements of the
University of California past and present are “shorted.”
The opinions above are only my own but I intend to place copies of this in
the hands of certain professors and others connected with U.C.
Cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis x18
(constantly enrolled)
[undated]
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco, Cal. 94110
Raymond Jaffe
Visiting Prof. of Philosophy
Experimental College
University of California
Berkeley, California
Dear Professor Jaffe,
In re Dr. S.I. Hayakawa;
It is no pleasure to have to confirm your remarks about the ad interim
president to San Francisco State College. In some respects I am totally
unqualified to comment on this person, for I have committed an absolutely
unforgivable sin in this man’s eyes—I studied philosophy under Dr. Cassius
Keyser of Columbia University, the friend and mentor of the late Count Alfred
Korzybski who in many respects was Hayakawa’s predecessor.
It was Keyser who introduced me to Korzybski which makes matters worse in
Hayakawa’s eyes. He has absolutely and unqualifiedly rejected all my efforts
to get any articles in his ETC, published through the years and has
peremptorily rejected all papers sent by me on any and all subjects. I list
only three here, but there were many more.
1. The use of general semantics disciplines in scientific laboratory
research.
2. That Zen Buddhism was a creation of his father’s countrymen and not a
modern invention of famous Englishmen whom he admired.
3. On the non-Aristotelian logistics of Asia.
In fact I doubt whether this very superficial man has really studied all of
Science and Sanity of Korzybski, the dominant founder of the General
Semantic movement. I doubt very much whether he could stand up at any public
debate on this subject. As a chairman he is very much an autocrat. Stories have
come to me which corroborate totally your opinion—none to the contrary.
A few years ago when I tried to become his friend, I was publicly attacked;
his secretary entering the room, perceiving I was being criticized, without
ascertaining the nature of the discussion berated me more than anybody else;
and Dr. Hayakawa in turn supported his secretary. There were many eyewitnesses
to this.
It is most unfortunate that some of the themes of general semantics are
valid, but a messiah is nonetheless a messiah even if he calls himself an
atheist. I could say lots more. The silent majority who knows about this man,
both his supporters and opponents of the present strike movement would also
agree with your remarks.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
Experimental Collegiate Program
Letters and Science
Berkeley, California 94720
January 26, 1969
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, California 94110
Dear Mr. Lewis:
I have to apologize for my tardiness in acknowledging your interesting
letter. The flu set me back in my correspondence.
The more I read about Hayakawa the worse grow my misgivings. He not only
represents the dangerous attitude I spoke of, but he spreads the equally
dangerous belief that there is nothing fundamentally wrong in higher education,
that the trouble is mainly in the minds of the “troublemakers.” I see from
yesterday’s Chronicle that he is insensitive to precisely the one problem
that is the heart of the matter-the quality of teaching in higher education.
Even so tough an advocate of crackdown as Sidney Hook has called college
teaching a “scandal.” And it is just this failure, on the part of the likes
of Hayakawa, to understand what good teaching is and to appreciate its
importance that is primarily responsible for the “scandal.” Imagine the
disdain for his art implied in Hayakawa’s reference to teaching as one of the
“softest jobs in the world,” and the contempt for his students implied in
saying one can prepare for a lecture by glancing over notes ten minutes before
class. He debases a noble of the true source of student unrest.
It is some comfort to learn that those who know him best do not regard him
as the hero he has become for the Right, and I can only hope that the faculty
at San Francisco State will do more than resent him, will not permit a man of
his incompetence to injure further the cause of higher education.
Yours sincerely,
Raymond Jaffe
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco, Calif.
February 2, 1969
Raymond Jaffe,
Experimental Collegiate Program
Department of Letters & Science,
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Dear Mr. Jaffe:
I am not sure whether you received my letter of the 29th. Carbons have been
made and I don’t know whether they were properly mailed. But I do know that
several delegations have been approaching this person anent Dr. Hayakawa. They
all have the same programs, reading over his books to show he is a man of no
principles whatsoever, grasping each situation to further his ego and social
standing.
When I was living in Mill Valley his name was proposed for the Marin Rod and
Gun Club. He was rejected. He shouted it was because of his race?! The hard
fact is that he was an atheist and the members of the Marin Rod and Gun Club
are good people and they did not want any atheist. Besides, he had
rejected any idea of any article on Zen coming from Japanese sources but
accepted articles from Englishmen whom he admired. In fact to get an article
published in his “ETC” you have to be admired—that is the only
criterion. So now the good people want an atheist in another
capacity.
This shows the complete lack of principles on the part of power-structured
persons. I am neither a religionist or anti-religionist being in the tradition,
so to speak, of Emerson and Whitman, religionists and anti-religionists both
closing ranks on this point and both advocating??? “free speech.”
The second unforgivable sin committed by this person was to refute Prof. Max
Black, the well-known philosopher anent his criticism of Alfred Korzybski. The
stand of Dr. Hayakawa and his fellow-Generals in something they call
“semantics” is that only proper people have a right to enter into
debates.
Therefore any and all attempts to apply the principles of Alfred Korzybski
to such problems as those invoked by “Silent Spring,” the Lysenko-Mendel
dispute, Vietnam, etc. are absolutely spurned. The “Generals” of Semantics
will not have their thing besmirched, etc. etc.
The world needs some form of Logistics to come to some standards of
resolutions in facing disputes. Dr. Hayakawa has one: His ego. He cannot deny
it. He has met me with public ridicule every time the situation offered and I
am sure he has done this otherwise.
But to submit there are ways out of public disputes by approaches other than
those he has thought up is absolute sacrilege and worse than heresy.
I am sending copy of this to two of Dr. Hayakawa’s associates. I have long
given up hope that anything like the teachings of their Revelator, Count
Korzybski, can be applied to any of the problems of the day while they are in
control. The work of Russell and Whitehead, of Cassius Keyser, of many of our
great mathematical philosophers, etc. has been by-passed. Just now Dr. Oliver
Reiser of Pittsburgh is advocating the integral approach, the
application of principles found in mathematics to other problems. The result
has been the stealing of the word “Integration” and using it
variously, increasing, not decreasing present-day problems. And as important
people are important there is nothing one can do.
Only now the young are finding things out and they prefer principles to
personalities. They are going over Hayakawa’s writings and I hope they will
thus turn to Count Korzybski, to discovering that the work of this man is as
much a part of the General’s Semantics as the Sermon on the Mount is of
Christianity.
I have said before there are no signs that Hayakawa has studied carefully
all parts of Science and Sanity.” He just wants to teach it.
And among my other besetting sins is that I read the earlier “Manhood of
Humanity” long before any of the Generals ever heard of Korzybski. For this
one cannot be forgiven but the young have different views.
Today Dr. Hayakawa will be on the air. I should like to ask him, “The
Spanish University System, why not?” But he will not go that far. He will be
caught and compelled to join the human race. His first problems is to set his
own household in order and that is exactly what he is avoiding, most
unfortunately.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco 94110
February 25, 1969
Sra. Andreina Becker-Colona
UC Extension
San Francisco, 94102
Dear Signora Becker-Colona:
Although I have not been with you this semester, I hope you are doing well
and extend greetings.
I am sending a copy of this to the University of California. As a 50 year
alumnus, I am expected to make a small endowment and perhaps will. I find,
however, that I am actually giving very close to $1000 per annum for
registrations at the extension, and this year it looks as if the amount will be
increased. In talking to department heads today, they agreed that these
registration monies are in effect as valuable as any other contribution.
I am going to write shortly a long letter, taking a very positive stand on
the actual effectiveness of the universities and colleges of the State of
California, material that does not get into the press or on the air.
Personally, I have been apathetic over sociological race relations; and more
sympathetic than most people on anthropological aspects of this subject. I have
attended classes at extension and have visited the Departments of Anthropology
on the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles campuses. Almost every attempt to speak
objectively is met with derision which has not fazed me in the least.
My own affairs socially and financially are going slowly but steadily
upgrade. I shall return, and not alone, to register for your Tuesday morning
class on early Arabic art. I may later tell you some rather interesting
episodes in this connection. Having a large and constantly growing following, I
am expecting that some, not to say, several, will register for your Thursday
evening classes next semester, and I stand ready to back them up
financially.
I do not know whether it will be covered in your lectures on early Arabic
art, but have recently purchased a book on Nabatean culture. I also have
Ancient Egyptian Mesopotamian & Persian Costume by Mary G. Houston,
New York, 1964.
I also have a rather recent book on the Etruscans. The author relates those
people and their language to the Tosks of Albania. I do not know if you ever
heard of the French Faber D’Olivet. I was at one time a secretary to his
translator, the late Nayan Redfield. He claimed a relationship between the
Tosks of Albania, the Pel-asgians of Greene, the Asgans of Italy, and the
Etruscans. It somas that this point of view is now being substantiated.
All this and more keep me reminded of your fine work.
With kindest regards,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco 94110
February 26, 1969
California Alumni Foundation
Alumni House
University of California
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
My dear friends:
In defense of the University of California. Ever since my first
discussion with Richard Erickson, I have been much concerned with a certain
failure in public relations for which no one is to be blamed. The growth of the
campuses quantitatively-which is somewhat known—has been matched by
achievements qualitatively, which are not so well known. The “Daily
Californian, “California Monthly,” etc. reach mostly students and alumni
but not the general public. A perusal of the highest type of specialist
publications show that the University (however it be defined) and its graduates
contribute more than their share to universal knowledge.
During all the outbreaks on the various campuses, I have not seen a single
article, nor heard a single person on the air who has spoken objectively in the
defense of accomplishments. Yes, far and wide, many of these achievements are
well-known.
The other day at an Extension class I said, “I am not qualified to speak
on the merits or demerits of the various groups of protestants, but I do know
that many of the courses demanded are already being given on one or more
campuses. There is not enough money to have a cyclotron on every campus. There
is enough money to having specialties, e.g. various African studies given. And
I can tell you the campus.”
Instead of having a mollifying effect, this turned extremists on both sides
against me. This is the best justification one can have. I am not opposed to
student or teacher protests, but I am unalterably opposed to continuous
ostrich-hiding in subjectivities. The University (or Multiversity) has a
tremendous number of answers to current problems and pseudo-problems.
Being very much of an anti-dialectician, I do not choose to formulate a
program out of my ego “in the name of democracy.” But I do think some
attempts should be made to reach a station such as KQED to inform the public of
what is actually being done on the various campuses.
I call to your attention that the Ivy universities have jointly their own TV
station. I think an investigation should be made of this, and some similar
program protested or endorsed now. Crossing the various campuses, even in times
of turmoil, I not only find excellent subjects taught in excellent classes by
excellent professors, but outside certain well-known areas atmospheres of
peacefulness and study. The public is never informed of this, nor are pictures
taken to support this point of view, except on rare occasions.
As a believer in democracy, I do not wish to do more than report. Other
people have ideas and information also.
Cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco 94110
February 26, 1969
California Alumni Foundation
Alumni House
University of California
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Dear Friends:
I am honor bound as a member of the Class of 1918 to contribute at least $50
(or more) toward some enterprise of the University of California, preferably on
the Berkeley campus. This will not be a difficult matter for I understand my
present income is going up, and my current income tax may diminish!
In going over accounts of last year preparing for income tax report, I find
I am easily spending far more in excess of $500 for class enrollment at the
university extension variously, and this year, as matters stand, it will be
well in excess of a thousand dollars.
You will find enclosed copy of a letter to one of my instructors of the
extension. I am at the moment prepared to pay $300 or more for class
enrollments this spring. Now I ask you: What advantage would there be to
diminish these amounts in order or pay a contribution to the Alumni
Foundation?
This is, however, a rhetorical question. I have conferred with the heads of
two departments on the campus, and they feel quite satisfied I am doing my bit.
However, I shall shortly be dictating another letter in regard to matters of
general interest and should support my proposals with an additional financial
allotment. This will be done as soon as income tax and other private matters
are cleared. I think the letter to follow will sufficiently support my
position.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis, ‘18
March 17, 1969
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, Ca. 94110
Dear Mr. Lewis:
Thank you very much for your recent letter. We appreciate your concern for
the University.
We do think, however, that the campus situation is being covered by the news
media. In fact, Chancellor Heyns has had many conferences with the press
regarding the strike and his entire statements have been reproduced. He and the
University have received editorial praise in support of keeping the campus
open. In addition, representatives have spoken to various groups throughout the
state regarding the campus situation.
We certainly agree with you concerning the many accomplishments of the
University and, too, wish that the news media would spend as much time covering
the positive news regarding the campus as it does reporting the “
sensational” campus activities.
Thank you again, Mr. Lewis for your devotion to your Alma Mater.
Sincerely
Richard O. Buxton
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco 94110
April 13, 1969
Joseph Tussman
Experimental College Program
University of California
2607 Hearst Ave.
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Dear Professor Tussman:
I wish to thank you for the materials sent. I am intensely interested in
experimental colleges and am most delighted there is one going on within the
jurisdiction of the University of California. But I am not an adapt is
education and am compelled to react, perhaps either emotionally or from a
totally different point of view.
A great many things have changed since the day of Alexander Meiklejohn. We
have seen great advances in technology and science accepted; and we have seem
great advances in logic and philosophy not accepted; and we have seen—or
rather I must say I have seen—solutions to many of the great problems of the
day affected on the campuses of the Multiversity but not accepted either
because of slowness in communication or because these real or purported
solutions are not “exciting” enough or do not impress those in charge of
the channels of communication.
I am forced to accede for the moment to Lord Snow’s “two cultures” and
notice that even the press—too quick to point out all the weaknesses of the
different campuses and great educational institutions—is beginning to realize
the gap between the “humanist” and “scientific” attitudes. And if I am
radically on the “scientific” side it must not be concluded that this is
necessarily more noble, more important and more effective than the
“humanist” aspects of life, society, and cultures.
I am quite impressed by your format, your theories of education and your
proposed or operative machinery. But since the time of Meiklejohn we have
several problem in the presumably “real” world and I want to list a few:
a. Warfare b. Welfare
c. Slum clearance d. World food twists
e. World water oriole f. World soil crisis
g. Population h. “Silent Spring”
not to mention others.
The problems mount, the emotions mount, the solutions are at hand and not
communicated.
I began a number of years ago to work on “How California Can Help Asia.”
It covers some of the problems listed above and some not.
Some of the problems of Asia (problems to me, not necessarily world
problems, but I think they are) have been not or solved by the
literary-humanist portion of our culture. I deplore very much that the early
work of Prof. Ryder in Sanskrit is hardly known today. His translations have
never been challenged and often are the only source books.
But in getting notices from the University Press I am amazed by the work,
often fine work done by the authors and writers accepted, and if reading is
emphasized and is to be done under any auspices of the University of California
I cannot see why one must turn to “foreign” literature—meaning by
“foreign” work emanating from any campus outside the Multiversity.
