BUDDHA A ND TH

G O SPEL O F B U D D H IS

A N A ND A C O O M A R A SW A M Y D SC . .

AUT HO R O F T N

T
AR IN D I N
S A D CRAF N J P UT
S OF A A D C E YL O
"
RA

P IN T IN G N
A A IN N TI N I D I M J IN TUTH R
D E SSA Y S A O AL EA L S
"
O A O

OFM TH T

NY N UDD HI T
S OF H E II I Dus A D B S S
"

W I TH I L L US TR A TI O N S I N C O L O U R B Y
A B A N I ND R O N AT H T A G O R E C I E
. . .

{9

N AN DA L AL BO S E
A N D TH I R T Y T W O -
R E P R OD U C TI O N S I N
B L A CK A ND WH I TE F R OM P H O TOGR A P H S

NE W Y O R K
PU T NA M S SO NS

G . P .

1
9 I 6
P R E FA C E
H E ai m of this book i s t o se t forth as si mply as
p o ss ibl e t he G o spe l o f Buddhi s m a ccording t o t h e
Buddhi st s cri pture s a nd t o c o ns ider the Buddhi s t
,

sy s t e ms i n re lation o n t h e o ne hand to the Br ah m anic a l

, ,

s y s tem s i n whi ch th e y o riginate a nd o n t h e o th e r hand

, , ,

to th o se sy stem s of Ch ristian mystici s m whi ch a ffo rd t h e

neare s t a na l ogie s . At the sam e ti m e the e nd e av o ur h as
b e e n mad e t o illu stra te the p a rt whi ch Buddhist th o ught
has pl ayed i n t h e wh o le dev e l o pm e nt o f A s i a tic culture a nd ,

t o s ugge st a p a rt o f the S ig nic a nc e it may s till p o s se ss

fo r m o der n thi nkers .

The way of the Buddh a i s no t i nde e d co nce rne d d ire ctly

, ,

wi th the o rd e r o f t h e w o rld for i t c all s o n high e r m e n to

,

l e av e the m a rk e t pl a ce But the o rd e r o f t h e w o rld c an

-
.

o nly b e e stabl i s h e d o n a f o u ndati o n o f k no wledg e : e v e ry

evil i s ulti m at e ly tr ac e abl e t o igno ra nc e I t i s ne ce ssa ry

. ,

then to re c o g niz e t he w o rld fo r what it truly i s G a ut a ma

, .

te a ch e s us that t h e m ark s o f thi s l ife a re i mpe rfe c tio n ,

tra nsci e nce a nd t h e abse nce o f any ch ange le ss i ndividu

,

ali ty He set s befo re u S a su mm u m 50 7m m cl o se ly aki n

.

t o the Chri stian my s tic c o nc e pti o n o f

S e lf nau h t i ng

g
- .

Here a re d e nite st ateme nt s w hich mu st b e e ith e r true o r

fal se a nd a cl e arly d e ne d g o al whi c h we mu st e i th e r
,

ac c e pt o r re fu se. I f t h e s t atem e nt s b e f al se a nd i f the

,

g o al be w o rthl e ss i t is o f the highe s t i mp o rt anc e th a t the

,

f o rmer s h o uld be refute d a nd t h e l a tter di scredi ted But .

i f t h e d i ag no s i s b e c o rre c t a nd t h e a i m w o rthy i t i s at
,

l e a st o f e qual i mp o rt anc e th a t th i s sh o uld b e g e ne rally

rec o g niz e d fo r we canno t wi sh t o perpetu at e a s t h e b asi s
o f o u r s ociol o gy a view o f l ife that i s d e m o n s tra bly f al se

o r a purp o se dem o nstrably c o ntrary t o our c o ncepti o n o f

t h e good .
 Buddh a 863
9
t he G o sp e lf Buddhi sm o

Thi s b o o k i s de sig ne d there f o re no t a s a n a dd iti o n t o

, ,

ou r a lre a dy o ver burd e ne d librari e s o f i nfo rm ati o n but ,

as a d e nit e c o ntributi o n t o t h e phil o so phy o f lif e Our .

s tudy o f a lie n m o d e s o f th o ught a nd fe e li ng if it is ,

t o b e o f a ny re a l u se t o u s mu s t b e i nspi re d by o th e r
,

th an curi o u s m o tive s o r a d e s ire t o ju sti fy o u r o wn

sy st e m. F o r t h e c o mm o n civiliz a ti o n o f t h e w o rld we
ne e d a c o mm o n will a r e c o g nitio n o f c o mm o n pr o bl e m s
, ,

a nd t o c o O p e r a t e
- i n th e i r so luti o n At thi s m o me nt
.
,

wh e n the We st e rn w o rld i s begi nni ng t o re al iz e th a t i t

h as f a il e d t o a tt a i n t h e frui t o f li f e i n a s o ci e ty b a se d
o n c o mp e titi o n a nd se lf asse rti o n
- th e i r l i e s a pro fo und
,

S ig nic anc e i n t h e di s c o v e ry o f A s iati c th o ught wh e re ,

i t i s afrm e d with no u ncert a i n v o i c e that the fruit o f

l ife c an o nly b e att a i ne d i n a so ci e ty b ase d o n the c o n
c e p t i o n o f m o r a l o rd e r and mutu a l re sp o ns ibil ity Le t .

m e illu s tr a t e by a s i ngl e qu o t a ti o n the marv e ll o u s d i re ct

n e ss a nd s i nc e rity o f the so ci a l e thi c t o which the
p sych o l o gy o f Buddhi sm a ffo rd s its sa ncti o n : Victory
ree a s lea t rea f or Me emegzee rea 2 s u nh appy
'

.
,

St o ri e s are t o ld o f A s i a tic rul e rs p ayi ng t h e price o f

ki ngd o m s for a s i ngl e w o rd o f pr o t abl e c o u nse l O ne .

m ay w e ll i nqui re wh e th e r a ny c o nc e iv abl e price c o uld

h ave b e e n t o o high fo r Eur o pe t o h ave p a i d fo r a ge ne ral
recogniti o n o f thi s truth e re no w Th e re i s ag a i n a
,
.
, ,

p a ss age o f t h e Ruru de e r J at ak a which i s p e rh ap s u nique

-

i n all l it e ra ture i n i t s supre m e t e nd e rne ss a nd c o urt e sy :

F or t wo t h e B o dhi sattv a a sk s w ou ld w i lli ng b u se /

a w /e sp ee d; to M ose w /ea lea v e do n e a sz ne ! a eea

'

,

ske w i ng sa lt ,
as i t we re up o n Me zoomed of Mei r
,

I t i s with gift s s uch as thi s th a t Buddhi s m and , the

H i ndui sm fr o m whi ch it i ssu e s a nd i nt o whi ch i t h as
VI
 P re fac e
'

a gai n merge d sta nd over aga in st the w o rl d of [a z ssez

,

dem a nd ing o f th e i r f o ll o w e r s only t h e a b a nd o n

f a z re ,

m e nt o f al l re se ntm e nt coveti ng a nd dul ne ss a nd o fferi ng

, , ,

i n r e turn a happi ne ss a nd peace beyo nd o u r rea so nable

u nderstandi ng C an we d e ny th at mode s o f th o ught
.

wh ich nd e xpre ssi o n thu s mu st fo r e ver comma nd o u r

d e e pe st sympathy a nd m o s t pr o fo und co nsid e ration ?
I t i s not p o ssible that lib e ra ti o n fr o m re se ntm e nt ,

c o ve ting and dul ne ss S h ould ever be i ll ti med : and

, ,
-

i t i s ju st thi s liberati o n whi ch c o nstitute s t h e e thical

factor i n N ibb ana where the p sych o l o gi c a l part i s self
,

f o rgetful ne ss .

I t will be pl a i nly se en t o wh a t ext e nt I a m i ndebt e d t o the

w o rk o f other s cholars and stude nt s and I wi sh t o make ,

a frank a nd grat e ful acknowledgment to all th o se fro m

wh o se w o rk I have fr e ely qu o t e d p arti cul a rly Pr o fe ssor ,

and M rs Rhys D avid s and Pro fe ssor Old e nb e rg as well ,

a s t o other s to whom I am i ndebt e d fo r t h e u se of ph o to

gr aph s The latter repro duced i n m o noch ro me i llu strate

.
, ,

the h i story o f Buddhi s t art : but beside th i s the w o rk of ,

mod e rn I nd ia n paint e rs illu stra ti ng Buddhi st th o ught and

l e ge nd i s re pr o duc e d in c o lour .

A fe w suggesti o n s m ay b e u se ful a s a guide t o pro

nu nc i a t i o n Vowels ge nerally a re pro no u nced a s i n
.

I t ali an : a a s i n A m e rica a as i n f a t /z e r e as a i n r a ve
, , ,

2 as e e i n gree t 0 a s i n n ote a a s 00 in roo m

'

2 as i n i t
''

, , , ,

22 a s 00 i n 5 0 01 : a z h as t h e so u nd o f z i n 5 27e a u t h e s ound
' '

o f aw i n ro w Eve ry c o nso nant i s di stinctly pro n o u nc e d

.
,

and a s pi r a t e s are d i s ti nctly h e a rd C h as t h e s o u nd of .

in all u re/2 while 5 i n so m e c a se s h as t h e so u nd o f 5 a

, ,

e
g . i n S iv a I sva ra S a n k a ra
, e tc The
, acce nt fall s o,n .

t h e r s t syll able o r the th ird ra rely o r never o n the ,

sec o nd .

vi i
 Buddh a 37 9
9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Ce rtai n w o rd s such a s a mma N z ana B od/z zlva t ta e t c
'

, , ,
.
,
, ,

a re qu o t e d i n the se P ali f o rm s wh e re H i nay ana Buddhi s m

i s i n que sti o n a nd i n t h e m o re famil iar S a n skri t f o rm s

,

ka rma Nirvana B od/z z sa t t va where the re fe rence i s t o

, ,
'

Mah ay ana .

A N A N DA C OO M AR A SWA M Y

LO N N
DO ,
Fe b ru a ry 8 ,
1 91 6

vi i i
C O NTE NT S
P G
A E

PART I : THE L I FE OF TH E BU DD H A

PART I I : T H E GO SPE L OF EAR L Y

BU DD H I SM

I D H AM M A 9 0

II SAM SAR A AND K AM M A ( KARM A) 1 04 .

III BU DD H I S T H E AV E N S AND H O W TO REAC H

TH EM 1 10

IV N I BBA N A 1 15

V ET H I C S 1 2 6

VI CO N SCI E N C E 1 37

VI I S PI RI T U AL EXERC I SES 1 4 1

VIII CO N S O L A T I O N

IX T H E O RD ER
X T O L ERAN C E
XI WOM EN
XI I EA RLY BU DD H I S M AND NA T U RE
XI I I BU DD H I S T PE SS I M I S M

XI V A BU DD H I S T E M PE RO R

P ART I I I CONTE M P ORAR Y SY STE M S

I V EDAN TA 1 87

II SA M K H YA I 94
III YO G A I
96
 Buddh a 89 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

PART IV : TH E M A H AY ANA P G
A E

I E NN I N G S O F TH E M AHAYAN A
B GI 2 2 2

II SYS T EM O F TH E M AH AYAN A 2 2 6

C H A N O R Z EN BU DD H I SM

I II ,
2 5 2

PAR T V BU D D H I ST ART

I LI T ERAT U RE 2 S9
II SC ULPT U RE AND PAI N TIN G 32 3

BI BLI O G RAP HY 34 7

G LO SSARY 3 SI

I N D EX 3 59
LI S T O F P L A T E S
F ac m
P T
LA E

A TH E F R T Y N IN D Y ( C Y N )
O -
E A S E LO 36

B T FI R T S M N (S R N T H )
HE S ER O A A 38

C T FI R T S R M N ( N P )
HE S E O E AL
40

D T HEBU DD H T H IN G (J P N )
A EA C A A
4 2

E S T N D IN G I M G
A BUDD H ( M T H U R )
A E O F TH E A A A 46

F R IM G
OC K - C U T BUDD H ( L N G M
A C HI N
E O F TH E A O -
EN, A ) 52

G ST N D IN G I M G
A BU DD H W I T H A T N D N T
A E OF TH E A T E A S

( C HIN ) ESE 66

H T QUHE IN G MEL L
( AM R V T )
OF ALAG I R I A A A I 68

J T D TH
HE EA B U DD H ( P
O F TH E
) A OLO NNARU VA 80

K T HEBUDD H IN S M D HI ( AN U R D H P U R )
A A A A A A

L BUD D HI T M N ( C HIN
S
) O K ESE 1 52

M M N T RY
O AS E T M P C U R T ( C HIN )
A ND E LE- O ESE 1 54

BU D D HI T T M P
IN C Y N
S E LES E LO 1 56

O S N H ST P
A C G T W Y
I U A A ND A E A 1 84 .

P C PIT A
A C U M N (S RN TH)
AL O F SO KA OL A A 1 86

Q L W R HI PP R
AY - BUD D H S H R IN ( AM R V T )
O S E S AT A A E A A A I 2 2
4

R AV IT V R (N P )
A LO K ES A A E AL 2 30

S M ITR (C Y N )
A EY A E LO 2 36

T M R B TT A

BU DD HI T L I R R Y ( C Y N )
A S A L E A ND A S B A E LO 2 62

U T BU D D H T HIN G ( L )
HE A EAC AO S 2 74
 Buddh a 863 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
P T
LA E

W Y A K K HI A ND NG RA A AJ A
( B H R H U T)
A

(S N H )
Y A KK HI A C I

Y S T N D IN G I M G
A BUD D H ( A N U R D H P U R )
A E O F TH E A A A A

Z IM G A BUDD H
ES O F T H E B D HI TT V (C Y N
A A ND O F O SA AS E LO

C HIN )
A ND A 32 8

T FI R T S R M N (G N D H R )
HE S E O A A A 3 30

BB T BUDD H ( C M D I )
HE A A BO A 33 2

C C B D HI TT V P R H P AV
O SA A, I T V R ( AJ N T )
E A S ALO K ES A A A A 3 34

DD M N U R (J V )
A J S I A A 336

EE B D H I TT V ( C HIN )
O SA A A

FF T BU D D H ( C HIN )
HE A A 34 0

GG KW (J P N )
A NY I N A A
34 2

H H KW ( C HIN )
ANY I N A
344
LI S T O F P L A T E S I N C OLO U R

TH E T M PT TI N
E A O OF B UDDH A L5 ] Bore F ro n l t sp wc e
PAG E

TH E D P R TU R
E A E OF BUDDH A n
[Va da L5 1 Bore 2
4

S UJ T
A A A ND TH E BOW L OF M I RILK- CE N anda L5 ! B ore 3o

YA SO D HA RA A ND RA HU LA Nanaa LEI Bore 50

BU DD H N A N N D
A A D A A N anda LEI B ore 76

T HEF IN R AL EL EA SE A amrzaro
'

Nat

88

T HEV I T R Y BU D D H
C O OF A A bamrzdro
'

Nat 1 2 6

BU DD H A As ME N DI NT CA A t ani rzdro Nt re 1 50
Q U O TA T I O NS
I will g do wn to s lf
o ki la t i o n an d e terna l dea f/z
e -
a nn i ,

L est t /z e L a st / u dg men t co m e an d nd me u na nni /z i la te ,

A n d be sei z d an d gi v n int o t/ze lza nds of my ow n Selfkood

I
.

Bla k e, M lton
'

Bu t a las b w b d i t is f
, ,
o ar or t /z e Will to s in k int o n o t/ ing to at tra ct t ,

n o t/z ing t o imagin tki g

,
e no n .

L t i t b g rant d i l at it is s o
e e e i [ s i t n o t s ur ly wor t/z
e t/zy w/z i le, an d a ll

th a t ti m cans t r do
.

e eve

B e/z me n,

Dia log u s e .

No t I not
,
a ny one el e s can t ra l t/ t ro a d f ve za or you . You m u s t t ra ve l it
for y ours lf e .

Wa l t Wki tman .

You cann o t s t p tw ic into e e tke sa m e w a t rs

e , f or fres/z w at rs e a re eve r
o wing in upo n y ou .

H e ra klei tu s .

Vra i ement come nce n t am ours en ioy e et fyni ssen t en do lours .

By a man wi t/ t p ass io ns I m an mb do s n o t p rm i t g o d an d
z ou e on e o e e o

il to dis turb l i int rna l co n o my b u t rat/z r f a lls in wit/z wi t

ev i s e e e za ever

as a ma tt r f cours and do s n o t a dd to t/ s u m f l i
,

kpp
a ens, e o e, e ze o z s

C/z u a ng Ta u .

Profou n d is tl i doc t in r co n di t an d di lt f co mp r
O Va cc/z a , z s r e, e e, z cu o e

c ll nt an d n o t to b / d by m r r aso n ing s u b t il
,

l i g ood
z ens o n, ex e e e rea c z e e e e e,

an d int ll gib l o n ly to t/ wis an d i t is a Iza rd doctrin f y to l a rn

, , ,

e i e ze e e or ou e

b long to t/ s ct to t/ f i l/ to t/ p rs u asio n to
,

w/ zo e a no ze r e ,
a no z er a z, a no z er e ,

a not/ discip lin an d s it at th f t f t/ t /

zer e, e ee o a no z er ea c z e r .

M /j/ i m jVi ky S u tta a z a a a,

P A RT I T H E LI F E O F T H E B U DD H A
H i s B i rt k

H E name Buddha t h e Know e r t h e E nl ight e ned
, ,

,

the Wake i s the appell a tion by which t h e

,

wanderi ng preaching friar G autama became b e st

kn o wn to h i s d iscipl e s O f thi s m an we are a ble t o say
.

with so me c e rtainty that he was born i n t he year 5 6 3 B C . .

and d ied i n 4 8 3 B C He was t h e hei r o f a ruli ng

. .

house of the Sakyas wh o se l ittle ki ngdom a ri ch i rriga ted

, ,

plain betw e en the N e p a le se f o ot hill s and the river R apti -

,

lay t o the north e ast of t h e pr e se nt provi nce o f Oudh

-
.

To t h e s outh we st lay the l a rge r and more pow e rful

-

ki ngd o m o f t he K o salas t o wh o m the Sakyas o we d a ,

nomi na l a llegi a nce Th e Buddha s per so na l name w as

.

Si ddh at t h a h i s fam ily nam e G a ut a ma h i s fath e r s name

, ,

Su ddh o dana h i s m o th e r s M ay a I t i s o nly i n l at e r

.
,

l e ge nd th a t Su ddh o dana i s re pre se nt e d as a gre at ki ng ;

m o st l i kely he was in fact a wealthy k night a nd l and
ow ner Si ddh at t h a s m o ther di e d s eve n day s afte r hi s bi rth
.

,

and h e r s i ster M ah ajapat i a no ther wi fe o f Su ddh o dana, ,

ll e d the plac e of m o ther t o t h e y o u ng pri nce He was .

bro ught up in K ap i lav at t h u a bu sy pro vinci al capital ; h e ,

was tra in e d i n martial e xerci se s rid i ng a nd outd o or li fe , ,

g e n e ra lly a nd i n a ll k nightly ac c o mpl ishment s but i t i s

, ,

no t i nd ic a ted i n the early b o o k s th a t he wa s acc o mpli s hed

i n Brah m ani c a l l o re I n a c c o rd anc e with t h e cu st o m o f well

.

to d o y o uth s he o ccupi e d three d i ffe re nt h o u se s i n wi nter

-
, ,

s ummer a nd the rai ny se as o n th e se hou se s bei ng provided

, ,

with be a utiful pl e asure gard e n s and a go o d deal of s imple

l uxury I t i s r e c o rd e d that h e was married and had a
.
,

so n by name R ahul a who aft e rw a rd s b e came hi s d i s ciple

, , .

Si ddh att h a e xperienced the i ntellectual and spiritual

9
 Buddha 33 2
9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
unre st o f hi s age and fe lt a growing di ssati sfaction with
,

t h e w o rld o f pl e a s ur e in whi ch h e m o v e d a d i s sa ti sf a cti o n

,

ro o ted i n the fact o f i t s tra nsi e nc e a nd u ncert a i nty and o f ,

man s s ubjecti o n t o al l the ill s o f m o rt al ity Su ddh o dana

.

fe a re d th a t th e se th o ught s w o uld l e a d t o t h e l o ss o f h i s
so n w h o w o uld b e c o m e a h e rmi t
, as was t h e t e nd e nc y
,

o f t h e thi nker s o f t h e ti me ; a nd th e se fe a r s w e re w e ll

f o u nd e d fo r i n spite of e very pl e asure a nd luxury th a t

,

c o ul d be d e vi se d t o withh o ld him Si ddh att h a ulti m a te ly

,

left hi s h o m e t o a d o pt t h e hom e l e ss l ife o f t h e

W and e re r a se e k e r a fter truth th a t sh o uld a v a il t o

,

l iberat e all m e n fr o m t h e bo nd age of mortal i ty Such .

enl ightenment h e fo und after ye a rs o f se arch Th e re aft e r .

,

duri ng a l o ng mini stry as a w and e ri ng pre a ch e r h e t aught ,

t h e F o ur Ariyan Truth s and the E ightf o ld P a th a ttra ct

i ng ma ny d i sciple s h e f o u nd e d a mona sti c o rder as a

,

re fuge for high e r m e n the se e k e rs fo r e ve rl asti ng fre e d o m

,

a nd un s h a kable peac e He di e d at t h e age o f e ighty

. .

Afte r h i s death h i s d i scipl e s gath e re d t o gether the

W o rd s o f t h e E nlightened O ne and fro m th i s nucl e u s

,

there gre w up i n the c o ur se o f a few c e nturi e s t h e wh o l e

b o dy o f t h e P ali can o n a nd ultim at e ly u nd e r s lightly
, ,

d i ffe re nt i nte rpre tati o n t h e wh o l e m ass o f t h e M ah ay ana

,

S utra s Th a t so much o f t h e s t o ry re pre se nt s l i t e ra l f a ct

.

i s no t o nly very p o s s ibl e but extremely pr o b abl e ; fo r

,

th e re i s no thi ng h e re wh i c h i s no t i n p e rfe ct a cc o rd anc e

with t he li fe o f that ag e and t h e natura l d e v e l o pm e nt o f
I ndian th o ught We k no w fo r e x ampl e th a t m any
.
, ,

gro up s o f w anderi ng asc e tic s w e re e ng age d i n t h e sa m e

qu e s t a nd th a t th e y w e re l arg e ly re cru it e d fro m an i nt e l
,

l e c tu a l and so c i a l a ri s t o c ra c y t o wh o m t h e pre t e ns i o ns o f
Br ahm a ni c al pri e st c ra ft w e re no l o nge r ac c e pt abl e a nd wh o ,

w e r e no l e ss o u t of symp athy with t he mul titudi no u s c ult s

IO
 Th e L e ge nd ary Buddh a
of popular a ni mism We know the name of at least o ne
.

other princely a sceti c Vardham ana a c o n t empora ry o f the

, ,

Buddh a and t h e fo under o f the monasti c system o f the

,

Jainas .

Tb e L eg e nda y B u ddb o r
But while i t is e a sy t o extract from the Buddhi st b o o ks
such a nucl e u s of fact as i s outlined above the mate rial s ,

for a m o re ci rcumstantial bi o gr a phy of the Buddha ,

exten sive as they are canno t be re gard e d as hi stori cal in

,

the s cientic u sage of the word What is however far .

, ,

more i mportant than the record of fac t i s the expre ssi o n ,

of all that the fa ct s as under st o od i mpl i e d t o tho se to

, ,

whom they were a li ving i nspi ra ti o n ; and it i s j u st thi s

expressi on of what the l ife of Buddha m e ant to Buddhi st s ,

or Bau ddhas as the f o llowers o f Gau t ama a re more

,

properly called that we nd i n the legendary l ive s such

, ,

as the L a li ta vi sta ra whi ch i s familiar to We stern readers

,

i n Si r E dwi n Arnol d s n kt of A s ia Here the n we

.
, ,

shall relate the l i fe of B uddha i n some detail fro m the ,

v arious so u rce s i ndi c at e d regardles s of the fact that these

1
,

presupp o se a doctrinal devel o pment which can only h ave

taken place after the Buddha s death ; fo r the m iraculou s
and myth o logi cal e lement s are always very tra n spare nt
and arti sti c The hi story of the Buddha begin s wi th the
.

resolve of t h e individual Brahman Sum e dh a long ag o to , ,

b e c o me a Bu ddh a i n s o m e future b i rt h t h at h e might spre a d ,

abr o a d saving truth fo r t h e help o f su ffering hum ani ty .

C o u ntl e ss age s ag o thi s sam e Su m e dh a re ti ri ng o ne day ,

to the upper chamb e r o f h i s hou se se ated hi mself a nd ,

fe ll into th o ught : Beh o ld I am subj e ct t o bi rth t o , ,

1
C h i e y t h e M dana k
'

a t/z a ( i nt ro d u c t i o n t o t h e Pa l i J at k
a as) th e
u t ta
,

Ma k e? P a ri ni bbana S , and t h e L a li ta vi sta ra .

I I
 Buddh a @ 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
decay t o di se ase and t o d e a th ; i t i s right the n t h at I
, , , ,

s h o uld s triv e to w i n t h e great d e athl e ss Nibb an a whi ch ,

i s tra nquil a nd fr e e fro m bi rth a nd d e cay s i c k ne ss and

, , ,

wo e a nd w e al Surely th e re mu st b e a r o a d th a t l e ad s t o
.

Nibbana and re l e ases m an fro m e xi stenc e Acc o rdi ngly .

,

h e g a ve a w ay all h i s w e alth and a d o pt e d t h e l ife o f a

h e rm it i n t h e f o re st At that ti me Di p anka ra Buddh a
.

a pp e are d i n t h e w o rld a nd att a i ne d e nlight e nm e nt

, It .

h app e ne d one day th at Di p anka ra Buddh a was t o p ass

that way a nd m e n w e re pre p ari ng t h e r o a d fo r hi m
, .

S u m e dh a a sked and re c e ived permi s si o n t o j o in i n t h e

w o rk and no t o nly d i d h e do s o but wh e n Di pankara
, ,

c a m e Su m e dh a l a id h i m se l f d o wn i n t h e mud so th a t t h e ,

Buddha might walk up o n h i s b o dy with o ut s o ili ng h i s

fe et Th e n Di p ankara s a tt e nti o n was a r o u sed and h e
.

b e c a m e aw a re o f Su m e dh a s i nt e nti o n t o bec o m e a Buddh a

,

a nd l o oki ng c o u ntle ss a g e s i nt o t h e future h e s aw th a t h e

, ,

w o uld b e c o me a Buddha o f t h e na m e o f G autam a and he ,

pro ph e s i e d a ccord i ngly T h e re up o n Su m e dh a rej o ic e d

.
,

and rej e cti ng t h e i mm e di at e pr o spe ct o f b e c o mi ng an

,

A rah at a s the di s cipl e o f Di p ank Le t m e r a th e r

, a ra , ,

he sa id
li ke Di panka ra h avi ng ri se n t o t h e supre me
, ,

kn o wl e dge o f t h e truth e nabl e a ll m e n t o e nt e r t h e S hip

,

o f truth a nd thu s I
, m ay be a r th e m o ver t h e Se a o f
Exi stence and th e n o nly le t me real iz e N i b b ana myse lf
, .

I n ca rn tion of i k B
a e u dd ka
When Di p a nka ra
wi th all hi s foll o we rs had pa sse d by
Su m e dh a e x a mined t h e Te n P e rfe cti o n s i ndi spe nsabl e to
Bu ddah o o d and d e termi ne d t o practis e th e m i n h i s future
,

bi rth s SO it c a m e t o p ass u ntil i n t h e l ast o f th e se bi rth s

.
,

the Bo dh i sat t a was re b o rn a s Pri nce Ve ssant a ra wh o ,

exh ibited the P e rfe c ti o n o f Supern atura l Ge ner o s ity and ,

 I n c arnat i o n f t h e Buddh a
o

i n du e ti me p assed aw ay a nd dw e lt i n t h e H e av e n o f
D elight . Wh e n t h e ti m e h a d c o me fo r t h e Bo dhi sat t a
t o r e turn t o e a rth fo r t h e l as t ti m e the dei ti e s o f t h e t e n
,

th o u sand w o rld sy stem s a ssembl e d t o ge th e r and appro a c h

-
, ,

i ng t h e Bo dhi sa tt a i n t h e H e a v e n o f D e light sa i d : ,

No w h a s t h e mome nt c o m e 0 Ble sse d O ne fo r thy

, ,

Buddh a h o o d no w h as the ti m e O Ble sse d O ne a rriv e d 1

, ,

The n t h e Bo dhi sat t a c o ns id e re d the tim e the c o nti ne nt , ,

the di strict t h e trib e a nd t h e m o ther and h avi ng d e t e r

, , , ,

mi ne d th e se he a sse nt e d sayi ng : The ti m e h a s c o m e

, ,

,

O Bl e sse d O ne s fo r m e t o b e c om e a Buddh a
, A nd e v e n .

a s he w a s w a lki ng th e r e i n t h e Gr o v e o f Gl a d ne ss h e

d e parted th e nce and w as c o nc e ive d i n the w o mb o f t h e

lady Mah a M aya Th e ma nn e r o f the c o nce pti o n i s e x
.

plai ne d as fo ll o w s At t he ti m e o f t h e m id summ e r fe stiv a l

.

i n K ap i lav a t t h u Mah a M ay a t h e l a dy o f Su ddh o da na lay

, , ,

o n her c o uch a nd dr e am e d a dr e a m Sh e d re a mt that

.

t h e F o ur Guardi ans o f t h e Q u a rter s l ift e d h e r up a nd b o re

h e r a w ay t o the H i m alay a s and th e re sh e was b a thed i n
,

t h e A no t a t t a l ak e a nd lay d o w n t o re s t o n a h e a v e nly
c o uch withi n a g o ld e n m ans i o n o n Silv e r H ill Th e n t h e .

Bo dhi satt a w h o had b e c o m e a b e a uti ful whit e e l e ph ant

, ,

b e a ri ng i n h i s tru nk a whit e l o tu s fl o wer a ppr o ac hed fr o m

,

t h e N o rth and se emed t o t o uch her right s id e a nd t o e nter

,

h e r w o mb . Th e next day wh e n S h e a w o k e sh e re l a t e d
t h e d re a m t o h e r l o rd a nd i t was i nt e rpr e ted by t h e
,

Brahm ans a s f o ll o w s : th a t t h e l a dy h a d c o nc e ive d a m a n

ch ild wh o sh o uld h e a d o pt t h e l ife o f a h o u se h o ld e r
, ,

w o uld b e c o m e a U nive rsa l M o na rch ; but i f h e a d o pte d

t h e r e ligi o u s li f e h e w o uld b e c o m e a Buddh a r e m o vi ng fr o m
,

t h e w o rl d t he v e il s o f ig no ra nc e a nd s i n .

