In a letter dated 5 January 1883, he wrote—“I saw the other day that some Buddhists in Japan meant to start what they call a 'Bible Society' for printing and distributing portions of the Tripitaka. I prefer to speak of 'Sacred Books.' Strictly speaking, 'Sacred Books' are such only as have received some canonical sanction, and form a body of writings to which nothing could be added. They need not be considered of Divine origin or revealed, but they must have been formally recognized as authoritative by a religious body or their representatives”.