I have been advocating a “grill organization” so that different
departments, even different sciences and subjects on the same campus but
covering the same geographical or historical area should be integrated more and
the same program used to cover all the campuses. While this was just an idea,
the building of the campuses of Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Irvine suggest
this even more.
The same amount of brain-power which could be used or misused in studying
classical Greece or 17th century England might be used on the
“problems of the day” especially where answers to these problems are to be
found on one of more of the working campuses.
In these days when there are so many outbreaks and so many criticisms of
higher education, hardly any attention is paid to the internal accomplishments
of the great campuses of the country. And while I am more acquainted with the
University of California complex, this is true generally. But there is not
enough publicity and it the press relations fall down it is bemuses the
quantitative accomplishments baffle even the most enthusiastic—more is always
being done than can be made public.
I am now working with a group of professors who have integrative outlooks
(integrative in the sense used in Mathematics but not necessarily
“socially.”)
If you conclude this is personal, that is a mistake for I earn small amounts
lecturing both on the Bible and some of the items listed; and I am constantly
enrolled in classes concerned with ancient Greek culture. I merely would like
more attention to “now” and problems of the day. I believe you may have the
proper machinery to face these problems from the literary side. Can’t this be
done?
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco, Calif.
April 15, 1969
Alumni Association,
University of California,
Berkeley, 94720
Dear Friends:
In Re: Experimental College Program
I have recently received some brochures from Professor Joseph Tussman. I am
most interested in:
a. Experimental college programs
b. Any connected with the University of California, especially the Berkeley
Campus
c. His general outline and theories of Education.
Education is outside my field but I am appalled and more than appalled with
the Hobson’s choice now being offered the people of California between two
men neither of whom has shown the slightest aptitude to think deeply on any of
the problems of the day.
In the letter to Professor Tussman I have listed under these problems:
Warfare, Slum, Clearance, Welfare, World Food crisis, World Soil crisis,
World water crises, Population, and “Silent Spring.” I do not wish to imply
that these are the only great problems of the day. But I certainly do wish to
imply and more than imply that if even a cursory glance be given to the actual
researches and accomplishments of the Multiversity and here in particular, the
Berkeley campus, there are some very interesting real or potential solutions to
be found and you seldom hear of any of them.
I should like to see Professor Tussman’s format used on “How the
University of California may help to solve some of these problems” instead of
the proposal to look into ancient history or medieval England. The same
efforts, the same thoughts, the same research could bring out some most
interesting and wonderful answers. And along with that I sincerely believe in
both personal and financial support from many people.
We live in a day of “problems” when we could equally be living in a day
of “solutions.” There are many near-solutions to the above and other real
or pseudo-problems found in the present and past work on the campuses, fields
and laboratories of the University or Multiversity. And I cannot think even of
the interest in ancient Greece without referring to Gayley’s “Classic
Myths” with a sign. “University, discover yourself, and you may be saving
the world”
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita
San Francisco, CA 94110
May 6, 1969
Richard J. Kozicki
South Asian Studies
University of California
Berkeley, Ca 94720
Dear Professor Kozicki:
In re Vietnam and objectivity. The other day when I visited the Berkeley
campus I was so satisfied that I told the alumni association of intention to
write a favorable letter. There is no reason to change this plan but things
happen so rapidly in my private life that the best intentions have been
delayed.
As a member of the class of 1918 I am in a sort of moral obligation to give
$50 a year or some parallel contribution. In my father’s will this is also
suggested. Almost immediately one received the Lifelong Learning Summer
Schedule of the University Extension. When I noticed “Modern History of
Southeast Asia” X182.4 for which you are listed as instructor I felt it only
proper to either give a scholarship or to have one of my now many disciples
attend.
For 35 years I was very close to the late Phra Sumangalo (Rev. Robert
Clifton). This man died of a broken heart because of the absolute refusal on
the part of the State Department and the press to accept his warning while he
was living in Vietnam of the communist conspiracies which have become
successful because American “Realism” is so far from reality and because
the State Department and the press do not accept eye-witness reports of
Americans who mingle with Asians. For instance, and it is almost unbelievable,
that I have made enemies because of simple facts which interfere with the
dreams of dialecticians of practically every camp. For instance, there is a
lifelong friend here who is very important in so-called forums which discuss
so-called foreign problems. He wrote asking me to contribute so that I could be
welcomed in many lands and thus meet presumable big people. I wrote, why should
I send money to meet big people who have already been a guest of honor at the
Imperial palaces of Japan and Thailand and had tea in the presidential mansions
of Pakistan and India. He never forgave me for that.
For years I have been working on the theme “How California Can help
Asia.” Actually, this has come to mean, at least in part, how the University
of California can help Asia. I found my dream coming true when you showed me
what you are doing.
You will understand that I have practically no time off any day; when my
class on Christian mysticism ended at 5 o’clock on Monday and my local class
on Sufism began at 7:30, it was necessary to attend the services for the late
president Hussein of India who was a disciple of some of the same schools of
Sufism into which I had been initiated but which our culture until very
recently has stubbornly refused to accept. This in turn has made me a hero more
and more among the young. The young want facts; their elders want opinions. A
number of years ago an official history was written on Thailand by one of your
colleagues at UCLA (David Wilson). I called on him and said, “You have
written an excellent book. The facts are wonderful, but your chapter on
problems is almost hopeless for every one of these problems has been faced by
your colleagues on other campuses of the Multiversity.” I can name these
colleagues. I can tell you what they have done, are doing.
He immediately sent me to Dean Parrish in the administration building UCLA.
Without looking up Dean Parrish said to me, “Do you know Her Serene Highness
Princess Poon Diskul?” I immediately replied, “Who the heck do you think
sent me here?”
Now it seems that Carroll Parrish was my very first secretary at a time when
I was trying to introduce Sufism into America. I then failed. I am now
succeeding. I had 150 guests at my combined May day and Wesak dance festival.
We put on many dances based on the actual religions of actual Asia.
I also have on file al kinds of pamphlets, folios, and research reports more
or less connected with “How California Can Help Asia.” I am now becoming
known or notorious because of the recent issue of “The Oracle.”
I received two letters in the mail today. One came from A.B. Patel of the
World Union, Pondicherry. They are going to have a congress in December 1970.
There is no reason now why I cannot attend and I certainly am renewing my
membership. It is the leaders of this group which stimulated my “Dance of
Universal Peace” the inheritance from my late “fairy-godmother” Miss Ruth
St. Denis. One of the local reported representatives of this movement have
obstinately and absolutely refused to accept the actual progress going on. It
is these dances which were the basis of the program last Sunday in
commemoration of Wesak, etc. Furthermore, I have been on excellent terms with
the actual Vietnamese Buddhist teachers such as Dr. Thich Thien-An at UCLA.
The other letter has made me very excited. It came from Ed Lansdale. This is
the Lieutenant General who was second in command in Vietnam. he was my war hero
and no nonsense (I actually received a Washington Citation during the Second
World War). When I met Edward Lansdale he was a Captain soon to become a Major
in G2. But by agreement with his superior Col. Harris I destroyed all my
original documents etcetera. because of my Asian backgrounds I wrote to him but
the foreign office refused delivery and returned my letter.
Gen. Lansdale writes that he is now writing a book on his own direct
experiences. A book which I am sure you will be interested in and which I
certainly intend to get for you (My next errand will be to bring to you the
writings of my own Guru the late Swami Ramdas).
I cannot help but feel you are actually bringing to objectivity one or more
of the dreams of my life. The great changes going on in my personal affairs
also add to my optimism and to the possibilities of my extending to you every
form of cooperation possible and also acquaint myself more and more either with
what you are doing or attempting.
A carbon of this is being sent to Dean Parrish and ZI think another one will
go to Dr. An as above. And I certainly intend to write a most encouraging
letters to the Alumni Association.
I am now giving seven lectures a week on various Asian Asian philosophies.
there has been a slow but steady increase in the audiences and in the financial
contributions to my work.
Very cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco, Calif. 94110
June 23, 1969
Richard O. Buxton
Executive Director Alumni House
University of California,
Berkeley 94720
Dear Mr. Buxton:
Referring to your letter of March 17, I am now giving my “jubilee”
contribution in the form of Encyclopedia of Buddhism two copies to the Berkeley
campus and one to the UCLA campus. There is a long history here of which I
shall offer just one item:
A number of years ago a semi-official work appeared on “’Thailand” and
most of it was beyond reproach. But there was a chapter on “Problems” and I
wrote to the author, one David Wilson, remarking, “Do you know that everyone
of these so-called “problems” has been coped with, if not solved by
personnel and teams of the Multiversity?” This criticism, if you will, was
accepted but generally in what Lord Snow calls “the literary-humanism”
culture; not only are criticisms not accepted but judgments are based on
personalities rather than hard facts.
There will be a seminar on the San Francisco Extension Campus this week and
I am pleased to report that several of the professors have gone far ahead with
my hypothetical theme, “How California Can Help Asia.”
So long as our culture is in the hands of the “literary-humanist” rather
than the “scientific” culture I see nothing but problems. And it is
regrettable that under earlier regimes even British communists were extended
the platform when the subject was supposed to be “Problems of Asia” while
Asians themselves were excluded.
On the day the original “Free Speech” outbreak took place I was an
unwitting witness having just come from a lecture on “African Ecology.” To
the amazing of the Professors over 300 persons attended, and I presume all
professors and students! This was not news. And 400 persons, and no one
knows how many were students, made world headlines!
My visits to the various campuses, beginning with Berkeley, show that we
have on paper made tremendous strides to help solve many, many world problems.
One could begin with Prof. Paul Keim of the Engineering Department but this
might be unfair. If there is any criticism, it is the failure to observe that a
campus which houses the Lawrence Laboratory also houses personnel and
achievement worthy of the same level of consideration on other subjects.
I am hoping that the present Chancellor (Heyns) may continue at his post. I
was most struck by the “park” controversy, that it was near one “Gayley
Ave.” Who was Gayley? I have just returned from UCLA where I meet the names
of Hilgard, Lecanto. Royce. Who were they?
And I have three times met on busses men who said they were connected with
the “Progressive Labor Party—whatever that is and they were all on TV! The
press and TV stations would render a service by excluding all non-university
people from any appearances whatsoever. This does not mean that revolts or
protests are not favored—they are, but by the “in” people, not by any
outsider that comes along.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
P.S. I do not know when my next trip abroad will take place but I should
have at least one secretary and then will report in full (my diaries are
piecemeal) of the accomplishments of graduates.
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, Calif. 94110
July 8, 1969
William J Monihan
Director of Library Relation
University of California
San Francisco, Calif. 94117
Reverend Sir:
I wish to thank you for your invitation to attend The Symposium to be
held under your auspices in August. I think it is a most worthy undertaking and
I have both time and money there for. But I have no time and money to have to
sit before a chairman who will have the right to honor the credentials of
certain persons and to reject the credentials of others.
I should think, in this America, we might occasionally have a verbal
symposium on “Asia” where the chair and at least a few of the discussants
are either Asian or American by birth and education. There is such a thing as
being fair-minded. I have passed tests of all kinds in both Sufism (which is
not being discussed) and Zen-Ch’an Buddhism (which is being discussed) from
Asian Masters, but very, very seldom before non-American, non-Asian scholars
who are regarded as authorities on Asian matters. I do not know what is the
basis for such conclusions and I could ignore my own statements if our
non-American, non-Asian “experts” could or would accept substantiated
credentials.
Why, Reverend Sir, I have been a most honored guest of Franciscan,
Benedictine, and Jesuit Fathers in Asia, and have always been interested in the
career of St. Francis Xavier and his successors.
Having had real mystical experiences I must report here that both my Korean
and Japanese (not German French or English) teachers in Zen said: “Remember,
Christ and Buddha are one.” I am not asking you to accept this but I
certainly do not wish to be ruled off the floor for any attempt to say this in
public, so to be diplomatically safe, I regret I shall not attend.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco. Calif.
July 9, 1969
Baxter M. Geeting
Professor of Speech
Sacramento, Calif.
Dear Dr. Geeting:
I must apologize if in writing to you it is like consulting a psychologist
or psychiatrist. I have before me “The Art of Awareness” which I find
delightful. Not knowing how to contact J. Samuel Bois, the author, I am taking
a sort of liberty to write to you.
You see I am in difficulty. Although the Generals of Semantics say that God
may forgive one’s sins, the subjective nervous system will not. I committed a
sin early in life for which there is no forgiveness, none, at least not from
the Generals of Semantics: I met and studied with the late Cassius Keyser of
Columbia. This study was both direct and indirect and continued to the end of
his life. Our relations were always exceedingly cordial and I gave his books to
the library of San Francisco State College where they have remained, as if in a
morgue. And although I saw him shortly before his death ad we have a wonderful
time together, there is no forgiveness for this, and what was seen as a great
possible to obviate many problems has, instead, only added to complications.
The use of rigorous thinking has been used by the writer in the
scientific-scientific laboratory, and at work, especially in dealing with plant
diseases and in fighting insect pests. In retorts on these subjects there is
almost a clear division between those persons whom Lord Snow would call the
“scientific culture” and the “literary-humanist” culture. At least
there has been unanimity among the former, all favorable; the latter generally
are concerned not with the problem and its solution but the personalities
involved.
It was Cassius Keyser himself who directed me to “The Manhood of
Humanity.” And long before Science and Sanity had appeared I had
studied Boole and Pierce and a good deal of Bertrand Russell, not sadly
neglected even by this imminent man. He does not seem to have applied his
logistics and mathematical matrices to problems in which he has been
emotionally involved.
I found little difficulty in Science and Sanity,” excepting a
refusal, an adamant refusal on the part of those who have become known as the
chief semanticists or as I call them, “The Generals of Semantics.” I felt
that with Science and Sanity we had the means to clarify a great many
problems in many fields. But the super-mountain has labored and hardly brought
forth a mouse.
Not long after Science and Sanity first appeared my erstwhile
collaborator, the late Luther Whiteman and I wrote a review which was published
feeling that there was at hand a means to solve many problems by the
application of impersonal and scientific logistics. Alas it was not to be.
Later we criticized “The tyranny of Words” by a capable non-scientist, but
we gradually saw the semantic movement fall into the hands of capable and
non-capable non-scientists, at least in the laboratory sense and the gradual
substitution of dialectic and personal methods using Hegelian methods as
substitutes or replacements for Aristotelians.
The Mendel Lysenko controversy. Presuming the teachings of Science
and Sanity to be correct, twice I interrupted debates in this field calling
attention to the probability of their being an integral from which both schools
of thought were derived and that in taking an internal approach some solution
might be found. I won two debates from the floor carrying audiences with me.
All efforts to point a G.S. “solution” to this situation were turned
down.