I t s h o uld b e t o ld a l so th a t a t t he mome nt o f th e
incarnati o n t h e h e av e n s and the e arth sh o w e d s ig ns t h e ,

1 3
 Buddh a E9 t h e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
9

dumb s p ak e t h e l a m e walked all men b e ga n t o spe ak

, ,

ki ndly m u sic a l i nstrument s pl ay e d o f themselve s t h e

, ,

e a rth w as c o v e r e d wi th l o tu s o w e rs a nd lotu se s de s ce nded ,

from the sky and e very tre e put fo rth i t s o w e rs From

, .

t h e m o me nt o f t h e i nc a r na ti o n m o re o v e r f o ur angel s , ,

gu a rded the B o dh i sat t a and h i s mother t o shi e ld th e m ,

fr o m all h a rm Th e m o th e r was no t w e ary and sh e

.
,

c o uld perc e ive the child i n h e r womb as pl a i nly a s o ne

m ay s e e t h e thre ad i n a tra nsp a re nt g e m Th e L ady .

Mah a M aya c a rri e d t h e Bo dh i sat t a thu s fo r t e n lu na r

m o nth s ; at t h e e nd o f th a t ti m e sh e e xpre sse d a wi s h
t o vi s it h e r f a mily i n D e v a dah a ; a nd S h e s e t o u t o n t h e
j o urney O n t h e way fr o m K ap i lav at t h u t o De v adah a
.

th e re i s a ple asure gro ve o f Sal tre e s bel o ngi ng t o the

- -

pe o pl e o f b o th citi e s and at t h e ti m e o f t h e quee n s

,

j o urney it was ll e d with fruit s a nd o w e rs H e re t h e .

qu e e n d e si re d t o re st a nd sh e was c a rried t o t h e gre a te st

,

o f t h e Sal tr e e s a nd s t o o d b e ne a th i t
- A s s h e r a i se d h e r .

ha nd t o t a k e h o ld of o ne of i t s bran c he s t h e pai ns c a m e
up o n h e r and s o s t and i ng and h o ldi ng t h e branc h o f t h e
,

Sal tre e sh e wa s d e liv e re d F o ur Brahm a a nge l s re c e ived

- .

t h e child i n a golde n ne t and s h o wed i t t o t h e m o ther , ,

s aying : R ej o ice O L a dy ! a gre at so n i s b o r n t o th e e

, .

The child s t o o d upright and t o o k se ve n strid e s a nd ,

cri e d : I a m s upreme i n the w o rld Thi s i s my l ast

.

birth : he ncef o rth th e re sh all b e no m o re bi rth fo r

me l
At o ne a nd the sam e ti m e there c a m e i nt o bei ng the
Sev e n C o nn at al O ne s viz the mother o f R ahula A na nd a
, .
, ,

t h e favourit e di s cipl e Cha nna the attend a nt K ant h ak

, a , , ,

t h e h o rse K alu dayi the m inister the gre at B o dhi tre e

, , , ,

and t h e vase s o f Tre asure .

1 4
 K ala D vala e

K ala D ev a la
Whe n the Bo dh i sat t a was born there was great rej o icing
i n t h e heaven of t h e Thirty thre e Gods At that ti me - .

also a c e rtain hermit by name K al a De vala an adept sat , ,

in tra nce vi siti ng the h e ave n of the Thirty thre e and

,
-
,

seei ng t h e rej o icing he l e arnt i t s cause I mmedi ately .

h e re turned t o earth a nd rep a i red t o the palac e a sking

, ,

t o see t h e new born child The prince wa s br o ught i n

-
,

to salut e t h e gre a t a dept but he r o se from h i s se a t and

,

bowed t o the ch ild sayi ng : I may no t w o rk my o wn

,

de struction ; fo r a ssure dly i f t h e child h a d been made

to b o w t o h i s fe e t the h e rmit s h e a d w o uld have split

,

atw a i n so much h ad i t bee n agai nst t he o rder o f nature

, .

Now t h e ad e pt ca st backw a rd and f o rw a rd hi s vi si o n o ver

forty ae o ns a nd perceive d th a t t h e child would bec o me
,

a Buddha i n hi s pre se nt birth : but h e saw that h e h i m self

w o uld die bef o re t h e Gre at E nl ight e nment cam e t o p ass ,

a nd bei ng reb o r n i n t h e heave n o f N o f o rm a hundred o r -

,

eve n a thou sa nd Buddh as might a pp e a r b e fore h e found

the O pp o rtu nity t o bec o me the d isciple o f any; and seei ng
thi s h e w e pt H e se nt h o weve r fo r his neph e w th e n a
, .
, , ,

h o u se h o lder and advi sed h i m t o b e c o m e a h e rmi t fo r at

, ,

the e nd o f thi rty v e y e ars h e would re c e ive the t e ach

-

i ng o f t h e Buddha ; a nd th a t sa m e neph e w by name ,

Nalaka aft e rw a rd s e nte re d the ord e r and b e came an

,

A rah at .

On the fth day the na m e ce re m o nie s were p e rf o rm e d ,

a nd t h e child wa s call S i ddh at t h a S iddh arth a On thi

( ) s .

o cc as i on e ight s ooth say e r s w e r e pre se nt a m o ng st th e

Brahm ans a nd o f the se seve n fo re saw that t h e child
,

w o uld bec o me ei ther a U niversal Mon a rch o r a Buddha ,

but t h e e ighth by name K o ndaa predict e d that h e

, ,

woul d o f a s urety beco me a Buddh a This s ame .

I S
 Buddh a $ 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
K o nda a fte rwa rd s b e l o nge d to t h e ve wh o b e c a m e
a

t h e Buddh a s r s t di s ciple s

.

Th e n t h e pri nce s fath e r i nqui red : Wh a t will my so n

se e , th at will b e t h e o c c a si o n o f h i s f o rsaki ng t h e h o u se
h o ld life ?
Th e F o ur S ig ns w as t h e answ e r a m a n

,

,

w o rn o u t by ag e a s ick m an a d e a d b o dy a nd a h e rmit
, , , .

Th e n the ki ng re so lve d th a t no s u c h s ight s sh o uld e ve r b e

se e n by h i s s o n fo r h e did no t wi s h h i m t o b e c o m e a
,

Buddh a but d e si re d th a t h e s h o uld rul e t h e w h o l e w o rld

,

a nd h e a pp o i nt e d a n i nnum e rabl e a nd m ag nic e nt gu a rd

a nd re ti nu e t o pr o t e ct h i s so n fr o m any s uch i llu m i

na ti ng o m e ns a nd t o o ccupy h i s m i nd
,
with w o rldly
pl e a sure s .

Se v e n d ay s a ft e r t h e ch ild s birth t h e L ady M ah a M ay a

di e d and was re b o rn i n t h e h e av e n o f t h e Th irty thre e

,
-

G o d s and Si ddh at t h a was pl a ce d i n t h e ch a rg e o f h i s

,

a u nt and st e pm o th e r t h e M a tr o n G au t a m i A nd no w c am e .

t o p ass ano th e r mir a c l e o n t h e o c c as i o n o f t h e Pl o ughi ng

,

F e stiv al .F o r wh il e t h e ki ng was i naugur ati ng t h e

pl o ughi ng with h i s o wn h and s and t h e nurse s were ,

pre pa ri ng f o o d t h e Bo dhi sat t a t o o k h i s se a t b e ne a th

,

a J a mbu tre e and cr o ss i ng h i s l e g s lik e a y o gi h e

-
, , ,

e x e r c i se d t h e r s t d e gre e o f c o nt e mpl a ti o n ; a nd th o ugh

ti m e p asse d t h e sh ad o w o f t h e tre e did no t m o ve Wh e n

, .

t h e ki ng b e h e ld th a t mi r a cl e h e b o w e d t o t h e child ,

a nd cri e d :

Thi s d e a r o ne i s t h e se c o nd h o m age p a i d
, ,

t o th e e !

A s t h e Bo dh i sat t a gre w up h i s f a th e r bu ilt fo r hi m thre e

p al ac e s re spe c tive ly o f ni ne v e and se ve n s t o ri e s a nd
, , , ,

h e re h e d we lt a c c o rdi ng t o t h e se aso ns H e re t h e B o dhi .

sa t t a w as s urr o u nd e d by e v e ry lu x ury a nd th o u s and s o f ,

d anc i ng girl s we re app o i nte d fo r h i s se rvic e a nd e nte r

- .

t a i nm e nt T a k e n t o t h e t e ach e rs o f writi ng a nd t h e o th e r
.

1 6
 The P ri nc e M arr e s i
art s he soo n surpassed them all and he excelled i n al l
, ,

martial exercises .

Tb e P rinc
M a rrie s e

At the age of s ixteen t h e king sough t for a wi fe for

,

his so n ; for by domestic tie s he hoped t o a t tach h i m

s til l more to the worldly l i fe The prince had a l ready .

expe rie nced the de si re to become a herm i t But i n order .

,

as t h e b o oks sa t o conform wi th the cus t om o f former

y ,

Bo dh i satt as he c o n sented to marry i f i t were possible

, ,

t o nd a girl o f perfect manners wholly truthful modest , , ,

c o ngenial to h is temperament and o f pure and honour ,

abl e bi rth young and fair b u t not proud of her beauty

, , ,

charit able c o nten t ed i n sel f denial tender as a s i ster

,
-
,

or a m o ther no t desiring mu s i c scent s fes t ivitie s o r

, , ,

wine pure i n thought and word and deed the la st to

, ,

sleep and the rs t to rise i n the house where she sh o uld

dwell Brah mans were se nt far and wide t o seek for
.

s uch a maiden amongst the S akya families At last the .

choice fell upon S iddh at th a s cousin Y aso dhara the

,

daugh t er of Su prab u ddha of K api lav at t hu And the .

ki ng devised a plan to engage the young man s heart .

He made ready a display of beauti ful jewel s which

S i ddh at t h a was to di stribu t e amongst the S akya maidens .

So i t came to pass : b u t when all the jewels had been

b e stowed Y aso dh ara came lat e and there was nothi ng left
, ,

for her Th i nking that she was despi sed she asked i f
.
,

there was no gift meant for her Si ddh att ha sai d there .

was no such thought i n his mind and he sent for other ,

ri ngs and bracelets and gave them t o her She said .

:

Is i t becoming for me to receive such gi ft s ? and he

answered : They are m ine t o give And so she .

went her way Then Su ddh o dana s spies reported that

.

B 1 7
 Buddh a t h e Go sp e l o f Buddhi sm

S i ddh at t h a had ca s t h i s e yes o nly upon Y aso dh a ra and ,

had entered i nt o co nversati o n with he r A m e s sage was .

s ent t o Su p rab u ddh a a sking fo r h i s daughter The .

answer came th a t daughter s of t h e family were o nly

given to tho se wh o e xcell e d in the vari o u s art s and

martial exerci se s and could thi s b e t h e ca se with one
,

who se whole life had been spen t i n the luxury of a

palac e ? Su ddh o dana was grieved becau se h i s so n was

co nsidered t o be i ndole nt and weak Th e Bo dh i sat t a .

perceived his mo o d and asked i t s cause and b e i ng

, ,

informed he re a ssured h i s father and advised that a

, ,

contes t in martial exerci se s should be proclaimed and all ,

the S akya youth s i nvited So i t was done Th e n the

. .

Bo dhi sat t a proved hi m se lf the superi or of all rs t in ,

t h e arts of literature and numbers then in wre stli ng,

and archery and each and all of the s ixty four art s
,
-

a nd s cience s When Si ddh at th a had thus shown h is

.

prowe ss Su prab u ddh a brought hi s daughter t o b e

,

a fance d t o the prince and the marriage was cel e brate d

,

with al l magni cence A m o ngst the defeate d Sakyas

.

were two cou s ins o f the Buddha the o ne An and a , ,

wh o afterward s became t h e favouri te di scipl e the ,

other De v adat t a who se gr o wi ng envy and jealou sy

,

mad e hi m the l ife long enem y O f the vic t or

-
.

Tke F ou r S ig ns

The Bo dh i sat t a i s never en t i rely forge t ful of h i s high

calling Y e t i t i s needful that he should be reminded o f
.

the a pproachi ng h o ur ; and to th is end the cosmic Buddha s

mad e a udible to Si ddh at t h a eve n as h e sat and l i stened t o
,

t h e s i ngi ng o f the d anci ng girl s the m e ssage

-
,
Rec o llect
t h y vow to save all l ivi ng thi ng s t h e ti m e is at ha nd
, thi s
alone is the purpose of th y bi rth A nd thus as the
.

1 8
 The F o u r S i gns
Bo dhi sat t a i n his beautiful palaces day af ter day
sat

surrounded by all the physical and i ntellectual pleasures

that could be devised by love or art he fel t an ever more ,

i nsis ten t call to the fullmen t of h i s spi ritual de stiny .

And now were t o be revealed t o h i m the Four Signs wh ich

were to be t he i mmedia t e cause of the Grea t Renunciation .

The Bo dhi satta de s ired one da y t o visi t t he ro y al pleasure

gardens Hi s father appoin ted a day and gave command
.
,

that t he ci t y should be swept and garnished and tha t every ,

inau spicious sight should be removed and none allowed ,

to appear save t hose who were young and fai r The day .

came and the pri nce drove forth with the chari oteer
,

Channa But the Devas are no t t o be diverted from their

.
1

end s : and a certain one assumed t he form of an old and

decrepi t man and s t ood i n t he m ids t of the stree t
, Wh a t .

ki nd of a man i s th is ? said t h e Prince and Channa ,

replied Si re i t i s an aged man bowed down b y years

, , , .

Are all men then said the pri nce o r this man only , , ,

s ubjec t to age ? The charioteer coul d b u t answer that
y o uth mus t yield to age in every l iving being
Shame ,

then on life I said t he prince sin ce the decay of every

, ,

l iving t hing i s notorious l and he t urned t o his palace i n

sadne ss When all tha t had taken place was reported to
.

the king he exclaimed : Thi s i s m y ruin l and he

,

devised mo re and more amusemen t s musi c and plays ,

calcula ted t o d iver t Si ddh at t h a s mind from t he t hough t

of leavi ng the world .

Again the pri nce d rove out to visi t the pleasure gardens -

of K ap i lav at t h u : and on the way they met a si ck man thin ,

and weak and scorched by fever When t he meani ng of .

this spec t acle was made clear b y the chari o teer the ,

1
Dv e as, th e O lymp i d i ti h d d b y S k k wh d w ll
an e e s, ea e a a, o e i n th e
H v ea e n o f th e T h i ty t h
r p i it l p w g
-
ree s

lly g d r ua o e rs e ne ra ,
o s .

I 9
 Buddh a 89
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

Bo dh i sat t a exclai med again : I f health be frail as the
sub stance o f a dre am wh o then can tak e delight i n jo y and
,

pleasure ? And the car was turned and he returned t o ,

the palace .

A thi rd ti me the prince wen t f o rth and now th e y met a ,

c o rpse f o ll o wed by mourners weeping and t e ari ng thei r

hai r. Why does thi s man l ie o n a bier said the prince , ,

and why do they weep and b e at th e i r brea st s ? Si re ,

s aid the chari o te e r he i s dead and may never more se e
, ,

hi s f a th e r or mother ch ildren or h o me : he h as d e p a rte d t o

,

an o ther world Wo e then to such youth as i s de str o y e d

.

by age exclai med th e prince and wo e t o the health
, ,

that i s d e stroye d by innumerable maladie s ! Wo e to the

life so soon e nded ! Would that si ckness age and death , ,

might be for eve r bound Tu rn back again t hat I may ,

seek a way of del ivera nce .

When the Bo dhi satt a d rove forth for the las t ti me he ,

met a hermit a mendicant friar Thi s Bhi kkh u was self

, .

po ssessed serene dignied self con t rolled with d o wnc ast

, , ,
-
,

e ye s
, dres sed i n the garb o f a rel igi o us and carrying a

b e ggar s bowl Who i s this man of so cal m a t emp e r ?
.

s aid the prince cl o thed i n rus set garm e n t s and of such
, ,

d ignied demeanour Si re said the chario t eer He , ,

i s a Bh i k kh u a rel igiou s who has abandoned al l lo ngings

, ,

and leads a l i fe of aus t erity he l ives withou t pa ssi o n or ,

envy and beg s hi s daily food

, The Bo dhi satt a an swered .

That i s wel l done and makes me eager for t h e same ,

course of life : t o bec o me religious has ever been prai sed by

the wi se and thi s shall be my refuge and the re fuge o f
,

others and shall yield the fruit of li fe and i mm o rtali ty , .

Again the Bo dh i sat t a returned to his palace .

When all th e se thing s had been rep o rted to Su ddh o dana ,

he surround e d the pri nc e s pleasure palace by triple walls

-

20
 Th e G re at R e nu nc i at i o n
and red o ubled the guards and he c o mmanded the w o men
,

of the p alace t o exerci se al l th e i r charm s to divert the ,

prince s though t s by musi c and pleasure : and i t was d o ne

accordingly And now Y aso dhara was t roubled by

.

porten t ous d reams : she d reamed t hat the land was

devas t a t ed by storms she saw herself naked and mutilated
, ,

her beau t i ful jewel s broken the sun the moon and the s t ars
,

fell from the sky and Mou nt Meru sank in t o the grea t
deep When she related these d rea m s to the Bo dh i satt a
. ,

he repl ied i n gentle t ones : Y o u need not fear I t i s to the .

good and the worthy alone that such dreams come never ,

t o the base R ej oice ! for the purpor t of all these dreams

.

is tha t the bond of mortali ty shall be lo o sed the veils o f ,

ignorance shall be rent asunder for I h ave completely ,

fullled the way of wisd o m and every one t ha t h as faith ,

i n me S hall be saved from t he three evi ls withou t ,

excep t ion .

Tlee Gre a t R enu nc ia t ion

The Bo dh i satt a reected tha t he ough t no t t o go for t h as
a Wa nderer without giving noti ce t o h is father ; and there

fo re he sought the king by night and said : Si re the , ,

ti me i s at hand for my going forth d o not hinder me b u t , ,

permit me to depart The king s e yes were charged with
.

tears and he answered : What is there need ful to change

,

thy purpose ? Tell me wha tever t hou desi rest and i t S hall

be thi ne be i t my sel f the palace or the kingdom
, , The , .

Bo dh i satt a replied Si re I de sire fou r things pray thee

, , ,

grant th e m : the rst t o remain fo r ever i n po sse ssion of

,

the fre sh col ou r of youth ; the second that sickness may ,

never attack me ; the thi rd that my li fe may have no ,

term ; the la st th a t I may not be subject to decay

, When .

the king heard t hese words he was overcome b y grief for , ,

2 1
 Buddh a a t he G o sp e l f Buddhi sm
g
o

t h e pri nce de s ired what it was no t po ss ible for a man to

besto w Th e n t he Bo dh i sat t a c o ntinued : I f t hen I ca nno t
.

avoid old age s ick ne ss death and decay gran t at least thi s
, , ,

one th i ng that when I leave t his w o rld I may ne v e rmo re b e

,

And when the king could give no

.

subjec t to rebi rth .

better answer he gra nted his son s de si re But the next
, .

day he establi shed an additio nal guard of ve hundred

young men of the Sakyas at each of t h e four gate s o f the

palac e while the Matron C a ntami es t abli shed an amazon
,

guard W ithin ; for the king would no t allow hi s son t o

d e par t with a free will .

A t the same ti me the cap t ains of the Y ak khas assembl e d

1

t o gether and they said
, To day my friend s the -
, ,

Bo dh i sat t a i s to go f o rth hasten to do hi m se rvi ce .

The F o ur Gre at K i ngs commanded the Y akkh as t o be a r S

B

up the feet of the pri nce s horse The Thi rty three Devas
.
-

likewi se assembled and Sakka ordered thei r servi ce s so

, ,

tha t o ne shoul d ca st a heavy slee p on al l the men and

women and young men and maide ns of K api lav at t h u and ,

an o ther should s ile nce t he n o i se of the e lephant s h o rse s , ,

camel s bulls and o ther bea st s ; and o t hers con stituted

,

themselve s an e sc o rt to cast d o wn a rain of o wers and

,

perfume the ai r Sakka h im se lf announced that he woul d

.

ope n the gates and Show the way .

O n the morning of the day of the g o ing f o rth when the ,

Bo dhi s at t a was b e ing atti red a mes sage was br o ught t o ,

hi m that Y aso dh ara h ad borne hi m a so n He d id no t .

rej o ic e but he said : A b o nd h as com e into being a

,

,

A nd the child rec e ived t h e nam e o f

h i ndra nce fo r me .

R ahul a or H i ndranc e acc o rdingly Th e sa me day t h e
.

Bo dhi sat t a drove again in the ci ty and a c e rtain noble ,

1
Y akkh as, natu re S pi itr s

G
.

2
Th e F our K i g
n s, u ar di ans of th e F ou r Q u arte rs .

2 2
 Th e G re at R e nu nc i at i o n
vi rgin by name K is a G o t ami s t o od on the ro o f of he r
, ,

palace and beheld the beauty and majesty of the future

Buddha as he passed by and sh e made a song : ,

B lessed in deed i s t/z e m o t/z er b lessed in deed tko ,

B lessed in deed i s t/z e w ife , wlz ose i s a lord so

glorious

On hearing this the Bo dh i satt a t hough t : She does b u t
say t hat the heart of a mother or a father or a wife is , ,

gladdened by such a sight But by what can every hear t .

attain to lasting happi nes s and peace ? The answer arose

i n h i s mind : When t h e re of l ust is exti ngui shed then ,

there i s peace ; and when the re s of re se ntme nt and

glam o u r are de ad then there i s peace Swe et i s the l e sson
, .

thi s si nger has taught me for i t i s the N ibb ana of peace

,

that I have s o ught This da y I shall rel i nquish the

.

household l ife n o thi ng will I seek but N ibb ana it self
, .

And taki ng from h i s neck the s t ri ng of pearl s h e s e n t i t as

a teacher s fee to K is a G o tami Bu t she thought tha t the

.

prince loved he r and sent her a gift becau se of hi s love

, .

That night the si ngers and the dancing girl s exerted -

them selves t o please the prin ce : fai r as t h e nymphs of

heaven they d anced and s ang and played But t he
, .

Bo dh i satt a h is heart being e s tra nged fr o m sin took no

, ,

plea sure in the entertainment a nd fel l asleep And the , .

wome n seei ng that he slept laid a side th e i r instrument s,

and fel l a slee p l ikewis e And when the lamps that were
.

fed with scented oil were on the p o int of dyi ng the ,

Bo dhi satt a aw o ke and he saw the gi rls th a t had seemed

,

so fai r i n all the di s array of slumber A nd the king s

.
,

so n seei ng them thu s d i shevelled a nd d i sarrayed breathi ng

, ,

he avily y awni ng and s prawling in unseemly a t t i t udes

, ,

2 3
 Buddh a E9 t h e G o sp e l 9
f Buddhi sm o

2
was moved to s corn Such i s t he t rue nature o f wom e n
.
,

he thought but a man i s dec e ived by d re ss and jew e l s and

,

i s delud e d by a wom an s beautie s I f a m an would but c o n

.

s ider the natural st ate o f women and the cha nge that come s

up o n them in slee p a ssure dly he would no t ch e rish hi s f o lly ;

,

but he i s s mitt e n from a right will and so succumb s t o ,

pas si on And therewi th h e re solved t o acc o mpl i sh the
.

Great Renunci ati o n that very nigh t and at that very ti me , ,

for it seemed to hi m that every mode of existe nce on earth

or in heaven mos t resembled a del ay in a house alre ady
become the prey of devouring ames ; a nd hi s mind was
i rresi stibly d irec ted t owards the s t at e of those who have
ren o unc e d the world .

The Bo dh i satt a there fore r o se from hi s c o uch and called

for Chan na ; and t h e chari o te e r wh o wa s sl e eping with ,

his head o n the thre shold ro se and sai d ,

Si re I am ,

here . The n the Bo dh i sat t a said : I am re solve d t o

acc o mpl i sh the Great Renunciation t o day ; saddle my -

horse . And Channa wen t o u t t o the stable and saddled
K anth ak a : and the hor se knew what was the rea s on of

h is being saddled and neighed for jo y so that the wh o le

, ,

city would have b e en aro used had it no t b e en that the ,

D eva s subdued the sound s o that no o ne heard it , Now .

W hi le Chan na was away i n the stable yard the Bo dh i sat ta ,

though t : I will take one lo o k at my so n and he went ,

t o the door of Y aso dh ara s chamber The Mother o f .

R ahula was asleep on a bed strewn thi ck with ja smi ne

o w e rs and her hand was re sting on her s o n s head The
,

.

Bo dh i sat t a st opp e d with h i s f o o t upon the thre sh o ld fo r ,

h e th o ught :
I f I li ft h e r hand t o t ak e up my so n sh e ,

will awake and my departure wi ll be h ind e red I wi ll

, .

return and se e hi m aft e r I have a ttained enl ightenm e nt .

Then he went forth and seei ng the horse re ady saddled

, ,

24
 II

TH E D EP A R T U R E OF B U DDHA
N N
A DA L AL BO S E
P ag e 2 4
 Th e G re at R e n u n c i at i o n
he sa id G o od K ant h aka do th o u s ave me thi s night
,

, ,

t o the end th a t I may bec o me a Buddha by thy help a nd

K ant h ak

may sav e the worlds of men and gods a .

neighed agai n but t h e sound of h is voi ce was heard by

,

none .

So the Bo dhi sat t a rode forth followed by Chan na ,

:

the Y akkh as bore up t he feet of K anth aka so that they

made no s ound and when they came to the guarded gates
,

the angel standi ng thereby caused them t o o pen s il e ntly .

At that mome nt M ara the Fie nd appeared in the ai r and ,

t e mpted t h e Bo dh i sat t a exclai ming : ,

Go no t f o rth my ,

l o rd ! for within seven d ay s fro m thi s t h e Wheel of

Sovere ignty will appear and will make you ruler of the
,

four c o ntine nts and the myriad i sl and s Go not f o rth ! .

The Bo dhi sat t a replied : M ara ! w e ll I know that this

i s s o o th . Bu t I do no t seek t h e sovereignty o f the world .

I would bec o me a Buddha to make t e ns o f th o usand s o f

,

worlds rej oice A nd so the tempter left him but
.
,

re solved t o foll o w hi m ever l ike a shad o w to lay h o ld o f ,

the occa sion i f ever a thought of anger or desi re should

,

a ri se in the Bo dh i sat t a s heart I t was o n the full moon

-
.

day of A sadh a wh e n the prince dep a rted from the city .

Hi s progress was accompanied by pomp and gl o ry for ,

t h e g o d s a nd angels bore myriad s of torches befor e and

behi nd him and a rain of beautiful owers was ca st d o wn
,

from t he heaven of I ndra so that the v e ry anks of ,

K ant h ak a were cove red I n th i s way the Bo dhi sat t a

.

adva nced a great d istance unti l they reached and pas sed,

over t h e river Anom a When they were come to t h e

.

other side the Bo dh i satt a alight e d upon the sandy shore

,

a nd s ai d t o Ch anna : Go o d Ch anna t he ti m e has c o m e

,

when th o u mu st re t urn and take with th e e al l my j e wel s

,

together with K ant haka for I am about to become a ,

2
5
 Bud dh a 863 9
th e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
hermit and a wanderer i n th e se fore st s Grieve not fo r .

m e but mourn for th o se wh o st ay behi nd b o u nd by

, ,

lo ngi ngs of whi ch the frui t i s sorro w I t i s my re solve .

to s e ek the highe st good this very day for what con ,

de nc e have we in l ife when death is ever at hand ? And

do you c o mf o rt the king and so speak with hi m that he
,

m ay not even remember m e for wh e re a ffe ction i s lo st , ,

there i s no sorrow
But Channa pro tested and prayed
.
,

the Bo dh i sat t a to t ake pity upon the king and upon ,

Y aso dh araand on the city of K ap i lav att h u Bu t again the .

Bo dh i sat t a an swered : Even were I to return to my ki n

d red by reas o n of a ffec t i on ye t we should be d ivided in t h e
,

end by death The meeti ng and parti ng o f l iving thing s i s

.

a s wh e n the cl o ud s having com e together drift apart agai n ,

or as when the leave s are parted fr o m t he tree s There .

i s n o thi ng we m ay call our o wn i n a u nion that i s n o thi ng

but a d ream Therefo re since i t i s so g o and griev e
.
, , ,

no t and say to the p e o pl e of K ap i lav at t h u :

E ither he
,

wi ll soon r e turn the co nqueror of ag e a nd death or he

, ,

hi mself will f a il and Then Channa too would

have bec o m e a hermi t : b u t the Bo dh i sat t a an swe red
a gain :

I f your love i s so gre at yet go d e l iver the , ,

me ssage and re t urn
, .

Then the Bo dh i satt a to o k the sharp sword tha t Chan na

b o re and s e vered with i t h i s lo ng locks and j e we lled cre st
a nd cast th e m i nt o the water s : and at the moment wh e n

h e felt the need of a hermit s dre ss th e re app e ared an ,

a ngel in the gui se of a hu nter clad in the ru ss e t robe s o f

a f o rest sage a nd he receiving the whi te mu sl in garm e nt s
-
,

o f the pri nce rendered t o hi m the dark red rob e s in return

, ,

and so d e p a rte d .

No w K anth aka attend e d t o all that h ad been said and he ,

l icked the Bo dh i satt a s feet ; and the prince spok e to

2 6
 The Se arc h fo r t he Way o f E sc ap e
hi m as to a frie nd and said : Grieve no t O K ant h aka

for thy perfect equine nature has been proved bear with
, , ,

i t and soo n thy pa in shall bear its fruit

, But K ant h aka .

,

thinking : From thi s day forth I shal l never se e my

m aster more wen t o u t of thei r sight and there d ied of a
, ,

brok e n heart and was reborn i n the Heaven of the Th i rty

three Then Channa s grief was doubled ; and torn by
.

the s e cond sorrow of the death of K ant h aka he returned ,

t o the city weeping and wailing and t he Bo dh i sat ta was ,

left alone .

Tb e S e a rckf or Tb e Way of E s cap e

The Bo dh i sat t a remained fo r a wee k in t h e Mango grove -

of A nu pi ya and th e reafter he proce e ded t o R ajagah a the

, ,

chi e f t o wn o f Mag adh a He begged h i s fo o d from d o o r

.

to d o o r and the be a uty of h i s person cast the whole city

,

i nto c o mm o ti o n When this was made known to the

.

king Bi mbis ara he went to the pl a ce where t h e Bodhi

,

s atta was S itting and o ffe re d t o bestow upon hi m the

,

whole kingdom : but again the Bo dhi satt a re fus e d the

r o y al thr o ne for he h ad already abandoned all i n the h o pe
,

o f a tt a ining enlight e nme nt and d id not desir e a world ly

,

empire But he granted t h e king s request that when h e

.

had fo und t h e way he would preach i t rst in that same

,

kingd o m .