Now I see that there is a review in “Science” on the rise and fall of
Lysenkoism. This ought to lead to the downfall of personalisms in high places,
but perhaps the time has not come. However I soon found myself in the camp of
Dr. Oliver Reiser of Pittsburgh University and his approaches seem to me to
continue the general attitude of the late Count Korzybski and also I find J.
Samuel Bois in the same direction.
The scientific solutions seem to me to be far more in according with
Science and Sanity and the non-solutions of the Generals of Se
antics.
Does Tobacco Cause Cancer? I know of no problem where there is such a
blatant avoidance of the rigorous thinking of Keyser. I had hoped that a real
Society for real General Semantics would permit debates on this and other
pressing issues. Instead we have nothing but high emotionalisms plus economic
interests, etc. and nothing universal either in research articles.
In General I find total misapplications of what Lord Russell Would call
“The Confusion of Types.” People who have not studied mathematical
philosophy or read carefully book III or Science and Sanity show a
marked inability to think thoroughly on such issues.
DD and Plant Protection. I have had the temerity to wish to speak on
this subject. I am a retired horticulturalist who did much work in handling
spray equipment of all kinds. Not only in time laboratory but in the field I
had to do operations connected with the handling of plant diseases and
ratification of insect pests.
The Study of Organic Chemistry lead to an article on the differential of
logistics between the atom-molecule and the chain-molecule. I regret that the
death of the man to whom this paper was given, and the rejection of it by the
“generals of semantics” would require some efforts to rewrite. I have lived
in many lands and seen objectively in research stations experiments which cou1d
supply the Lysenko-Mendel controversy as above and which could supply a great
many factual-referent facts required by Korzybski but not by the non-scientists
(not to say anti-scientists) who have taken over the semantic movements.
Spurned and snubbed by these men and by dialecticians in general, one has
not only maintained excellent relations with entomologists and ecologists, but
communications with the agricultural departments of the University of
California in particular, and with other universities, clearly supply the
struggle between two cultures nascent in Science and Sanity, overt in
Lord Snow.
The inability of the non-scientists to think clearly in this field and the
general inability of the fourth estate people to understand the “types”
compel one now to write on “General Semantics vs. Generals’ Semantics”
because one believes that in the general line of Korzybski, flanked on the one
side by Boole, Pierce and Keyser and on the other by Reyser and Lois (to say
the least) we can move forward unemotionally to face both problems and “the
problem of problems” from the misuse of words.
RTV. March 1969. The Rapoport-Peace controversy suggests that many
movements must go through Comte’s: theological, metaphysical, scientific
stages, and this debate looks like one between a theologian and metaphysician.
What is more, the Semantic movement has neatly by-passed the Neo-Realists and
their efforts to solve the egocentric predicament. Indeed geocentricism is
lauded, provided the “right man” is mentioned.
One cannot see any scientific value in an article about “Aldous Huxley’s
Views on Language.” What is more the “generals” do not agree with
Huxley’s views on life; they differ very fundamentally but personally would
run to cover. Whatever else may be said, Huxley was seeking for cosmic,
impersonal views.
There is one thing that is certain. When a movement gets into the hands of
those who have never studied mathematical logistics, there is a confusion
between f (x) and -f (x) and f (-x) etc. Non-Aristotelianism is still
functional Aristotelianism the way that the history has proceeded. One could
conceive that there are positive non-Aristotelian logics—and there are. And
these are quite unwelcome to”ETC.” and the generals of semantics. And we
have endless confusions because all the cultures from Japan to India inclusive
and not only non-Aristotelian but are often either under Nyaya or Dignana
logics, the mere mention of which seems to send the generals into
tale-spins.
In another direction we have a host of Asian problems simply because we do
not grant what Spender has averred and the mere mention of Spangler also causes
tale-spins. Trained by Keyser to think, and I mean think, in non-Euclidean
terms, one can understand why verbal anti-Aristotelians and verbal
non-Euclideans would and must indeed reject articles from standpoints which
they cannot apprehend or appreciate.
It becomes exceedingly awkward that parsons hailed as “semanticists” and
now in the public eye can give no evidence of rigorous thinking or mainly
impersonal debating. Figure IX on page 2020 of “The Art of Awareness”
definitely contradicts Samuel Hayakawa’s views which he has given in public,
and his rejection of the possibilities of the “super-conscious” in public
and private brings into question what happens when persons verbally deviated to
grand outlooks by their skillful manipulation of words and their even greet
skill in communication misleads many to believe they are deep thinkers.
Soon my “General Semantics versus General’s Semantics” will be
published. I did not wish it this way. But the liability to have any kind of
proper forensics, the calling names into account, etc. enables the enemies of
progress and even higher education to exert an influence which I think is very
dangerous.
I am today quite successfully leading many young people away from
psychedelics by methods which would be more disturbing than the “drugs”
themselves. The constant confusion of genus and species, the refusal to
consider Lord Snow’s logistics are serious and the absence of the rigorous
thinking of Cassius Keyser compel one to write, no doubt giving some
encouragement to “enemies’ camps.” I am trying to bring Asia and the West
closer together by cooperative studies and approaches and I think Bois has done
that, and ETC. has not.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
January 25, 1970
Prof, Richard Kozicki
Dept, of South Asian Studies
University of California
Berkeley, Ca. 94720
My dear Professor Kozicki:
I think Saturday morning was well spent at the Indian Independence Day
celebration. We stayed only for the morning, but that was enough. The first
speaker, Swami Swahananda, was a pupil of my very dear friend Swami
Ranganathananda Maharaj. The second speakers Dr. Lal, is a very old friend of
mine. The third speaker, Prof. Perry Stout of U.C. Davis, touched the subject
which is most dear to me. I was a guest of the soil scientists of India, quite
independently met Dr. Roy Donahue of Kansas State University who had been
serving with the Ford Foundation.
A number of years later I attended a conference on the food and soil
problems of Asia as part of the symposia held at U.C.S.F. To me the trouble
with such affairs is that problems are discussed at length, but solutions are
not always so welcome. Personally I believe this is one of the greatest
troubles in the world today—I am an optimist so far as the existence of
solutions; I am a pessimist concerning the acceptance of such solutions by such
large segments of our culture as the press, the federal government, the social
scientists in general including those presumably in opposition to
“establishments.” In fact sometimes the raucous oppositions are even
worse.
I am enclosing a copy of a letter to Dr. Radhakrishnan, the retired
President of India. Also two copies of a paper on “Dream Theory in Malaya”
and I am asking that you present one of these to the department of
anthropology. As a person I have been pretty much of a failure in trying to
present exotic psychologies and ethos to the disciples of any form of
dialectical materialism. I have found on the whole the anthropologists on the
different UC campuses very sympathetic, quite capable of mingling with
nationals in strange lands, etc.
I think this is enough for one report and shall be glad to be in class neat
week.
Samuel L. Lewis
P.S. I am just reminded that Prof. An The, one of my Vietnamese fends, will
be glad to come up here any time so speak on the history and culture of his
people and/or their philosophy of life. He would be scheduled to appear in my
home some Sunday night, but I believe we might arrange, if you wish, to come to
class on Saturday morning and we could take care of him from then on.
Feb. 8, 1970
Dr. Charles C. Tart
Dept. of Psychology
University of California
Davis, Calif.
Dear Dr. Tart:
I was very much interested in your remarks on “Altered States of
Consciousness” presented over television today. I was impressed by your
demeanor, sobriety, and scientific aptitudes. I must praise you for your
compassion at the flippant and uncalled-for questions and remarks by persons of
prestige who take life superficially instead of seriously. But I myself also am
flippant in declaring there are three kinds of sciences: newspaper science,
parlor science, and laboratory science. The fact that I take the latter alone
as serious may mean that I also may be overextending myself and should not be
judging others too harshly.
The day is coming when mystics will be permitted to speak on mysticism and
serious non-mystics will at least listen to them before drawing their
conclusions. In addition to being a mystic (see below) I have also been a
student of anthropology and have recently read some very fine articles on the
Dream Psychology of the Senoi. But I also took a totally un-American attitude
toward Indonesia, declaring that there was no way to determine right or wrong
when a culture which evaluated the dream consciousness faced another culture
which de-valuated it. Certainly, the Consul-General of Indonesia in this city
and I have long since come to an understanding regarding a mystical culture
which has been barred from most of our seminars.
When the Psychedelic Conference met in 1965 I spoke five times on “Joy
“Without Drugs.” The talks were based on the knowledge of the actual
mystical philosophies of actual Asia, plus personal experience and attainment
into which one need not go—certainly not imposed on others. I have heard
Leary speak many times and know of no experience he has had that has not been
my own, but which I consider—taking the whole universe into
consideration—as comparatively low. All the deepest schools of mysticism
present that there are seven planes of consciousness, and the most I could get
out of Leary were variations of the second plane.
I had already know Allen Ginsberg, but met Dr. Richard Alpert at that
conference. Dr. Alpert is now touring this country (in fact he is in this city
at the present time) and is today convinced that there are many states of
consciousness about which Leary had no idea at all, and which he also
previously spurned, but now thinks quite different. Dr. Alpert as Babe Ram Dass
is addressing thousands and thousands of people across the land. He seems to
have a very good idea of Patanjali or Raja Yoga, and some ideas of other Yogas.
He certainly is aware that there are many levels of consciousness.
I am enclosing a copy of one of my own poems, “The Rejected Avatar”
which came in a blending of dream consciousness and active Prajna, or direct
cosmic insight. The poem wrote itself. There are many instances of this. I have
not been able to get anything accepted by the literati, but I am not
troubled.
What is more important at the moment is the combination of the dream- and
super states of consciousness, introducing dances which are being communicated
to quite a number of young people; all these dances eagle very quickly and
manifest on three higher states of consciousness before they come to outer
from; usually the dream consciousness is the last, where I see these art forms
before presenting them objectively.
I am one of the few persons who have been trained alike in Zen, Yoga,
Vedanta, and Sufi philosophies and mysticism. It becomes a matter of
indifference whether dialecticians and existentialists accept this seriously. I
have sat with, below, and above saints and masters of many faiths in many parts
of the world. When I returned last from the Orient in 1962 I wrote up a number
of reports of psychic events which I had witnessed and they were all
rejected—Rhyne, Cayce, Garrett, and others, all rejected mostly with the
remark they weren’t interested in the Orient. Of course financial
contributions for “research” were welcomed.
These experiences were generally at a somewhat higher level than those
reported by drug takers. But if you think I am condemning anybody, part of my
work has been a search for Soma and other vegetal used in ancient times to
raise the state of consciousness. I have also attended Arya Samaj ceremonials
where natural derivatives employed to produce a super-mundane effect through
the smoke coming from chemical action. We have not yet learned to take these
people seriously.
Certainly, many of the Indians I contacted, and many of the other people I
contacted were far higher in the scale of literacy than the Senoi.
Now that the Indian students have organized, it may also be possible to hear
speakers who can do more than offer personal dialectical reviews of presumable
states of super-consciousness. It is out of place here, to give details of
interviews, but I will mention one name, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, one of
the most famous man in the world. Indian philosophy deals seriously and
succinctly with various states of consciousness, and tonight I am talking on
the Taittiriya Upanishad and its five sheaths, a talk based not only on
years of reading and study, but also on a conscious attainment of the states of
consciousness involved.
At the Psychedelic Conference I also met Dr. Huston Smith of MIT. We soon
came to understand each other very well, and he has accepted at least the
sincerity, if not the honesty and profundity. But the throwing out of names is
itself only a side issue. Man can attain many stages of consciousness, and we
may be able to listen to those with other points of view. So far it has been
mainly the anthropologists who have been willing to take seriously the psychic
condition of other peoples.
Here I may call your attention that in the 1880 many writers on scientific
articles proved that metallic transmutation was a farce. Within 20 years it was
proven otherwise. I think anthropologists are taking the same attitude toward
cultures as the physicists have taken toward the elements. If this can be done
we can even agree with the conclusion of the Chambered Nautilus.
I may have occasion to visit the Davis campus in the near future, but my
program is also very crowded at the moment. I believe we can work for honesty,
sobriety, and impersonality, without losing one whit of our intellectual
prowess.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
March 6, 1970
Prof. Lewis R. Lancaster
Dept. of Oriental Languages
University of California
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Bodhisattva:
That you for your letter of the second. I believe that nature itself (or
herself) testifies to a good deal that we find somewhat in India and far more
in Buddhist philosophy and practice. At this writing, I stand between the
denudation of my resources, and the counter-karma of a much higher financial
status. This is not an investment; it is life itself.
On the surface, money is being used for travel first of all to Geneva to
attend a conference of the world’s faiths. I shall be in a most unusual
position, being regarded on the one hand as a Sufi spiritual, teacher, and on
the other hand a Roshi of eclectic Mahayana-Zen, representing the Grandmaster
of Korea His Serene Highness Ven. Seo Kyung Bo. There is a whole history of
one’s life behind this, stemming from the introduction of Zen monk Nyogen
Senzaki to Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan (I think you will find the details among
Senzaki-san’s writings). Inwardly these all become one. My own experiences
with Sokei-An Sasaki, Sogen Asahina, Yasutani Roshi, etc., were not only
internally similar, but “Mystically” and socially did not differ very much
from my meeting with Sufi Pirs and Saints—for that matter not too much from
Hindu Gurus (the real thing) and highly developed Christian monks.
I mention this because the possible reflexes could place in my hands
considerable assets. Part of this may be determined by a family legal matter
now in process. But it also happens that there are many events now horizoning,
details too long to relate.
Perhaps the hardest pain I have had to endure has been the absolute refusal
of this culture to accept the eye-witness reports of the late Phra Sumangalo.
For reasons too long to relate, my brother and I agreed that the chair in which
he sat might become our heir. Not only the number of newspapermen and so-called
diplomats have refused the content of these meetings, but even the vast
majority of so-called Buddhists here in America. While the obligation to this
“chair” seems moral, to me it also belongs to cosmic karma.
The first steps were taken in purchasing copies of “The Encyclopedia of
Buddhism” for the University, both Berkeley and Los Angeles. The proper
follow-up has failed to go through. Letters to Ceylon have not been answered,
letters to the Embassy and Theravadin center in Washington have brought most
cordial replies, but they too are in a quandary.
A private matter no doubt. I began studies with the late Paul Carus; with
the late Dr. M. T. Kirby who become the Thera of Dr. Malalasekera; and with a
local lady who was a friend of the Rhys-Davids. I found no reason to turn my
back on these early teachings and impressions. Au contraire I find it quite
easy to superimpose a Zen on this foundation. Nevertheless, I do not wish to
confuse any form of intellectual prowess or background with real knowledge of
the Dharma. I am keeping your letter on file, and will follow it up at a later
time after the immediate projects are covered.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
March 8, 1970
Prof. Richard Kozicki
Dept. of South Asian Studies
University of California Berkeley, Calif.
My dear Prof. Kozicki:
This letter has to do with India, and with one of my best contacts in that
country. It is possible that there is some news of interest to your colleagues
and yourself.
Some day no doubt, when we have history based on eye-witness accounts, we
shall not only have better pictures of what is going on in the world, but maybe
even be able to establish actual peace and understanding unhampered by the smog
and pollution of meaningless words. There is a whole history behind my contact
with Dr. Merchant. My early studies were basically mathematical philosophy and
the Upanishads. Each of these alone put one out on a limb and there has never
been any reconciliation with the outlooks of any type of dialectician or
existentialist. This of itself might mean little, but in practice it has
resulted in doors being closed, even barred, in all sorts of directions; while
the opposite happened in every Asian country visited.
The late A. P. Wadia was to begin with an actual Vedantist, and he claimed
that one could hardly understand India at all without some background in
Advaitin philosophy. Added to that, my own peregrinations into economics found
me in a woeful minority or what has sometimes been called “the new
economics,” partly stemming from Weblen and partly from men who have been
regarded as cranks, and therefore bypassed. To put it briefly, I believe that
money should be based on production, and not production on money.
I found the conflux of these two outlooks first in a Prof. Joshi (there are
so many Joshis I do not recall) and then found him collaborating with A. P.
Wadia. I was entirely “at home” with this outlook. Joshi died and Wadia
took on as collaborator with his oven disciple Dr. Merchant, the writer of this
letter. I found a remarkable agreement and understanding in their, to me,
integral outlook. As nearly all so-called problems are faced with analysis and
demand forever better analysis, they often remain unsolved.
I do not wish to impose at this time the integral outlooks but must call to
your attention the main article in the last is issue of “California
Monthly,” “The Convergence of Science and Religion,” by Dr. Charles H.
Towne, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics who is located on your campus at the
present time. I find it so easy to accept this article in toto, both the facts
and logistics. And this outlook is very similar to that of Profs. Wadia anid
Merchant and my own self.
The Mr. Beorse mentioned is one of my oldest friends and colleagues, and has
also researched on both the Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses of the University
of California. He is a sort of universal man, and has had more what I call
mad-ventures than anybody I know, his main work of late has been in the field
of salt water conversion, but he has met more top-level persons in all fields
than anybody I have ever heard of. In some sense, he is my “guru” in
economics.
It is a tragedy that although we have CIA, we have no real central
intelligence, and a person so saying may even get into trouble. On the first
day of the recent melodrama on Laos, I had as a guest in my home a man who has
lived in Laos, but whose verbal reports have never been accepted, and he has
stopped trying. He is, among a hundred other things, the Guru of the Maharani
of Sikkim.
His stories were corroborated in toto by one Miss Julie Medlock who lived
also in Cambodia and Laos. They both told me the same things although
apparently they never met. Julie, a newspaper woman, became disgusted at the
rejection of innumerable eye-witness accounts of actual history going on in
many lands, that she has refused to return to the United States. She is playing
a leading role at Auroville near the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry,
India. On the surface we will do anything in Asia excepting study the
religions, folklore and superstitions of the common people, attune to them, and
occasionally accept some suggestions. It is only fortunate that our rival
dialecticians, the Communists, are even worse in this regard.
I owe my escape from the Communists due to my own knowledge of Asian culture
and history, quick wit, and the hard but unrecognized fact that the internal
intelligence in both India and Pakistan has been in the hands of my Sufi
brethren. Sooner or later the world will have to accept my facts, though
everyone has a right to reject any associated philosophy.
My basic program for peace and understanding has been presented to The
Temple of Understanding in Washington. Many of the principle ideas were derived
from the efforts of the Moghul Emperor Akbar whose grand schemes were aborted.
I have kept some notes on my visit to Fatehpur Sikri, and can tell the rest.
Unfortunately, I found in this land, although it is not so evident today, the
marked division between Lord Snow’s “The Two Cultures” and attempts to
report my own in situ experiences and researches. I was welcomed by every
single scientist on every single campus, and some of them had very similar
experiences. I was not given any interviews for years on the Berkeley campus by
any person connected with the departments of history, political and social
science. I do not know what was gained by refusing to grant interviews, and
rather regrettably this is making me a hero today among the young, especially
those young people who seem to regard India as the land of innumerable
Shangri-las, a statement neither true nor untrue.
I do not wish to go into that subject further here, but do intend to
purchase as many of the writings of both Profs. Wadia and Merchant, and also
place these in your library.
I am also going to be able to present a program rather akin to the outlooks
of Emperor Akbar, and perhaps his great-grandson Dara Shikoh, and not be barred
from the floor as has been my past experience in this country with a single
exception. The late Prime Minister Clemenceau said, “War and peace are two
things too serious to entrust to diplomats and generals.” We seem to have
taken the opposite tact and succeeded in nothing but having more war and no
peace. I myself am taking almost a Dara Shikoh position, synthesizing Sufi
outlooks with those of the still living former President of India Dr.
Radhakrishnan and Vice-President Giri, plus the cosmic philosophy of the
Avatamsaka School of Mahayana.
I do not know whether a convention of the world’s religions can promote
peace. I have been involved in this field for many years doing hard research,
both external and internal. The social results have not been pleasant; it is
not that reviews are rejected, it has been that they were not even permitted to
be presented. Now with the publication of Townes’ article I feel extremely
fortified. Besides this, I have been on excellent terms with Richard Erickson
of “California Monthly,” and will follow this up by writing to them.
My two aims in life have been promoting understanding between the peoples of
America and the peoples of Asia; and promoting the “grid” organization
interacting the work being done on the various campuses of the multiversity of
California. This means, no doubt, that the present classroom relations may be
not a small factor in and towards future cooperation.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
March 8, 1970
Dr. Charles H. Townes
Dept. of Astrophysics
University of California
Berkeley, Calif.
Dear Dr. Townes:
I wish to commend you wholeheartedly for your “The Convergence of Science
and Religion.” To me, nearly all of the problems of the day are due to an
insistence on analysis and evermore more diverse analysis and seldom in the
opposite directions of integration and cosmic synthesis. Terms like
“ecology,” “pollution,” “smog,” etc., etc., have been taken out of
context and emotionalized before the public by a host of sociologists, literary
people, and violently egocentric commentators. Not only are problems not being
solved, but real problems and pseudo-problems are being created because those
who are in charge of the channels of communication, or who have access to such
channels insist on speaking and writing of subjects on which they are very
poorly back-grounded.
To me, real science and real religion are both based on human experiences.
In the sciences as a rule, we often accept what others have done, and we often
have the means to test and re-test what they have done or tried to do. In the
traditional religious fields, this has not been done until recently. We simply
a priori reject. Fortunately, today there is something more than tolerance;
there is a growth in human respect, and the willingness to recognize that there
are many points of view and often more than one way to explain experience and
phenomena, be they in fields of limitation or beyond limitation.
At this writing I am preparing to go to a conference at Geneva where
representative of all the religions of the world will meet to discuss the
possibilities that religion might do something to promote world peace and
understanding. Indeed, the convocation will be hold under the auspices of The
Temple of Understanding, an American institution with headquarters in the city
of Washington, D.C., which is planning construction so followers of many faiths
can worship within the confines of a single building. This would bear out what
it says in the Bible, “My house shall be a house of prayer for all
peoples.”
In the past there have been several convocations of the world’s religions.
The very first one was hold in Chicago in 1893, and within the past decades
there was one in Calcutta, India, where each religion was represented by its
own spokesman and not by carefully or not so carefully selected orators—not
necessarily men of knowledge or wisdom but persons with emotional appeals. The
events on the surface of the earth prove the futility of such a policy, but
basically we are only beginning to see the shortcomings of such methods, and to
me it is asinine to wage a war in Vietnam against both the Communists and the
local Buddhists at the same time, which is what we are doing, most
unfortunately.
Whosoever did the art work for your article has to me the same cosmic vision
which is so necessary if we want to promote real peace and understanding in
this world and not be hung up by brilliant words, or not so brilliant
personalities.
I have long felt that the Daltonian atomic theory came out of influences
derived from Aristotle and invented in Christianity. It seems, up to a point,
all the basic elements accepted this theory but Thorium. Then with the
discovery of radioactivity it would seem that nature had some built-in
Buddhists, and that the stone that was rejected had become the cornerstone. One
can almost say that the present bases of our fundamental sciences were
Buddhistic rather than Christian, and certainly bear out the teachings of Lord
Buddha (Buddhism is not any more necessarily the teachings of Buddha than
Christianity is necessarily the teachings of Jesus Christ).
Working on an analogy, one felt also that the calls might be a function
rather than a thing, and that many cellular theories were also derived from the
same Aristotelian-Christian outlook. Anyhow last week I was given some books
stemming from disciples of the apparently neglected Ernst Heckle, with a theory
in them that the call also was a function rather than a thing.
This is not to argue either way. This is to support your thesis. I have sent
a copy of your article to my esteemed colleague Dr. Oliver Reiser of the
University of Pittsburgh whose Project: Prometheus and Project:
Krishna have so influenced me I find that there is room in his cosmology
for all human efforts—that the right and wrong both belong; that things are
not real because we like them; that different races and cultures have different
“right” interpretations.
Modern dialectics, and even more modern existentialists, have removed the
minds of mankind from the actualities in nature and confined them to
self-assumed promises which to me is not only a wrong way to start, but even a
worse way to continue with the real and pseudo-problems now being editorialized
rather than logically discoursed, before a confused world. My own first teacher
in philosophies was the late Cassius Keyser of Columbia, a mathematician.
Perhaps his early training conditioned my mind against the modern systems which
I have berated above, but it was right on the campus of the University at
Berkeley that I absorbed his outlook and continued to study with or under him
for many years.
As I am preparing to leave the country now I hope that accomplishment on my
part may lead to the value of our meeting after our return.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis
March 13, 1970
Dept. of Near Eastern Languages
Dwinelle Hall
University of California
Berkeley, Calif.
My dear friends:
You will find enclosed a rather strong letter to the American Friends of the
Middle East. I do not know if it is self-explanatory or not, but I am a
profound follower of American pragmatic philosophy and psychology, and have
long ceased to be tolerant of any form of dialectics and subjectivisms, which I
do not believe help solve any problems.
At this writing my family affairs are being reviewed, and there are strong
possibilities of increased income, even without personal effort on my part. But
there are also signs of increased income because of personal efforts on my
part.
The present differences of opinion on who is to bear the onus of financial
out-lay for University education makes one feel that if one can one should
assist the University to the utmost, and I feel at this writing you are doing
things, which is far more important to me than pious sentiments. Therefore I am
considering very carefully what has been discussed before of offering some form
of endowment to your department, the details of which will be determined by
events of the forthcoming months. No doubt, you also have been subject to
crosscurrents of public opinion at the present time, but to me you have all the
elements for promoting peace and understanding, and are actually doing this by
promoting objective methods which will bring peoples of the world into better
relations one with another, and for this I hope in the not-too-distant future
to be able to cooperate on far more than a verbal level.
I shall try and contact you in person after my visit to Geneva, Great
Britain, and certain Eastern states.
Sincerely and faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
March 13, 1970
The Editor-in-Chief
The Bridge
c/o Indian Students Association
300 Eshleman Hall
U.C. Berkeley, Ca. 91720
My dear friends;
This is to express appreciation for The Bridge. One is now preparing to go
to Geneva, Switzerland to attend a conference of all the religions of the
world, both the important and unimportant ones, in order to promote the
possibilities of world peace through religion. I am in a very fortunate
position so far as the geographical world is concerned: I am going as a Sufi
Murshid. I have also been a chela in Bhakti Yoga, etc. My relations with the
head Vedantists are most loving. I have received a private introduction to the
Indian delegation. And someday, someday I hope to find some kind of objective
acceptance from those persons and causes that present themselves to the world
as representing a world and integral outlooks. The great game now is to label
oneself as integral, but I have yet to meet a single person representing any
integral movement who will admit to the historicity of Emperor Akbar, and the
existence of Fatehpur Sikri. I do not believe that dishonesty ever succeeded in
promoting peace or justice. They can win arguments, they can attract (or repel)
multitudes.
My work here with the young Americans has been most successful. On Saturday,
March 21, we hope to present a program of Dervish Dances, staffing at 11 A.M.
on a meadow near Lake Nicasio in the center of Marin County. Everybody is
welcome. Later in the day we hope to present Yogic and Mantric Dances, and do
this all in the spirit of love and devotion. I must also call to your attention
the unfortunate career of Prince Dara Shikoh, whose existence has also been
bypassed by the various groups purporting to have world and integral outlooks.
The abolition of history can hardly promote the cause of peace and good will to
mankind.
On March 28 I leave for Geneva, and hope later to report what is
accomplished there, even if nothing more is accomplished than to get
representatives from certain faiths to recognize the plausible validity of
other faiths. I am carrying with me a brochure of Vice-President Giri and also
some writings of my very good friend your former magnificent President Dr. S.
Radhakrishnan. I hope to promote actual peace and good will beyond the
verbalisms, the oratory, and the dualistic emotional appeals which have
characterized much of the past. I hope to do this with all good will, believes
that a day of universality may be at hand.
Love and Blessings,
Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti
March 24, 1970
Prof. Denzel Carr
Professor Emeritus of Oriental Languages
University of California
Berkeley, Calif.
I have two themes which integrate all the efforts of this life:
1. Peace and understanding through religion
2. How California Can Help Asia
I have done considerable research in each, but am most happy after coming
upon Professor Kozicki who is also receiving a copy of this. Recently I have
been attending one of his short courses under the auspices of the University
Extension.
I am about to leave to attend a conference of the world’s faiths which
will be in session in Geneva, Switzerland at the end of the month. I am going
primarily as a representative of Sufism (Tasawwuf). I do not know whether this
part of view will to presented by others at the convention. Last year Prof.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr of Tehran University was to have been the principal speaker
for this outlook. Not sure of attendance he sent in a paper which was read
(after the convention I am going to London to meet with his colleagues who
publish “Studies in Comparative Religions” which to me is one of the most
objective and honest publications in field). In fact I place only a similar
publication from the University of Chicago at the same level.
As a devotee of Tasawwuf, I do not place our outlook as necessarily superior
for Love is the most outstanding element of our point of view. I have only been
learning recently the influences of both Islamic and natural mysticism,
including a good deal of folklore of the Malayan peoples, so I am looking
forward with considerable interest toward a later reading of this book when I
return.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis x18
Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti
March 27, 1970
Prof. Lewis Lancaster
Dept. of Oriental Languages
University of California Berkeley, Calif.
O Bosatsu-san:
There are a couple of items in the purely private life which should be of
interest to you. My lifelong friend Mrs. Vocha Fiske White is mere on a visit.
This is chiefly to dispose of her art collection presented to her by a wealthy
Japanese who is also a devout Zen Buddhist. I introduced her to my very old
friend Mr. Shibata of the Daibutsu on Fillmore Street. At night we attended one
of the present series of lectures on Japanese art given jointly under the
auspices of the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design and the San Francisco De
Jung Museum.