I t i s said that when the Bo dh i sa t t a e ntered a hermit age

fo r the rs t ti me ( and thi s wa s b e fore he pr o c e eded to
R ajagah a) he found the sage s practi s ing many and stra ng e
penance s and he i nqui re d thei r mea ning and what was t h e
, ,

purp o se that e ach endeavou re d to achieve and re ceived

the answer By such penance s endured for a ti me ,

by the higher they a tt a i n heave n and by the low e r , ,

favourable fruit in the world of men : by pain they come

2
7
 B u ddh a 869 t he G o sp e l f B uddhi sm
9
o

at last to happi ness fo r pain th e y say i s the r o ot o f , , ,

merit Bu t t o hi m it seem e d tha t here t here was no way
o f e s cape
.

here t o o men e ndured mi sery for the sake of

,

h appine ss and that happiness i tsel f rightly underst o od

, , ,

c o n sisted i n pai n fo r i t must ever be subject to m o rt al ity

,

and to rebi rth I t is not the e ffo rt i t self which I blam e
. ,

he s aid which cast s a side the base and fo ll o ws a higher
,

path of i t s own : but the wise i n s o oth by all this he avy ,

t o i l ought to attain t o the state where n o thi ng ever nee d s

,

to be do ne again And since i t i s the mind that contro l s

.

the b o dy i t i s th o ught alone tha t sh ould be re strai ned

,
.

N e ith e r purity o f food nor the wa ters o f a sacred ri ver can

cl e a ns e t h e h e art : wa t er i s but wate r but the true place of ,

pilgri mage i s the virtue o f t h e vi rtu o u s man .

And no w rejecting with c o urte sy the king s o ffers the

,

,

Bo dhi sat t a m ade h i s way t o t h e hermitage o f the re no w ne d

s age Al ara K al ama and became h i s d i scipl e learni ng the ,

suc c e ssive degree s of ec st ati c medi t ation Al ara taught .

,

i t i s clear the doctri ne of the Atman saying that the sage

, ,

wh o i s v e rse d in the Supreme Self

having ab o li sh e d ,

h i m self by hi m self sees tha t n o ugh t exi sts and i s called

,

a N ihili st : the n like a bi rd fr o m i t s cage the s o ul e scapi ng

, ,

fro m the b o dy i s declare d to be se t free : thi s i s that

,

s upre me Brah m an c o nst ant e te rna l and with o ut di st inctive

, , ,

s ig ns which the wise wh o k no w re ality declare t o b e

,

l iberation But Gautama ( and i t i s by thi s nam e th a t
.

t h e b o o k s no w begin t o speak o f the Bo dh i s at t a) ign o r e s

t h e phr a se wi th o ut di stinctive s igns and with ve rb a l ,

j u stic atio n quarre l s with the a ni mi sti c and duali stic

termi nol o gy o f so ul and b o dy : a libe rated soul he argued , ,

i s still a so ul a nd what e v e r the c o nditi o n i t att a i ns mu s t

, ,

be s ubject t o re birth
and s ince e ach succe ssive re ,

nu nc i at i o n i s held t o be sti ll accompani e d by qualitie s I ,

2 8
 Th e S e arc h fo r t he Way o f E sc ap e
maintai n that the absolute a t tainmen t of ou r end i s only

t o be found i n the abandonment of everythi ng 1
.

And now leaving the hermitages of R ajagaha the Bodhi

satta seeking s omething beyond repaired t o a fore st near
, ,

to the village of Uru v e la and t here abode on t h e pure bank

of the N ai ranjana There ve wanderer s begging hermits
.
, ,

c ame t o hi m for they were p e rsuaded that ere long he w o ul d

,

attain enl igh te nment : and the lead e r of t he se was K o ndaa ,

the ers t whi le Brahman s ooth sayer wh o had prophesied at

the fe stival o f t h e Bo dh i sat t a s name day And now
.

thinking : This may be the mean s t o conquer bi rth and

death Gau t ama for s ix years practi sed there an austere
,

rule of fasting and of m o rt i c at i o n so that hi s glori o u s ,

body wasted away to skin and bone He brough t hi mself .

to feed on a single se samum seed or a grain of rice ,

until o ne day as he paced to and fro he was overcome by

, ,

a severe pai n and fain t ed and fell Then certain of the

, .

Devas excl a i med Gau t ama i s dead and some reported

i t to Su ddho dana the king at K ap i lav at t h u But h e .

repl ied : I m ay no t believe i t N e ver w o ul d my son die .

without attaining enlightenment For he di d not forget .

the mi racle at the foot of the Jambu tree nor the day when -
,

the grea t sage K al a Devala had been compelled t o o ffer

homage t o the child And the Bo dh i satt a recovered .
,

and stood up ; and again the gods reported i t to the king .

N ow the fame of the Bo dhi satt a s exceedi ng penances
became spread abroad as the sound of a grea t bel l i s ,

1
We re c o g i h
n zei i l m m t wh B ddh i t nd B ahm n
e re th e c r t c a o en e re
_
u s a r a

th g h t p t mp y
ou ar th q
co ti n f th A tm n
an Wh th A la
on e ues o o e a . e er ra

f i l d t mp h i th n g ti v p t f th d t i n f th B h m
a e o e as z e e e a e as e c o e oc r e o e ra an , o r

G t m ( wh i p t d
au a a o f
s re t i ly i t f B ah m
re se n e i l as so ar e n re nno c e n o r an c a

p hi l p h y ) f i l d t di ti ng i h th
o so a e t B hm
o f m th g d
s u s e ne u e r ra an ro e o

B h ma w
ra ,t t ll
e Th q
c ann o ti i di d t g t l g th
e . e ues on s sc u sse a rea e r en

i P t I I I Ch p t
n ar IV (p
, 98 f )
a er . . 1 .

2
9
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
heard i n t h e sky But h e p e rc e ive d th a t m o rt i c at i o n
.

was not the r o ad t o enlighte nm e nt and to l iberati o n

th a t was t h e tru e way that I f o und be neath the J a mbu
t ree a nd i t can not b e a tt a i ne d by o ne wh o h as lo st his
,

s tre ngth. And so again the Great Being re solved t o
b e g h i s food in t o wns a nd village s that h i s he a lth and ,

stre ngth m ight be re store d Thi s was in the thi rti e th

.

y e ar o f the li fe of Gautam a But the Five D i scipl e s .

re e c ted th at Gautama had no t be e n able t o a ttai n e m

1i g h t e nme nt even by s i x years o f the mo st severe au sterities ,

and h o w can he do so no w when he go e s and b e g s i n t h e

village s and eats of ord inary fo o d ? and they d e parted
,

from h i m and went to t h e suburb of Benares called

I si pat ana .

Tb e S up rm
e e E nlzgkt e nme nt
No w during the time that Gautama had been dwelling in
the fo re st near by Uru v e la the daughte r of the villag e
,

h e adma n by name Suj at a had been a ccu stom e d to m ake a

, ,

d a ily o ffe ri ng o f food t o e ight hu ndred Brahm ans maki ng

,

t h e prayer

May t h e Bo dh i sat t a at l e ngth receive an ,

o ffering of foOd fro m me attain enlightenment and bec o me

, ,

a Buddha ! And no w that the ti me had come when he
de sired to receive nouri shing food a Deva appeared i n ,

the night t o Suj at a and announced that the Bo dhi satt a

h ad put aside his austeritie s and desired t o part ake of

good and nouri shi ng food and now S hall your prayer be
,

acc o mpl i shed . Then Suj at a wi t h all speed arose early

and we nt t o her father s herd N ow for a long ti me she .

h ad bee n accustomed to t ake the milk of a thou sand cow s

and t o fe e d th e re with ve hundred and agai n with th e ir ,

milk t o fe ed t wo hu ndre d and fty and so on until eight ,

o nly w e re fe d with the milk o f the re st a nd this she called ,

30
 III

S U J AT A A ND TH E B O W L OF MIL K -
RICE

N N LA B
A DA L OS E

P ag e 3 0
 Th e S u p me re E n l i gh t e nm e n t

w o rking the m ilk and i n in

I t was ful l moon day t he

-
.

o f t h e month o f May when she received t h e message of the

god s and ro se early and milked the eight c o w s a nd t ook

, , ,

the milk and boiled i t in new pans and prepared milk ri ce ,

- .

At t h e same ti me sh e sent her maid Pu nn a t o the f o ot o f

the great t ree where she had been won t to lay her d a ily
o ffe ri ng s No w the Bo dh i sat t a knowing that he would
.
,

that day attai n Supreme E nl ightenment was s itting at the ,

f o ot o f the tree awaiti ng the hour fo r going forth to beg

,

hi s food ; and such was h i s glory that al l the region of the

Ea st was l it up The gi rl thought tha t it was the spi ri t
.

of the tree wh o w o uld deign t o receive the o fferi ng with

h i s own h a nd s Wh e n she re t urned to Suj at a and reported
.

th i s Suj at a embraced her and be stowed on her the j ewels

,

of a daughter and exclai med Hencefo rth thou shalt be

, ,

to me i n the place of an elder daughter I And sending

fo r a gold en ve ssel she put the wel l cooked f o od t herein -
,

and c o vered i t with a pure whi te cloth and bore i t with ,

d ig nity to t he foot of the great N i g ro dh a tree ; and th e re -

she t o o saw t he Bo dhi sat t a and bel ieved hi m to be the

,

S piri t of the tree Suj at a approached him and placed the

.
,

vessel in his hand and she met his gaze and s a i d

, My
lord accep t W ha t I have o ffere d thee and she added
, ,

May there ari se t o thee as much of jo y as has come to
me ! and s o she depar ted .

The Bo dhi sat ta took the golden bowl and wen t d o wn t o ,

the bank of the river and bathed and then d re ssing h im self ,

i n the garb of an A ra h at he again t ook his seat wi th hi s

, ,

face towards the East He d ivided the rice into forty

.

nine portion s and this food su fced for his nouri sh men t
,

during the forty nine days following the Enlightenment

-
.

When he had nished eating the milk ri ce he t o o k the ,

golden ve ssel and cast i t i nto t he s t ream saying I f I am ,

3 1
 Buddh a @3 9
9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
able t o a t t ain E nlightenment t o day le t thi s po t go up -
,

s tream but i f no t may i t go down s tream
, ,
A nd he threw .

i t i nt o the water and i t went swiftly up the river un t il it

,

reached the whirlpool of the Black Snake K ing and there ,

i t sank .

The Bo dh i satta Spen t the heat of the day in a grove of

Sal tree s beside the stream
-
Bu t i n the evening he mad e
.

h i s way to the foo t of the t re e of wisdom and there , ,

making the re so lution : Though my skin my n e rves and ,

my bones should wa ste away and my life bl o od d ry I will -

,

not leave t hi s sea t un t i l I have a t tained Supreme E nl ighten

men t he t ook hi s sea t with hi s face towards the Eas t
, .

A t thi s moment M ara the Fiend became aware tha t t h e

Bo dh i sat t a had taken h is seat with a view to attaining
Perfect Enlightenment ; and thereupon summ o ning the ,

ho sts of the demons and mounting h i s elephan t of war

, ,

he advanced towards t h e Tree of Wi sdom And there .

s tood Mah a Br ahm a holding above the Bo dh i sat t a a

wh ite can o py o f state and Sakka blowing the great , ,

trumpet and with them were all the companies o f god s

,

and angel s Bu t so terrible was the array of M ara that

.

there was no t one of all thi s hos t of the Devas that dared
t o remain t o face hi m The Grea t Bei ng was left alone
. .

Fi rst o f all h o wever M ara as sumed the form o f a

, ,

me ssenger with disordered garmen t s and pan t ing in has t e

, , ,

bearing a let t er from the S akya princes And in the le t ter .

i t was wri t ten that De v adat t a had usurped th e kingdo m

of K ap ilav at t h u and en tered the Bo dh i sat t a s palace taken
,

h i s g o ods and h i s wi fe and cast Su ddh o dana int o pri son

,

and they prayed hi m t o return to restore peace and o rd e r .

But the Bo dh i sat ta reec ted lu st i t was that had caused

De v adat t a thus to misuse the women mali ce had made ,

him i mprison Su ddh o dana while t h e Sakyas neu t ralized ,

3 2
 Th e S u p emer E n li gh t e n m e n t
by c o ward ice fail e d to d e fend thei r K i ng : and so reec t i ng
on t h e fo lly and weakne ss o f the natural h e art his o wn ,

re so lve to a ttain a h igher and better st ate was s trengthened

d c o nrm e d
1
an .

Faili ng in thi s device M ara now advanced to the a ssaul t,

with a ll his h o st s strivi ng t o o vercome the Bo dhi sat t a

,

rst by a terrible whi rlwi nd th e n by a storm o f rai n cau si ng , ,

a mighty ood : but the hem of the Bo dh i satt a s robe was

no t s ti rred nor d id a si ngle drop of water reach hi m Th e n

, .

M ara c ast dow n up o n h i m showers of ro ck s and a st o rm ,

of dea dly and p o is o ned weapon s burning a she s and coal s , ,

and a st o rm of scorching sand and aming mud ; but al l

the se m i ss il e s o nly fe ll at the Bo dh i satt a s fe e t a s a rain

o f heave nly o wers o r hu ng i n t h e ai r l ike a c an o py a b o ve

,

h i s h e ad No r could he be moved by a n o n se t o f th ick

.

a nd fourfold dark nes s Th e n ndi ng a ll th e se mea ns t o

.

fail h e a ddre ssed the Bo dh i sat t a and sai d : Ari se

,

,

Si ddh at t h a from that seat fo r it i s not th i ne b u t mine !
, , ,

The Bo dhi sat t a r e pli e d

M ara ! th o u hast no t ac c o m
,

p l i sh e d the Ten Perfecti o n s no r even the min o r virtue s , .

Th o u ha s t no t s o ught fo r k no wl e dge nor for the salvati o n ,

of t he world The s e at is m i ne Then M ara was enraged
. .
,

and c a st at the Bo dhi sat t a h i s Sceptre j avelin wh ich -

,

cleave s a sund e r a pill a r o f so li d ro ck l ike a tender sh o o t

of ca ne : and all the demon h o st s hurl e d m asses of ro ck .

But t h e j ave l i n hu ng i n t h e ai r l ik e a can o py a nd t h e ,

ma sse s o f r o ck f e ll d o w n as garland s o f o wers .

Then t h e Great Bei ng said t o M ara : M ara who i s t he ,

wi tne ss that th o u h ast gi ve n al m s M ara s tret c hed fo rth

h i s h a nd and a shout aro se from the demon host s of a
, ,

1
Cf ,
Th e sa g h m lv
e s o f o ld rst go t Tao fo r t e se e s, an d t h g t it f
en o or

o th
e rs B f.
y p e o re t hi y l f w h t l i
ou o sse ss s o u rse ,
a e su re hv y t
a e ou o

a tt
end t th d i g f w i k d m ? Ch g l
o e o n s o c e en

u an
'

z u . Se e l p 6
a so . 1 2 .

C 33
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

thousand voices crying : I am h i s witness ! Th e n t h e
Fiend addres sed the Bo dh i sat t a and e nqui re d : S idd ,

h at t h a ! wh o i s the witne ss that th o u h as giv e n a lm s ?

and the Great Being an swered : M ara th o u ha st ma ny
and l iving wi t nesses that t hou has t given al m s and no ,

such wi t ness e s h ave I But apart fro m t h e al ms I h ave

.

given i n o t her birth s I c all up o n thi s so lid earth t o

,

witne ss to my supernatural gener o sity wh e n I was b o rn

as Ve ssant ara And drawing h i s right hand fro m h i s
.

r o be he stretched it fo rth t o touch the earth and said : Do

, ,

you or do you not wi tness t o my supern a tural gener o si ty

when I was born as Ve ssant ara ?
And the great Earth

replied with a voi ce of thunder : I am witnes s o f that

.

And therea t the great elephant of M ara b o wed down i n

adoratio n and the d e mon host s ed far away in dre ad
, .

Then M ara was aba sh e d But he d id not withdraw fo r .

,

he hoped t o ac c o mpli sh b y another mea ns what he could

not e ffect by f o rce : h e sum moned hi s three daughters ,

Tanh a Ra t i and R aga and t hey danced b e fo re the

, , ,

Bo dh i satt a like the s waying bra nches of a young leafy

tree using al l the ar t s of se duction kn o wn t o b e autiful
,

w o me n Agai n they o ffered hi m the lordsh ip of the earth

.
,

and the compani o n ship of beautiful gi rl s : they app e aled

t o hi m with so ng s o f the se a s on o f spri ng and e xhibit e d ,

t hei r supernatural beauty a nd grace But the Bodhi

.

satt a s heart was not in the least mov e d and he answered ,

P lea sure i s b rief a s a a skof lzg/z t n i ng

0 r lik e a n Autu m n sk ow e r o n l y f or a m o men t
, .

k s/z ou ld I t ke n c o v e t t ke p lea s ure s y o u sp ea k of 7

I se e your b odi s
full of a ll impurity
e a re

B irt/i a nd dea tk s i ck n ess a n d ag e a re y ours

, .

I seek t /z e kz k
g e st p riz e b a rd t o a tta in by m e n
,

Tb e tru e a nd co ns ta n t w isdo m of t /z e w ise .

34
 The S u p e mer E nl i gh t e nm e nt

And wh e n they could no t shake the Bo dh i sat t a s calm ,

they were lled wi th sh a me and aba shed : and they mad e ,

a prayer t o the Bo dhi sat ta wishing h i m the fruition o f ,

h i s labour :

T/i a t w/z i c/i y our li ca ri des ire s may y ou a tta in , ,

A ndn ding f or y ourse lf de liv e ra n ce de liv e r a ll ! ,

1

And now the ho s ts of heaven seei ng the army o f M ara ,

defeated and the wiles of the daughters of M ara vain

, ,

a ssembled to honour the Conqueror they came to the foo t ,

o f the Tree of Wi s dom and cried for joy

Tb e B lessed Bu ddli a ke ka t/c p re va iled !
A nd t ke Te mp te r i s ove rt /crow n

The vi c t ory was achieved while the sun was yet above
the horizon The Bo dhi satt a sank i nto ever dee per and
.

de e per though t I n t he rs t watch of the nigh t he re a ched

.

the K nowledge of Fo rmer Sta t es of being in the middle ,

watch he obtained the heavenly eye of O m nisci e nt Vi s io n ,

and i n the th i rd watch he grasped the perfect und e r

s tanding o f the Chain of Causation which i s the Origin of

Evil and thus at break of day b e attained to Perfect

,

Enlightenment Therewi t h there bro ke from h is lips the

.

so ng of t riumph :

Tkroug /z m a ny dive rs bi rt/z s I pa ssed

Seeking i n va in tke b u ilde r of t /z e kou se .
2

1
di g t t h b
Ac c or n o o er oo k s th e t e mp t ti by th d g h t
a on f Ma e au e rs o ra

i b q t t th S
s su se ue n o e u p m
re e En l i g h t m t I Pl t A th T mp
en en . n a e e e

t tia by th D g h t
on e au e rs o f Mara t k
a es pl i th fth w k f th
ac e n e ee o e

F ty i D y
or -
n ne a s .

2
Th h e i f o u se s, o c o u rse , th e h o u se o r rat h e r th e pi r so n o fi di n

v id l x i t n th b
ua e s e ce : e u ild er of th e h o u se is d i e s re ( ta n/z a )
th w i l l t
e o

j y dp
en o an S o sse ss . ee p 97
. .

35
 Buddh a 863 G o sp e l o f Bu ddh i sm
9
t he

B t Of m
u
of kou s s
ra t k
er t fou n d e , ou a r

N v r g in k lt tk f ki n kou s f m !
e e a a s a ou as o a e or e

B rok n ll t k
e
y b m s
a re a ea ,

Tb king po s t k t t d !
c -
s a e re

My min d k p ss d in to tb st illn ss f N i bban

as a e c e o a

Tk n ding of d s ir k b n tt in d t l s t
e e e e as ee a a e a a !

I nnumerable w o nders were ma nife st at thi s supre m e h o ur .

The e a rth quaked si x t ime s and the wh o le u niverse was ,

i lluminated by the supernatural splend o ur o f t h e s ixf o ld

r ays that proceeded from the body of the seated Buddh a .

Re se ntmen t faded fr o m the hearts of all men all lack was ,

s uppl ied the s ick were h e aled the chain s of h e ll we re

, ,

l o o se d and every crea t ure o f whatsoever sort fo und peace

,

and re st .

Tb e F ortynin e D ays
Gautam a wh o was no w Buddh a t he Enlightened remai ned
, , ,

s e a t e d and m o ti o nl e ss fo r s even d ay s re a lizi ng the bl i ss o f ,

N i b b ana ; and thereafter ri s i ng he re m a i ne d st a ndi ng fo r ,

seven day s mo re steadfastly regardi ng t h e sp o t where

,

h ad be e n won the fruit o f countl e ss deed s o f h e roi c vi rtu e

p e rfo rmed i n pa st birth s : th e n fo r se ven d ay s m o re he
paced to and fro al o ng a cl o i st e re d p ath fr o m We st t o
Ea st extendi ng fr o m t h e thr o ne beneath the Wi sdom Tre e
,

t o the place o f the Steadfast Gaz i ng ; and ag a in for

seven day s he re mained se a ted i n a o d wr o ught pavi li o n
g
-

ne a r t o t h e sam e pl a ce and there revi e w e d i n d e t a il b o o k

, ,

by b o o k all that i s taught i n the A bki d/i a mma P itaka as

, ,

wel l a s the wh o l e d o ctrin e o f cau sal ity ; th e n fo r seve n

d ays m o re h e s at b e n e ath t h e Ni g ro dh a tre e o f Sujata s

o ffe ri ng m e dit a ti ng o n t h e d o ctri ne a nd t h e s we e tn e s s o f

N ibb anaand ac c o rdi ng t o so m e b o o ks i t was at this

,

ti me t h e t e mptati o n by t h e d au ghters o f M ara t o ok place ;

3 6
P
L AT E A

T H E FO R T Y N I N E D AY S
-

F ro m an I ll d m
u s t ra t e i pt Si h l (
a n u sc r ,
n a e se 1 8th y)
c e nt u r
 F
n i n e D ay s
Th e o rt
y
a nd then fo r s even d ay s m o r e while a terribl e st o rm wa s

raging the snake ki ng M u c ali nda sh e lte red hi m wi th

,

h i s sevenf o ld hood ; and fo r se ven day s more he sat

beneath a R ajayat ana tree still e nj o ying the sweetness of ,

l iberation .

And so passed away seven weeks duri ng wh ich the ,

Buddha experienced no bodily wan t s but fed on the jo y ,

of contemplati o n the jo y of the E ightfo ld Path and th e

, ,

joy o f i ts fruit N i bb ana , .

O nly upon the l as t day of the seven weeks he de s ired t o

bathe and eat and re ceivi ng water and a tooth stick fro m
,
-

the g o d Sakka t he Buddha bathed his face and seated

,

hi m se lf at the foot of a tree N ow at that ti me t wo .

Brahma n merchants w e re travelli ng with a caravan fro m

Ori ssa to the middl e c o untry and a D eva who had been , ,

a blood rel a tion of the merchan ts i n a f o rmer l ife stopped ,

the cart s and m o ve d th e i r heart s t o make an o fferi ng of

,

rice and h o ney cak e s t o the L o rd They we nt up t o h i m .

accordi ngly saying : O Ble ssed One have mercy up o n

,

,

u s and accept thi s f o od
, Now the Buddha no lo nger
.

p o ss e ssed a b o wl and as the Buddha s never re ceive an

,

o ffe ring in thei r hand s he reected how he should take i t

, .

I mmediat e ly the F o ur Great K ings the Regents o f the ,

Q uarters appe ared before hi m each of them wi th a bowl ; ,

a nd i n order th a t no ne of them sh o uld be d i sappointed ,

the Buddha received the four bowls and pl a ci ng them one ,

ab o ve the oth e r m ade th e m to be one showing o nly the ,

f o ur li ne s r o und the m o uth and i n thi s bowl the Ble ssed,

O ne re c e ived t h e f o od and a te i t and gave th a nks

, Th e , .

two merchant s took refuge i n the Buddh a the Norm and , ,

the Order and became profe ssed d i sciple s Then the

, .

Buddha rose up and returned again to the tree of Sujat a s

o fferi ng and t here t oo k h is sea t And there reecting .

,

37
 Buddh a 59 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
upon t he dept h of truth which he had found a doub t arose ,

i n h i s mi nd whether i t would be p o ssible t o make i t known

to others : and t hi s doubt is experienced by every Buddha
when he becom e s aware of the Truth But M ah a Brahm a .

e xcl a i mi ng : Ala s ! t he world will be altoge th e r l o st !
came thith e r in ha st e with all t h e Deva h o st s and be sough t , ,

t h e M aster t o proclai m the Truth ; and he granted thei r

prayer 1
.

Th e F irst Tu rning of th e Wh ee l of th e L a w
Then he con sidered t o whom he should rst reveal the Tru th ,

and he remembered Al ara h is fo rmer t each e r and Uddaka , , ,

thi nking tha t t he se grea t sage s would quickly comprehend

it ; but upon cl o se reection he di scovered that each of
them had recently died The n he thought o f the Five .

W andere rs wh o had been h i s di sciple s and upon reec t i o n ,

h e saw that th e y were then re siding in the Deer Park a t

I si pat ana in Benares and h e resolved to go there When , .

the Five Wand e rers whose chief was K o ndaa perceived , ,

the Buddha afar o ff they said together : My friend s

, ,

here comes G a utama the Bhi kkh u We o we hi m no .

re verence since he has re t urned to a free u se of the

,

nece ssaries of l ife and has recovered h i s st rength and , ,

beauty H owever as he is well born let us prepare hi m

.
,
-
,

a seat But the Bles sed One perceived thei r though t
.
,

1
Gre at tru t s do h h t f th m
no t ta e k h ld
A d o of th e e ar s o e asse s . n

n o w, as all th e w ld i i
or I th g h I k w th t p th h w
s n e rro r, , ou no e ru e a o

h ll 1 h w h ll I g id ? I f I k w t h t I
s a , o s a ut e d dyt no a c anno su c c e e an e

t yt f
r o t hi w l d b b t th
o rc e su c c e ss, f s B tt ou e u ano e r so u rc e o e rro r . e e r,

th t d i t
e n, o d t ives s m B t if I t i v
an s r t wh w i ll ?
e no o re . u s r e no ,
o

Ch g T I t i hig h ly h t i ti f th p y h l gy f g i
u an zu . s c arac e r s c o e s c o o o en us

th t w ha t hi d bt
en i l th B ddh h v th l i mm di t ly
s ou assa s e u a e ne er e e ss e a e

p d t d i t q t f g id
re s o n s o a e nth m m e re t th p p i l p t
ue s or u an c e e o en e u u s

th i g h t q t i th t h d b t
e r ues o n s, lv d e e ac ers

ou s are re so e .

38
P L AT E B
38
THE FI R S T S ER MO N T U R N I N G T H E W H EE L
O F T H E LA W A T B E N A RE S
,

"
,

G pt p i
u a er od
(5 t h c e nt u r y D
A sarn at h , B e n a re s
 The Fi rst f t h e Law
T u rn i ng o f t he W he e l o

a nd conce ntrati ng that l o ve wherewith he wa s able to

p e rvade the wh o le w o rld he di rected it special ly towards,

them A nd thi s love bei ng d i ffused in thei r heart s as he

.
,

approached they could not adhere to their re solve b u t

, ,

ro se from thei r seats and bowed before hi m in all reverence .

But not knowing that he had attained enl igh tenment t hey ,

addressed hi m as Brother He however announced .

, ,

the E nlightenme nt saying : 0 Bh i kkh u s do no t addre ss

, ,

me as Brother for I have become a Buddha of clear
,

vision even as th o se wh o came befo re .

N ow the Buddha t o ok h i s seat that had been prepared

for hi m by the Five Wanderers and he taught them ,

the rst sermo n whi ch i s called Set t i ng i n Mo t ion the

,

Whee l of the Law or the Founda t i o n of t he K ingdom o f

,

Righteou sness .

There are two ex t remes which he wh o has gone forth

ought not t o followhabi t ual dev o ti o n on t h e one hand
t o t h e pa ss ions to the ple a sures of s en sual thi ng s a lo w
, ,

a nd p agan wa
y ( o f seeking s ati s fac t ion
) ignoble un , ,

prot able t only for the worldly minded ; and habi t ual
,
-

devoti o n on the other ha nd t o self m o rt i c at i o n which

, ,
-
,

i s painful ignoble unpr o table

, There i s a M iddle Pa t h
, .

1
d i scovered by the Tath agata a path whi ch O pen s the

eyes and bestows understanding whi ch leads t o peace t o

, , ,

i nsight t o the higher wi sdom to Nirv an a Ve ri ly ! i t i s

, , .

this Ariyan E ightfold Path ; tha t i s to say Right Views ,

Right A spiratio ns Right Spe e ch Right Conduct Righ t, , ,

mode of l ivel ihood Right E ffort Right M indfulne ss and , , ,

Righ t Rapture .

N ow this is the Noble Truth as t o su ffering Bi rth i s .

1
Th at is by t h e Ara b t t h t i tl
a e e th e Bu ddh a alw ys u a se s o f hi m
se lf
. He d oe s no t c a ll hi m l f th
se e Bu ddh a ; an d hi s f ll w
o o e rs n v
e er

a ddre ss him a s su c h .

39
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
attend e d with pai n decay i s pai nful di se a se i s pai nful , , ,

death i s painful U nion with t h e unple asant i s painful . ,

pai nful is separation fro m the pl e a sant ; and a ny cra vi ng

uns ati s e d th at too i s p a inful I n brief the ve
, , , .
,

a ggre gat e s of cli ngi ng

( that i s the conditi on s o f i ndi ,

v i du ali t are p a i nful

y) .

N o w thi s is the N o bl e Truth as to t he o rigi n o f su ffe ri ng .

Ve rily ! it i s t he cravi ng th irst th a t cause s the renewal

of becomings that i s acc o mpanied by sensual delight s
, ,

and seek s s ati sf a c t i o n now here now there that i s t o ,

say the cravi ng for the graticati o n o f the s ense s o r t h e

, ,

cravi ng for prosperity .

No w thi s i s the N o ble Truth as t o the p assing away

of pai n Verily ! i t i s the pas sing away so that no p as si o n
.

remai ns the givi ng up the getting rid of the emancipati o n

, , ,

from the harbouring no lo ng e r of thi s craving thi rst

, .

No w th i s i s the N oble Truth as to the way that leads

t o the p assing away o f p a in Veri ly ! it i s thi s Ariyan .