At dinner Mrs. Fiske mentioned about one Dr. Gooding who was also a disciple
of the late Nyogen Senzaki. She heard that this rather wealthy man intends to
establish a chair of Zen at the University of Chicago which it seems was his
alma mater. Mr. Gooding lives in the hills of North Hollywood, just north of
Ventura Boulevard. I visited his place once but it was a party, a social
gathering, and nothing serious was discussed. We feel that Senzaki would have
liked a real Zen center to be established in the state of California where he
lived for so many years, so I pass this on to you.
The speaker of the evening also discussed Tea Ceremony, and I told him that
the equipment which Senzaki-san used was in my possession. There is also some
question about the disposition of this. Certainly if a Zen center continuing
and commemorating the works of Shaku Soyen and Nyogen Senzaki would be
established here in California the ceremonial equipment would “naturally”
go to it.
I am now packing to leave for the conference of all the religious faiths to
be held in a few days at Geneva.
Sayonara,
Samuel L. Lewis
He Kwang
Hotel Intercontinental
Geneva
April 5, 1970
Department of Near East Languages,
Dwinelle Hall
University, of California,
Berkeley, California 94720
Dear Friends:
One finds oneself in unusual circumstances in a place far from home. The
conference of the members of The Temple of Understanding concentrating
especially on world peace has come to an end. The writer was perhaps the only
unknown who found himself quite at home with the representatives of nearly all
the world’s faiths and cultures. A few of them, like her Serene Highness
Princess Poon of Thailand and Swami Ranganathananda Maharaj of India (who has
spoken in Dwinelle Hall), were old friends. Then one met for the first time
Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr of Teheran and the well-known Dr. Jurji of Princeton
with whom one has corresponded.
One is interested in getting their respective works, both for one’s own
library and for the Berkeley campus if they are not in the library. We are
leaving for London shortly and will visit the marts and some publishing houses.
Very cordial relations were established with these two famous men and also with
the German Dr. Benz.
One came with the idea of working for peace in Palestine—none of this
superficial drivel passed out by our self -grandiose commentators or
superficial diplomats. One began in earnest the very first day, fortunately
meeting the representative of his Holiness Pope Paul. One need not go into past
frustrations, except to say one received profound apologies from the Rabbis and
from leading American clerics who have refused to acknowledge letters from an
unknown. They piously and even hypocritically argue that Arabs and Israelis
should sit down together, and stop with their own pious pleas.
One has already laid the framework for a meeting between Israelis who are
friendly to the Arabs and Arabs who are citizens of Israel living nearby San
Francisco residence and others. The integrational approach to the solution of
the problems of the Near East was quite acceptable to everybody. In previous
years they have been discussed with Dr. Paul Cairn of the engineering
department. They are generally not understood or spurned by people who have
analytical outlooks—and this cannot be helped.
Not only was there and overall success of the conference—details can be
supplied if necessary, but his person became known as the man who wrote the
longest letters but made the shortest speeches and always to the point. The
aftermath was that we were immediately approached by persons living in Geneva,
working for peace and understanding, from other standpoints.
Before leaving California our “Dances of Universal Peace” were beginning
to receive attention. We had been hoping to present them at UCLA—the question
is merely one of timing, but we have run into a grand plan for a worldwide
festival in Galilee and when we have the details, hope to furnish them to your
good selves or confreres in other departments as you may suggest.
I am not forgetting the possibilities of some financial cooperation, no
matter how small. At this writing, due to illnesses of the nearest relatives,
decisions by those who are in control of the family trust funds are in
abeyance, but everything looks promising. And, coupled with ever increasing
accumulations financial and otherwise from other sources, I hope to be ready to
support at least one student in your department to begin with. Your Department
does cover a vest area and many cultures, and I should say the conference also
covered a vaster area and these same cultures.
We shall be leaving shortly for London, where we hope to visit our friend
Prof. Bernard Lewis at the University of London, or else ascertain his
whereabouts. We are also going to visit the World Congress of Faiths (to which
I have belonged) and the Royal Asiatic Society (to which I do belong). But
there will be other missions and commissions and in London itself outside of
neutral interests. E.g. contacting the London parallel to our educated
hippies.
We will then go to Boston and at least visit colleagues at Harvard.
It seems that a whole life’s preparation, mostly outside the universities,
has made it possible to function properly today. I was the only one in the vast
assemblage of the conference of The Temple of Understanding who knew something
about all of the major and most of the minor faiths. The meeting with the Druze
leader was most cordial, and he became friendly with both Dr. Syed Hussein and
the writer, we in a sense represented Sufism (this rather caused resentment to
and from orthodox Muslims, who expressed the only discordant notes, with the
result that the clever Rabbis played their cards beautifully, really
beautifully). One is writing this letter so it may be on record before any
visit to the campus again, for which the date is uncertain.
Private and public affairs already present a crowded schedule through June,
exclusive of invitations from several universities in diverse parts of the
United States.
Cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis
St. Ermins Hotel
London
April 9, 1970
Department of Nearest Languages
Dwinelle Hall University of California
Berkeley 94720
Dear Friends:
I recently wrote you telling of some of the events in Geneva in Switzerland.
When we arrived here, there was a cable advising that my brother had left this
world. This will leave me in very comfortable circumstances.
As you know my life is now dedicated to world peace in general and peace in
Palestine in particular. I probably have sufficient contacts to promote a
program, and at least sufficient money to support my efforts without seeking
outside financial assistance. But there could be no peace program unless it is
implemented by human endeavor. I have no direct heirs and believe that the
nearest next of kin are properly provided for, but I am under no obligation to
them.
Already the wife of one of my disciples is registered in your department
studying Persian and another language. I had casually advised I might be able
to help her financially provided she pursued such course of study as would help
directly or indirectly toward the achievement of better understanding in the
Neareast in general. I am now in a position to do a little something—I do not
know how much.
I think we might agree this could call for a conference when I return. I am
not concerned with the political aspects over the struggle for tuition; I am
concerned with the tuition itself, and I also hope to have a few dollars at
least for the department of South Asian studies, but Palestine should be the
main center of consideration.
We have so far missed Dr. Martin Lings at the museum, but purchased a book
each at two of the Great Russell Street houses. One is “The Assassins” by
Prof. Bernard Lewis. We spent about an hour with him yesterday at the
University of London, and he sends his regards to you.
This afternoon we shall attend a tea gathering at the Royal Asiatic Society.
I believe the subject till be Berber music and dancing, but it will give us an
opportunity to meet some worthies. We also had a social call at the London
mosque. There is a very complex situation here concerning the Pakistanis. We
may not be home until the end of the month but are sending a copy of this to
Dick Erickson at the Alumni House. I still have in view all the achievements of
Paul Keim which could be so useful in promoting real peace in the Near East.
Cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis
April 27, 1970
Prof. Richard Kozicki
Dept. of South Asian Studies
University of California Berkeley, Ca.
Dear Prof. Kozicki:
I have just returned from a rather eventful journey abroad. This morning I
made a report to the aging Dr. Radhakrishnan, and enclose copy herewith. The
gathering was rather eventful because Israelis and Muslims sat together without
emotional stirrings or hatred. There was even an Israeli Rabbi present who
behaved so well he was selected, and I think rightly selected, to be the Jewish
representative on the new board of directors. I do not know what you think of
the idea of religions working together for the cause of peace. The idea itself
is old, but at Geneva we had something more than idea—we had operational
communications.
There were a great many Muslims and Buddhists present, representing quite a
few points of view. Fourteen faiths took part in a joint prayer ceremony at the
great cathedral, fountainhead of Calvinism!
When I reached London there was a cable announcing my brother’s death.
This was expected, so it was not a tragedy. But now I find myself in a rather
comfortable financial position and hope to do something for the
“multiversity.” My first choice is to set up a Palestine Peace Fund
Scholarship to be administered by the Dept. of Near East Studies. This may be
interpreted liberally. But I have to see my attorney and the administrators of
the various family estates first. I doubt whether there will be any difficulty.
But it is a peculiar position to find one’s income suddenly several times
what had been one’s norm. I had received a legacy in 1956. At that time I
went to Asia and suddenly and surprisingly found myself a guest at the very
highest social and spiritual levels. Although I have my memoirs, it was almost
impossible to find anybody who would accept them. Instead of them being
reviewed I was called publicly and privately a liar by a number of prominent
“experts” on the Orient. I still have those notes.
A similar recurrence in 1960-62.
I have my notes on the Geneva Conference but you may be interested to know
we were warmly welcomed at the Royal Asiatic Society—of which I am a
member—and by some rather prominent Orientals and Orientalists. We also
visited Harvard Dept. of Studies in Comparative Religion and Studies for the
Far East where one of the Reischauer still holds forth.
My work covered two other missions: a horticultural one concerned with food
problems and presentation to the young of my spiritual dances, which are
gradually attracting their considerable attention.
At the moment I have no program due to legal and other entanglements, but
hope to visit the campus in the not distant future.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
May 4, 1970
Mr. John Bather
University of Southern California
IPAC
Los Angeles, Ca.
Dear Sir:
I have just returned front a trip to Europe and found copy of a letter to me
written by our good friend I. Ahmad Adani. He is my spiritual brother.
Unfortunately, the letter was wrongly addressed. He may be in the city now,
and if he looks in the telephone book he can find me.
In any ease, will you kindly give no his forwarding address. I could write
to him there. If he stays in this country, we expect to be visiting the East
Coast again in the Autumn. I am very sorry we have missed each other, and I
shall also write to our Khalifs and principals in Lahore.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
May 5, 1970
Dr. Paul Keim
617 West 7th St.
Los Angeles, Calif.
My Dear Paul:
I have been given your address by Dick Erickson at the Alumni House. For
many years I have had a dream, or something so great it can hardly be called
just a dream. Those who have seen snatches of it may have felt I was both
confused and confusing, and they would have been right. Born with very high
aptitudes and a high IQ, I was not given an education accordingly by fairly
well-to-do parents, a matter into which there is no need to go. Briefly, the
death of my father, and more recently the death of my brother, amply compensate
for any shortcomings earlier in life, and perhaps demonstrate Emerson’s law
of compensation.
I have recently returned from a convocation of all the religions of the
world, the very highest. We had 14 joint prayers in the Geneva Cathedral, the
fountainhead of Calvinism! I think I was about the only one there who was
acquainted with all 14 of those religions, and I certainly knew more of the
leaders than they did of each other. The convocation was held under the
auspices of The Temple of Understanding, whose headquarters is in Washington,
D.C.
Although I was not among the leaders, it is certain that may important
contacts were made, and I have been invited to stay with Rev. Ditzen, director
of the Presbyterian Cathedral in Washington, when I next visit that city.
Anyhow, during the last days of the convention when I told people I was the
incarnation of Lessing’s “Nathan the Wise” it was taken very
seriously.
When I reached London there was a cable announcing my brother’s death.
There is no need to go into it excepting to say after living a life of near
poverty I find myself with an ample income, two homes and no direct heirs, all
near relatives being amply provided.
I have therefore taken it upon myself to work for peace in Palestine and the
Near East. Snubbed locally, I now have contacts with all the religious leaders
I need, including the personal representative of His Holiness Pope Paul.
I therefore have it in mind to establish a scholarship, preferably on the
Berkeley campus, with a working title of “Peace in Palestine” or “Greater
Near East Prosperity Sphere” or something like that. I told Dick that this
would include not only efforts at religious understanding, but also the proper
handling of soil, water, and food problems. Therefore the recipient should take
into consideration the work of Prof. Howe, the dry lands research centers at
Davis and Riverside and your own work.
I had already prepared for a secretary to go over this material, but the
person so designated has now a good job elsewhere. I do have some materials of
yours which you wanted returned. I hope you do not mind my Xeroxing them, but
they would be kept private unless you wished it otherwise.
In addition to the above, I am having almost an independent career of
teaching spiritual dances to the young. Very successful so far. Indeed I have
been approached by another group which in independently working for peace in
Palestine utilizing the original Olympic type of contests plus the drama and
dance. All of this makes one feel very optimistic. I am not looking any more
for external help, but rather to encourage the young.
I understand you have a son in Washington, DC. I may be going there later
on. Today I have really wonderful contacts, but I am not going to divulge them
uselessly. Without any diplomats or newsmen, but with a good sprinkling of
scientists, it was remarkable how the real religious leaders coordinated and
harmonized.
I have been an omitting eye-witness of the disturbances at UCB and San
Francisco State, and even more unwittingly just missed those at UCSB and
Harvard by a few hours. My principle complaint is that the press and news media
in general are not interested in the accomplishments of the day; and that
disturbing elements know they will be given headlines and go after those
headlines. So disruption has become a virtue. Even yesterday, I was not
successful with all the interviews desired because a number of professors are
going to participate in some sort of peace demonstration shortly. Working
assiduously I hope for peace in the Near East, I cannot be too much involved in
Southeast Asia complications, although I have lived in that part of the
world.
I wish to thank you for your past cooperation and must apologize for certain
obvious shortcomings. I now feel totally free, but also totally devoted, and
wish to see more of the real accomplishments of our Universities, especially
the UG complex, made better known.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita,
San Francisco 94110
June 12, 1970
Mr. Wm. M. Brinner, Chairman
Department of Near Eastern Languages
Berkeley, California 94720
My dear Dr. Brinner:
This is a belated acknowledgment of your letter of May 27th. Time wise I was
rather hemmed in by both expected and unexpected family problems and
complications and when these were clarified I had to hurry away to come to this
state where I am in charge of a small summer school. Here I am teaching Asian
philosophies. I have excellent backgrounds, and I guess I am one of the few
members of the Royal Asiatic Society in the bay region.
I suppose the main themes of my life have been:
A. Peace on spiritual grounds.
B. Desert reclamation.
C. Real cultural exchange between East and West.
Whether by grace of God or otherwise, I find myself receiving an ample
income with all near relatives in excellent financial shape. I have always
wished to write on “How California Can Help Asia,” and find myself almost
in a do-it-yourself position—that is, it will not be necessary to go around
begging fat money.
I am hoping to have $1000 accumulated to cover the next semester and
certainly half that amount, probably more, will be available by September. But
I think it would be wise to encourage students themselves to work in the
general direction of the above goals and without going into any consideration
of language requirements we begin with them and so with your department.
The contribution of $50 a year, based on my registration etc. at UC now
seems very small. I deplore the lack of knowledge by the public of the great
achievements of the University or Multiversity and hope to use this as a means
to get something constructive started. I feel very much like Rabbi Ben Ezra,
but my work is rather in the direction of Lessings’ Nathan The Wise.