E ightfold Path that i s to say Righ t Vi e ws Right , , ,

A spi rati o ns Right Speech c o nduct and m o d e o f live

, , ,

li h o o d Right E ffort Right Mindfulne ss and Right

, , ,

R a pture 1
.

N ow o f the band of Bh i kkh u s t o wh o m the rst sermon

was thu s preach e d K o ndaa i mm e diately a ttain e d t o ,

the fruit o f the Fi rst Path and the fo ur o thers a ttained ,

to the same station in the course of the next fo ur d ay s .

On the fth day the Buddha summ o ned al l ve to h i s

s ide and del ivered t o th e m the sec o nd d i sc o urse c all e d
,

On t h e N o n e xiste nce of S o ul o f which the s ub st an c e

-
,

i s re l a ted a s f o ll o w s :
Th e b o dy O Bhi kkh u s cannot b e the e ternal so ul fo r i t
, , ,

t e nds t o ward de struction N o r do sensati o n perception .

, ,

1
R h y D v id
s a s, E a rly Buddh ism pp ,
.
51 , 52 .

4o
P L AT E C 4 0

T H E F I R S T S ER MO N T UR N I N G T H E W H EE L OF
T H E L AW
,

eN p l g i l t pp 8 t h 9t h t y
a e se co e r, cen u r A D

A ho Co ll on
.

ut rs ect i
Th e Fi rst T u rn i ng o f t h e f t h e Law Wheel o

the predispositi o ns and consciousness together constitute

,

t h e e ternal so ul for were i t so i t would not be the case

, ,

th a t the consci o usne ss likewi se tends toward s de structi o n .

Or how think yo u whether i s form permanent or transi tory ?

,

and whether are sensation perception and predi sposition s , ,

and con scious ne s s perm anen t or transitory ? They are

tran sitory repl ied the F ive A nd that which i s tran
,

s i t o ry i s i t evil or good ?
I t i s evil re plied the Five
, , .

And that whi ch i s transi tory evil and liable t o change , , ,

can i t be s a id th a t Thi s i s mi ne this am I thi s i s my , ,

eternal s o ul ? N ay verily i t cannot be s o said re plied

, , ,

t h e Five
The n O Bh i kkh u s i t must be sai d o f all
.
, ,

phys ical form whatsoever past o r pre sent or t o be su b , ,

e c t i v e or objective far or near high o r l ow that Th is
j , , ,

i s not mine thi s a m I not thi s i s no t my eternal so ul

, , .

And i n l ike m an ner o f all sensati ons perception s predi s , ,

p o si ti o n s and c o nsci o u sness i t must be said These are , ,

no t mine the se am I not th e se are no t my eter nal so ul

, , .

And perceiving this 0 Bh i kkhu s the true disciple wi l l , ,

c o nceive a di sgust fo r ph ysical form and for sensati o n , ,

perce ption predi spositi on s and consci o usne ss and so wil l

, ,

be divested of desire ; and thereby he i s freed a nd ,

beco me s aware th a t he i s freed ; and he know s that

becoming is exhausted that he has l ived the pure l i fe , ,

that he h as d o ne what i t behoved hi m d o and that he ,

has pu t o ff mortal ity for ever .

A nd through thi s d iscourse the minds o f the Five were

perfectly enlighte ned and each o f them a ttai ned to ,

N ibb ana so that at thi s ti me there existed v e A rah at s

,

i n t h e w o rld with the Buddh a him se lf t he sixth The

, .

n e xt day a you ng man o f the name of Y a sa t o gether wi th ,

ft y four companio ns l ikewi se attained illu mination and

-
,

thus there were sixty persons beside t he Master himsel f ,

4 1
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
wh o had a t tained to A rah at ta These s ix ty the Master .

sent forth i n diverse di recti on s with the command : G o ,

f o rth 0 Bhi kkh u s preaching and teach ing

, , But he .

him self proce e ded to U ru v e la and upon the way he ,

received int o the O rder thir ty young noblemen and th e se ,

al s o he se nt forth far and w ide At U ru v e la the Master .

prevail e d aga i nst three Brahmanical ascetic s re worship ,

-

pers and received them i n t o the Ord e r with all th e i r

,

d i scipl e s and e s tabli shed t hem in A rah at t a The chief

, .

o f th e se wa s known as U ru v e la K a ssapa And when th e y .

were seat e d o n the Gay a Scarp he preached the Third ,

Se rmon c all e d the D iscourse o n Fi re :

All thi ngs 0 Bh i kkh u s are on re And what 0
, .
,

Bh i k kh u s are all these th ings that are o n re ? Th e eye

,

i s on re fo rm s are on re eye con sci o u sne ss i s on re

, ,
-
,

i mpre ssion s receiv e d by the eye are o n re ; and whatever

s e n s ati o n pleasant unplea s an t or neutral originate s i n
, ,

the i mpre ssion s received by the eye i s l ikewi se o n re , .

And with what are al l the se on re ? I say with t h e

re o f lu st o f resentmen t and the re o f glamour ( rag a , ,

do sa and moh a ) ; with birth o ld age death l ame ntati o n

, , , , ,

m i se ry grief and de spa i r they are are

, .

A nd s o wi th the ear with the no se and with t h e t o ngue

, , ,

and in t h e ca se of touch The mi nd too i s o n re .

, ,

th o ughts are o n re ; and m i nd co nsci o u sn e ss and t he -

,

i mpre s s i o n s received by the mind and the s e nsation s th a t ,

a ri se fr o m t h e i mpression s that the mind receive s th e se ,

too are o n re .

And with what are they on re ? I say with t he re of

lu st with t h e re of re se ntme nt and t h e re o f glamour ;
, ,

with bi rth o ld ag e d e ath so rro w lame ntatio n mi sery

, , , , , ,

and gri e f and de spai r th e y are are , .

And seeing t h i s 0 Bhi kkhu s the true di sciple conce ive s

, ,

4 2
 T H E B U DDH A T E AC H I N G 4 2

Ja p a ne se
l ac q u e re d w d Im g 8th t y K T m p l Ky
oo a e, cen u r
j
o z an- i e e, oto
F o m h K ok
.
.

r t e k a
 C o nv e rsi o n o f sari pu t ta E7 M o gallana 9

di sgus t for the eye for form s fo r e ye conscio u sness

, ,
-
,

for i mpressions received by t he eye and for t h e se nsati o n s ,

ari si ng therein ; and for the ear the no se the tongue and , , ,

fo r t h e sense of t ouch and for the mind and for thought s

, ,

and mind consciousness i mpre ssi ons and sensations A nd

-
, , .

so he i s divested of de sire and t hereby he i s freed , ,

and i s aware tha t he i s freed and he knows tha t ,

becomi ng i s exhausted that he has l ived the pure l ife

, ,

tha t he has done what i t behoved hi m t o do and tha t h e ,

h as put o ff mortal ity for ever 1 .

And i n the course of the Sermon upon Fi re the m i nd s ,

o f the thou sand Bhi k kh u s a ssembled there were fre e d

from att achment and delivered from the st ains and so ,

attained to A rah att a and N i bb ana .

C on rsion
ve
f o M og a llana
S arip u tt a
'

a nd

And now the Buddha attended by the thou sand A rah a t s

,

of whom t he chief was U ru v e la K a ssapa repaired t o the ,

Pal m Grove n e ar b y R ajag ah a to redeem t h e promise ,

that was made t o Bi mbi sara the ki ng When i t was .

reported to the king : The Master i s come he hastened ,

t o the grove and fel l a t the Buddha s feet and when he
, ,

had thus o ffered homage he and al l hi s retinue sat dow n .

Now the king was no t able to know whether the Buddha

had become the disciple of Uru v e la K a ssapa o r U ru v e la ,

K assapa of the Buddha and to reso lve the d o ubt Uru v e la

,

Kas sapa bowed down t o the Ma ster s feet saying : The

,

Ble ssed L ord i s my master and I am the di scipl e All , .

the pe o ple cried o u t at the great power of the Buddha ,

exclaimi ng : Even U ru v e la Kas sapa has broken through

the ne t o f delu s ion and has yielded to the follower of the
1
M a havagga I, . 2 1
( a su mm y ar of th e v i e rs o n by W arre n, B ddh ism
u

in Transla tio ns p,
.

43
 Buddh a $ 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

Buddh a s o f the p ast ! To show that thi s was no t the
rst ti m e that K as sapa t h e Great had yi e lded t o h i m the
Ble ssed One recited the M ah a Nara da K a ssap a f ata ka
and h e pr o cl a i m e d the Four Noble Truth s The ki ng o f .

M ag adh a with nearly all h is re t inue e ntered t h e Fi rst

,

Pa th and th o s e wh o d id not so became lay d i scipl e s

, , .

The ki ng gave a gre a t e ndowment t o the Order with ,

Buddha a t th e ir head and conrm e d it by the p o uri ng ,

out o f water And when the Master had thu s receive d t h e

.

Bambu gro ve M o na stery he retu rned thank s and r o se

-
, ,

fro m h i s seat and repaired th ither N ow at thi s ti m e

, .

there dwelt t wo Brahmanical a sce tics near t o R ajag ah a ,

by name Sari pu t t a and Mo gallana No w Sari p u t ta o b .

s erv e d the venera ble A rah at A ssaji o n hi s begging r o und ,

and remarked the digni ty and grace o f h i s d e meanour ;

a nd wh e n the Elder had o btained al m s and was d e parti ng ,

fr o m the city Sari pu t t a fo und occasi o n t o spea k with him

, ,

and enqu ired wh o was hi s te a cher and what t h e acce pted ,

d o ctri ne A ssaji replied .

Bro th e r there is a great , ,

S akya mo nk t o follow whom I l e ft the w o rld and thi s

,

Ble ssed One i s my t e acher and the d o ctrine I approv e i s ,

his .Th e n Sari p u t ta enquired : What the n venerable

,

si r i s y o ur teach e r s doctrine ?
, Br o ther re pl ied ,

A ssaji
I am a no vice and a begin ner and it i s no t l o ng
, ,

that I have re ti red from the world t o adopt the di scipline

and D o ctrin e Th e refore I m ay only se t f o rth to yo u the
.

d o ctri ne in bri e f and give the s ub st ance o f i t in a few

,

w o rd s The n the ve nerable A ssaji re pe at e d to Sari pu t ta

.

t h e W a ndere r t h e f o llowing verse : ,

Wha t th ings s oe ve r a re p ro ducedf ro m ca u se s ,

Of th e se t h e B u ddh a h a th re v ea le d t h e ca u se ,

A n d lik e w ise h ow th ey cea se t o be

Ti s th is t h e grea t a dep t p roc la im s .

44
 R e t u rn o f t h e Bud dh a to K api lavat t hu
And hearing thi s expositi o n of the Do ctri ne Sari pu tt a the ,

W a nderer attained to a clear and d i sti nct perception of

the Truth that whatever is sub je ct to o riginati o n i s subject
al so to ce ssatio n 1
A nd thu s Sari pu t t a attained to the
.

Fi rst P a th Then returning t o Mo g allana he repeat e d to

.
,

h i m the same verse and he t o o attained to the Fi rst Path ,

.

And these t wo l e aving thei r former teacher entere d the

, ,

order e stabli sh e d by the Buddha and wi thin a sh o rt ti me ,

b o th att a i ned to A rah at t a and the Master mad e them his ,

Chief D isciples .

R e tu rn of th e B uddh a t o K ap i la va t t h u
In the meanwhile i t was rep o rted t o Su ddh o dana tha t his
so n who fo r s i x years had devoted hi m self t o m o rt i c a
,

tion had attained to Perfect Enl ighte nment had se t

, ,

ro ll i ng the Wheel of t he Law and was re siding at the ,

Bambu Grove near by R ajagah a A nd he sent a m e s .

s e ng e r with a retinue of a th o u sand m e n with the me ssage

Y our father king Su ddh o dana d e s i re s to se e yo u

, , .

Th e y reached the mona st ery at the hour of i nstructi o n ,

and stand i ng still t o l i sten t o the di scourse the me ssenger ,

attain e d to A rah at t a wi th all hi s reti nue and prayed ,

to be ad mit ted to the Order ; and the Buddh a received

them A nd bei ng now indi fferen t t o the th i ngs o f the
.

world they d id not del iver the ki ng s mes sag e I n t h e

,

.

1
Th e m t ti l l m
os e sse n t f B ddhi t d
a e e t i th
en f ll l i ti
o u s o c r ne , e u re a sa on

of w hi h ti t t
c th
c o ns l i g h t m t f B ddh i h
u es e en t t d i
en en o a u a, s e re s a e n

th f w t p i bl w d Th l
e e es o ss e or s i ti f th l w f e i
c e ar e n u n c a on o e a o un

i ty f b m i gi th g t
.

v l e rsa ti th
c au sa t on l ti e e e rna c on nu O eco n s e re a

t i b ti
c on r f t h B ddh t I di
u on o e th u g h t f i t i ly w i th m
a o n an ou or s on co

p t i
ara di f
ve l t y t h t th
cu V d a t i a bl t f i t l f f m t h
e e n a s a e o re e se ro e

co nc e pt f Fi t C o a A
rs ji v i
au se ft
. ll d th B ddhi t
ssa

s e rse s o en c a e e u s

C f i
o n e ss o n o f F i th ; i t i q t d i a B ddhi t i s i p ti m f
uo e n u s nsc r o ns o re re

q t ly t h
uen
y t h t
an an x t o er e .

45
 B u ddh a 89 "
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
s ame way t h e ki ng sent o ther mes sengers each with a ,

l ike retinue and all o f the se n e gl e cti ng thei r bu s i ne ss

, , ,

stayed a way there i n s ile nce Then the ki ng prev a iled .

upon hi s m ini st e r K alu dayi n to bear t h e mes sage and he ,

c o nsent e d to do so o nly upon c o ndi tion of receiving pe r

m i ss i o n to become a m e mb e r o f the Order him se lf My .

friend the ki ng said
, thou mayst bec o me a hermi t o r
,

not as thou wilt only bri ng i t ab o ut that I may se e my

, ,

s o n before I di e .

K alu dayi n repai red t o R ajag ah a and s t a ndi ng be s id e the ,

di scipl e s at t h e h o ur of i n s truction he a t t a ined to A rah at t a , ,

and was received into the Order N ow at thi s ti m e eight .

mon t h s had pa ssed s ince the Enlighte nment and of thi s ,

ti me the rst L ent or Rainy Seas o n was spent at the

,

D eer Park in Benare s t h e nex t three m o nth s at U ru v e la

, ,

a nd t wo month s at R a a ah a
jg And no w the cold sea so n .

was o ver the earth was deck e d with green gras s and the
, ,

tre e s with scarlet o wers and t h e road s were pl e a sant to ,

t o t h e trav e ller A nd o n the full mo o n day in March

.
-
,

K alu dayi n a full w e ek since h i s admi ssion to the Order

, ,

s p o k e W ith the Buddh a and propo sed t o h i m that he

,

should vi si t h i s fa t her wh o de s i red to se e h im, And the .

Mas ter fo reseeing tha t salvation o f many would resul t

, ,

a ssented sayi ng to K alu dayi n : Well said Udayi n I

,

, ,

s hall go F o r it was in a ccordance with the Rul e that
.

the Brethren sh o uld travel from place t o place A t tend e d .

by twenty t hou sand well born A rah at s and travell ing -

,

e a ch day a le ague he reached K api lav at t hu in t wo

,

month s But K alu dayi n went in st antly th rough t he ai r

.
,

and i nf o rmed the king that h is so n had taken the r o ad ,

a nd by prai s i ng t h e vi rtu e s of the Buddha every day he ,

pre d i sp o se d t h e Sakyas i n h i s fav o ur .

Th e Sakyas c o nsi d e re d what would be the mo st pl e a sant

46
P
LAT E E

S TA ND I N G I MA GE OF T H E B U DDH A
G pt
u a
pen od ( st h c e n t u ry A D M a t h u ra
 C o nv e rsi o n o f t he Sa k y a P ri nc e s
place fo r his re sidence and they chose t h e Ni g ro dh a
,

gro ve n e ar by the ci ty With o wers i n th e i r ha nds

. ,

and a cc o mpanied by children of the place and t he y o u ng

men and maidens of the ro yal fami ly they went o u t to ,

meet hi m and led hi m to the grove Bu t regarding hi m

, .

as you nger than them selves as i t were a y o u nger br o th e r

, ,

a nephe w o r a grand son t hey d id no t bow down But

, ,
.

the Buddha u nder standing thei r thought s perf o rmed the

, ,

miracle of taki ng hi s seat upon a jewelled platform in the

ai r and so preach i ng the law And the ki ng se e ing th is
, .

w o nder said : O Blessed One when K ala De vala b o wed ,

down to y o ur feet on the day of thy bi rth I d id obei sance

t o thee fo r the r s t ti me And when I saw that the .

shadow o f the Jambu t ree remained mo t ionless upon t h e

-

occa sion o f the plough ing festival I d id obei sanc e fo r the

sec o nd ti m e ; and now because of thi s great mi racle I
, ,

bow again to thy fee t And there was not one o f the
.

Sak y as wh o did no t bow to the Buddha s feet at the s a me

time Then t h e Ble ssed One de scended fro m the ai r and

.
,

sa t u pon the thr o ne that had b e en prepared for hi m a nd ,

there he del ivered a d i scourse to wi t the s t ory of his , ,

fo rmer birth as Prince Ve ssant ara .

C o n rs i n
ve o f
o t h e S ak
y a P rinc e s
The next day the ma ste r e ntered K ap i lav at th u t o beg hi s
fo od atte nd e d by the twenty thou sa nd A rah at s Wh e n
, .

i t was rumoure d that the young pri nce Si ddh at th a was

begging fro m do o r to d o or the wi nd o w s o f t h e ma ny ,

storied h o use s were O pened W ide and a multitud e g a z e d ,

fo rth i n am az e me nt And am o ng st these was t h e moth e r

.

of R ahula and sh e said to herself : I s i t right that my

,

l o rd who was w o nt to go to and fro m i n thi s t o wn i n a

,

gilded pala nquin with eve ry sign of pomp sh o uld no w b e

, ,

47
 Bu ddh a 863 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
begging h is fo od fr o m door to d o o r with shave n hai r and ,

b e ard and clad in ru sse t r o be s ?
, A nd sh e rep o rte d the
matter t o t h e king H e i nstantly ri sing w e nt f o rth t o
.
, ,

rem o nstrate with his so n that thu s h e put the S akya cl an ,

D o you think it impo ss ibl e

sa id h e

t o s ham e . th a t , ,

we sh o uld pr o vid e me als fo r all y o ur fo llowers ?
It
i s o u r cu st o m O ki ng ! , was the re ply No t so
.
,

Ma ster s aid the king ; no t o ne o f al l o u r ance st o rs h as
,

ever b e gged h is food
0 king repli e d t he Buddh a
.
, ,

thy de sc e nt i s i n t he succe ssi o n of ki ngs but m ine i n ,

the s ucce ssi on of the Buddh as : and every one of these

has begged h is daily fo o d and l ived up o n al ms , .

And stand i ng in the middle o f the s t ree t he uttered the

v e rse :
A ris d l y n ot follow ft r th p ur lif !
e a nd e a , a e e e e

Wh follo w s v irtu r s ts i n b liss lik i n th is

o e e , a e

w orld nd t h n x t a e e .

And when the verse was ni shed the ki ng attained to t h e

Fruit o f the Fi rs t Path Then the Buddha co ntinued : .

F ollow ft r th p ur lif follow n t ft r i n

a e e e e, o a e s

Wh follo ws v irtu r s ts i n b liss lik i n th is

o e e a e

w orld n d th n x t a e e .

And the ki ng attained t o the Frui t of t h e Second P a th .

Th e n t h e Buddha reci ted the D h a mmap ala f ataka and ,

t h e king attained t o the Fruit o f the Thi rd Path I t was .

when he was dyi ng that the ki ng attain e d to A rah att a :

he never practi sed the Great E ffo rt in sol itude .

No w as so o n as the king h ad e xperi e nced the Frui t of

C o nv e rs i o n h e t o o k the Buddha s b o wl and led the Bl e sse d
,

O ne and all h i s f o ll o wers t o the palace and served them ,

with sav o ury food .

48
 C o nv e rsi o n o f t h e s aky a P ri nc e s
And when the meal was over t he women of the house ,

came and pai d h o mage t o the Ble ss e d O ne except o nly ,

t h e Mother o f R ahul a ; bu t sh e stayed a lo ne fo r s h e ,

thought I f I have the lea st val ue i n the e ye s of my l o rd
,

he will come himsel f to me and t hen I wil l d o h i m

,
'

homage . And the Buddha wen t accordingly to the
chamber of the M other o f R ahula and he was a e com ,

ani e d by the two ch ief D isciple s and he sat down on

p ,

t h e seat pr e p a red fo r h i m Th e n the Mother of R ahul a

.

came quickly and put her hands upon h i s ankle s and l ai d

h e r head upon his feet and so did h omage as she had
,

purpo sed Then the king sai d t o the Ble ssed One
.
,

When my daughter heard that t hou had st put on the

ru sse t robe s from t ha t day forth sh e al so d re ssed only
,

i n russ e t garb ; and when sh e heard of thy o ne meal a

day sh e al s o took bu t a s ingle meal ; and whe n sh e
,

heard that thou hads t forsaken the use of a high couch ,

she al s o slept up o n a mat on t h e oor ; and when her

relatives woul d have received her and surrounded her
with luxu ry she did not hear t hem Such i s her good
, .

ne ss Ble ssed One
, .Tis no w o nder s ai d the Ble ssed

,

One that she exercises self control now when her wi sd o m

,
-
,

is ma t ured ; for she di d no les s when her wisdom was not ye t

matured . And he related the Ca n da kinn a ra Yata ka

-
.

On the second day the so n of Su ddh o dana and the L ady

Gau t ami was to cel e brate a t the s ame ti me hi s i naugura
ti o n as crown prince a nd h is marriage with J anap ada
K alyani t he Beau t y of the L and But the Buddha went
, .

to h i s h o use and there gave hi m h i s bowl to carry ; and

,

with a view to his aba ndoni ng the world he W ished h i m ,

true happine ss ; and then ri si ng from hi s seat he wen t

his way And the young man no t ven t uring t o say to
.
,

the M aster
Ta ke back thy bowl
, perforce followed ,

D 49
 B u ddh a 89 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
hi m to the place of hi s retrea t : and t h e Buddh a rec e ive d
hi m al l unwilling as he was in t o t h e Ord e r and he was
, ,

ordai ned .

U pon the morrow t h e Mother of R ahula arrayed t h e child

i n all its be st and sen t hi m t o the Ble s sed O ne s ayi ng to ,

h i m : L ook my dear at y o nder M o nk a tte nd e d by so

, , ,

man y Brethren : he i s your father wh o was the p o sse sso r ,

of a grea t treasure wh i ch we have no t seen s i nce he left

,

us

Go now and say 0 F ather I am thy so n a nd I
h ave need of the trea sure give me t h e tre asure fo r a
.
, , ,

A nd ev e n so t h e

s o n is heir to h i s father s pr o perty

.

child wen t up to the Bles se d O ne and sto o d bef o re hi m

gladly and cheerfully And whe n t h e Bl e ssed O ne had
.

ni shed hi s meal he aro se and we nt away and t h e boy

, ,

f o llowed hi m saying as h i s m o ther had taught hi m O

, , ,

M o nk ! give to me my inheritance Th e n the Bless e d .

O ne sai d to Sari p u t t a
Well then Sari pu t t a receive
, , , ,

R ahul a into o u r Order .

But when the ki ng learnt tha t h i s grandson had been

o rdained he wa s de e ply grieved ; and h e mad e k no wn h i s

grief to the Master and wo n fro m hi m the pro mi se that

,

henceforth no so n should be re ceived in t o the Order

without the leave of h i s father and m o ther .

N ow after the K ing Su ddh o dana had at t ai ne d the Fruit

,

of the Thi rd Path the Bl e ssed One t o ge ther wi th the

, ,

company of Brethre n returned t o R ajag ah a and took up

, ,

h i s residence i n the S i t a Grove .

But between K api lav at t h u and R ajagah a the Ma ster halted

fo r a short time at the Ma ngo Grove o f A nu p i ya And .

while he was i n that place a numb e r of the S akya

prince s d e termined t o j o in h i s c o ngregati o n and t o thi s ,

end they f o ll o wed h im thither The chi e f o f th e se princ e s

.

were A nu ru ddh a Bh addi v a K i mbila Ananda the

, , , ,

5 0
 IV

YA S O D H A R A A N D R A HULA
N N
A DA L AI . BO S E
P ag e 5 0
 f A nat h api ndi k
C o nv e rsi o n a o

Buddha s cou sin wh o was afte rward s app o inted perso nal

,

atte ndant and De v adat t a the Buddha s cousi n wh o was

, ,

,

ever his enemy .

Conve rs ion of A nath p i di k

'

a n a

Now i n the se days there was a very wealth y merchan t by ,

name A nat h api ndi ka and he was residing at the hou se of

,

a friend at R ajagah a and the news reached hi m t ha t a

,

Bles sed Buddha had ari sen Ve ry early i n t he morn ing.

he went t o the Teacher and heard the L aw and was con

, ,

verted ; and he gave a great don ation to the O rder and ,

rec e ived a promi se fr o m the Ma st e r that he would vi si t

Sav at t hi the merchant s h o me
, Then all alo ng the ro ad
.

for the whole distance of forty v e league s he built a -

re sti ng place at every league And he bought t he great

-
.

e t av ana Grove at Sav at t h i for the pri ce of as many pieces

J
of gold as would cover the whole ground I n the mi d st .

thereof he buil t a pleasant chamber for the Mas ter and ,

separate cell s for the eigh t y E lder s round abou t it and ,

many other residence s with long halls and open roofs and ,

terraces to walk by night and day and reserv o i rs of water , .

Then d i d he send a message t o the Master tha t all was

prepared And the Ma ster departed from R ajag ah a and
.
,

in due c o urse reached Sav at th i And the wealthy merchant .

,

together with his wi fe and h is son and two daughters

i n fe stal atti re and acc o mpanied by a mighty train of
,

foll o wers went out to meet hi m ; whil e the Ble ssed One
,

on his part entered the new built m o n ast e ry wi th all the

-

i nnit e grace and peerles s maje sty of a Buddha making ,

the grov e to shine with the gl o ry of his person as though ,

i t had been sprinkled with d ust of g o ld .

Then A nath ap i ndi ka said t o t h e Mas ter : What shoul d

I d o with t his monas t ery ? and t he Mas ter answered :

5 1
 Buddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

Be stow i t up o n the Order whether no w pre sent or t o ,

come . And the grea t Merchant pouring wa t er from a ,

golden ves sel into the Master s hands conrmed the gift ,

i n these terms And the Ma st er received it and gave

.

than ks and praised the use s of mona steri e s and the gift
of t hem The dedica t ion festival la sted nine months
. .

I n those da y s there also resided at Sav at t hi the chief town ,

of K o sala the lady Vi sakh a the wi fe of the wealthy

, ,

merchan t Pu nnav addh ana Sh e made herself the patroness.

and s upport er o f the Order and was also the mean s of c o n,

verting her father i n law wh o was previ o u sly an adheren t

- -
,

of the naked Jainas ; and for th i s reason sh e got the su r

name of the mother of M igara Beyond thi s was her .

dedi cation to the Order o f t h e monastery of Pu b b arama ,

the value and splendour whereof were second o nly to those

of the monas t ery erected by A nat h api ndi ka himself .

Th e B u ddh a a ve rts a W a r
No w three rainy sea sons were spen t by the L ord in the
Bambu Gro ve I t was in the fth sea son when h e was
.
,

residing in t h e K t agara Hal l of the Gre at F o re st n e ar t o

Ve sali that there arose a d i spute between the Sak yas and

t h e K o li yas regardi ng the water of the river Rohini which , ,

because o f a great drought did not su fce that year to ,

i rrigate the elds on both banks The quarrel ro se high and . ,

matters were c o me n e arly t o ba t tle wh e n the Buddha pro ,

c e e de d to the place and took his seat on the river bank

,
He .

enqui red fo r what reason the pri nces of the Sakyas and
K o li yas were as sembled and when he was i nf o rm e d th a t
,

they were m e t together for battle he enquired wh a t was ,

the point i n di spute The prince s s ai d that they di d no t

.

know of a sure ty and they made enqui ry of the c o mmander

,

i n ch ief b u t he in turn knew not and s ought informat ion

-
, ,

5 2
 Th e A d m i ssi o n o f W o me n
from the regen t ; and so t he enqui ry went on until i t reached

the hu sba ndmen wh o related the whole a ffair
,
Wha t .

then i s the val ue of water ? said the Buddha It is
.

but l ittle ,

said the prince s
And W hat of earth ? .

"

That al so i s l ittle they said And what of princes ?
, .

I t can not be mea sured they said Then w o uld you
, .
,

sai d t he Buddha d e stroy that which i s o f the highest

,

value for the sake of th a t whi ch i s l ittle worth ? and he
appea sed the wrath of the c o mbat a nt s by the recital of
sund ry J atak a s The princes now reected that by t he
.

i nte rpo sitio n of Buddha much bl o od shed had been avoided ,

a nd th a t had i t not bee n s o none might have been left t o ,

rep o rt the m a tter t o t hei r wive s and children And since .

,

h ad he become as he might i f he had s o pleased a uni

, ,

v e rsal m o narch th e y w o uld have been his va ssal s they

, ,

ch o se two hundred and fty o f thei r number from each ,

party t o become his attendan t s and j oi n the Order But

, , .

these ve hu ndred were ordain e d at the wi sh of thei r

pare nt s and no t by thei r o wn wi ll and t hei r W ives were
, ,

lled wi th grief for thei r sa ke .

Th e A dmiss io n of Wo me n
About thi s ti me Su ddh o dana fel l i ll with a mor t al s ick
ne ss and as so o n as thi s wa s re p o rted to the Bles sed
,

One he pro ceeded t o K api lav at t h u and visite d h i s fa th e r

, .

And when h e had c o m e b e fore hi m he preached to hi m ,

t h e i nst abil ity o f all thi ng s so that Su ddh o dana attain e d ,

to t he Frui t of the F o urth Path ; t o A rah at t a and N i bb ana , ,

a nd th e re a ft e r he d ied .

After the death o f her husband the widowed queen the ,

Matron G au t ami d e ci d e d to a d o pt the l ife of the hermitage

, ,

cut o ff her hai r and pro ceeded t o the place wh e re the

,

Buddha was residing She was a c companied by t h e wives.

53
 Buddha 59
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
of the ve hu ndred prince s wh o had been o rdained on t he
occasion of the i mminen t bat t le at t h e Roh ini river ; fo r
these considered that it was bet t er for t hem to re t i re fro m
the world t han t o remai n at home in wi dowhood The
, .