I shall to contact Miss Taylor when I return.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Written from Box 444,
Lama, New Mexico
June 14, 1970
Richard Erickson,
Alumni H use,
University of California,
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Dear Dick:
For some time I have been trying to arrange a scholarship, ostensible for
peace in the Near East, to be given to the Department of the Near East
Languages. On the surface the amount would be a thousand dollars ($500 for two
session or the total amount for one). But at this writing circumstances in my
private life are very favorable in all respects.
I had received a letter from Dr. Brinner that I should arrange a meeting a t
least with his secretary, Miss Taylor which will be done when I return (early
in July).
But in the next mail I received a very nice letter from Paul Keim.
Originally the idea, even for Peace as to be based in part on the hypothetical
theme of “How California Can Help Asia” and would cover in part the
researches done on the various campuses for water conversion, desert
reclamation and Paul’s own work in Egypt.
I have a lot of these materials which would then be at the disposal of the
student involved. The idea is that the student should be enrolled in at least
one language of the aforesaid department, but that details would not be settled
by me. If my private affaire continue as now I could easily give $500 (five
hundred dollars) per semester, or even larger.
It is not so much to contribute as to do something really
effective.
Here in New Mexico they are building adobe houses. I have a brochure from
the Berkeley campus concerning a much improved method for adobe building. The
scholar was an Iranian and has since been in the employ of his majesty, the
Shah. As I have averred, so many greater and wonderful things come out of the
campuses—not yew—yet!
Cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis
P.S. I have been doing a few things also for the Department of South and
Southeast Asia Studies, trivial but easy and may increase that too.
June 23, 1970
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, Ca. 94110
Dear Mr. Lewis:
Dick Erickson has passed along to me your letter of June 14 regarding
establishing a scholarship to assist a student in the Department of Near East
Languages.
We are very hopeful that you will consider making this gift through the
California Alumni Foundation. If you give $1,000 as you indicate, this would
qualify you for a year’s membership in the Robert Gordon Sproul Associates.
The Sproul Associates represent a very prestigious group here on campus. These
persons are hosted at a luncheon or two during the fall and a black-tie dinner
in the Chancellor’s home in the spring. We are enclosing our latest booklet
on the Sproul Associates for your information.
We would be pleased to work with you in establishing the selection criteria
and the selection committee which would administer your scholarship. Naturally,
it could be set up in the Department of Near East Languages and a selection
committee comprised of members of that department. You can specify the general
or specific criteria which you feel are important in the selection of a student
for this award, i.e., class standing, major emphasis, etc. By making your gift
through the California Alumni Foundation, you gain full credit as an alumnus
and have the additional benefit of qualifying for Sproul Associate membership.
The full amount of your gift will be transmitted to the Department of Near East
Languages for that scholarship. No service charge will be made by the
Foundation. Giving through the Alumni Foundation offers all the normal tax
benefits, also. We hope that you will consider supporting this scholarship here
at the University through the California Alumni Foundation.
We do hope that when you in early July that you will come by the office and
talk with us about establishing this scholarship and we can provide additional
detail at that time.
Thanks for your continuing interest in the University.
Sincerely,
Richard O. Buxton
Vis-à-vis Kashmir, the either-or “solutions” proposed by Hindus,
Pakistanis, UN officials, American referees, etc. largely substitute one set of
quandaries for another and do not take into consideration the outlooks of the
Kashmiris themselves. Certainly they are Muslims, but they are not
Urdu-speaking and as the officials in Pakistan have identified Urduism with
Islam, this may result in a rebuff if a full plebiscite could and would be
made.
Despite the naming of Urdu as an official language, it was, until recently,
the language of only a small minority. One Multani has proclaimed that both
Sindhi and Punjabi are derived from his idiom, and it may even be true, but it
will be rejected as being “un-Islamic” by the Urduists who are in control.
Whatever be the merits involved, it is certain that the Islamic revival of
South India, and the encouraging remarks made in your work are, this means a
great step forward in Urdu culture and perhaps there is no alternative.
The other day I met in this city a former official of the State Department
who had been stationed in Cairo. He and his colleagues were then so busy
studying (?) “The Ugly American” the they had little time mingling with the
nationals. They did attend sessions at the American University but not at Cairo
U. or Al-Azhar, etc. He now sees that is a very wrong way of establishing
cultural relations with a foreign country. The activities of the Arab Cultural
Center were then entirely unknown to him.
In general “Modern Islam” supports views I have been holding as to the
immediate future of certain Islamic lands and gives me excellent material
concerning others.
Our friend, Dr. Ala-ud-din Siddiqui of Punjabi U. has recovered from illness
and is in Indonesia on a cultural mission.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Dr. Brinner and colleagues:
For the record I would like some day to send in my interview with the late
Dr. Duncan McDonald of Hartford, in 1931.
July 24, 1970
Mr. Richard O. Buxton
Executive Director
Alumni House
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Dear Mr. Buxton:
This is a courtesy letter. I have before me your letter of June 23 regarding
a peace scholarship for the University of California.
Since my return from New Mexico I have not had a single day off. I am hoping
to visit the campus in the near future, but the date is uncertain.
I have also been involved in several financial complications, but the
outcome in each case is very favorable. There is absolutely nothing standing in
the way of a contribution of $500 for the next semester but the constant change
of my affairs. The outlook for me for August is better than July and the
outlook for September at the moment looms even more favorable.
One of the items of the more favorable outlook for the future is that a very
wealthy man has become interested in my own concern for dry land research and
desert reclamation, which I consider most important in connection with peace
efforts in the Near East. All my knowledge in this particular field comes
either from having visited the lands concerned or from contacts on the various
University of California campuses.
I must have a check ready, even if a small one, before the end of August and
probably more for September, before the Fall Semester starts.
I can assure you that all work involving personalities has resulted in very
favorable responses from very important persons. I also feel that if this
effort becomes monde public, many very well known alumni will join in. I think
this is enough for the moment until we can talk/ together.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
July 26, 1970
Dr. Lewis Lancaster
Dwinelle Hall
Berkeley, Calif.
O Bosat-su-san:
I have before me the review of a book called Zen Diary. The review is
by Donovan Bess, one of the demi-gods or untouchables found but, “only in
America.” I am sending a copy of this letter because it may well mark the
parting of the ways, a real step toward American culture, such as it is, from
“realism” into reality.
This year has been marked by glorious dramas in my private life. Early in
April I was in Switzerland at a conference of the top religious leaders of all
faiths. I mean actually, not symbolically. I can give their names, addresses,
and credential. I was a source of wonder to not a few of them as to why this
person has never been permitted to attend East-West and inter-religious
conferences held in America, and especially in California. Now by the same
principles used in Judo and Karate it would appear that these very rejections
from “only in America” experts are going to be turned into advantages not
only on the local but the world scene.
After leaving Geneva we went to England and among others we met another
Suzuki-Roshi; this man is of the Rinzai School, a lieutenant of our wonderful
friend Soen Nakagawa. When we were closeted together the Roshi suddenly became
voluble. My friend, Rev. Jack Austin, who introduced us, said, “How come he
talked so much, he has always been silent?” I said, “This person has very
good ears.” Actually speech was unnecessary because we command naturally and
directly just as had been the case with Yasutani Roshi and many others of note
and not-note.
I am still under the influence of the late Nyogen Senzaki that one’s place
is to pursue and fulfill the Dharma and not write about it. I shall always
recall my outburst in the Department of Engineering Hall when Huston Smith said
he would recommend only one book and that is The Three Pillars of Zen of
Phillip Kapleau. This is to me real Zen experience, and not a lot of crap and
nonsense written of course by the “right parties.”
Of course I shall purchase Zen Diary by Paul Wienpahl. But I must
tell you what is going on. My meeting with Marcus Pallis was in a sense a
meeting to end all meetings. In a sense he stands at the very peak, expressing
psychologically what his book title Peaks and Lamas demotes
geographically. To me he is peak, to me he is lama, to me he is Bodhisattva.
Or, as the late Ruth Sasaki said, “Ten satoris do not constitute
enlightenment.”
As the Western world refuses to study the Oriental philosophies of the
Orientals awe can only get the karma of the same type as is expressed in Judo,
Karate, etc. Or in another sense in Hakuin’s “Is that so.” The
counter-karma is now operating. I am even prepared to “angel” the Dept. of
Near East Languages. Why, the department had a professor who offered me once a
PhD degree on a theme for which I was kicked out from three other institutions
of high regard, for even suggesting. I have never forgotten that. My immediate
theme is peace in the Near East, but if peace is brought about in the Near
East, I shall go on. For I was sent on a peace feeler mission from Pakistan to
India and terribly berated by our foreign office. So India and Pakistan
accepted Kosigin’s invitation to Tashkent. I can almost expect more of this,
but it is a New Age.
Perhaps the greatest, even externally, was a meeting between one of my
disciples who had been working on the underground press and a quite wealthy
publisher who was looking for living mystics. He wants everything we have. It
will be quite a difference in having articles by living mystics, instead of
opinions by “brand names.”
Donovan Bess, the reviewer, refers to Thomas Merton. That late saint was on
his way to see me when he died. He had been to the conference of the world’s
regions under the auspices of The Temple of Understanding when it met at
Calcutta. (The conference alluded to above in Switzerland was under the same
auspices.) I have recently received letters from two close associates of Merton
asking me what I was doing about peace in Palestine. Well, I am doing. But I
have learned enough not to go through the same experiences, after 33 rejections
of my paper on The Buddhism of Vietnam. We are democrats in voicing problems,
we are narrow aristocrats in facing them. Only “brand names” individuals
are permitted to voice opinions which can be received as quasi-solutions. I am
through with that. This nation can spend billions of dollars to fight was it
calls Communism in some parts of the world while we have cultural exchange with
Russia, but not with Asian nations.
I am going to write a letter, and it is no pun it is actuality, called
“Peaks and Lama”. For I have been at Lama Foundation in New Mexico. It is
situated on the range of high peaks sacred to the Taos Indians. We are on
excellent terms with the Taos Indians but not always with the Latinos. I
believe we are seeing a resurrection of spirituality in what were once and to a
certain extent are, holy lands.
I did something which has probably not occurred since the active existence
of Taxila: I presented every kind of meditation from the first Jhana of Lord
Buddha to the most advanced Maha-Mudra Contemplation. We did some Buddhist
practice every morning and every night, but we are not “Buddhists.” We are
all on good speaking terms with each-other. We meditated and mantramed
together. No one tried to be the ego-less leader.
I shall certainly keep you informed of the outcome of present day events. I
have a whole lot of people advertising my efforts including the far better
known Paul Reps, Richard Alpert (Baba Ram Dass), and others. My Roshi, Dr. Seo
Kyung-Bo is in this area. He is alos prospering, and will establish a school in
the state of Virginia. His Buddhism is all-inclusive. It is not the single
Upaya of any of the groups that any Lord Buddha had 84,000 Upayas and then
calls all the others in practice, heretics. There are no heresies in Korean
Buddhism (I think Vietnamese Buddhism is going the same way).
I cannot propose that this letter is logical but it is based on events, on
recent events, and on a living program which I shall be glad to share with
you.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
PS. All my efforts at the present time are being recorder for television and
I am glad to say my colleagues are including Phillip Kapleau in their
program.
August 1, 1970
Dr. Lewis Lancaster
Professor of Buddhist Studies
Dwinelle Hall
Berkeley, Calif.
Bodhisattva:
I am enclosing a copy of a letter to a wealthy friend who lives in Santa
Barbara. He has always been an apostle of what I call and also what he calls
freedom, but this “freedom” is generally quite different from the use or
misuse of this word by various groups which are quite successful in gaining
momentary public attention and then disappearing from the scene. Indeed it
might be a good adjunct to your library if I could got a copy of his
autobiography.
In this letter I refer to the very rude rejection by the employees of Avery
Brundage. They are no different from others. If you have not prestige, your
money is welcomed and you are not, etc. But I have yet to meet an important
Buddhist who has not been a victim of the very philosophy he verbally
promulgated. The greatest and most dramatic of all was the late Nicolas Roerich
of New York.
But now again I find myself in possession of some very valuable pieces of
Oriental Art. I am not in the least interested in selling them. My very good
friend Shibata-san of the Daibutsu in San Francisco felt it was only right they
should be given to the proper persons. I have given one picture to Kennett
Roshi of the new Zen center in Oakland.
“Logically” the only other recipients would be either yourself or the
Departments dealing with Asian Arts at UCLA. If you wish these object d’art I
could see they are delivered to you or the Berkeley campus.
My interest in Oriental Art was greatly stimulated early in life by one
Perham Mahl who was an instructor on the Berkeley campus and also later became
a real Zen Buddhist in Japan. I can never forget his influence upon me.
But at the present time I have a peculiar enigma. A whole series of dramas
has increased my income and the present outlook is that it will be augmented.
It may even be augmented from many directions. The young believe in the
potentialities or actualities of the Oriental philosophies of Orientals. I have
been blocked in life by a whole series of Englishman and Europeans, some of
whom still occupy positions of prominence in Universities in this country. But
what they cannot block is my growing income.
I went to Geneva early in the year where my secretary and I met all the real
leaders of all the real religions. Perhaps the only unknown at the beginning, I
think I was accepted by every single faith, and every sect of every faith that
was represented. My plans for promoting a real peaceful settlement in the Near
East were accepted (I dropped all efforts on Vietnam after the 33 rejections of
my paper on Vietnamese Buddhism). I was entirely successful with every single
group and person I met there and returned here vowing I would start a
scholarship for peace, and beginning that for peace in the Near East. I have
still to take this up with the Alumni Association, etc. But there is a slight
delay, due to the strange situation of increases in may backing and potential
increases in my income!
Although I have been in a sense a supporter of the free speech movement, I
am horrified on the one hand by the state secretary of public instruction, and
on the other hand by the Jerry Rubins. Both alike totally ignore the successful
research programs in many fields of human endeavor, and the grand
accomplishments of so many professors on the different campuses. Even more I am
totally out of tune with the press, radio, and television stations, who seem to
place excitements above accomplishments and human endeavors. I visited so many
campuses, and hope to again.
The last issue of California Monthly has an article by Richard Erickson with
which I am totally in accord. But I cannot promise to be an “angel” to
everybody. The logic of present circumstances points to the Department of Near
East Languages, and the social circumstances of my life points both to the need
of working out peace programs for the Near East and also to a number of very
successful accomplishments. Such accomplishments are of course spurned by the
press and all literary magazines. But now I have a publisher also and he will
also be interested in what you are trying to do.
In the meanwhile I shall hold the art objects subject to your response.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
August 3, 1970
Himegamisawa
Pitzar College
Claremont, California
Beloved One of Allah:
I have been given your name and address by my good friend and spiritual
brother Shamseddin Ahmed of Lahore. I myself have been a disciple in Sufism for
about 50 years. It is a long story and need not be told here. I have also lived
in Egypt, Pakistan, and India. At the present time I am teaching spiritual
philosophy, mostly through song and dance, and have become more and more
successful. For we practice Akhlak Allah, which is to say, as the
Prophet Mohammed taught, “act as if in the Presence of Allah, and remember if
you do not see Him, He sees you.”
The idea of “Dances of Universal Peace” is a spiritual inheritance from
the late Miss Ruth St. Denis of Hollywood. We dance, sing, and chant, and the
young come to us. Now the story is out, and delegations are coming to as from
all over the country.
In March my secretary Mansur and I went to Geneva to attend a conference of
leaders of all faiths working under the auspices The Temple of Understanding,
of Washington, D.C. Among the few unknowns, we were entirely successful in our
efforts. Perhaps the only hard note came when enquiries were made why I did not
come to certain conferences at Claremont, directed by one Dr. Snider, I
believe, who is concerned with the histories of religion. But my personality
was vetoed, and it has always been vetoed by certain European professors of
Oriental Philosophy, especially Englishmen and Germans. A tremendous amount of
nonsense has been successfully circulated in this country.
This very abnormal circumstance has made me quite popular today.
We are teaching a form of Islamics which may be quite modern. We use the
Kalama and Zikr along with movements, and along with what might be called the
psychic and moral sciences. These operate. These touch hearts.
At the present time our main endeavor is to get Jewish people, both Israelis
and non-Israelis; Palestinians who are citizens of Israel; Palestinians who are
refugees; and especially the offspring of Jewish-Christians, and Jewish-Islamic
families together, for the sake of peace. We have no important group favoring
us, but we believe in Allah.
This has been written at the request of friends in Pakistan. According to my
present schedule my next visit to southern California should be late in
August.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco, Calif.
August 12, 1970
Vasant B. Joshi
Lecturer, South Asia Languages
University of California,
Berkeley, Calif.
Dear Sir:
I have read with intense interest your contribution to the San Francisco
Chronicle which was published in the issue of this day. I am very glad that a
step has been taken toward “Reality” vs. “realism.” All polities and
policies in this country, until recently, were based on “realism.”
I went once to a meeting under the chairmanship of Dr. H. Chaudhuri of the
Cultural Integration Center on Fulton St. where all the speaker told what
universities they had graduated from and what their credentials were. I said I
had received my credentials from Nizam-ed-din Auliya and Ajmir and Kanhangad.
Dr. Chaudhuri and the audience laughed at me but the cultural attached from the
local Consulate became my friend and used to tell people that I knew more about
India than any other American. But you never heard me speak before local or
aniations. I have been black-listed, so to speak by every group of social
philosophers that judge you by your relation to the way men sat at the
Convention after the French Revolution and I don’t fit. Indeed I
pretend—and it may be true, to be the “tanasuk” of Prince Dara Shikoh.
When I want to the tomb of Humayun with Pir-o-Murshid Hasan Sani Nizami of
Nizam-ud-din Auliya and be showed me the grave of Dara Shikoh, I
circumambulated it seven times and said, “Let us go.” When I was a guest of
honor at the Dargah last time along with the then living Pundit Nehru (whom I
did not know) and President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (whom I know very well) in
another pavilion, I could not get any American group to accept a report
thereon.
Why, I have visited even Aligahr. And when I came to India I saw immediately
not only the above Pir-o-Murshid (our culture bars material on Sufism) and
Swami Maharaj Ranganathananda immediately during a time interviews were hard to
get. This year I ran into Swamiji at Geneva at a conference of the leaders of
all the real religions and he gave me a wonderful recommendation. Yet I also
gave copy of my “The Rejected Avatar,” a poem on Sri Krishna, to the Senior
Birla, and he personally thanked me for it.
Many years later when Dr. Milton Singer of Chicago asked a complicated
question on Indian mysticism at the Sheraton Palace Hotel (some of your
colleagues were here) I was the only one who could answer it. I was never
welcomed again, but that day is over.
I am writing to you now because while Dr. Chaudhuri and the San Francisco
“Peace” and “international study” group and the various European
professors of “oriental philosophy” have blocked information from this
person, God-Allah-Brahm seems to save a different opinion. I am expecting to
establish a scholarship for the Department of Near East Languages. While my
Income is still modest, it is increasing, my followers are increasing, and
financial support is growing. I wish to establish a “Peace Scholarship”
through Dr. Brinner’s department and there are many signs it will succeed.
The other reason for immediate writing is that a team of my disciples (I
have no disciples, there are no Sufis but all “cultural,”
“interactive,” “world,” and “federated” groups accept $$$$$$$$$$$).
Yesterday I had to phone the Indian Travel Bureau and called on certain
consulates for the team which will visit the “non-existing” Sufis
particularly in Iran and India and then wishes also to visit other spiritual
centers.
In San Francisco I am teaching Dervish and Mantric dances and getting
growing attention, attendance and support from the young. The principles used
were the inheritance from the late famous dancer, Ruth St. Denis. But I am
deeply versed in emperor Akbar and among my “besetting sins” were the study
of Ain-i-Akbari, etc. etc. But I think a new day is coming when we can
get out “realism” into Reality.
Efforts to give public lectures on the later President Zukair Hussein were
blocked by various “experts” on “Oriental philosophy” although this
esteemed man seem to have had the same connections as I had. But this day is
over. The young want realties and their elders want “opinions” from the
right people.
I could write endlessly but am saving material for a possible autobiography.
Have all the connections. The refusals on the part of this culture to accept
the existence of Sufism means nothing any more. But this has not kept me from
Studying the “Gita.” When Mahatma Gandhi died my essay on the “Gita”
with the symbolic interpretations was accepted when those of better known
people were not and this too became a besetting sin. In India I was expected to
lecture on the “Gita,” here verboten until recently.
I am one of the few members of the Royal Asiatic Society in this region and
was given wonderful welcome when I visited them last Spring.
But now we have new types of outlooks. The English and European
“experts” are being replaced by Americans and Asians. The young are often
as enthusiastic for “Hare Krishna” as their elders are for alcohol. And I
myself perform “Ras Lila,” in fact am going out almost immediately to give
more instructions in it!
When I was living in India I found high-school football brawls reported as
religious riots. I was the only outsider at the great dinner when Papa Tara
Singh and Prime Minister Nehru reached an agreement. I saw Muslims (especially
the “non-existing” Sufism Sikhs and Hindus embrace. This is never, never
news. It was not reported. I have seen many other such occasions. I became
a friend of Rehana Ryabji (she has other local friends) who is a marvelous
blending of the Islamic and Dharma spiritualities. I could go on.
I may run into you when I visit Miss Taylor or members of the staff. I am
working for peace through humanity and reality not through dialectics and
compromises. My main objective now is to promote The Temple of Understanding at
Washington (not reported in our press, “right,” “center,” or
“left.” I have visited Taj many times and put on shows at Fatehpur Sikri,
etc., etc., etc.
This proves I have enjoyed your article.
Faithfully,
Samuel. L. Lewis
Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti
P.S. Preparations are going very fast to take films are tape recordings of
aspects of spiritual and esthetic cultures in your land. We have so far not
been able to interest groups which are presumably functioning in this field.
All the more strange because the one thing we are not asking for is funds. We
have been most successful. Many people want peace and understanding, and not
the careful selectivity of the “experts” of the former age.
Aug. 19, 1970
Prof. Kenneth V. Thimann
University of California
Santa Cruz, Calif.
Dear Dr. Thimann:
I want to express here my appreciation of your “Science: Attack and
Defense.” A radical change in my private affairs has made it possible for me
to become an “angel.” I have been telling Dick Erickson of the Alumni for
years that I knew of no great problem that either hasn’t been solved, or
wasn’t being faced by some professors or research terms on one or another of
the campuses of the multiversity. I have felt that everybody might be
benefiting from the University, excepting perhaps the Regents, the
revolutionaries, and most of all, those in control of the channels of
communication. It takes on an average two years for a good scientific paper to
be published and ten minutes for a small dramatic occurrence to become “world
news.” Unwittingly, I have seen the great campuses revolts at UC Berkeley and
S.F.S.C. in San Francisco and just missed Santa Barbara and Harvard. I believe
the public has been misinformed and the universities underrated through the
attitudes alike of the Regents, the so-called radicals, and the press.
I told Dick Erickson that I have seen problem after problem solved on the
different campuses exclusive of Irvine and Santa Cruz. A few years back I had
the choice of visiting Asia or becoming an inter campus reporter. I chose the
former, It was a comparably simple matter for me to become a guest of honor at
the Imperial Gardens in Japan. It took years for this, and a host of similar
facts, to be accepted.
I myself am a radical believer in Lord Snow’s philosophy and most of my
experiences bear this out. I am a retired professional spray-operator, but when
“Silent Spring” was published the masters of the literary-humanist groups,
as Lord Snow calls them, would not even let me speak. The next three years I
became friends with entomologists of and from many lands. I and my friends are
now successfully operating organic gardens with no pest problems, but you
can’t convince the people of the literary-humanist groups.
Not a single letter written by myself on pollution problems to nonscientists
has been answered. Not a single letter to scientists has remained
unacknowledged; they all answer. Then I found some of my Chemistry teachers are
friends of the now retired Dale Woelfle who is now living in Seattle,
Washington.
All my recent conversations with scientists show the great fear that even
our culture and country may be destroyed by the literary humanists and
sociologists who have been stealing words and mis-interpreting them.
I must thank you for your contribution to Science.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Lewis, US xl8
September 1, 1970
Dept. of Near East Languages
Dwinelle Hall
University of California
Berkeley, Calif.
My dear friends:
In re Scholarship Project: Peace in Palestine
The failure to write you sooner has been due to some what might be called
“unusual” events, because the whole trend of recent times is to make
excitement news, while achievements must bide their time.
Due to favorable circumstances in my private life it is easier for me now to
contribute $1000 a year, let us say, than previously $50 a year. I had proposed
a Peace Scholarship, having in mind peace in the Holy Land, or Palestine, with
the idea that the student involved would take into consideration some of the
achievements of graduates and research departments of the University of
California, Berkeley campus in particular, but other campuses, when the student
involved felt it within his power to include such projects.
The question came up as to whether I can guarantee $1000. Yes, I can, but do
not wish to put up the $1000 in a lump sum before paying the contributions.
However, it can be arranged legally in case of death, to see that such money is
available. I realize fully this is a very small amount. I also feel that others
night like to contribute to such an endeavor were it made known publicly. I
therefore have written to Daniel Koshland, Sr., who was very close to my father
but found he has long been confined to his bedroom.
In the meanwhile we have already started a number of joint Israeli-Arab
dinners, and their very success has led to their acceptance by one of the major
broadcasting companies. Other radio stations and broadcasting companies have
already been approached also which could make the whole idea a most notable
undertaking.
Another reason for not being able to write sooner is that the project has
already received the good will of two Jerusalem Rabbis and the top prelate of
the famous Calvinistic Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, and many others. It is
amazing how many human beings wish to work for peace and understanding, and to
substitute other means of settling problems than on the battlefield.
I personally have been working for years for peace through religion, and
also on a project verbalized as “How California Can Help Asia.”
It is an easy matter for me to contribute a $1000 at the rate of $100 a
month, and at the present moment all circumstances point to possible increases
in this offer. In fact I am going soon to the East Coast where doors are
opening wide.
For me the very institution of a Department of Near East Language Studies is
itself a fundamental toward promoting what I have long felt and think the world
needs. The constitution of your registered students provides a broad human
basis for that type of social and spiritual existence which I feel must be
established in the Holy Land.
But I do not know, of course, how scholarships are established. Whatever I
might contribute now, or later, or that others night contribute toward the same
end, should I feel be administered entirely by the Department. At the moment my
private life is so occupied in the manifestation of the outer results of long
endeavors in the past that I am busy every day, every moment. We have one
undertaking that will interest the Department of Near East Studies in other
directions—the filming of Holy places: Palestine, Iran, and India at least.
We have also become very successful in the classes “Dances of Universal
Peace” mostly on Sufi Dervish, and Indian themes. And in the last weeks our
endeavors in promoting friendships between Jews, Christians, Muslims, Arabs,
and Israelis, has been successful, far beyond our original imaginations.
I would however like to be able to contribute something before the month of
September is over to get things started. If necessary you might telephone
285-5208 to my chief secretary Mr. Meyer in case I am not here.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Sept. 4, 1970
Prof. Richard Tillinghast
11520 Bodega Road
Sebastopol, Calif.
Beloved One of God:
I have here your most interesting letter of August 30th. Naturally I am
amazed and delighted at your proposed program. As you know, I am trying to
become an “angel” for the university with a peace scholarship, by which I
mean peace and not some metaphorical verbalization palmed off as a reality.
Lim Lee represents far more than he chooses to reveal. We have in common a
real spiritual teacher in Chinese wisdom who has not chosen to reveal his
internal status to the public. When Mansur and I want to Geneva we studied and
practiced Tao and it certainly worked with the Chinese delegate. I do not
believe any non-Chinese has given us much in this field. Some of Chinese wisdom
is nonverbal. It seems incredulous when the Tao-Te-Ching definitely expresses
that verbalization does not and cannot explain itself, a number of untrained
Westerners have given us explanations, and these explanations have been
excepted by other Westerners. Consequently Chinese tend to be very careful, and
I agree with them. I think I am one of the few Americans who has been permitted
to go beyond the immediate curtain of the deep esotericism which underlies
Chinese wisdom.
I often say I am quite incapable of expressing myself on American education;
I was enrolled as a University Student in 1915, in 1949, and in 1969. This gave
me a direct opportunity through first hand observances to see the differences
in educational methods, and also to see the differences in the intellects of
students of both periods. But it did not enable me to get beyond certain
barriers established by certain groups either of dissidents or of conformists.
It has been accordingly easy with scientists, it has been impossible with
nearly all nonscientists. I don’t understand it, but it seems to corroborate
Lord Snow’s teachings.
Having read Blake, Yeats, and Allen Ginsberg, I am very much interested in
your program. It is very easy for me to read Ginsberg, and look at his work
from one of several standpoints, but the reciprocal is untrue: you can’t get
Ginsberg to read my poetry and he certainly never invited me to participate in
any colloquium. And I shall be very glad to send you my actual poetry based on
actual mystical experiences which a Blake would have longed for but which
metaphysicians, often called mystics, cannot fathom, sometimes cannot even
tolerate. But I am not worried because at this writing it looks very much as if
some or all of the real mystical poems will soon be published. In any event
there is “The Rejected Avatar” which has already been published and will be
very glad to give you as many copies of it as you wish.
A good deal of “The Rejected Avatar” is of the same genre as the mantric
dances which emanate from this person. I met Allan Ginsberg years ago. At the
Psychedelic Conference I spoke constantly on “Joy without Drugs,” and was
derided for saying that there was not an experience presented for which there
was not a word in Sanskrit. But a number of those who led in
deriding—advocates of free speech of course—soon went to India and came
back as experts. And as I am not an expert it became very difficult to have any
communication with them at all. However Richard Alpert fully realized the
unfairness of his position and has been cooperating fully in getting my dances
before the public.