Matron Gau t ami said to the Buddha that as Su ddh o dana

was no w dead and R ahula and N and a were both ordained
,

Brethre n she had no wish t o reside alone and sh e a s ked

, ,

that she might be admi tt ed t o t he Order together with ,

the prince sses wh o were with her Bu t this request the .

Buddha refused a rst a second and t hird t i me fo r he

, , , ,

re ec t ed t ha t i f t hey were admitted i t woul d perplex the ,

m ind s o f many wh o had no t ye t en t ered t he Path s and ,

would be t h e o ccasi o n of evi l speaking agains t t he Order .

And when they were s till refused the women feared to ,

ask a f o urth ti me and they returned to thei r homes

, .

And the Buddha re t urned t o t h e K at agara hall near ,

Ve sali .

Then the Ma t ron G au t ami sai d t o t he other princesses

My ch ildren t h e Buddha has thrice refus e d u s adm i ssion
,

to the Order b u t no w le t us take i t upon ourselves t o go

,

t o hi m where he no w is and he will not be able to deny

,

us .

They all c u t t hei r hai r adopted t h e garb of ,

religieuse s and t aking earthen al ms b o wls se t o u t fo r

,
-
,

Ve sali o n fo o t ; for the y con s idered tha t i t was c o ntrary

t o the discipline fo r a recluse t o t rav e l by car Then .

they wh o i n all their l ife had walked only on smooth

pavements and regarded i t as a great matter t o a s cend
,

o r d e s cend from one s t o ry of thei r palaces to another ,

trod the du sty roads and i t was not unti l evening that
,

th e y reached the place where the Buddha was They .

w e re rece ived by A nanda And when he saw them th e i r

. ,

feet bleedi ng and c o vered with dust as i f h alf dead his , ,

breas t was lled with pity and his eyes wi t h t ears and he ,

54
 Th e A d m i ssi o n f W o me n o

e nqui red the meaning of th e ir j ourne y When thi s was .

made known he inf o rmed the M a ster describing all that ,

h e had see n .But the Buddha merely sai d : Enough

,

Ananda do no t ask me that women retire fr o m the house

,

h o ld li fe t o the h o meles s li fe under the D octri ne and ,

D iscipl in e of H i m wh o has thus a t tained

"
- - - And he sai d -
.

thi s three t i mes But A nanda besought the Blessed One

.

i n a nother way to receive the women into the homeless

l ife He asked the Blessed One : Are women compe t en t
.
,

Reverend Si re i f they reti re from the househol d to the

,

h o meless l ife to attain to the Fruits of the Fi rst the

, ,

Sec o nd the Thi rd and the Fourth Path s even t o

, , ,

A rah at t a ? The Buddha coul d no t deny the compe t ence

of w o men . Are Buddhas he asked b o rn i nto the
, ,

worl d o nly for the bene t of men ? Assuredly i t i s for

the benet of women also And the Blessed One
.

c o nsented that women should make profe ssion and enter

the Order subject to t h e cond i tions o f the Eight D uties
,

of Subordination to the Bre t hren B ut he added i f
.
, ,

women were no t admi t t ed t o the O rder t hen woul d t he ,

Go o d L aw endure for a thousand years b u t no w i t will ,

s ta nd for ve hundred y ears o nly For just as when .

mildew fall s upo n a el d of ouri shing rice t hat el d of ,

ri ce doe s no t lo ng endure jus t so when women re t i re

,

from t h e hou sehol d to the homeless li fe under a D oc t rine

and D i scipl i ne the norm will not long endure And
, .

j ust as a l a rge reservoi r i s s t rengthened by a strong dyke ,

s o have I e stabli shed a barrier of eigh t weighty regu

lat i o ns no t t o b e transgre ssed as long as l ife shall la st

, .

A nd i n thi s way the M atro n G au t ami and the ve hundred

pri nce sse s were admi tted t o the order ; and i t was not
l o ng before G au t ami attai ned t o A rah at t a and the ve ,

hu ndred princ e s se s attained the F rui t o f the Fi rs t Path .

55
 Buddh a 59
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
And this t ook place in the sixth year of t he Enligh t en
men t .

Th e S ix th t o th e F o u rte e nth Ye a rs
The sixth r a i ny sea so n was s p e n t at Sav att h i and t here ,

after the Ble ssed O ne re pa i red to R ajag ah a N ow the .

name o f king Bi mbis ara s wi fe was Khem a and such was ,
1

her pride i n her b e auty tha t sh e had never deigned to

vi s i t the Master : b u t on a cert ain o ccasion the king
brough t abou t a meeting by means of a stratage m Th e n .

the Buddha perf o rmed a mi racle for her ; h e produced

a liken e s s of one o f the b e autiful nymphs of Indra s

heaven and while sh e beheld i t he mad e it pa ss thr o ugh

, ,

all the st ages of youth middle age old age and death
, , , .

An d by thi s t e rrible s ight the Q u e en was di sp o se d t o h e ar

the M a ste r s t e achi ng and she en t ered t h e Fi rst Path

, ,

a nd afterward s attained t o A ra h att a .

D uring the M as t er s re s idence in R ajag ah a a wealthy

merchant of th at place became posses sed of a piece of

sandal wood and he had a bowl made of i t This bowl
, .

he fa st ened to the tip of a tal l bamboo and rai sing i t ,

up i n this way h e announced : , I f any Wanderer or
Brahman be po sse ssed o f m iraculous powers le t hi m take ,

down the bowl Then Mogallana and o ther of the

.

Brethren egge d each other to t ake it down and that other ,

by name Pi ndo la Bh aradv aja rose up into t h e sky and

-
,

t ook the b o wl and moved three ti me s round the ci ty e re

,

h e de scended to t h e a st o ni shme nt o f all t h e citiz e n s

, .

Wh e n this was rep o r te d to the Buddha he re m a rk e d : ,

Thi s will no t c o nduce t o the c o nvers ion of the u nc o n

verted no r t o the advantage o f the c o nverte d
, A nd .

1
F or o t h e r me n t i on o f th e B hi kk uni K h e ma, se e p . 2 2 3 .

5 6
 Th e S i xt h t o the F o u rt e e n t h Y e ars
he pro hibi ted the Brethren from making an exhibi t ion
o f mi racul o us powers .

The Buddha met with oppo siti o n t o h is teaching par ,

t i c u larly from s i x heretical teacher s each o f whom h ad a ,

large train of adhere nt s Of these hereti cal teachers .

o ne was Sanjaya the former master of Sari pu t t a and

,

M o g allana and another was N i g ant h a Nat apu t t a wh o i s

, ,

better known as Vardham ana the founder of the sect of ,

t he Jaina s who se history i n m any re spects recalls t ha t of

,

Buddhism while unl ike Buddh i s m i t s til l numbers m any

, , ,

adherents i n I ndia proper These variou s te achers fail e d

.

to nd any support in the real m of B i mbi sara and there ,

f o re bet o ok them selve s to Sav at t h i hopi ng t o secure ,

gre ater inu e nce with K ing Prase naji t No w Sav att hi .

was t h e pl a ce w e re all f o rmer Buddha s have exh ibit e d

thei r gre a te st m iracle and rememberi ng thi s the Buddha
,

proceeded thither with the intenti o n o f confoundi ng hi s

O ppone nts . He to o k up h i s re sidence in the J e t av ana
m o nastery Very soon afterward s he exh ibi ted t o t h e
.

people the si x teachers and K ing Prase naji t a serie s of

, , ,

great m iracle s creating a great road acro ss the sky fro m

,

East to We st and w alking thereon the whil e he preach e d

,

the Good L aw By these mean s the heretical teachers

.

were overcome .

Foll o wi ng upon the Great M iracle the Buddha departed ,

to t h e Heave n o f the Thi rty thre e and th e re preached t h e

-
,

Law to h i s moth e r Mah a M ay a The Buddha remained

, .

i n t h e Heave n o f the Thi rty three fo r three month s and -

,

duri ng that ti me he created a l ik e ne ss of hi m self that ,

c o nti nued the teaching of the L aw o n earth and went e ve ry ,

day up o n h i s r o und s b e ggi ng fo od When the Buddha .

was about to de scend fro m heaven Sakka c o mmand e d ,

Vi ssak am ma the divine archi tec t to create a t riple

, ,

57
 B u ddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
l add e r the foo t of which was set d o wn near the t o wn of
,

Sanki ssa And the Buddha desc e nded at this pl a ce

.
,

atte nd e d by Brahm a o n the right and Sakka o n t h e l e ft .

Fro m Sanki ssa the Ma st er returned t o the J e t av ana

mo na stery near Sav at t h i Here the here tical te a ch e rs
.

i nduced a young w o man of the name o f Ci nc a so t o

act as to aro us e the s uspici o n o f the pe o pl e re ga rdi ng
h e r relatio n to the Master After m any vi sit s t o t h e
.

m o nastery she contrive d a means to assum e t h e appe a r

,

anc e of a woman far gone in pre gn ancy and i n the ni nth ,

m o nth she bro ught an O pen accu sati o n and required that ,

t h e Ma ster s h o uld provide a place fo r her c o n ne ment .

The Buddha an swe red wi th a great voice Sist e r wheth e r , ,

thy w o rd s be true or fal se none k no w e th sav e th o u and I
, .

At tha t very m o ment the stri ngs ga ve way wh e rewith the ,

w o man h ad bou nd upon herself the w o ode n gl o be by

mea ns o f which sh e had assum e d the a ppeara nce of
pregnancy Pursued by the i ndign ant p e opl e sh e d is
.
,

appeare d i n the mid s t of ame s ri si ng fro m the e a rth and ,

de scended t o the b o ttom of the lowe st Purga t o ry .

The ninth re treat was spent in the G h o si t aram a at

K au samb i H e re t here aro se violent di sagre e m e nt s
'

among the Bre thren on matters o f di scipl ine and the ,

Buddha s wi sdom and ki nd ne ss availed no t to re store

pe ace H e therefore left the Bre thren and proce eded t o

.

t h e village o f Balajalo nak ara with the int e ntion o f r e sidi ng

al o ne as a hermit He met on the way A nu ru ddh a
. ,

Nandi ya and K i mbila wh o w e re l iving in perfect unity

,

and c o ntent and he rejoi ced thei r h e art s by a re ligi o u s

,

d i sc o urse Then proceedi ng to the R akkh i t a Grove at

.

Pari le yyak a h e dwelt al o ne , .

Afte r re sidi ng fo r s o m e ti me at Pari le yyaka the L o rd ,

pro ceeded to Sav att h i N ow th e contumaciou s Brethr e n

.

5 8
 Th e S i xt h t o t he F o u rt e e nt h Y e ars
of K au samb i had received such sig nal marks of d i sre spe ct
fr o m t h e lai ty of that city that they resolved to proce e d t o
Sav at t hi and lay the ma t ter i n dispute befo re t h e Master ,

and they abode by h i s deci s i o n and peace was re st o red , .

D uri ng the eleventh retrea t the M as t e r resided at

R ajag ah a . There he saw one day a Brah man by name ,

Bh aradv aja sup e ri ntending t he cultivation o f h i s e ld s

,
.

The Brahman se ei ng the Buddha subsisting up o n the

,

al ms of o thers sa id : O Wanderer I pl o ugh and so w

, , ,

and so nd my live lih o od D o th o u a l so plough and so w.

t o the same end ? Bu t the Buddha replied : I too , ,

plough and so w and i t is thus that I nd my food
, .

Th e Brahman was surpri sed and said : I do no t see O , ,

reverend G a utam a that yo u h a ve a yoke plough share

, , ,

goad or bullocks
, H o w then say that th o u t o o
.
, ,

lab o u re st ? The n the L o rd said : Fai t h i s the seed I

s o w ; devotion i s the rain ; modes t y is the

p lo u h sh aft ;
g
t h e mind i s the tie of the yoke ; m i ndfu lne ss i s my plough
sh a re a nd goad Energy is my t eam and bullock leadi ng
.
,

t o s afety and proceeding without backslid ing to the place

,

where there i s no s o rro w And Bharadv aja was so .

much affected by th is parable tha t he was converted and

m ade confe ssi o n and was ad mitted to the Order .

In the th irtee nth year during h i s stay at K ap i lav att h u

, ,

the Buddha was subjected t o vi olent i nsults on the part o f

h is father i n law Su p rab u ddh a and he uttered the pre
- -
, ,

d i cti o n that within a wee k Su p rab u ddh a w o uld be swallowed

al ive by the earth A nd notwith standi ng Su prab u ddh a
.
,

S pe nt the whol e week in the tower of h i s p alace the earth ,

opened and he was swallow e d up i n acco rdanc e with

the pr o ph e cy and he sank i nto the lowe st Purgatory
, .

The L ord returned fro m K api lav at t h u t o the J e t av ana

m o nastery at Sav att hi and thence proceeded t o Alavi a ,

59
 Buddh a E3 9
t he G o sp e l o f B uddhi sm
pl ace tha t was haunted by a man eating ogre wh o was accus -

t o m e d t o dev o ur the children o f the plac e day after day .

When the Buddha appeared be fore h i m he was received ,

with thre at s but t h e Ma ster by gentl e n e s s and patienc e

, , ,

succe e ded i n softe ning hi s h e art and was able al so to ,

a n s wer the qu e stion s propounded by the ogre wh o became ,

a bel iever a nd m e nded his l ife The erce robber Angu .

li m ala t o o he wo n over to the G o od L aw a nd no t wi t h

, , ,

stand i ng his evi l l ife he quickly a t tained to A rah at t a .

Ab o ut this ti me the pi ous A nat h ap i ndi ka gave hi s

daughter i n marriage t o the so n of a friend re s iding i n
A nga and as the Anga family were supporters o f the
,

here ti cal t e acher N i gant h a he gave h i s daughter a train ,

o f mai d servant s t o s upp o rt her i n the righ t fai th The .

y o u ng wi fe re fu sed t o d o honour t o the nak e d Jaina

a sc e tic s and sh e awakened an eager de sire in t he he a rt
,

of her m o ther i n law t o hear t h e preachi ng of the Ma ster :

- -

a nd when he arri ved the whole family together with m any

others were c o nverted L eaving t he c o mpleti o n o f t he .

w o rk of conversion t o A nu ru ddh a t h e Buddha returned t o ,

Sav at t h i .

Th e B u ddh a s D a ily L if e

I n thi s way there pa ssed by year af te r year of the Buddha s

wandering ministry but t he e vent s of the middle years ,

ca nnot be chron o logi cally arranged with exactitude ; i t

will s u fce i f we give a general descrip t i on of the Mas t er s
d a ily l ife at thi s ti me 1
.

From year to year the change from a peri od of wandering

t o a period of res t and reti remen t repeated it se lf for Buddha
and his disciples In the month o f Ju ne whe n after the
.
,

1
W h t f ll w i q t d f m th d m i b l
a o o s s uo e ro e a ra e su mm y ar of O ld b
en e rg

Bu ddh a E gl i h t l ti by W H y
,
n s rans a on . oe .

6o
 Th e Buddh a s

Dai ly L i fe
d ry scorchi ng heat of the Indian s umme r cloud s come
, ,

up i n t o weri ng masses and the rolli ng thunder s h e rald

,

the approach of the rain beari ng mo nso o n t h e I nd ian -

,

to day as i n ages past pre pare s hi mself and h i s home fo r

-
, ,

the ti me during which all u sual O perati ons are interrupted

by the rain : for whole weeks l ong i n many places the
pouring t orrents conne the inhabitants t o thei r hut s ,

o r at any r a te t o thei r villages while communicati on

, ,

with neighbours i s cut o ff by rapid swol len stream s and , ,

by inu ndati o ns The bi rds says an ancient Buddhi st

.

,

work build th e i r ne st s on the tops o f trees : a nd there
,

they nestle and hide duri ng the damp sea so n And thu s .

al so i t was an e stabl i shed practice with the members

,

o f monasti c orders und o ubtedly not rs t i n B uddha s

,

ti me but s ince ever there was a system o f religiou s

,

i tinerancy i n I ndi a to su spend itineran t O perati ons duri ng

,

the three rainy mo nths and t o s pend th is ti me i n quiet

retirement i n the neighbourhood of t owns and vi llages ,

where s ure supp o rt was to be found through the chari ty

o f believer s Buddha al so eve ry ye ar fo r three months
.

kept va ssa rainy sea son su rrounded by groups of h is

, ,

d isciple s wh o ocked together t o pas s the rainy season

,

near thei r teacher K ing s and wealthy men c o nte nded

.

for the h o nour of en tertaining hi m and h i s disciple s wh o ,

we re with hi m a s gu e sts duri ng thi s season i n the h o spi c e s

,

and garden s which they had provided for the c o mmuni ty .

The rai ns being o ver the i tinerati ng b e gan : Buddha ,

went from town to t o w n and village t o village always ,

attended by a great concourse of d i sciple s : t h e text s are

w o nt to speak i n o ne place o f three hu ndre d and i n ,

an o ther of ve hundred wh o foll o wed thei r ma ster I n , .

the main st re ets through wh ich the religious pilgrim s

, ,

l i ke t ravelling merchants used t o pass t h e believers wh o , ,

6 1
 Buddh a 89
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
dwelt near h ad take n c a re to pro vide shelter t o which ,

Buddh a and h i s di scipl e s might resort : o r where m o nks ,

who pro fe ssed the d o ctrine dwelt th e re was sure t o be ,

f o und l o dgi ng fo r t h e night i n th e i r abod e s and e ven i f ,

no other cover was to b e had there was no want of m ango ,

or b anyan trees at the fee t of whi ch the band migh t halt

,

for the night .

The m o st i mportant headquarters duri ng these wan

de ri ng s at the s am e ti me t he a ppro xi mate ly e xtre m e p o i nt s
, ,

to the no rth we s t and south

- e a s t o f t h e a re a i n wh ich ,

Buddha s pilgri m li fe was passed are t h e c apital citi e s o f the

,

ki ngs o f K o sala and Mag adh a Sav at th i no w Sah e t M ah e t h , ,

on the Rapti and R ajag ah a no w R ajgi r s outh o f Bihar

, , , .

I n the i mm e diat e n e ighb o urh o o d o f the se t o wn s t h e com

munity p o s se ssed num e r o us plea sa nt g a rd e ns i n whi ch ,

s tructure s o f variou s kind s were erected fo r the require

m e nt s o f the members No t t o o far fr o m no r yet t o o

.
,

near the t o wn thu s run s the standard d e scripti o n of s uch
,

a park giv e n i n

the sacred texts we ll pr o vid e d with ,

e ntrance s and exit s ea s ily a cc e ss ible t o all p e o pl e wh o

,

e nquire aft e r i t with not too much o f the bu stle of l ife by

,

day quiet by night fa r fr o m commoti o n and the cro wds

, ,

of m e n a place of reti remen t a good pl a ce for so l it a ry

, ,

meditati o n Such a garden was t h e Ve lu v ana Bambu

.

,

Grove once a plea sure gro u nd o f K ing Bi mbi sara and

,

-
,

pres e nted by hi m to Buddh a and the Church : an o th e r was

the still m o re re no u ne d J e t av ana at Sav at t h i a gi ft made ,

by Buddha s mo st liberal ad mi re r the great merchant ,

A nat h ap i ndi ka No t al o ne t h e s acre d text s but e qu ally

.
,

al so t h e monumental re c o rd s t h e reli e fs of the gre a t St upa

,

o f Bh a rhut r e c e ntly e x pl o red s h o w h o w highly c e lebrat e d

, ,

th i s gift o f A nat h ap i ndi ka s was from the e arlie st d ays i n

the Buddhi st Church I f i t i s p o ssible to speak o f a

.

62
 Th e Buddh a s

D i ly
a L i fe
hom e i n the h o mele ss wa nd e ring l ife of Buddha a nd h i s
d i s ciple s places l ik e the Ve lu v ana and J e t av ana may o f
,

al l o thers be s o called near the great centre s o f I ndian ,

l i fe and yet u ntouched by the turmoi l of the capitals o nce ,

the qu i e t re st ing place s o f rulers and no ble s before t he

-
,

yellow robed mendicant s appeared on the scene and the

-

,

Church i n t h e fo ur quarter s pre sent and ab se nt s ucceeded , ,

to the pos ses s i o n of the ki ngly i nherita nc e I n the se .

ga rd e ns w e re the reside nce s o f the brethre n h o use s hall s , , ,

C l o i ster s st o rero o m s su rrounded by lotu s p o o l s fragra nt

, ,
-
,

mang o tree s and sle nder fan pal ms t hat lift th e i r f o l i age
,
-

high o ver all el se and by t h e deep green f o liage o f t he

,

N yag ro dh a tree who se roo t s droppi ng fro m the air t o earth

,

b e c o me ne w stem s and with thei r co o l shady arcade s and

,

le afy walks seem to i nvite t o peaceful m e ditatio n .

The se were the surro undings i n which Buddha pa ssed a

great part of h i s l ife probabl y the porti o n s of i t richest i n
,

e ffectiv e work H e re mas ses of the p o pulati on lay as

.
,

well as monastic ocked t oge t her t o se e h i m and t o hear

, ,

hi m preach H ither came pilgri m monk s from fa r

.

countri e s wh o had heard the fame of Buddha s t e ach ing

,

,

and when the rainy season was pas t undertook a pilgri m

, ,

age t o see the Ma ster face to face .

The fame of Buddha s person al so drew together from

far and nea r crowd s of such as s tood wi thout the narro wer
circl e s of the commu ni t y To the a scetic Gotam a .

,

people remarked to one ano t her f o lk s are coming pas si ng , ,

thro ugh kingd o m s and countries to co nverse wi th him , .

Often when he happened to h a lt n e ar the reside nce s of

,

pot e ntate s ki ng s pri nces and d ignitarie s came on wagons

, , ,

or on elephants to put que stio ns t o h i m o r to hear his

doc t rine Such a scene i s describ e d to u s in the o peni ng
.

o f the S utra on the frui t o f asceticism and reappears i n

,

63
 Buddh a 83 9
9
t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
pict o rial repre se ntati o n am o ng the rel iefs at Bharhut .

Th e St ra relate s h o w K i ng Ajat asat t u o f M ag adh a in

the L otu s night that i s in t h e ful l m o o n o f Oct o ber
-

, ,

o s
the ti me when the lotu bl om i s s itti ng in the o pen ai r
s ,

surround e d by hi s no bl e s o n t h e at r o o f of h i s palace .

Then as i t is recorded i n that text the king of Mag adh a

,

, ,

Ajat asatt u the so n o f the Vai de h i prince s ut t ered this

, ,

exclama t ion Fai r i n so o th i s this mo o nlight night
, ,

l o ve ly i n sooth i s thi s m o o nl igh t nigh t grand in s o o th ,

i s thi s m o o nlight night happy omen s in sooth gi veth ,

t hi s mo o nlight night What Sam a n a or what Brah man

1
.

s h a ll I o t o hear that my s oul may be che e red when

g ,

I hear hi m ? One c o u nse lle r nam e s thi s and an o ther

that teacher : but Ji v aka the king s phys i cian s its on i n ,

,

s ilence Then the king of M ag adh a Ajat asat t u the

.
, ,

s u n of Ve de h i spake to Ji v aka K o marab h ac c a : Wh y

,

art thou silent friend Ji v aka ? ,

Sire i n my mang o
,

gro ve he resteth the exalted h o ly supre me Buddha , , , ,

with a great band of di sciple s with three hundred monk s ; ,

of h i m the e xalte d Gotama there spreadeth through the

, ,

world lordly praise i n the se terms : H e the exal te d o ne i s , ,

the h o ly supreme Buddha t h e wi se the learned the

, , , ,

bles sed wh o knowet h the u niverse the highe st wh o

, , ,

t ame t h man l i k e an ox the teacher of gods and men the , ,

ex alted Buddha Si re g o to hear him the exalted one :

.
, ,

perchance i f thou s e e st h im the exalted one thy s o ul

O s i re may be refreshed and the ki ng ord e rs elephant s
, , , ,

to be prepared for hi m sel f and t h e queen s and the r o y a l ,

pro c e s s i o n move s with burning torch e s o n that moo nlight

n ight through the gate of R a a ah a t o J i v ak
jg

a s ma ng o

grove where Buddha i s s aid t o have held with the ki ng

,

the fam o u s di sc o urse On t he fruits of asce t i cism at , ,

1
A b gg ing f i
e r ar, B hi kkh u .

64
 Th e Buddh a s Dai ly L i fe

the end of whi ch the king joined the Church as a lay

member .

A freque nt end of the se d ial o gues i s o f course that , ,

t h e va nquished O pp o nent s or t h e partisan s o f Buddha

i nvite h i m and hi s disciples to d ine on the following day .

Th e B u ddh T hi g i
a e ac n n th e H o u se o f a ym
La an

( j nt F
A a a re sc o e s, a ft er Gi r ft h s )
Si r may i t plea se the Exalted One and hi s disciple s to
,

di ne wi th me to m o rr o w
-
And Buddha perm it s his con
.

sent t o b e i nf e rred from h is silence On the followi ng .

day ab o ut noon whe n d inner i s ready the ho st sends

, , ,

w o rd t o Buddh a : Si re i t i s ti me the dinner i s ready
, ,

and Buddha takes h is cloak and al ms bowl and goes -

E 65
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
wi th h is d i s ciples in t o the town or vi llage to t h e re s id e nc e
of his hos t Aft er dinner
. at which the ho st h im sel f
and h is family serve the gues t s when t h e custo mary ,

hand washing is over t he host t akes h is place wi th h i s

-
,

famil y at Buddha s side and Buddha addresses to them a

,

word of spiri t ual admonition and ins t ruction .

I f t h e day be not lled by an i nvi tation Buddha accord , ,

ing to mona sti c us ages undertakes h is circui t o f t h e

,

village or t own in que st of al m s He as w e ll as h i s .

,

disciples rises early when the l igh t of d awn a ppears i n

, ,

t h e sky and spends the early moment s i n S piritual e x e r

'

cises o r in c o nverse with h is di sciples and then he ,

proceeds wi t h hi s compani on s towards the town I n the .

d a y s when his reputation s t ood at its h igh e s t p o int and

hi s name was named throughout India am o ng the f o re
most names o ne m igh t day by day se e that m an bef o re
,

who m kings bowed them selve s walki ng about a l m s b o wl , ,

-

i n hand through s t reets and alleys fr o m hou se t o hou se

, , ,

and without utteri ng any requ e st wi th downca s t l ook , ,

stand silen t ly wai t ing un t il a morsel of f o od was thrown

i n t o h i s bowl .

When he had re t urned from h i s begging excurs ion and

had ea t en h is repas t th e re f o ll o wed as the I ndian cli mate
, ,

demanded a ti me if no t of sl e ep at any rate of peaceful

, , ,

retiremen t Res t i ng i n a qui e t chamber or better still

. , ,

i n the c o o l S hades of d e nse fo l iage he pas sed the sultry ,

close hours of the afterno o n i n soli tary c o n t emplati o n

until the evening came on and drew hi m o nce more from

holy silence t o the bus t ling conc o urse of friend and foe .

Th e A ppointment of A na nda

D uri ng t h e rs t twenty y e a rs of the Buddha s life hi s ,

perso nal attendants were no t such permanently Th e .

66
P LA T E G
66
S T A ND I N G I MA GE O F T H E B U DDH A A TT E ND E D B Y
AN A ND A A ND K A SS A P A A ND TW O B O D H I SATTA S
Chi ne se l
st e e , We i d y nas t y , ot h y
c e nt u r A D .

Co lecli o n o
f M r Vi c

ar Go lo nb e w
 Th e A pp o i nt m e nt o f Anand a

Brethren t ook i t by turns to carry the Ma ster s bowl and
cloak and he di d not favour one m o re than another But
,
.

one day he addressed t he Brethren and sai d O Bh i kkh u s ,

I am now advanced i n years : and some Bh i kkh u s when

1
,

they have been t ol d L e t us go thi s way take another
,

way and some d rop my bowl and cl oak on t h e ground

,
.

Do ye know of a Bhi k kh u t o be m y permanent body

servan t ? Then the venerable Sari pu t t a aro se and said

I L ord will wai t upon thee

, H i m t h e Exalted One .

rejec t ed and M o g allana the Great al so Then all of the

, , .

forem o st d i sciple s said :
We will wait upon thee .

Only Ananda rem a ined silent : for he thought The Master

h imself will say O f whom he approves Then the Exalted .

One said : O Bh i kkh u s Ananda i s not to be urged by

,

others : if he know s it of hi m sel f he will wait upo n me , .

The n A na nda st o o d up and said : I f L ord thou wil t , ,

refu se me four thi ngs and grant me f o ur things then I

, ,

wi ll wai t on the e No w the fou r things that Ana nda

.

wi shed to be de nied were special favours fo r he d id no t ,

wi sh i t to be s ai d tha t hi s servi ce was und e rtaken for the

sake of clothes or good fare or lodging or th a t he might
, , ,

be included in i nvita t ions And the four boon s that he .

de sired w e re t hat the Buddha w o uld accept any invitation

received through Ananda t hat he would be ea sy of acc e ss ,

to such as Ananda should bring to speak with hi m and t o

A nanda hi mself and that he would re peat t o Ana nda s uch
,

doctrines as h e d e sired t o hear again : for Ananda di d

no t wi sh i t t o be thought that the Buddha made no accou nt

o f him nor that m e n should say that the Buddha s i m

,

mediate atte nd a nt was no t wel l versed in the d o ctri ne All .

th e se boons were granted by t h e Ble ssse d One and thence ,

forward unti l t he day of his death Ananda remained the ,

Th e Bu ddh hi ti m fty y
1
a was at t s e si x e ars o f age .

67
 Buddha t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
perman e nt attendant the Buddha I t was no t h o weve r of .
l
, ,

until after the Buddha s death tha t Ananda attained t o
A rah at ta .

Th e E nmity of D ev a da t t a

I n the picture of Buddha s daily l ife described a few
pages previou sly m e ntion i s made of Ajat asatt u K i ng o f
, ,

M ag adh a Thi s Ajat asat t u was the son of Bimbi sara the
.
,

chief of the Buddha s royal suppor ters When Ajat asat t u

.

was conceived i t was indi ca t ed by an o men and a pr o ph e cy

,

that he would be the sl ayer O f h i s fa ther And thi s c a m e .

t o pa ss a t the in s tigation of De v adat t a One day when .

t h e Buddha was teaching in the Bambu Grov e De v adat t a ,

prop o sed that b e cause of the Ma ster s advanced ag e ,

t h e leadership of t h e Congregation should be v e st e d in

hi m se lf From the ti m e when thi s sugge sti o n was plainly
.

re fu sed De v adat t a s enmity and ill wi ll gre atly i ncre a se d

,

-
.

Becau se o f what h ad t aken place the Buddha i ssued a

decree agai nst De v a dat t a as a re ne gade wh o se w o rds
were no t to be rec o gnized as pr o ceedi ng fro m the Buddha ,

the L aw or the C o mmunity The a ngry De v adatt a now

, .

b e took hi m se lf to Ajat asatt u K ing B imbi sara s so n and ,

h e i r and persuaded hi m to murder hi s f a ther and u surp

,

the throne while De v adatt a sh o uld kill t h e Ma ster a nd

,

become Buddh a Bi mbis ara h o wever di sc o vered hi s

.

s on s i nt e ntion a nd s o far from punishi ng h i m i n an wa
, y y ,

abdicated t h e thro ne and gave over t he kingd o m t o h i s

so n .Nevertheless upon De v adat t a s repre se nti ng that
,

Bi mbi sara might de sire to recover the throne Ajat asat t u ,

br o ught about his death by starvati o n .

1
P e rso na l se r vi ce on th e B u ddh i mpl i d t b i g h i w t
a e o rn s a e r a nd h
to o t
b h w h hi f t
ru s ,
as s ee , ac c o mp y hi m b d b h i b wl
an a roa , e ar s o l k
and c o a ,

sw p h i ll d
ee s ce ,
an ac t as C h mb l i n
a er a .

68
P L AT E H 68
TH IS Q UE L L I N G OF M AL AG I R I
A m a rav a t i , y D
2 nd c e n t u r A .
 Th e E nm i t y o f D e vadat ta
Then De v adat t a secured t h e new ki ng s consen t t o the

murder of the Buddha and he hi red thir ty one men ,

-

t o carry o u t hi s purp o se All these men h o wever not

. , ,

withstanding t hey were notori ous cri minals were so ,

a ffected by the majesty and l o vi ng kindness of the Mas t er ,

that they could not raise h and ag ai nst hi m but on the con
g
,

t ra ry experienced conversio n and joined t h e Communi t y

, , .

De v adatt a was no w convi nced tha t the Buddha could no t

be slain by any human being and determined t o le t loose
,

upon h i m the erce elepha nt Malag i ri Th i s bea st was .

accu st o med t o dri nk e ight measure s of spi ritu o u s l iquor

every day b u t De v adat t a commanded the keeper to give i t
,

sixteen measures the next day and to let i t loo se against ,

t h e Buddha as he pr o ceeded through the s t r e ets The .

Buddha was informed o f what was t o b e do ne b u t he ,

refused to change h i s usual procedure and he e ntered t he ,

ci ty a t the u sual h o u r accompa nied by a company o f

,

Bh i k kh u s S o o n afterward s the elepha nt was let loose

.

up o n hi m and at o nce i t rage d thro ugh the s treet s

, ,

worki ng h avoc The Bh i kkh u s e ntreated the Master

.

to e scape but a s he would no t they s ought to wal k before

, ,

hi m i n order that he might not be the rst to meet the

,

savage bea st but thi s the Buddha forbade alb e i t i n

, ,

the case o f Ananda his doi ng so was o nly preve nted

,

by the exerci se o f mi raculous power At thi s moment .

t h e eleph ant was about to destr o y t h e m o ther o f a

child wh o had run i nto the street i n ign o ra nce of the
da nger : but the Buddha call e d t o i t : I t wa s no t i ntended
that yo u should de stro y any o ther bei ng th an myself :
h e re am I : waste no t you r s tre ngth o n any le ss noble

objec t .On heari ng the voice of Buddha the elephant ,

looked towards hi m ; and i mmediately the e ffe cts of the

l iquor passed away and t he elephan t approached h i m i n
,

69
 Buddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
the ge ntle st fashion and knee led before him The Master .

ch a rged hi m to tak e no l ife in future but t o be kind ,

to all pe o ple : and the el e phant repeated t he ve pre

c e p t s b e fore the as se mbled crowds Thus th e rage o f .

M alag i ri was s ubdu e d and had he no t been a quad ruped

, ,

he might have entered the Fi rst Path A s Buddh a h ad .

l

thu s p e rfo rmed a mi racl e he re e cted that i t w o uld not

,

b e bec o mi ng to se e k al m s i n t h e sam e place and he ,

th e ref o re re turned to the Je t av ana mona stery wi t h o ut ,

pro ceeding o n h i s u sual course .

Foll o wi ng up o n th i s De v adat t a a ttempt ed t o create a

,

s chi s m in the Order Together with certai n other Bhi kkh u s

.

h e requested the Buddha to establ ish a m ore sev e re ly

asceti c rul e for the Brethren as that th e y sh o uld clothe ,

th e m se lve s only in cast o ff rags th at they sh o uld dw e ll a s

-
,

f o re st hermit s a ccept no invitation s and ab stain fro m sh

-
, ,

and meat The Ma st er refu sed t o concede these dema nds

.
,

d e cl a ring that th o s e wh o wi shed might adopt this m o re

se vere rule but that h e would not make i t bindi ng up o n all
, .

De v adat t a wh o expec t ed this refu sal made i t the occa sion

, ,

of d ivision within the Order Together with a party of .

ve hu ndred recently ordai ned Brethren he made his way ,

to Gaya Sc a rp Bu t as he was pre aching there he happened

.
,

to see Sari pu t t a and M o gallana i n the aud ience and ,

thinking them t o be of hi s party he reque st e d Sari pu t t a ,

to pre ach while he h i m sel f sl e pt Sari pu t t a and Mo g allana

, .

no w addressed the assembly and per s uaded the v e hundred

s chi s mati c s to retur n to the M aster When De v a dat t a .

a w o k e a nd l e arnt what had taken place the h o t bl o o d ,

bro ke fr o m hi s mouth i n anger De v adatt a lay s ick fo r .

nine m o n t h s : and at the end o f thi s ti me he determined

1
An i m l m y k p th p p t g d
a s a ee e re c e s, o s may e nt e r h
t h e Pat s, but
on ly h m n b i g n tt in t A h tt
u a e n s ca a a o ra a a and N i bban a .

7 O
 De f t h e Sak
st ru c t o n o
y i
as

t o s ee k t h e Buddha s forgivenes s for he knew that t h e

,

Master fel t no i ll wil l t o ward h i m H i s d isci ples e n

- .

de av o u re d to d issuade him knowing tha t the Buddha ,

would no t see hi m : b u t he had hi mself c o nveyed i n a

pal anquin t o the J e t av ana monastery The Bhi kkh u s .

i nformed Buddha of his approach but the M as t er answered : ,

He wi ll no t se e the Buddha : for his cri mes are so great

tha t ten or a hundred or even a thousand Buddhas coul d
, ,

not h e lp hi m When they reached the m o nastery the ,

d i scipl e s of De v adat t a laid down the palanqui n : and t hen ,

de spite hi s we a k ness De v adatt a ro se and s t ood But no

, .

s o o ner did his feet touch the grou nd than ames arose ,

from the lowest hell and wrappe d hi m i n thei r folds at

, ,

rst hi s fe et then h i s m iddle and t hen his shoulders

, , .

Th e n in terr o r he cried al o ud : Save me my child re n I , ,

am the cousi n of the Buddha O Buddha though I have .

,

d o ne so much ag a inst t hee for the sake of our kin ship ,

s ave me ! And he repeated the formula of t aking refuge
in the Buddh a t he norm and the order By this he
, , .

received the help o f the Three Gems at last and i n a ,

future bi rth he will become the Private Buddha Sat t i sara ,

notwith standing he no w wen t to hell and rec e ived a

body o f re .

N o w K i ng Ajat asat t u who had murdered his fa t her fel t

, ,

the pangs o f c o nscie nce He found no comf o rt i n the.

doctrine s of the S i x hereti cal t each e rs who were the L ord s

oppo ne nt s And the n on the advice o f hi s phy si cian J i v aka

as re lated previ ou slyh e sought the Buddha hi mself and
.
,

heard his teach ing and became a conver t to t he true faith .

r
D est u c tion t h e S akyof
a s

No t lo ng after th i s in the seven t h year of Ajat asat t u

,

s

reign , t h e so n of the ki ng of K o sala de t hroned hi s father

7 1
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f B uddhi sm
and t o revenge hi m sel f for a sligh t received h e marched
, ,

on K ap ilav att h u Alm o s t the whole o f the S akya cl an

.

was de s troyed i n the e nsuing war while the party of the

,

K o sala s p e ri sh e d i n a gre a t o o d .

When the L o rd had re ached his seventy ni nth year -

b e i ng t h e forty ft h year following t h e Enlighte nme nt

-

Ajat asat t u und e rt o ok an u nsucce ssful war up o n the

Vajji a ns o f Ve sali . The Buddha was con sulted up o n the
l ik e l ih o o d o f victory and i n thi s c o nnecti o n we a re i n
,

form e d wh at i s t h e Ma st e r s view o f p o l ity for h e ,

d e cl a re s that he hi m se lf h as taught the Vajji ans the

c o ndi t i ons o f true welfare and as he i s inf o rm e d that the
,

Vajji ans a re c o ntinui ng t o ob serve these i nstituti o n s he ,

foretel l s that they will no t su ffer defeat And the se c o n .

di t i o ns are stated i n the following t erms : So l o ng ,

Ananda as the Vajji ans meet tog e ther in conc o rd and

, ,

ri se i n c o nc o rd and carry o u t their undertaki ngs i n c o n

cord so l o ng as they e nact n o th ing alre a dy e stabli shed
,

abr o gat e no thi ng that h as bee n already enacted a nd act ,

i n acc o rdanc e with t he ancie nt i nstitutio ns o f the Vajji ans

as e s tabli s hed in f o rmer d a y s
,

s o l o ng as th e y h o nour and

est e em and revere the Vajji an elders and h o ld i t a p o in t

of du ty t o he a rken t o their w o rds so l o ng as no w o men
,

o r girl s belonging to their clan s are detai n e d amo ng them

by force or abducti o n so l o ng as they h o nour and e st e em
and revere and supp o rt the Vajji an s hri ne s in t o wn o r
country and all o w no t the pro per o fferings and ri te s as
f o rmerly give n and performed t o fal l i nto d e suetudeso
, ,

l o ng as t h e rightful pro tection defe nce and supp o rt sh all

, ,

b e fully provided for the A rah at s am o ngs t th e m so that ,

A rah at s fro m a d i st a nc e may ent e r the realm and t h e

A rah at s th e rein may l ive a t ea seso l o ng may the
,

Vajji ans be expected no t to decline b u t to prosper , .

7 2
 f t he Sak
De u i
st r c t o n o
y as

Following upon this pronouncement the Master in l i ke

ma nn e r a ss e mbled the Brethren and se t forth fo rty o ne con ,
-

di t i o ns of welfare o f a re li g i o u s Order o f which condition s ,

s everal r e lati ng t o c o nc o rd and to the ob serva nce a nd m a in

t e nanc e of exi sti ng r e gulations and obedi e nce and re s pect t o

elders are i d e ntical with th o se which are giv e n for the secular "

society Amo ngst o thers we may n o te the fo llowi ng :

.

So l o ng 0 Bh i kkh u s , as the Brethren delight i n a

l ife o f sol itude shall no t eng age i n be f o nd of o r be , ,

c o nnected with busines s shall no t st o p on th e i r way

to N i bb ana bec ause th e y have attained t o a ny l e s ser thi ng
s hall e xerci se them selves i n men t al activity search ,

a fter truth energy joy peace earnes t c o ntemplation and

, , , , ,

equa nimi ty of mi nd shall exercise thems e lves i n the

realizati o n o f the ideas of the i mpermanency o f all
phenome na bodily or mental the ab sence o f every soul
, ,

shall l ive among the A rah at s i n the pra ctice b o th ,

i n publ ic and i n private o f tho se vi rtu e s which are pro ,

du c t i v e of fre edom and praised by the wi se a nd are ,

un ta rnished by desi re of a future l i fe o r the faith in the

e fcacy of outward act s shall l ive among the A rah at s ,

cheri shing both i n publ ic and pri vate that no bl e and

, ,

s avi ng in sight whi ch lead s to the compl e te destructi o n o f

the sorr o w o f hi m who acts acc o rd i ng to i t so l o ng may

the Breth ren be expec t ed no t to decl i ne bu t t o pro sper , .

A nd at R ajag ah a o n the Vulture s P e a k the M a ster

, ,

taught the Bre thre n and agai n a t N ala nda in the s ame ,

m anner
Such a nd such i s upright c o nduct ; s uch and
.

such i s earne st co nt e mpl ati o n ; such and s uch i s i nt e lli

genc e Gre at becomes the fruit great t h e a dvant age o f
.
1
,

1
sam adh i d p anna m thi g l ik th
S i lo , an
s o ap .

so e n e e

w o rk s fai th

and
, , , ,

re aso n f C h i ti i ty Th f m l b v q t d pp
o rs an . e or u a a o e uo e a e ars re p eate d ly
as a f mili
a m m y f th B ddh di
ar su ar o e u as

sc o u rse .

73
 Buddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
earnes t co ntempla t ion when i t i s se t round with uprigh t ,

conduct Great b e c o me s the fruit great the adva nt ag e

.
,

of intellect whe n i t i s se t round with e arnes t c o ntempla

,

tion The m i nd set ro und with i n t elligence i s set quite

.
, ,

fre e fro m t h e I ntoxicati o ns that is t o say fr o m the I n , ,

toxi cati o n o f Se nsu al ity fro m t h e I nt o xi c ati o n o f Bec o ming , ,

from the I nt o xication of Delusion from the Intoxi ca t ion ,

o f Ign o rance .

Th e g if t of a g a rde n by A m bap dli

Then t h e Ma ster pr o c e eded t o Ve sali At thi s ti me al so .

, .

there was dw e lling i n the town o f Ve sali a beautiful and

we althy courte san who se n a me was A m b apali t h e Mango ,

gi rl I t was rep o rt e d t o her that the Bl e ssed O ne had

.

come to Ve sali and was h alti ng at her Mang o Gro ve .

I mmediately sh e o rdered her c a rri age s a nd set out for the

gro ve a tt e nded by all her tra i n ; and as so on as sh e
,

reached the place where t h e Bless e d One was sh e went ,

up t o ward hi m on f o ot and st o o d re spectfully a s ide ; ,

a nd the Bles sed One in structed and gladdened her with

rel igi o u s d iscourse And sh e bei ng thus i nstructe d and .

,

gladdened addres sed the Blessed O ne and said : May
,

t h e Ma ster do me the hon o ur to take hi s meal with all

the Brethren at my h o use t o morrow And the Blessed - .

O ne gave con sent by s ile nce A m b apali bowed down .

b e fore hi m and went her way 1

.

No w the L i c c h av i princes o f Ve sali also came to know

that the Bles sed One had c o me t o the t own and they t o o ,

proceeded t o the Mang o Grove where he was halti ng .

1
Th e pi c t u re o f th e w l th y
ea and ly p i
t ru t gl dd d by
o u s c o ur e san, a e ne

religi ou s di sc o u rse ,

mi t
re a ns ru e t I di o l if i ld f hi d i ti
n an e n o -
as o ne c es

ev en at th e p re se nt day . Th e w h l p i d x hi b i t
o e e b ti f l
so e e s a e au u

t l o e ranc e , re c all i g th l i k
n e e st o r e s oi f th Ch i ti M g d l e F rs an a a e n e. or

A mb ap ali

s

P lm sa p
85
,
se e . 2 se
q .

74
 Th e la t R
s e t re at

And as they we nt t hey met with A mb apali re t urning and ,

S h e d rove up agai nst them axle to a xle and wheel to ,

wheel so that they all excl ai med : H ow comes i t
, ,

A m b ap ali tha t thou dri v e st up agains t us thus ?
,
My
L ord s,

sh e made answer
I have just i nvi t ed t h e
,

Ble ssed One and hi s B rethren for thei r to morrow s meal -
.

Then the pri nces repl ied : O A m b apali give up thi s

, ,

meal t o u s for the sum of a hundre d th o usand My .

L o rd s
,

she said if you were t o o ffer to me all Ve sali

,

with i t s subject t e rri t ory I w o uld no t give up so honour

,

abl e a fe as t Then the Li c c h av i s ca st up thei r hand s

.

a nd e xcl ai med : We are outd o ne by the Ma ngo gi rl ! -

and they went on thei r way to the Ma ng o Gr o ve And .

wh e n they t o o had greeted the Blessed O ne and had

, ,

he a rk e ned to hi s instruc t ion t hey addres sed the Master ,

a nd s aid :

May the Bles sed One d o u s t h e h o nour to
take h i s meal wi t h all the Bre t hren at o u r house
, ,

to morrow
-
But the Bud dha repl ied : O Li c c h av i s
.

, ,

I have promi sed t o d ine t o morrow with A mb apali the -

courte san . A nd again t h e princes exclai med : We are
outdone by the Mango gi rl -

The next day A mb apali served the L ord and al l the

Brethren with her o wn h ands and when they woul d eat ,

no more Sh e called fo r a lo w s t ool and sat down beside

the M aster a nd said : L o rd I make a gi ft of this

,

man s i o n to the Order of which thou art the chief And .

t h e Ble ssed O ne accepted the gift ; and aft e r i nstructing

a nd gl a dd e ni ng A mb a ali with r e ligi o us disc o urse he
p ,

rose from his seat and we nt h i s way .

Th e la st R e t re a t
Fro m Ve sali the Master went to the neighbouring village
of Be lu v a where he spen t the las t R etreat There a severe
, .

75
 Buddh a 89 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
sickne ss came upon hi m But the Exal ted One c o nsidering .
,

that his time was no t ye t come and that i t was not righ t ,

that he sh o uld pa ss away without taki ng leave of the

O rd e r by a gre a t e ffo rt o f the wil l b e nt that s ickne ss

,

d o wn agai n and kept h i s hold on l ife till the ti m e h e

,

xed up o n sh o uld c o m e and the s ickne ss abate d up o n hi m .

N o w whe n he h ad quite recovered he came o u t fro m h i s ,

lodging and sat d o wn upon a seat and th e re A nanda

, ,

came t o hi m and saluted h im and said : I have beheld ,

L o rd h o w the Exalt e d One was i n h e alth and I have

, ,

b e h e ld how the Ex a lted O ne had t o s u ffer A nd th o ugh .

at the s ight o f t h e s ick ne ss o f the Exalted O ne my b o dy

became weak as a creeper and the hori zon became d i m to ,

me and my fa culties w e re no l o nger cle a r yet no t wi t h

, ,

standi ng I t o o k so m e littl e comfo rt fr o m t he th o ught that

t h e Ex a lte d One w o uld no t pa ss aw ay unti l at l e as t h e had

l e ft i nstructi o ns as touch i ng the Order ,

Wh a t then A nanda s a id the Buddha doe s t he Order

, , ,

expect that o f me ? I have preach e d the truth with o ut

maki ng any d i stincti o n between exoteri c and e sot e ri c
d o ctri ne ; for i n re spect of the truths An anda He wh o , ,
-

h as thus attai ne d h as no such t hing as the cl o sed st o f a

- -

teacher wh o keeps s ome things b a ck Surely Ananda

, .
, ,

should there be a nyo ne wh o harbours t h e th o ught

It is I ,

wh o will lead the brotherh o o d or the Order i s depen

,

d e nt upon me i t i s he wh o sh o uld lay d o wn instructi o ns

,

i n a ny m atter c o ncerning the Order N ow He wh o h as .

- -

thu s att a i ned An anda think s no t that it i s he wh o sh o uld

-
, ,

l e a d the brotherhood o r that the O rder i s d e pe nde nt up o n

,

him Why then should he leave i nstructi o ns i n any

.

matter c o ncerni ng t h e Order ? I too O Anand a am no w , ,

grown o ld a nd full o f years my journey i s drawing t o its

, ,

cl o se I have reached my sum of days I am t urning eighty

, ,

76
 V
B U D D HA A ND A N A N DA
N N
A DA LAL BO S E
 Th e la t Re t
s re t

years of age ; and j u st as a worn out cart Anand a c an be -

, ,

kept g o ing o nly with the help of th o ng s so methi nks the , , ,

body of H i m wh o has thus att a ined can o nly b e kept

- - - -

g o i ng by bandaging i t up I t i s only Ananda whe n the .

, ,

Tath aga ta by ceasing t o a t tend t o any outward thi ng

, ,

become s plu nged by t h e cessati on of any se parate sensation

i n that c o ncentra t i o n o f he a rt Which is concerned wi th no
materi al objecti t i s only then that the body of H i m wh o -

h a s thu s attained i s at ease

- -
.

Therefo re O Ananda be ye lamps unto yourselves Be

, ,
.

ye a refu ge to y o urselve s Betake y o urselve s to no external .

refuge H o ld fast to the Truth as a lamp H old fast as

. .

a refuge to the Truth L ook not for refuge to a nyone .

be side s yourselve s And wh o soever A nanda ei t her

.
, ,

no w or aft e r I am dead shall b e a l a mp unt o them selve s , ,

s hall betak e themselve s t o no external refug e but h o l di ng ,

fast t o the Truth a s th e i r lamp and holding fa s t a s thei r ,

refuge t o the Truth shal l l o o k no t fo r refuge to any ,

o ne be s ide s themselve s i t i s they Anand a am o ng my , ,

Bhi k kh u s wh o shall reach the very topmo st Height

but they must be anxi ou s to learn 1
.

U pon another occa s ion the M as t er walked with Ananda

to the Capala shri ne : and h e began to spe ak of h i s
comi ng death And when Ananda was grieved and woul d
.
,

have besough t hi m to remai n o n earth he sai d : ,

But no w Anand a h ave I not f o rmerly declare d to you

, ,

that i t i s i n the very nature of all thi ng s near and dear ,

u nto u s that we mu st divide ourselve s fro m them l e ave

, ,

them sever ourselves from them ? H ow then A nanda

, , , ,

can thi s b e possiblewherea s anyth ing wh atever born ,

1
T hi bl p g I q t th t l ti f P f
s no e assa e R h y D vi d
uo e e rans a on o ro e sso r s a s
xpe w i th d m i bl li t y t th p i di v id l i m f B ddhi t
re sse s a ra e e rar ar e u re n ua s o u s

th gh t h
ou , ly kin t th t f W hi tm
e re so ne ar d Ni t h
a o a o an an e z sc e .

77
 Buddh a 89
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
brought i nt o bei ng and o rganized c o ntain s with in it self
the i nhere nt nec e ss ity o f d i sso l uti o nhow th e n c an thi s be
, ,

possible that such a being s hould no t be di sso lve d ? N 0

such condition c an exi st ! And Ana nda that which has , ,

been re l inqui shed ca st away renounced rejected and

abandoned by the Ta th agatathe remaining su m of l ife
, , , ,

surrendered by hi m verily with regard t o th a t the word ,

h as gone forth fr o m the Tath ag a t a s ayi ng : The ,

pa ssing aw ay of H i m who h as thu s a ttain e d sh a ll tak e

- - - -

place before l o ng At the e nd o f three months from thi s

.

ti m e the Tath agata will di e ! That t he Tath agat a for

the sake of l ivi ng should repent hi m again of that saying

this can no wi se be
Thereafter the Buddha se t out wi th Ana nda to go t o the
K t ag ara H all in the Great F o re s t And b e i ng arrived .

t here the Brethren wer e a sse mbled

, and the Buddha ,

exh o rted them a nd made publi c a nn o uncem e n t o f h i s

,

comi ng death . Beh o ld no w 0 Bre thre n I e xhort yo u

, , , ,

s ayi ng : All c o mp o nent thing s must grow o ld Work .

out y o ur salvati o n with dilig e nce The nal extincti o n .

of the Tath agata wi ll take place before l o ng At the .

e nd of three months from t his t ime t h e Tath aga t a will

Th e L a st M e a l
Th e reaft e r t h e Buddha proc e ed e d to P ara and h e h a lted ,

at the M a ng o Grove o f Cund a an hereditary s mith , .

And when this was rep o rted t o Cund a he ha st e n e d t o

the gro ve ; there the Buddha i n structed and gl a dd e ne d
h i m with re ligi o u s di scours e And he i nvited t h e .

M ast e r and the Brethren t o dine at h i s h o u se o n t h e

m o rro w .

Early in the morni ng Cunda the s mith prepared swee t

78
 C o n v e rsi o n o f Pu kku sa
rice and cake and a d i sh o f pork : and he announced the 1

hour t o the Exalted One And he taking h i s bowl .

, ,

proceeded to the hou se of Cunda the smith and partook ,

of the meal pre pared and afterward he i nstructed and ,

gladdened Cunda the smith wi t h religi ou s d iscourse .

But when the E xalted One had partaken of the meal

prepared by Cunda the smith there fel l upon h i m a di re ,

sickne ss the disease o f dysen t ery and sharp p a in came

,

upon h i m e ve n unto death But the Exalted O ne mind

, . ,

ful and self po sse ssed b o re i t with o ut co mplaint and

-
, ,

when he was a li ttle relieved he said to An and a : Come ,

Ananda let us go on t o K u si nara
, E ven so lord . , ,

said the v e nerable Ananda .

N o w t h e Exalted One tu rne d aside from the path to the

foot o f a certain t ree and said t o Anand a Fold I pray

, , ,

o u Ananda the r o be i n four and S pread it out fo r m e

y , , ,
.

I am weary Ananda and mu st res t awhile
, Even s o
, . ,

lord sai d the venerable Ananda A nd when he was
, .

seated he asked for wa ter and Ananda brought i t from a

neighbouring s t reamand he fou nd the water of the
, ,

stream was running clear no t wi th standi ng that a caravan ,

of ve hundred carts had j us t passed t h e ford .

C on rsion of P
ve u kku sa
I mmediately after th i s there passed by a y o ung man by ,

name Pu kku sa a di sciple of Al ara K al ama A nd he

, .

re lated t o the Buddha h o w upon a certai n occa s i o n thi s

Al ara K al am a had be e n s itting be s ide the r o ad and was ,

so absorbed i n med itation that ve hundred cart s pa ssed

hi m by so nearly that e ven his r o be wa s spri nkled wi th
,

t h e dust : and a certain man was so much i mpre ssed by

1
Orp h p t l B
er a s ru es . ut h
t e re i s no t hi g
n c o ntra r yt o Bu ddhi t p s i
rac t c e

in ti g
ea hp p d
n es re are and O ffe re d by th
o e rs .

79
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
thi s profo u nd ab stracti o n that h e b e cam e Al ara s di scipl e
.

U p o n heari ng thi s s t o ry the Buddha repli e d by relati ng

an o cca si o n o f e ven gre ater ab stracti o n o n h i s o wn p art , ,

whe n a s h e was w a lking to and fro up o n a ce rtai n

,

thre shi ng o o r at Atum a the rain fell and l ight ning

-
,

ash e d and t wo pe asant s and f o ur men were killed by a

thu nderboltand yet though c o n sci o u s a nd aw ake h e
,

neither saw no r heard t h e st o rm : and up o n that o cc a si on

i n l ik e manner a c e rtai n man was so much i mpres sed
by t h e Ma ster s abstracti o n th at he became a di sciple

.

U p o n heari ng this relati o n Pu k ku sa s faith in Al ara,

K al ama faded away and he res o rted t o the Exalted

,

One and t o the L aw and t o the Br o th e rhood as h i s

,

refuge a nd requested the Exalted One t o acc e pt h i m as a

,

lay di sciple And he sent fo r two ro b e s o f cl o th of g o l d

.

and pre se nte d th e m t o t h e Master and s o w e nt hi s way ,

.

But wh e n Ana nd a fo ld e d t h e ro b e s a nd t h e Ma st e r w o re
th e m the g o ld e n cl o th se em e d t o have l o st i t s brightn e ss
and thi s was bec au se whe ne ver O ne who h as thus
,

- - -

a tt a in e d attai ns to Perfe ct Enlighte nment as al so on ,

t h e day whe n h e pa sse s away t h e c o l our o f hi s ski n

,

bec o mes e xc e e ding bright

A nd no w said t he Ma ster
.
,

,

the u t ter pa ssi ng a way of H i m wh o h as thu s att a in e d - - - -
,

will t ake place at t h e thi rd watch of thi s night in the

S ala grove of the M alli ans Come Ananda let us go o n
-
.
, ,

t o t h e river K ak

u tt h a Even so lord ! said the
.
,

venerabl e Ananda .

Th e Exalted One wen t d o wn into the water o f t h e river k

K ak u t t h a a nd bathed and dra nk ;

,
and then taki ng h i s ,

se a t up o n t h e bank he sp o ke with Ananda c o ncerni ng

,

Cu nd a t h e s mith th a t non e s h o uld i mpute t h e l e a st

,

blam e t o hi m b e cau se the M a ster di e d a fter re ceivi ng t he

la st meal at hi s hand s On t h e contrary he said there
.
, ,

80
 Th e M a t e r s D e at h
s

are two o fferings of fo od which are supremely precious

th a t whi ch i s given i mmedi a t ely before One wh o h as thu s - - -

c o me attains to Perfect Insight and the o t her before h i s ,

utter pa ssi ng away : and there has been lai d up t o
Cu nda the s m ith a ka m ma redounding to length of l ife ,

go od birth good for t une and good fame and t o the

, ,

i nheri tance of heaven and of sov e reign p o wer ; and t here

fore le t no t Cunda the smi t h feel an y remorse .

Th e M a ste r 5 D ea th

Then the Exal t ed O ne s ai d t o Ananda : Come Ananda , ,

let u s g o on t o t h e S ala grove of t h e M alla s o n the -

,

further s ide of the river H i ranyav ati And when th e y .

were c o me there he said : Spread over for me I pray
, ,

o u Ananda the couch with i t s head to t h e north be t w e en

y , , ,

t h e Twin S ala t rees I am weary Ananda and w o uld l ie

.
, ,

d o wn . Even so lord ! said the venerable Ananda
, .

And the Exalted One lai d hi msel f down on hi s right side ,

with one leg re sting on the other ; and he was m indful

and self possessed - .

And now there came t o pa ss cert ai n marvel s and the ,

Master S poke o f these t o Ananda and s aid : The twin

,

S ala trees are al l one mas s of bl o o m with owers out of

sea s on ; all over t h e body of H i m who h as t hu s attained - - - -
,

these drop and spri nkle and scatter themselves out of ,

reverence for the succes so rs of t h e Buddh a s of old And .

h e ave nly musi c s o u nds i n the sky out of reverence fo r ,

the succe ss ors of the Buddhas of old But i t i s no t .

thu s Ananda that He wh o has thus att a ined i s rightly

, ,
- - - -

ho noured and revere nced But the brother or t h e s i ster

, .
,

the devout man or wom a n who c o ntinually full s all the

greater and les se r dutie s wh o i s correc t i n l ife walking
a ccording t o t h e precep t s
, ,

i t i s he who righ tly honours

F 81
 Buddh a 89 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
and reverence s the Tath agata And theref o re Anand a .
, ,

be ye co nstant i n the full men t o f the gre ater and the

le sser duties and be ye correct in l ife walki ng acc o rdi ng
, ,

t o the pre cept s ; and thu s Ananda should i t be taught
, , .