I do not believe the late Paramahansa Yogananda was a mystic at all. Who
gave him that name? Has he shown one bit of evidence of divine union? The other
day in discussing the potential equality of male and female, I mentioned among
other things the “Renascence” of Edna St. Vincent Millay. That is a real
mystical experience by a real mystic, and I believe all mystics would assent.
Edward Carpenter wrote at much greater length than Edna St. Vincent Millay and
I certainly hope it may become possible for you to refer to his “Toward
Democracy” some time.
There is new a movement on to bring together those who have had mystical
experience. It is noteworthy that a number of Indian leaders, some quite
self-proclaiming some not, agree in working in harmony with the local Sufis. I
think this is a great step forward and it is possible that there will be some
achievements. It can only be welcomed.
There is also the question of equality, either of literary forms or
philosophical depths. All the other persons have given us depths. Of course I
cannot compel you to accept my conclusions. This might be quite unfair. But
this is really a small item when you take all your efforts into
consideration.
Love and Blessings,
Samuel L. Lewis
September 10, 1970
University of California, Berkeley
Dear Mr. Lewis:
I am sorry not to answer your letters before this time, but I have just
arrived back from a trip to Japan, Korea, and SE Asia. While in Korea, I am
able to visit with Bishop Seo and spoke to his followers in Pusan on Buddha’s
Birthday. It is quite a thrill to see a monastery being built in the
traditional way.
Your trip to Europe sounds extremely interesting. With regard to the art
pieces that you are making available. I would be glad to help distribute these
to appropriate persons. The University has given a new and larger room for the
Tibetan collection and we are hoping to erect a small altar area in that room.
Perhaps some of your items could be used. Our Tibetan collection is going to be
named for F. Lessing who helped to make it one of the best in the country. My
hope is that we can continue to add to it.
My best wishes to you and your continued work.
Sincerely,
Lewis R. Lancaster
September 11, 1970
University of California, Berkeley
Dear Mr. Lewis:
Thank you very much for your letter of September first in which you discuss
your willingness to contribute $1,000 in the form of installments to the
University for use as a Peace Scholarship in the Department of Near Eastern
Languages. It was my understanding from our previous conversation that the only
firm requirement is that the recipient must be engaged in the study of either
the Arabic or Hebrew language.
We thank you for this generous offer. Your letter has now been forwarded to
the Office of Gifts and Endowments, and it will be they who make the next move
in arranging for such an Undergraduate Scholarship. We have every hope that
details will be worked out to the mutual satisfaction of all.
Sincerely yours,
Anne D. Kilmer
chairman
cc: Mr. David Leonetti
Office of Gifts and Endowments
September 14, 1970
Dr. A. Becker-Colonna
San Francisco State College
1600 Holloway
San Francisco, Calif. 94132
My dear Dr. Becker-Colonna:
The good things are happening in my life so fast one can hardly keep up. It
has been the privilege of the “privileged” to refuse to take one seriously,
excepting on the one occasion I was permitted to speak on the Near East, and
that at the University of San Francisco. The chair declared the meeting over
saying that all the problems were solved. The audience was almost entirely of
engineers and their wives and priests. No politicians, sociologists or
press.
Now we have tremendous news from Iran, of a grand welcome there. And the
Indian government has given permission to take films at holy places.
We have put on successful Israeli-Arab dinners in Jerusalem and San
Francisco, and one of the Rabbis of the country has sent such a warm welcome.
While I am off to New York next week to visit a top Jesuit.
We are making every effort to get some radio station to give us publicity.
But my own institution in New Mexico was on the air at last ten times last
Tuesday night.
If the visit East succeeds it will bolster tremendously your planned
Mediterranean trip for next year, inshallah.
Kindest regards,
Samuel L. Lewis
September 15, 1970
Dr. Lewis R. Lancaster
Dept. of Oriental languages
University of California Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Bodhisattva:
I am very much pleased to have your letter of the 10th. Affairs in my life
are changing so rapidly I am totally dizzy. Once Her Serene Highness Princess
Poon Diskul said to me “You have piles, mountains, of merit.” I said to
her, “You may have these mountains.” She responded, “Now your merit is so
great it is out of sight.”
For instance, this writing, I am trying to arrange a peace scholarship and
while this is going on my revenues are increasing, invitations are increasing,
everything is increasing, so that today and the next day another day and the
next day another day. After long years, young Americans are accepting what
Asians have long accepted, that this person may know something about Oriental
philosophies.
The late Nyogen Senzaki bestowed a number of things on me. Due to the fact I
now have three homes, and constant travel, I am quite willing to give away any
art objects still in these hands, but not the pictures of Nyogen Senzaki and
the late Roshi Furukama of Kamakura, because those will be important when my
autobiography, or biography is written. In fact, I have just received a letter
from the publisher who wants those things.
We have again gone to the trunk of the late Nyogen Senzaki and pulled out
pictures and art objects, generally of Avalokitesvara or Boddhidharma. We will
be very glad to turn them over to you for any purpose whatsoever, or to give
them to the University of California. The one alternative is to give them to
Kennett Roshi, now in Oakland. They would be given without strings. My new
chief secretary, Wali Ali Meyer, is going to sign up for a course to be given
in Dwinelle Hall on Thursday nights beginning the 24th, and would be glad to
bring them to your office, either some Thursday afternoon or evening. My old
secretaries, Otis Mansur Johnson and Daniel Denis Lomax, have now very
satisfactory positions stemming from projects connected with my work of the
past two years.
The present projects are world-wide. The future generations will look back
in dismay at a culture which a priori rejected eye-witnesses and participants,
let us say, also in the events of the beyond and beyond and beyond.
We have seen Bishop Seo and may visit his new retreat in Virginia when we go
East.
Cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis
September 17, 1970
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, California 94110
Dear Mr. Lewis:
If Mr. Meyer can bring the art objects by my office 4 p.m. (4106 Dwinelle)
on Thursday afternoon, the 24th, I would be glad to see them and make some
suggestions. Perhaps he can give me a call regarding the time. Kennett Roshi
would certainly be a worthy recipient and I trust that you will bring only
those objects which are remaining.
My very best wishes for continued success with your many projects.
Sincerely,
Lewis R. Lancaster
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, California 94110
September 22, 1970
The Regents of the
University of California
c/o Gifts & Endowments Office
2535 Channing Way
Berkeley, California 94720
Dear Sirs:
The enclosed gift of $100.00 is to be used by the Department of Near Eastern
Languages, at the University of California, Berkeley Campus, for student aid
purposes to be determined by the Department Chairman according to existing
University regulations.
Cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis
Enclosure -$100 check #1817
Bank of America
Charleston, Mass.
October 21, 1970
Department of Near East Languages,
Dwinelle Hall
University of California,
Berkeley 94720
Dear Fiends:
Due to a multitude of rather pleasant events I am a little behind in
forwarding a check for One Hundred Dollars for the Peace Scholarship.
We have had nothing but good reactions everywhere. Yesterday a fine visit
with Dr. Huston Smith of M.I.T. Dr. Cantwell Smith of Harvard is away on
sabbatical leave but we have had a cordial visit and may call again before
leaving.
On our return to Columbia we shall see former Ambassador Badeau, The news
from San Francisco has begin excellent both in promoting our “Three Ring”
effort following Boccaccio. Newspapers are becoming more open and it is
possible on returning to New York we shall have important interviews.
The people in this region in particular are against war and are most open to
efforts for peace. Have not visited other universities because my positive
programs have been both successful and time consuming.
We are going ahead in efforts to raise more funds and if so this will
redound to your benefit without any move an your part.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
October 27, 1970
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, California 94110
Dear Mr. Lewis:
We have just received with great pleasure your second installment of a check
for $100 to be used by us for student aid in our department. We thank you very
much. Our Financial Aid Committee will be meeting very soon and will discuss
these monies made available by you. We will inform you of our decision
concerning the ways in which your gift will be put to use.
Please accept our kind regards.
Sincerely yours,
Anne D. Kilmer
Chairman
November 16, 1970
Mr. Richard Erickson
California Monthly
University of California
Berkeley, Calif.
Dear Dick,
This is written with some elation and enthusiasm, almost ecstasy. The
article on page 6 of the November issue of California Monthly is an example not
of what has been done, but of what is finally being publicized of what is being
done.
I have recently been at a short visit to the East Coast. I told the
representatives of Christian Science Monitor that there is no problem I know
about which hasn’t been solved. I told them, and it is their own teachings,
that God has created mankind with the ability to perform good.
This article is one of a multitude of examples of accomplishments on the
Berkeley campus and on the associated University or multiversity of California
campuses.
Personally, I have established a small peace scholarship through the Dept.
of Near East studies. My own associates have gone forward with a companion
project to bring the great religions and cultures of the Near East together.
One was not surprised to receive nothing but good will from the campuses
visited, i.e., Harvard, M.I.T. and Columbia, but one was more than delighted
from the good will received by associates clustering around United Nations
headquarters in New York.
It is smatter of irony that all my articles on pollution to non-scientists
have been ignored, and all to scientists have been acknowledged. I am totally
enthusiastic about the whole issue and this is written at a time when despite
age I have five different careers, all making headway, and even more than
headway.
Cordially,
Samuel L. Lewis
November 23, 1970
Dr. Benjamin D. Zablocki
Assistant Professor of Sociology
University of California Berkeley, Calif.
Dear Professor Zablocki:
In re Sociology X400, Communes: Past, Present, and Future.
I notice that one can attend this course for the small sum of $20,
noncredit. For your information, I have been taking a leading part in the
affairs of Lama Foundation in New Mexico and have also lived at least one
spiritual commune in India.
I am hoping to enroll and also pay for some of my friends, especially those
who have been to Lama.
A number of years ago, along with the late Luther Whitman, I was coauthor of
a book called “Glory Roads or The Psychological State of California”. This
was not much of a financial success. But years after its disappearance it
became adopted as a sort of minor textbook in several colleges and
universities, justified by the events of the day being as we had predicted.
At the present time I am also living at a sort of commune in Novato,
California. This has been very successful and there is every sign of its being
expanded in the not distant future.
As I am fairly well-to-do, and also contributed to the University, I intend
to pay for any of my friends who may be enrolling along with me in March of the
coming year. I am enclosing a stamped return envelope, in case you want any
assistance or reports from me.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
December 4, 1970
Mr. Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, California 94110
Dear Mr. Lewis:
Now that we are nearing the end of the fall quarter, I am again reminded of
your interest in the Near East languages and the possibility of setting up some
kind of a scholarship in this area.
Would you please, at your earliest convenience, drop me a note or give me a
call with a suggestion of when we might get together to discuss this proposed
scholarship further? I’m very anxious to hear from you and talk about this,
as is Dr. George Leitmann of the Engineering Department.
Thank you for your continuing interest in the University.
Sincerely,
Richard O. Buxton
Dec. 5, 1970
Richard O. Buxton
Executive Director
Alumni House
Berkeley, Calif. 94720
Dear Mr. Buxton:
This letter will be followed by a telephone call Monday.
I have your communication of the nth and hope to visit the campus Tuesday
afternoon, December 8. The reason is that I am to speak in Wheeler Hall that
night. I spoke last Tuesday in Tilden Meditation Room in the Student Union to a
fair sized audience despite the storm and the response has been excellent.
I am now sending regularly the sum of $100 a month toward what I cell a
“peace scholarship.” This is going to and for the Dept. of Near East
Languages, but through regular channels I believe. I have written them and
others from time to time about the purpose.
It is to me only a sort of pilot adventure. My own disciples and friends
have organized what they call Hallelujah! The Three Rings, hoping to bring
about better understanding in the Near East. We have attracted considerable
interest and are honing also to obtain monies. We were especially encouraged
and advised by farmer Ambassador Badeau who is now with Columbia University in
New York.
We are enclosing here the draft of my general proposal. What is omitted is
that nearly all the ideas and knowledge comes from either graduates of U.C.
Berkeley or from work being actually done on other UC campuses. I mention this
partly because of the editorial in the recent issue of California Monthly and
partly because of complaints in the daily papers.
I think the papers themselves are more to blame for the apparent lack of
interest of wealthy alumni, than any other group. I happen to have been an
eyewitness of the first outbreaks to what has been called, rightly or wrongly,
“the free speech movement.” I was visiting the campus that daffy to attend
a lecture on “tropical ecology.” Those in charge wore amazed to find an
audience of about 300 people, and I left the building not remember whether it
was Life Sciences or Engineering-with a tremendously fine feeling toward what
is being done. But the actual endeavors of professors and 300 enrolled students
were totally obliterated by dramatic situations in which non-students as well
as students have been involved.
Although I am entirely satisfied with California Monthly as I have told Dick
Erickson, it is impossible to get out any publication which can keep up with
all the achievements of the University or multiversity. I personally believe
that if the public, and especially the alumni, were aware, there would be no
problem about raising additional funds.
I am neither generous or ungenerous in contributing $100 a month, but if our
present endeavors succeed, it might encourage others also to contribute to the
“peace scholarship,” or maybe we ourselves may be able to add to it. This
is what I would he glad to talk to you and Dr. Leitmann about. There is another
copy of my draft plan enclosed for Dr. Leitmann.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Dec. 22, 1970
Dept. of Near East Languages
Dwinelle Hall
Berkeley, Calif.
My dear friends:
I am glad to enclose the monthly allotment check, but must explain the
slight delay.
We have just put on a most successful Dervish Bazzar in the city of
Sausalito on Sunday the 20th. It received considerable attention in the press
and now at least the educational radio and TV station KQED is interested.
Actually this check came out of the gross returns of a surprisingly successful
enterprise. It was so successful we have been asked to put on another Bazaar
later on.
I have been asked to make another a arrangement through and with the alumni
association, and may do so. This will not diminish my contribution but I hope
it will lead to others becoming interested. Besides this, my own personal
program for peace in the Near East is based largely on a compilation and
integration of endeavors and researches on the part of a number of professors
and departments of the University and multiversity.
My present position is one of transmission and transition. Our work is
expanding with few hands. There is every sign that we maybe able to promote
real peace endeavors and could was to use those peace endeavors also to help
needy students at the University.
There was a side endeavor to help raise funds for East Pakistan. Our choral
group is blending Dervish chanting of Islamic sources with Christian hymns and
contemporary musical genres. They soon hope to have their work taped and disced
for public sale for the benefit of the sufferers of East Pakistan, which may
also interest those studying Bengali, etc.
Assuring you of my cooperation, which I hope will expand, inshallah, and
with seasons’
greetings,
Samuel L. Lewis
P.S. I forgot to mention that easy personal representative has been
successful in raising funds, which have enabled him to visit the Near East with
a program, copies of which have been sent to various departments on the
campus.