Then t he Buddha addre ssed Ananda and sai d to hi m ,

that he saw a gre at ho st of the god s assembl e d t oge t her

t o behold t h e Tath agata upon the night of h i s nal
pas s i ng away : and a ho s t o f spi rit s o f the ai r and o f the
e arth ,

of w o rldly m ind wh o dishevel thei r hair and
,

w e ep who s tretch forth thei r arms and w e ep wh o fall

, ,

pro strat e o n the ground and roll to and fro i n a nguish

,

at the thought Too s o on will the Exalted One pas s
away ! To o soon will the Exalted One die ! To o s o o n

will the Eye i n the world pass away ! But
,

the Ma ster continued the spi rit s wh o are free fr o m
,

pa ssi o n bear i t cal m and s elf p o sse ssed mi ndful o f -

the s ayi ng I mpermanent indeed are all c o mpo nen t

, ,

A nd t h e Mast e r made mention o f fo u r plac e s that s houl d

b e vi s it e d by t h e cla ns men wi th feeli ng s of re vere nc e
t h e pl a ce wh e re the T a th ag ata was born the place where ,

he attained Supreme Enlightenment the place where the ,

ki ngdom of righteousne ss was e stablished and t h e place ,

where the Tath agata utterly :pas sed away : and they
,

A nanda wh o shall di e while th e y with believing h e art

, , ,

are j o urn e ying on such a pilgri m age shall be reb o rn a fter ,

d e ath wh e n the b o dy s hall d i ssolve i n the happy realm s

, ,

o f h e av e n .

Wh e n Ana nda e nqui re d what sh o uld be d o ne with t h e

re mai ns o f t h e Tath agata he a n swere d : H i nd e r no t
,

y o urse lve s A nand a by hon o uring the rem ai ns o f H i m

, ,

wh o h a s thu s att a i ned

- - - Be zealous I b e se e ch you A nand a
.
, , ,

o n your o wn behalf Devote yourselve s t o your own g o od

82
 Th e M ast e r s

D e at h
There are lay disciple s wh o will do due honour t o the

remai ns of t h e Tath agata .

No w Ananda had not yet a t tained t o A rah at t a he was ,

still a s tudent and he went away t o the monas t ery and

, ,

st o od le aning against t he l in t el of the do o r weepi ng at ,

the t hought Alas ! I remai n still but a learner o ne wh o ,

has yet to work out h is own perfec t ion And the M a ster

.

h e wh o i s so kind !

is about to pa s s away Then the

Exalted O ne summon e d the Bre t h ren a nd said Where ,

now brethren i s Ananda ? and they an swered : The
, ,

venerable Ananda l o rd has gone into the monastery and

, , ,

i s leaning ag a inst t h e l i ntel of the door and weeping a t ,

the thought Alas ! I remain still but a learner one wh o ,

h as yet to work o u t h is o wn perfection And the Master

i s about to pass aw ayh e wh o i s so kind
.

The n the
Exalt e d One called a certain Bro ther and sent hi m t o
Ananda wi t h the mes sage Brother Ananda the Ma ster ,

call s fo r th e e . And Ananda c a me accordingly and

,

bowed before the Exalted O ne and took hi s seat respect

fully Then the Exal t ed One said : Enough Ananda !
.

,

do not let yoursel f be t roubled ; d o no t weep ! Have I

no t al ready on former occasions told yo u tha t i t i s i n the
, ,

ve ry n ature o f all things most near and dear unto u s that

we must d ivi de ourselve s from them leave th e m s eve r , ,

ours e lve s fro m them H o w the n Ana nda can th i s be

po ssiblewh e rea s a nythi ng what e ver born brought int o
.
, , ,

bei ng and o rgani z e d c o ntai ns with i n i t sel f the i nhere nt

, ,

n e ce ss ity of d i luti o
sso n how the n can thi s b e p o ss ibl e
, , ,

th a t such a b e i ng sh o uld no t be d i ss o lve d ? No such

condition can exist For a long ti m e Ananda yo u have
.
, ,

been very near t o me by act s o f love kind and g o od that , ,

never varie s and i s beyo nd all mea sure Y o u have d o ne

, .

well Anan da ! Be earnest in e ffort and y ou t o o shal l be

, ,

83
 Buddh a 39 t h e G o sp e l o f Bud dhi sm

fre e from the I n t oxicat ions of Sensual i ty of I ndividual i t y , ,

D elusion and Ig norance And he praised the able service
.

o f A nanda bef o re the whole as sembly .

Then the Master said to Ananda : Go no w into t h e
vill age o f K u si nara and i nform the Mallas that the
,

Tath agata i s ab o u t t o pass away to the end t hat they,

may no t a fterward s re proach themselv e s by sayi ng : I n

our own vi llage t h e Tath agata d ied and we t o ok no t the ,

o cc a s ion t o vi s it t h e Tath agata i n h i s last hour s And

.

the Mallas o f K u si nara with thei r young m e n and maiden s

,

and wiv e s were grieved and saddened and betook them ,

s elve s to the S al a Grove where the Buddha wa s lying .

And Ananda pre sented them to the Master family by ,

family in t h e rst watch of the nigh t

, .

No w th e re was at thi s ti me a wanderer o f the name of

Su b h adda t o wh o m t h e Buddha s approaching d e ath

,

was mad e known : and he desired to speak with t h e

M aster fo r t h e d is sipa t ion of his d o ubt To thi s e nd he
, .

a ppr o ach e d Ananda : b u t he refused access to t h e Ma st er ,

s aying,
The Exalted One i s weary do no t tro ubl e h im ! ,

But the Exalted One overheard wha t was s aid and d e sired ,

that Su b h adda s houl d be gi ven acces s : fo r he knew that

t h e que stion s to be asked were s incere and that Su b h adda ,

would understand t h e answer s And thi s was what Sub .

h adda sought t o know whe t her t he leaders of other

sch o o ls of thought the ma sters of other co ngregati on s
, ,

a s N i a nt h a N at a u tt a S
s uch g p or jy
an a a
, the former
teacher o f Sari p u t ta and M o gallana e ste emed as go od ,

m e n by many had as they claimed attain e d a tru e und e r

, , ,

standing of things o r had s ome of them so attai ned and

, ,

no t o thers ? And the Exalted One decl ared : I n what so

eve r doctrine and d i s cipl i ne Su b h adda t h e Ariya n Eight
, ,

fo ld Path is not found t here i s not f o und any man of t ru e

,

84
 Th e M ast e r s

D e at h
sainthood ei ther of t h e r st the second the th i rd or the
, , , ,

fo urth d e gree But i n that D octri ne and D i scipline i n

.

wh ich i s found the Ariyan Eightfold P a th there are men ,

of t rue sainth o od of all the fo ur degree s Voi d a re t h e

sy s tems of o ther t eachers
, .

v o i d of true sain t s But in .

th i s o ne Su b h adda m ay the B rethren l ive the P e rfect

, ,

L i fe th at the world be no t bereft of A ra h at s
, And .

Su b h adda s doubt being thus res o lved he re s orted to

,

the Exalted O ne t o the L aw and to the Congrega t ion

, ,

as h i s refuge and he was received i nto the Order : and

,

e re lo ng he att a ined to that supreme goal of the higher

l ife ( Nibb ana) for t he sake of whi ch the clansmen g o o u t

,

from all and every h ou sehold gain and comfort to ,

b e come housele ss wand e rer syea that supreme goal ,

d id he by h i m self and while yet i n thi s visible world

, , ,

bri ng him self to the knowledge of and continue to real ize , ,

a nd to se e fac e to face ! And he became c o n sci o u s that

birth was at an end that the higher l ife had been fullled
, ,

that all that should b e done had been accomplished a nd ,

that after thi s pre sent l ife there would be no beyond .

Thus i t was that the venerable Su b h adda became yet

an o ther am o ng the A rah at s ; and he was the la st d isciple
whom the Ex a lted One h i mself converted .

Now the Exalte d O ne addressed t h e Brethren and sai d

'

thrice I t may be Brethren tha t there may be doubt o r

, , ,

misgiving i n the mind of some B rother as to the Buddha ,

or the doctri ne or the path o r the method I nqui re

, , . ,

Bre thren freely D o not have to reproach yourselves

, ,

aft e rward s with the thought ou r t each e r was face to

fac e with us and we c o uld not bring ourselve s to i nqui re
,

o f t h e Exalted One when we wer e f a c e to fac e wi th h i m .

But n o n e had any d oubt o r misgivi ng And the vener .

able A nanda said to the Exal ted One : H ow wonderful

85
 Bu ddh a 863 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
a thing i s i t l o rd and how marvellou s
, , Verily I bel ieve
that i n thi s whol e a ss e mbly o f the Bre thre n th e re i s not
o ne Brother wh o h as any d o ubt or m i sgiving a s t o t h e

Buddha o r the d o ctrine o r the p a th or t h e meth o d !
, ,

And t he Buddha an swere d : I t i s o u t of the fulln e ss o f
faith that thou h ast spok e n Ananda ! But Ananda t he , , ,

T a th ag ata knows for c e rtain that i n hi s whol e a ssembly o f

the Brethren there is no t one Brother wh o has any d o ubt o r
mi sgiving as t o the Buddha o r the d o ctri ne o r t h e p ath , , ,

or the method F o r e ven t he m o s t backward An and a ,

1
,

o f all t hese ve hundre d brethren h as b e c o m e c o nv e rte d ,

i s no l o nger liable to be borne i n a sta t e of s u ffe ri ng and ,

i s a ssured hereafter of attaining the Enligh t enment o f

A rah at t a .

Then again the Exalte d One addres sed the Brethren and
,

sa id : De cay i s i nhere nt i n all c o mp o n e nt thi ng s ! W o rk

o u t y o ur sa lvati o n wi th dilig e nc e !

Thi s was t h e la st word o f H i m wh o h as thu s a tt a i ne d - - - - .

Th e n t he Ex alted O ne e nt e red t h e rst st age o f Rapture ,

and the s eco nd thi rd a nd fo urth : and ri si ng from t h e

, ,

f o urth s tage h e e nt e red i nt o the stati o n o f t h e i n ni ty o f

,

space : th e nc e again int o t he stati o n o f t h e i n nity o f

th o ught : th e nc e again int o t h e st ati o n o f e mptine ss : th e n
i nto t h e station b e twee n c o n sciou sness and unc o ns c i o u sne ss
and then into t he station wh e re t h e consci o u sne ss b o th o f
se n sation s and i deas has wholly pa ssed away And now .

it s e emed t o A nanda that the M a st e r had pa ss e d away : but

h e ent e red again into e very s t ation in reve rse ord e r u ntil he
re a ch e d the se cond st age o f Rapture and the nce he passe d ,

i nto the thi rd and fourth stage s o f Rapture And pa ssi ng .

out of the la st st age o f Rapture he i mm e diately e xpi re d .

1
A c c or di g tn o Bu ddh agh o sh a t hi f
s re e rs t o A nan a d hi m l f se , and was
sa id for his e n c o u ra e gm e nt .

86
 Th e F u ne ral Ri t e s
Th e D ist re ss of t h e B re th re n
!Vhen the Exalted O ne d ied of t hose of the Bre t hren wh o
,

were not yet free from the pas sions some stretched o u t ,

thei r arm s and wept and some fell headlong on the ground
, ,

rolling t o and fro in anguish at the thought : Too soon
h as the Ex a lted One d ied ! Too soon h as the Happy
One pa ssed away ! To o soon has the Eye in the worl d

pa ssed away But those o f t h e Brethren wh o were fre e
.

fr o m t he pa ssions to wi t the A ra h at s bore th e i r grief

, , ,

c o llected and compo sed i n the thought : I mp e rma nent
a re all c o mp o nent thing s ! H ow is i t pos s ible that they

s houl d not be di ss o lved ?

And the Venerable A nu ru ddha exhorted the Brethren and ,

s a id : Enough my Bre thren ! Weep not no r l a m e nt !
, ,

Has not the Exalted One formerly declare d th i s t o u s ,

that i t i s i n the very nature of al l thi ng s near and d e ar

u nto u s that we must divid e o urselve s fro m them leave
, ,

th e m sever o urselves fro m th e m ? How then Bre thren

can thi s be p o ss iblet hat when dead anything whateve r
, , ,

born brought i nto being and organized c o ntain s withi n

, , ,

i t self the i nhere nt nece ss ity of dis solutionh o w then can

thi s be p o s sibl e that s uch a b e ing should no t be diss o lved ?
N 0 such condition can exis t !

Th e F u ne ra l R ite s
On the next day An anda informed the Malla s of K u si nara
that t h e Exalted One had pa ss e d away ; and th e y t o o
s tretch e d forth
thei r arms and
(
wept or fell pro strate o n ,

the ground or reeled to and fro i n a ngui sh at t he

,

th o ught : Too s o on has the Exalted O ne di e d l

A nd

t h e y t o o k perfumes a nd garla nd s a nd al l the mu s i c in

'

K u si nara and pro ceed e d to t h e S ala Gro v e wh e re t h e

, ,

87
 Bu ddh a 8 69
9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
b o dy of the Exalted One was lying A nd they spen t .

there si x day s payi ng h onour a nd homage t o the re main s

of the Exal t ed One with danci ng and hymns and musi c
, ,

and wi t h garlands and perfumes On the sev e nth day

.

they bore the body of the Exalted One through the city
and out by the Ea stern ga t e to the shrine of the M a lla s ,

t here t o be burnt upon the pyre They wrapped t h e body

.

i n l ayers of carded co t t on wool and woven cloth and ,

placed i t in a ve ssel of i ron and that again i n an o ther ;

,

and building a funera l pyre of perfumed w o od s they lai d ,

the b o dy of t h e Exalted One upon i t Then four chief .

t ain s of the Mallas bathed th e i r heads and clad them se lve s

i n new garment s with the i ntention of set t ing o n re the
funeral pyre Bu t 10 they were not able to se t i t burning
.
, .

No w t he reason of thi s was tha t the venerabl e Mah a

K a ssapa was then j ourneying fro m P ava to K u si nara with
a compa ny of ve hundre d Brethren : and it was willed by
the god s th at the pyre should not take re unti l t h e
venerable Mah a Ka ssapa together with these Brethren
had salu t ed the feet of the Master And when Mah a .

K as sapa came t o t he place o f the funeral pyre then he ,

walked thri ce round about i t and bowed i n revere nce to

the feet of the Exalted O ne and so did the ve hundred
,

B rethren And when this was ended t he funeral pyre

.
,

caught re of itsel f .

And what was burnt was t h e esh and t he uids of t h e

body and all the wrappings and only t he bone s were l e ft
, ,

behind ; and when the b o dy was thus burn t stream s o f ,

w a t e r fell from the sk y and rose up from the ground and

extingui shed the ames and the Mallas al so ex t ingui shed
,

t h e re with ve ssel s of s cent e d water Th e y laid the .

b o ne s i n s t a te i n the Council Hall of t h e Mall as se t round ,

with a la t tice workof spears and a rampart of bo ws and

-
,

88
 VI

TH E F I N AL R EL EASE
A BA N N
I N AT H T G R
DR O A O E
 The F u ne r l R i t e
a s

there for seven days they paid honou r and reverence t o

them with danci ng and mu si c and garl and s and perfumes .

Now the se matters were rep o rted to Ajat asat t u and to ,

the L i c c hav i s o f Ve sali and to the Sakyas o f K a pi

,

la v atth u and the Bul is o f A lakappa and t h e K o li ya s of

, ,

R am ag am a and t o the Brahman of Ve t h adi pa ; and al l

,

these with the Malla s of K u si nara laid cl a i m to the

, ,

rem a ins of the Exalted One and W i shed to erect a mound

,

above them a nd to celebrate a fea st of ho nour The

, .

Malla s h o wever saying that the Exal ted O ne h ad di e d

, ,

i n thei r village re fu se d to part with the remain s Th e n

, .

a certain Brahman of the name o f D ona reminded the

ass e mbl e d Ch ieftai ns that the Buddha was wont t o teach
forbe arance and he recommended that the remain s should
,

be d ivi ded i nto eight portion s and that a monument ,

s h o uld be erected by each of those wh o lai d cl a i m i n ,

thei r several terri tori e s ; and thi s was done accordingly .

D o na hi m se l f erected a monument over t he v e ssel in

which the remain s had been guar ded and the M o ri yas of ,

Pi ppali v ana wh o made clai m to a s hare when the di s

,

t ri b u t i o n had al re a dy been mad e erected a mound above

,

the a shes of the re And thus there were eight mo nu

.

ments for the remains of the Exalted One and one other ,

for the vessel and ano t her for the a shes

, .
P A R T I I T H E G O S P E L O F E A R LY
B U DD H I SM
I DH AMMA
.
, TH E D O C TRINE A ND
DISCIP L INE
J t 0 B th n us , w id
re hre b t ,t tasth the
t t e se a as u o ne as e , e as e

o f sa lt l B t h h v t hi D t i
so a so , d D i i pl i
re re n, a e s o c r ne an sc ne

ly t t th t t f S lv t i C ll gg i x
,

o ne o n as e , e as e o a a on . u a va a .

H E whol e of the doctrin e ( dh a mma San skrit dh a rm a ) ,

of Gautama i s si mply and briey capitula ted in the

F o ur Ariyan Truths ( A rzya sa ccani ) or axi o m s : That
'

there is su ffe ring ( D u kkh a ) that it has a cau se ( S a mu daya ) , ,

that i t can be s uppre ssed (N i rodh a ) and that th e re i s a way ,

t o acc o mpl i sh thi s M agg a

( ) the Path Th is represents
.
,

t h e appl icati o n of curre nt med ical science t o the heal ing

o f t h e s pi ritually s i ck The go o d physi ci an se eing Every .
,

m an i n p a in pro ceed s t o diagno s i s : h e re ect s up o n t h e

,

cure and c o mm e nd s the n e c e ssary regi me t o t h e p atie nt

thi s i s t he h i st o ry of the l ife o f Gautama Th e s ick
,

so ul kn o w s i t s S i ckne s s only by i t s pain ; i t seeks the

cause of its su ffering and t h e as surance of a remedy and
a sks what shall i t do to be saved this i s t h e hist o ry o f
, ,

th o se wh o take refug e in the L aw of the Buddha .

Le t us re pea t here the e ssen t ial par t of Gau t ama s rst

S ermon
1

Thi s 0 monks i s t h e Ariyan Tru t h of Su ffering : Bi rth

, ,

i s s u fferi ng o ld age i s suffe ri ng sickne ss i s s u ffe ring

, , ,

death i s s u ffe ring t o be united with t h e u nl o ve d i s s u ffer

,

i ng to be separated from the loved i s s u ffering no t t o

, ,

o btain what o ne desire s is su fferi ng i n shor t the vef o ld

; ,

cl i ngi ng to t h e e arth i s su ffe ring .

1
H e re a ft er O l d b g Bu ddh a
en er , ,
2 nd En gl i h
s cd .
,
p . 2 0 6, w i th a fe w
v b l lt
er a a i
e rat o n s .

90
 D u kk h a

This 0 monk s i s the Ariyan Truth of the Ori g in o f

, ,

S u ffe ring : I t is the will t o l i fe which leads from birth to

bi rth t ogether with lust and de sire which nd s graticati o n
, ,

here and there ; t he thi rst for pleasures t he thi rst fo r ,

bei ng the thi rst fo r power

, .

Thi s 0 monk s is the Ar i yan Truth of the Ex t i ncti on of

, ,

Su fferi ng : The extincti o n of thi s thi rst by compl e t e

annihilation of des i re letting i t go expelling it separating , , ,

o n e self fr o m it giving it no room

, .

Th is 0 monk s i s the Ariyan Truth of the Path which

, ,

lead s to the Extinction of Su ffering : I t i s this sacred

E ightfold Path to wi t : Right Bel ief Right Aspi rati o n
,
-
, ,

Right Speech Right L iving Right E ffort Right R e c o l

, , ,

le c t e dne ss Right Rapture

.
,

I t i s the r s t d ivision of the Eightfold Pa t h Righ t Bel ief , ,

View s o r F aith wh ich c o n sti tute the G o spel o f Buddh a

, , ,

t h e D o ctrine o f Buddhism which we s h a ll no w se t f o rth ,

systematically Thi s teaching con s i st s i n a kn o wledge o f

.

t h e w o rld and o f man as they really are Thi s right .

knowl e dge i s most tersely s umm arized i n the triple

f o rmula of D u kkh a A n icca A na t t a Su ffe ring I mper , , ,

m ane nce N o n eg o ity, The k nowledge o f the se pri ncipl e s

-
.

i s a k no wledge o f The Truth 1

L e t us c o nsider them i n .

o rder and detail .

D ukkh a
The exi stence o f Su ffering o r Evil i s the very ra iso n , ,

d etre of Buddhi s m :

I f the se thi ngs w e re not in the w o rld my di sciples , ,

the Perfect O ne t he h o ly Supreme Buddh a w o uld no t

, ,

appear i n the w o rld ; the law and t hE d o c tri ne which

the Perfect One propounded would not shine i n the
1
M ajjhi ma I Vikaya ,
i , 1 40 .

91
 Buddh a S?
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
world What t hree things are t hey ? Birth old age
.
, ,

and d e ath .

Both then and now say s t h e Buddha again jus t this do

, ,

I re veal : Su ffering and the Ex t inc t i o n of Suffering .

D u kkh a i s to be unders t o o d b o th as sympt o m and as

di se ase I n the rst s en se it incl udes all po ss ibl e phys ical
.

and mental lo ss all the meanness and ag o ny without
,

end su fferi ng and i mperfe ction o f whatev e r sort t o whi c h
,

humanity and all living b e ings ( gods no t excepted ) are

s ubject In the second sen se i t i s the li ability t o ex
.

e ri e nc e these evils whi ch i s i nseparable from ind ividual

p ,

e xistence .

So far Gau t ama has p u t forward n o thing whi ch i s no t

o bvi o usly a s tatement o f fact I t might indeed appear
.
, ,

that in o u r l i fe pain is compensat e d fo r by pl e a sure and ,

the balance must i nd e ed b e exact here as between all ,

pai rs of O pp o sites But as s o o n as we reect we sh all

.
,

se e tha t plea s ure i t se l f is t h e ro o t o f pai n for

S o rro w ,

s pring s from the ood o f sen s ual plea sure as s o o n as

the object of se nsual desi re i s removed 1

In t h e word s .

that a re quoted on o ur title page : Vra i emen t come ncen t-

a m ours e n ioy e e t i sse n t e n dolours i n the w o rd s o f

fy n

N i e tzsche Sai d ye ever Y e a to o ne jo y ? 0 my frie nds

, ,

then sai d ye Y e a al so un t o a ll Woe .

According to the Dh a mmap a da

Fro m merri ment cometh sorrow ; from merri ment
cometh fear Whosoever i s free from merri ment fo r
.
,

hi m there i s no sorro w : whence should fear c o me t o

h i m ? From love cometh sorrow ; fro m love cometh
fe a r Who soeve r i s free fro m love for hi m there i s no
.
,

s o rrow whence should come fear to hi m ?
But no t o nly i s pleasu re the prelude to pain pleasure i s ,

1
Vi su ddhi M agga, xv ii .

9 2
 A ni c c a

pain i tself ; again i n t he words of N ie t zsche Pleasure ,

i s a form of pain .

For there is for ever a skele t on at t he feas t happiness i n

the positive sense jo y tha t depend s on con t act with t h e
,

s ou rce o f pleasu re external t o one self cann o t be graspe d , ,

i t cannot endure fr o m one momen t to another I t i s the .

v a ni t y of vani t ie s to cl ing t o that wh ich never i s but i s ,

fo r ever changing ; and tho se wh o real ize t hat all thi s

world of our experience i s a Becoming and never at t ains ,

to Bei ng will not cling to t ha t whi ch canno t be grasped

, ,

a nd i s e nti rely void .

Acc o rdingly the wh o le of Buddhi st p sychol o gy i s d i rec t ed

,

t o an analysi s of co nsci o usn e s s d i rected to reveal i t s ever ,

changing and composi t e charac t er .

A n icca
I mpermanence is the i nexorable fundamen t al and pi tiless ,

l aw of a ll exis te nce .

There are ve things whi ch no Saman a a nd no ,

Brahman and no god neither M ara nor Brahm a no r

, , , ,

any being i n the unive rse can bring ab o u t What ve , .

thing s are those ? That what i s subject to ol d age

should not grow old th at what i s subject t o s ick ne ss ,

should not be sick that what i s subject to death ,

S hould not die that what i s subject t o decay shoul d

,

not decay that what i s l iable to pa ss away sh o uld no t

,

pa ss aw ay Thi s no S aman a c an bri ng about no r any

.
,

o d neither M ara nor Brah m a nor any bei ng in the

g , , ,

universe .

Just as Brahmanical thought accep t s the temporal eter

ni t y of the Sam sara an eternal succe ssion and coincid e nce
,

of evoluti o n and involution and an eternal succession o f ,

Brah m as pas t and future : so al so Gautama lays empha s i s

,

93
 Buddh a 89
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
and more special emphasi s perhaps upon the e t ernal ,

s uccession o f B e comi ng The f o llowing s tanza h as i ndeed .

been called t h e Buddhi st confes s ion o f faith and i t ,

a ppears more frequently t han an y other t ex t in I ndian

Buddhis t inscriptions

Of thos c o n dit io n s wh ich sp ring fro m

e a c us
a e

Th c u s h
e a b n told by T th ag t
e as ee a a a

A n d t h m nn r of th ir s upp r ss io n
e a e e e

Th gr t S m n d h
e ea lik w is t ught
a a as e e a .

How essential i n Buddhism i s the d o c t rine of the eternal

s ucces s ion of cause s appears from the fact tha t i t i s often

s p o ken of as t h e g o spel

I will teach yo u the D hamma say s Gautama Tha t ,

3
,

b e ing pre se nt thi s become s ; fro m the ari s ing o f that

, ,

thi s ari ses That b e ing ab sent thi s d o e s not b e c o m e ;

.
,

fr o m the ce ssa ti o n o f that thi s c e ase s 1
, .

We read again th at D hamma analys is i s knowledge

-

concerni ng c o nditi o ns 1
.

What he taught was designed to avoid the t wo extrem e

d o ctrines o f re al i s m and nihili s m the bel i e f in phen o ,

men a l being and the belief that there i s no phenomen al

proce ss at all Every th i ng is : this O K a c c ana i s
.
, ,

o ne extrem e view Every thi ng i s not thi s i s the sec o nd

.

extre m e vi e w Av o iding bo t h the se extreme s t he

.
,

T a th aga ta t e ache s t h e N o rm by the M e an Thi s .

doctrine o f t h e Me a n a sserts tha t eve rything i s a

B e c o mi ng a ux withou t begi nning ( rst cause ) o r end ;
,

th e re e xi sts no static moment when thi s bec o mi ng

attain s t o b e i ngh o o dno so o ner can we conceive i t by
1
M ajjhi ma M kaya

, ii , 3 2 .

94
 A ni c c a
t he a t tributes of name and form t han i t has t rans ,

migra ted o r changed to so meth ing else I n pl a ce .

of an i ndivi dual there exis t s a successi on of i ns t ant s of

,

con scious ness .

S tri ctly S peaking the duration of the l ife o f a l iving

,

bei ng i s exceedingly brief lasting o nly while a though t ,

l a st s J u st as a chariot wheel i n rolling rolls o nly at o ne

.

point o f the ti re and in re sti ng rests o nly at o ne point ;

,

i n e xactly t he sa me way the li fe of a living bei ng la sts

,

o nly for t h e period of one thought A s so o n as that .

th ough t has cea sed the l iving being i s said to have ceased
, .

As i t h as been sai d

The being of a pa st moment of t hought has l ived b u t ,

d o e s not l ive nor will i t l ive

, .

The being of a fu t u re momen t of t hough t wi ll live b u t ,

h as no t l ived nor doe s it l ive

, .

The being of t h e pre sen t momen t of though t d o es l ive ,

bu t h as no t l ive d no r will i t l ive
,
1
.

We are deceived i f we allow ourselves to bel ieve th at

th e re is ever a pau se i n t he ow of bec o ming a re sting ,

pl ace where p o sitive exis t ence is a t tai ned for even the
briefe st duration of ti me I t i s only by shutting our eye s
.

t o the s ucce ssion o f even t s t hat we come to speak of

t h ing s rather than of proce sses The qui ck nes s o r .

sl o wn e ss o f the proces s does no t a ffect the gen e ralizati on .

Con sider a child a boy a y o uth a ma n and an o ld man ;

, , , ,

wh e n d id any o f the se exist ? there was an o rg ani sm which ,

h ad b e e n a b ab e and was c o mi ng t o b e a ch ild ; h ad be e n

,

a child a nd wa s C omi ng to b e a b o a nd so o n The

, y ; .

s e e d bec o m e s se e dli ng a nd s e edli ng a tre e a nd t h e tre e

, ,

lets fall i t s see d s I t i s o nly by continuity by watchi ng

.
,

the proc e s s of Becoming tha t we can i de ntify the old man

1
Vi su ddh i M agga, Ch V I I I . .

95
 Buddh a 89 "
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
wi t h t h e babe the tre e with t h e seed ; b u t t he o ld man i s
,

no t identical with the babe no r the tree ( with ) the se e d

( ) , .

Th e sub stance of our bodie s and no le s s the c o n stituti o n ,

of our soul s changes from moment t o moment That we

,
.

give to such individual s a name and form i s a pragm at ic

c o nventi o n and no t the evidence of any inner reality
, .

Eve ry exi stence i s organi c and the s ubstance o f i ts ,

exi stence i s a continuity of changes each of which i s ,

a b s o lutely determined by pre existing conditi o ns - .

Why i s thi s law of cau sal ity of s uch great i mp o rtance for
Gau t ama whose doctri ne i s not a me ntal gymna sti c but
, ,

j u st thi s : Evi l and the Ce ssat io n of Evi l ? Becau se
thi s doctrine i s p re c i se ly t h e physi ci a n s di agn o sis of the

d i se a se of D u kkh a A s a con stitutional d i se ase i t i s se t

.
,

forth i n the well known serie s o f the Tw e lv e N i danas t h e

-
,

i nterconnecti o n of which i s sp o ken of as t h e L aw o f

D e p e ndent Origi nati o n ( P a t i cca sa mup ada ) Th e Twelve -
.

Ni danas a fterward s call e d the wheel o f cau sati o n are

, ,

rep e ated i n no le ss t han n in e ty six Sutta s ; a nd t he i m -

p o rtance of the serie s ari ses fro m the fact that i t i s at once
a ge n e ral explanation of phen o me na and an expl anati o n ,

o f the special phen o me no n of Evil i n which the Buddhi s t

were mo st int e rested The e ffect o f the serie s is to Show

.

that v i nnana the consciousness of I d o es no t reside i n an

, ,

et e rnal s oul but i s a conti ngent phen o men o n ari s i ng by

i
,

way of cau se a nd e ffe ct I t shoul d be note d as Profe ssor .

,

Rhys David s has pointed o u t that the value o f the seri e s ,

d o e s not li e in the fac t tha t i t explain s Evil but in t h e ,

fact that the righ t understanding o f Cau sal O rigin a ti o n c o n

s t i t u t e s th a t v e ry insight by which the s o urce o f Evil

c o nsci o u sne ss o f I and the de s ire s of the I is destro yed .

The Wheel of Causation t urns as follow s : 1

1
M ajjhi ma I Vik
aya , i , 1 40 .

96
 A ni c c a
Other l ive s Ignoranc e (a vi/fa)
( past ) M i spercepti o n s (sa nkhara) or vain imagi n
ing will ( cetana)
,

Consci ousness ( of I e t c ) ( v i h nana

, .

Name and Form i e M ind and Body

, . .
,

( n am p )
a rzi a
-

This presen t Sense o rgans ( sa daya ta na )

li fe C o ntact ( spa ssa )
and E moti o n ( v e da n a)
Cravi ng ( ta n h a)
Attachmen t (up adana )

O ther l ives C o mi ng t o b e ( bh a va )
- -

( fu t ur e
) R e birth ( pu t)
Old age and dea t h s orrow lamen t ation
, , ,

evil grief despai r (ja rama ra nam etc )

'

.
, , ,

This l ist wherever i t occurs

, ,

ends with t h e formul a Such
i s the upri sing o f thi s enti re bod y of Evi l

I t Should be .

noted th a t the wh o le serie s o f term s i s not alwa y s repeated ,

and not alway s in the same order ; these are rather the
sp o kes of a whe e l than i t s circumference .

I f we now ask what i s the e ffe ct and wha t cause i t i s ,

cl e ar that Ig norance l ie s at t h e r o ot of all From Ig no r .

a nce arise s t h e thought of entity where a s there exi s ts but

,

a becomi ng ; from the thought o f s e l f as entity and fro m ,

the desires of Me arises li fe ; l ife i s in separable from

,

Evil.

The diagno sis implie s the cure ; i t i s the removal of the

c o ndition s which mai ntai n the path o logi cal stat e These .

c o nditi o ns which m a i ntain Ign o ra nce are pri marily ,

Cravi ng and the th o ught of I and M ine wi t h al l i ts

, ,

G 97
 Buddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
i mpl ications o f sel shne ss a nd s upe rs titi o n The m e an s t o .

accompl i sh the cu re a re se t forth i n t h e m e n t al a nd moral

discipline of the Buddhist Wand e rers .

A na tt
Practically in separable from t h e doctrine of A ni cca i s tha t
of A n a t ta that there exi st s no cha ng e les s entity i n any

t hing and above all no e t ernal soul i n man Ananda
, , .

inquires of the Buddha :

Wh a t i s meant lord by t he phrase The world i s empty ?
, , ,

The Buddha repl ies :

Tha t i t i s empty Anand a o f , ,

a self or of anyth ing of the na t ure of a self And what

, .

i s it that i s thu s empty ? The ve sea t s o f the v e se n se s ,

a nd t h e mind and the feel ing that i s r e lated t o mind : all

,

the se are void of a self or o f a nything that i s se lf l ike 1 -

.

Mental state s are phenomena l i ke other ph e n o men a a nd ,

n o thi ng sub sta ntial such as a s oul or e g o l ie s behind them ;

j u st as t h e names of things are concepts The fav o urit e .

s i mil e s are drawn from natural phenomena and fr o m

thi ng s c o n structed such as a river or a chari o t I f yo u
, , .

except t h e water the sand the hither bank and the furth e r
, ,

bank where can you nd the Ganges ? I f you d ivide the

,

chariot i nto i ts component part s s uch as the wheels the , ,

p o les t he axle the b o d y t h e seat and so forth wh a t

, , , , ,

remain s o f the chari o t b u t a name ? I n t h e same way i t

3

will be f o und that when the component par ts of con

s c i o u sne ss are analyzed there i s no residue ; the individu a l
,

m a int a in s a seeming identit y from moment to m o m e nt ,

but thi s iden t ity m e rely c o n si sts in a c o nti nuity o f m o m e nt s

o f c o nscious ne ss i t i s not t h e ab se nc e o f ch ange
, .

L ike a ri ver s ay s a m o dern Buddhist

,

which still m a in ,

tain s one consta nt form one se e mi ng i d e ntity th o ugh no t a

, ,

1
Sa myu tta I Vikaya, iv , 54 .
2
See bl w p
e o , . 2
96 .

9 8
 A nat t a
i gl e dr o p remains t o d a y of all the volume t hat composed
s n

t h e river ye sterday 1
.

I t i s of the utmo st i mportance to real ize this truth because ,

fo r the i ndividu a l p o sse sse d with the noti on I am f o rm ;

f o rm bel o ngs t o the I through the changing and alte ra ,

ti o n of form ari se s o rrow mi sery grief and de spai r , , , .

The si mile of the river emphasize s t he continuity of an

ever ch a nging i de ntity
- An o ther s imile d rawn fro m .
,

sleep and d ream emphasize s the intermittent nature o f,

con sciou sness ; the o rdinary c o urse o f organi c exi stence ,

called bh a va ng a ga t i is c o mpared to t h e ow of d ream

-
,

le ss s leep ; consci ousne ss i s only awakened when s ome

extern a l sti mulus cause s a vibration i n the n o rmal ow .

The c o mplex elements o f c o nsci ou s exist e nce are sp o ken

of by t h e Buddhi sts in two ways i n t he rs t place as
Nama rupa li terally name and form that i s to say
-
, , ,

man s n a ture and e sh ly sub st ance and i n the sec o nd

pl a ce as the Five aggregate s (kh a ndh a ska ndh a ) The se

, , .

two or ve embrace t he whole of consciou s experience

without l e aving over a ny activi ty to be explai ned by a
s o ul
The relati o n of the two schemes wil l appear fro m
.

the followi ng table

M EN TAL F A CTOR P HYS I CA L F A CTOR
I Nama ( synonyms : v z nna na ci tta
.
, ,

m a n o i e consciousnes s heart
, . .
, ,

mind ) .

2 Ve da n a sa ii h a sa nk
.
,h d ra v i h h ana , , ,

( i e f e eli ng perc e pti o n will e t c

. .
, , , .
,

a nd awarenes s
) .

I n both c a ses rup a i s t he physical o rganism ( not form

1
An u ru ddh a, Co mp n diu me
f
o Ph il sophy o . I nt ro d . y by S
Essa . Z .

Anna E 9

99
 Buddh a 863 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
i n a phil o sophi c or aestheti c sense) the e sh ly nature ; ,

Nama i s name or m ind ; n a ma and i npa name ( mere '

word s) and body are just th o se things by which a perso n

, ,

i n fac t complex and vari able app e ars t o be a unity I n , .

the seco nd gro up which i s not l ike the rs t b o rrowed

, , ,

d i rectly from the U panishads greater s t res s i s l aid on the ,

s everal element s of the men t al fac t or with the practical ,

o bject of shutting o u t any possible I oophole for t he in t r o

duction of t h e idea of a mind of soul as an unchanging

unity .

Ve da n a i s with the hedonisti c signicance of

plea sant unpleasant and neu t ral re sul t ing fr o m contact
, , ,

with the objects of sense and itself produci ng ta n h a , ,

craving or d e sire I t i s emphasized that there is no

.


d i sti nct enti ty that fe els i t i s o nly fe e ling that feel s or
,

e nj o ys and thi s because of some o bject which i s i n
,

causal rel ation t o pleasan t or o t her fe el ing ( Buddha

g h o sh a) Buddh ist
. though t knows no subjec t and ,

c o nce ntrates its atten t ion upon th e obj e ct .

Sa nh a is pe rception o f all ki nd s sensu o us or me nt al that

, ,

i s to say aware ne ss with recogniti o n thi s being expre sse d

, ,

by n a ming ( Rhys David s)

.

The Sa nkh ara s f o rm a complex group includi ng ceta n a

'

, ,

o r will
( volition ) and a series of f one coe fcient s of
1
t y
,
-

any co nsci ou s s tate .

Vi h nana i any awarene ss of m ind no ma tt er h o w ,

ge ne ral or how ab stract the con tent .

I t i s t o be n o t ed that the term s rup a and v i h nana a re

'

u sed i n a more re stricted sen se in the v e f o ld cla ss icati o n

th an whe n used to embrace t h e whole of co nsci o u s e xi st
e nce Th e r a ther cumbr o us sy st e m o f the k
. h a n dh a s was
1
I say h
t at ce t a n a is ac t o ni ; t hi ki ng
n , o ne ac ts by d d w d
ee , or , or

th o u gh t .

A ng u ttara M haya '
'

,
iii , 4 1
5 .

1 00
 Th e F o u r P at h s
later replaced by a d ivision i nto cit ta m ind and
on , ,

ce t a s i k

a mental pr o per t ies
,
All Indian thi nkers are of .
,

course in agreement a s to the ma teri al organi c nature o f

, ,

mind .

F o r the serious s tudy of Buddh i st psychology the reader

must consul t either o f M rs Rhy s D avid s two work s on ,

t his subject All tha t need be empha sized here i s t he

.

prac t ical purpose of the Buddhi s ts i n making use of these

clas sica t i o ns
Why says Bu ddh ag h o sh a did the
.

, ,

Exalted One say there were ve Aggrega t es no less and ,

no more ? Because these no t only su m up al l clas se s of

c o nditioned thing s but they a fford no fo o th o ld for so ul
,

and the animi stic moreover th e y include all other cla ss i ,

cation s The Buddhist s thus appear to adm i t that
thei r p sychology i s expressly invented t o prove thei r ca se .

The Buddhists were of cours e very right in layi ng , ,

emphasis on the complex st ructure of the e g o a fact

which modern pathol o gi cal and psych i cal re search i nc re as
i ng ly brings home to u sbut th i s complexity of t h e ego
d o e s not touch the questi on of the Brahmani cal Atma n ,

whi ch is
n o t so no t so 1
,

, .

So much then for t he fundamen t al s ta t emen t of Right

, ,

View s .

Th e F ou r P a th s
Frequent mentio n has been mad e of t h e Fou r Path s .

Thi s i s a f o urf o ld d ivi s ion of the la st o f the Four Ariyan

Truth s The F o ur Paths or rather four stages o f the one
.
,

Path are as follows :

,

1 st Convers ion e ntering upon the stream which fo ll o w s

.
, ,

from compani on ship with t h e good heari ng t h e Law , ,

enlightened reecti o n or the practice of vi rtue Thi s , .

1
Fo r t hi qs i
u e st o n se e bl w p
e o , . 1 98 seq
.

IOI
 Buddh a 863 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
depends upon a rec o gniti o n of the F o ur Ariy an Truth s ,

and i s sub se quent t o the earl ie st s tep of mere ly taki ng

re fuge in t h e Buddha the Law and the Order a f o rmula , , ,

which is repea t ed by every pro fe ssing Buddhist includi ng ,

t h e many wh o h ave not yet entered the Paths The Fi rst .

Path lead s to freed o m from t h e delusion of Ego i ty fro m ,

d o ubt regardi ng t he Buddha o r his doc t rin e s and from ,

belief i n the e fcacy of rites and ceremo nie s .

2 nd The Sec o nd Path i s that of those wh o will only once

.

m o re return to the world and in tha t next birth will att a in ,

Final Release I n thi s Path the c o nvert e d i ndividual

.
,

already free fr o m d o ubt and from the delu s i o ns of self

a nd of ritual i s m i s able to reduce t o a mini mum the car
,

d i nal erro r s o f lu st re se ntment and glamour , , .

g rd. The Third Path i s that o f tho s e wh o will nev e r r e tur n

t o th is world but wi ll a t t ain Rel e ase in the pre se nt li fe

, .

Here the la st remnants o f lust and of resentmen t are

d e stro yed .

4 t h
. The Fourth Path i s that of the A ra h at s the ad e pt s ,

h e re t he s aint i s freed from all de si re fo r re bi rth wh e th e r -

,

in world s o f f o rm o r no fo rm and from pride self righte ou s

-
, ,
-

n e ss and ignorance The sta t e of the Arab at i s thu s

, .

d e scribed :
A s a mo t her even at t he ri sk of her own l ife pro t ec t s
, ,

her son h e r only so n so le t there be goodwill wi thout

, ,

mea sure among all beings L et goodwill with o ut mea sure .

prevail in the whole w o rld above below arou nd u n , , , ,

s tint e d u nmixed with any feeling o f d i ffering or O pp o s ing

,

i nt e re st s I f a m an remain steadfastly i n this state o f

.

mind all the while he is awake wh e ther he be s tanding ,

w alki ng s itting or lying dow n then i s come to pa ss t h e

, , ,

s aying Even in th is world hol iness has been fou nd 1
.
,

1
Me tta Su tta .

102
 Th e F o u r P at h s
The fo llowing are the Ten Fe t ters evil states o f m ind o r , ,

s i ns from which the aspira nt is freed as he tre a d s the F o ur

Path s :
S ak kaya di tth i t h e delu sion of se lf o r so ul ; Vi ci ki cch a
-
, ,

d o ubt ; S i la bba ta p ara masa depe ndence up o n rite s ; ,

K am a sen s ual ity phy s ical d e s ire ; P a t zgh a ha t red rese nt

, , , ,

m e nt ; R upa rag a de sire for l ife i n w o rld s of matter ; A r72
,

pa raga de s ire for l ife i n spiritual worlds ; M ano pride ;

, ,

Uddh a cca self righteou sness ; and A v zjja ig no rance
'

-
.
, ,

The aspirant become s an A rah at when t h e rst ve of

th e se a re wholly overcome Freedom from the o t her .

ve i s the Fruit of t h e Fourth Path .

They having o bt a ined the Frui t of the Fourth Path a nd
, ,

i mmerse d themselve s in that l ivi ng water h ave re c eived ,

with o ut price and are in the e nj o yment of N ibb ana
,

R a ta n a Su tta
( ) I t will be noticed
. that a clear d i s ti nctio n

is here drawn be t ween the a t t ainme nt o f A rah at t a and the

real izati o n of N i b b ana while in o ther pl ace s the t wo st a te s
,

a re treated as identical I t is clear however that i f .

, ,

N ib b ana i s the F ru it of the Fourth Path tho se wh o h ave ,

m e rely entered tha t Path and are thu s A rah at s have no t , ,

e t at t ain e d the last freedom they have indeed s till

y ; , ,

fetters to break .

Th e re i s a nother grouping of the sin s fro m which the

Saint i s released known as the Three o r Four Flo o ds
, , ,

or I ntoxi cati o ns or Taint s The three are : ( I ) K ama .

asa v a s e nsual ity ; ( 2 ) Bh a va asa va de s ir e for re bi rth ;

, ,
-

( 3) A v i/ja as a v a ig nor a nc e of the Four Ariyan Truths ;

,

whil e the f o urth i s D i t t h i vi e w s or metaphy si cal , ,

S peculatio n He who i s freed from the se three or four

.
, ,

De adly Taint s of L u sts Will t o L ife Ignorance and , , ,

Vi e w s has li kewise a t tained release and for h i m there

, ,

i s no re turn .

1 03
 Buddh a 863 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

II . SAMSA RA A ND K AMMA ( K A RMA)

We are now i n a bett e r po siti on to und e rst and the
theo ry o f soul wand e ri ng i n Earl y Buddhi sm I say
-
.

particularly Early Buddhism because i n t h e greater ,

part of pre Buddhi s t thought and i n all popular th o ught

-
, ,

wheth e r Brahmanical or Buddhist the d o ctri ne of metem ,

p sych o s i s the pa ssing of l i fe fro m one form to anoth e r

,
..

at deat h i s c o nc e i ye d anim i st i c ally as the transmigration

,

o f an ind ividual

Take for example such a text as B h ag a va d n a i i 2 2

, h ,

A s a man lays a s id e outworn garm e nt s and takes oth e rs

that are ne w so the B o dy D weller puts away outw o rn
,
-

b o dies and goe s t o oth e rs that are new Here the .

la ngu age i s pl a i nly a ni mi sti c One reader will understand .

that a soul an ethereal mannikin re move s fro m o ne ab o de

, ,

t o a n o ther ; a second reader o bservi ng that Th i s ( Body ,

D we ll e r) i s no o ther than That whi ch is not s o not so

perceive s that empi ri cally speaki ng nothingnothing that

, ,

we can call anythingt ran s migra t e s There i s here an .

ambiguity which i s in se parable in the case of all c o nce p

tion s which are subli m ated fro m experience s originally
ani mi tic o r sensuous Brahmanical though t does no t seek
s 1
.

to evade thi s ambiguity o f expre ssi on which i s more o ver , , ,

of historical s ignicanc e ; and thi s conti nuity of develop

ment h as the advantage that no i mpassable gulf i s xed
between the animi st and the ph ilo so pher .

Th i s advantage i s empha s ized by Sankara i n h i s di st i nc

tion of e soteri c and exo t eri c knowl e dge pa ra and apa ra ,

1
A s, fo r e x mpl
a e, i n the ana o lg o u s c ase o f rasa w hi h m, c e ant t ast e o r
v a our i n th e se nse o f sa o u r, and v m t m i t h i l
h as co e o e an n a ec n ca

h ti m ti
se nse , ae st e S c e o on . o w i th anan da i g i lly p h y i l pl
, or na s ca e asu re ,

a ft w d l p i i t l bl i
er ar s a so S r ua ss .

I O4
 S am a s ra an d K amm a
v idya : to That whi ch

so attribute s are is
not so , no t ,

a scribed for purpo se s o f w o rship o r by way of a cc o mmod a

tion to nite thought Thi s a scription of attributes o n . ,

the part of layme n i s regarded by the phil o sopher with ,

le nience : for he understa nds that the U n shown Way the ,

desire for That which is not i s exceeding hard Th o se

- - -
, .

wh o have no t yet won thei r way to i deali s m may not ,

a nd c a nnot altogether di sp e nse with idol s Brahma nism

1
.
,

regard e d as a Church i s d i sti ngui shed from the Buddhi sm

of Gautamano t yet the Buddhi s m o f the Buddhi st
,

Church b y thi s tenderne ss to i t s s piritual childre n :

L et not hi m that kn o w e th much awaken doubt i n

sl o wer men of les ser wi t 2
Gautama on the other .
,

ha nd i s an unc o mpr o mising i conoclast

, He preache s .

o nly t o higher men s uch as will accep t the hard s ayi ngs ,

of D u kkh a A n i cca and A n a t ta i n all thei r nak e dne ss

, , .

Thi s p o siti o n e nabled hi m to main t ain one s ingle argu

m e nt with enti re con sistence ; he needed not to ack now
ledge even t h e relative value o f o t her fo rm s o r degree s of
truth he wi sh e d t o break en t i rely with current absoluti st
a nd ani mi sti c thought .

Thi s position empha s ized for h i m the d i f culty o f expre ss

i ng what he wished to teach thr o ugh the popular and ,

a nimistic language of the day and yet he could not av o i d

the u se of thi s la nguage except at the co st O f making ,

hi m self unintelligible Th i s d i fculty may well have .

1
Th p i i t l p i t wh i i t t h t b l t t
o se S r ua ur s s o ns s a a so u e ru t h anatta
s, su c h as

( no n e g
-
i t y ) o d n, t iann t i ( t et ) g
,
h t e no so , n o so ou a o ne lt b t gh t
o e au ,

an d wh d p i ll t h l g i l d th ti i t
o es se a eo o ca an ae s e c n e r re a p
t ti f th on o e se

re al i ti f l h ld
e s as a se , S id th y i g f M t
ou c o ns er e sa n o as e r K p M
a ssa l a o ra

an d vi t W d
r u ou s d B ah m
an d
e re rs an t f r an s o no o rc e m t i ty th t
a ur on a

whi h ic i p ; th y b i g w i w i t f t h t
s u nr e e , e n se , a or a m t i ty P aya i
a ur .

s

S u tta Dia log u s f th Bu ddh a ii 3 3

,
e o e , ,
2 .

2
Bh g a a va d Gi ta i ii 9 , ,
2 .

10
5
 Buddh a 9 9
t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
c o ntributed to the hesitatio n which h e fe l t in regard to the
preaching o f the g o spel The m e t h o d he was forced t o
.

adopt was t o make u se o f t h e current phraseology

, ,

expanding and empha sizing in his o wn way a nd ,

empl o yi ng well known word s in new u ses

-
.

We have therefo re to guard ourselves as Bu ddh ag ho sh a ,

s ay s from s upp o sing tha t t he manner of s tating the case

,

exactl y expre ss e s the fact The term Sams ara i s a ca se .

i n poin t ; fo r t hi s Wandering i s not fo r Gautama the

wandering of any th ing Buddhism n o where t e ache s .

t h e transmigra t ion o f so ul s b u t only the transmigration ,

o f charac t er of personal i t y wi t hout a pers on

, .

Many are t he similes employed by Gautama to show that

no th ing transmigrate s fro m one li fe to another The .

e nding o f one life and the begin ni ng of an o ther inde e d , ,

h a rdly di ffer in kind from the change tha t takes place

when a boy become s a man t hat al so i s a tran smigrati o n ,

a w andering a new becom ing

, .

Am o ng the sim ile s mo s t o ften used we nd that o f am e

e speci a lly convenient L ife i s a ame and tran smigrati o n
.
, ,

ne w becoming rebirth i s the transmitting of the a me

, ,

from o ne c o mbustible aggregate t o another ; j us t that ,

and nothing more I f we light one candle from another

.
,

the c o mmunicated ame is one and the same i n t he sense ,

o f an o bserved continuity but the candle i s not the s ame

, .

Or agai n we could no t o ffer a better illu stration i f a

, , ,

m o d e rn instance be permitted than that of a series o f ,

billiard ball s in cl ose contact : i f an o ther bal l i s rolled

agai nst the l ast stationary ball t he moving b a ll will st o p ,

d e ad and the forem o st s tati o n ary bal l wi ll move on Here

, .

pre ci sely is Buddhi st transmigrati o n : the rst m o ving

b al l d o e s not pa ss over i t rem a ins behind i t die s but i t
, ,

i s und e niably the m o v e m e n t of th a t b a ll i t s m o men t um , ,

1 06
 Sam a
d K amm a s ra an

i t s ka m ma and not any newly created movemen t which

, ,

i s reb o rn in the foremo st ball Buddhist rei nc a rnation is

.

the endle ss t ransmi ssi o n o f such an i mpulse through a n

endless serie s of forms ; Buddhis t s alvation i s the comi ng
to unders t and that the form s the billi ard ball s are , ,

compound struc t ures subj e c t to decay and that noth i ng ,

i s tran s mi t ted but an i mpulse a v i s a t e rgo d e pende nt , ,

on the heaping up of the pa s t I t i s a man s character .

,

and not hi m self that goes on , .

I t is no t d i fcul t to se e why Gau t ama adop t ed the cu rrent

doc t rine of kamma ( acti o n by th o ught word or deed ), , ,
.

I n its si mplest form this doc t rine merel y assert s that

,

actions are i nevi tably f o llowed b y thei r con sequences ,

a s a cart a h o rse So far a s the experience o f o ne life
.

goes i t i s s i mply the law of cau se and e ffect with thi s

, ,

add iti o n that these causes are heaped up i n ch a ra cte r

, ,

whereby the future behavi our of t he i ndivi d ual i s very

l argely determined .

K amma must no t be confused wi t h mechani cal pre

destination I t does no t eli mina t e responsibili ty no r
.

i nvalidate e ffor t : i t merel y a sserts t hat the o rder o f

na t ure i s not interrupted by m iracle s I t is evi den t that .

I must l ie on the bed I have made I c anno t e ffect a .

mi racle and abol i sh the bed at one blow I mu st reap as

,

I have sown and the recognition of th is fact I cal l
,

kamma I t i s equally cert a i n tha t my o wn pre se nt e ffo rt s

.

repeated and well d i re cte d wi ll i n course of t i m e bri ng

i nto e xiste nc e a nother kind o f bed and t h e recog niti o n of ,

th is fact I al so call kamma So far th e n fro m inh ibiting

.
, ,

e ffort t he doctrin e o f kamma teaches that no re sult c an

,

b e attai ned without strivi ng hard There i s i ndeed .

n o thi ng mor e e ssential to t h e Buddhis t discipline tha n

Right E ffor t .

1 07
 Buddh a 863 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
I f we c o mbi ne the d o ctri ne o f kamma with that O f sam sara ,

deed s with wa nd e ri ng kamma re pre se nt s a f a miliar

truth the truth that the hi story of the individ u al d o e s

,

not b e gi n at bi rth
Man i s born l ike a garden ready .

plan t ed and s own .

B efore I was b orn ou t m

of y m oth er ge n e ra t io ns
gu ide d me .

N ow on th is sp ot I s ta n d .

This here dity i s thinkable in two ways The rs t way .

,

t h e truth o f which i s unde niable repre sent s the action o f ,

pa st live s o n present o nes ; the second which may o r

1
,

may no t b e true repre sent s the actio n of a s i ngle con

,

t i nu o u s se ri e s of pa st l i v e s on a s ingle present l i fe The .

Buddhi st th e ory of kamm a plu s sa m sara d o e s no t d i ffer

fro m i t s Brah manic a l pro t o type i n ad o pti ng the sec o nd
view Thi s m ay have b e e n b e cau se of i ts pragmati c
.

adva ntag e in the expla nation o f apparent n atura l i n

j u stice fo r i t a ffo rd s a reaso nabl e an swer to the que sti o n ,

Wh o did si n thi s man o r his parents that he was born

, ,

1
Th at th e h m
i di v id l i p olyp sych ic th t n i nd i t mb
u an n ua s /
, a a e n e nu er

o f t s ream f i
s o x i t i n h f w hi h b v i ly
c o nsc o u sne ss c o e s e ac o us c can e ar o u s

an d i v yi g d g
n ar n i t d di i t d i n w d t i
e re e s asso c a e or sso c a e s o a oc r n e

w id ly e p t d v by t h d x p y h l gy
ac c e e e en

or o o s c o o

G W B U R I I i bb tf l N 4 3
.

. . A LFO , er ou rna ,
o . .

Th m th g h t i xp d m B ddhi ti lly by L f di H
e sa e ou se re sse o re u s ca a ca o e arn :

F wh t i
or a i di v id l i ty ? M t t i ly i t i n t i di v id l i ty t
s ou r n ua os cer a n s o n ua a

all i t i m l t i pl i i ty i
s u l l bl W h t i th h m b d y ? A f m
c nc a c u a e . a s e u an o or

b i l t p t f b i ll i
u u ou f li vi g
o t i ti
o ns oi mp m t ggl m ti n n en e s, an er an e n a o era o

o f i di v id l
n ll d ll A d th h m
u a s ca e ce l ? A mp i t f
s . n e u an so u co os e o

q i t i ll i
u n f
ons l W o so u s h d ll i i t mp d f
. e are , e ac an a ,
n n e co ou n s o

f gm t f t i l i v
ra en s o I
an e r o r th P lm f A d es g i
.

n e sa o nan a :

a c on er e s

di se ased t mi g with m y p p
, ee n d pl d y t i wh m
an u r o se s an ac e s, an e n o

th i
e re pw t p it
s no o er o e rs s .

108
 S maa s ra an d K amma
bl i nd ?
The I ndian theo ry replies with o ut hesi ta t i o n ,

th is ma n .

Buddhism however does not explain i n wha t way a

, ,

conti nui ty of cause and e ffect i s maintained as betwe e n

one l ife A and a sub sequent l i fe B which are separated by ,

the fact of phy s ical death ; the thing is taken fo r grant e d 1

.

B rah mani cal school s avoid thi s di fcul ty by postul a ti ng

an astral or subtle body ( the linga sa ri ra ) a material -
,

complex not the Atman serving as the v e hi cle o f mind

, ,

and character and no t disintegrated wi th the d e ath of the

,

physical body I n other w o rds we have a group of body

.
, , ,

s o ul and spirit ; where t he two rst are material complex

, ,

a nd phenome na l

while the thi rd i s not so not so
, , .

That which tran s migrates and carries over kamma fro m ,

o ne l ife A to an o ther l i fe B is the soul o r s ubtl e b o dy ,

( wh ich the Ved anta enti rel y agrees with Gautama i n

dening as non Atman ) I t i s this subtle body which -
.

f o rm s the basi s of a new ph y si cal b o dy wh ich it m o uld s ,

upon i tself effecting as i t were a s pi ri tuali sti c mate

,

ri a li z a t i o n wh ich i s mai ntained thr o ughout l i fe The

.

principle i s t h e Same wherever the ind ivi dual i s re b o rn ,

i n heaven or purgatory o r on earth .

I n thi s view though i t is not menti oned b y Buddh i st s!

,

there i s nothing contrary to Buddhist the o ry Th e .

v al idity o f the dogma of non eternal soul remai ns u n - -

challe nged by the de ath survi val o i perso nal ity ; fo r th a t

s urvival could no t prove that the pers o nality con sti tut e s

1
id T W R h y D v id E a rly Bu ddh ism p 7 8
V e s a s,

Vid T W R h y D v id Ib id p 7 8
. .
.
, .

2
e . T h t t h t h y f t h b tl
s a s, . a e e or o e su e

d w i t h G t m g n l bj t i n
. . .

b dy i
o t m nt i n d
s no e o e ac c o r s au a as

e e ra o ec o

t t h di
o ei f h t l gy I t i h w v
sc u ss o n o t i b t t th v l
e sc a o o . s, o e e r, a r u e o e a ue

of B ddhi t t h
u g h t t h t v n th p f f t h
s ou v i v l f th p n
, a e e e ro o o e su r a o e e rso

w l d n t t th nt l d t i n f th
ou o a
'

ec l mp l x i ty nd
e ce ra oc r e o e so u

s co e a

p h n m n l h te
e o e a c arac r.
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
an ete rnal u nity nor can i t prove t ha t a ny th i ng a t all
,

surviv e d t h e attainment of Nibb ana We may indee d .

sa
y that Buddhi sm ,notably i n the J a taka s t a ke s the ,

s urvival o f p e rs o n a lity
( up t o the ti me of att a ini ng

N ibb ana) for granted ; and were i t o therwise there ,

woul d be little reaso n for the s trong Buddhis t obj e cti o n

t o s ui cide wh ich i s ba sed o n the very proper gr o und th a t
,

i t n e e d s s ometh ing more powerful than a dose o f p o is o n

t o d e s troy the illus ion of I and M i ne To accompli sh .

t hat requires t h e unti ring e ffor t of a s t rong will .

I I I B UDDH IS T H EA
. V ENS A N D H O W TO
REA CH TH EM
Gautama has no t denied the exis t ence of g o ds o r o f
future st ates of exi stence i n he ave n s or hell s Buddhi s m .

i s a thei stic o nly i n the sen se that i t de n i e s t h e e xi ste nce

of a Fi rst Cau se and empha s ize s the c o nception o f t h e
,

mortal ity of al l divin e bei ngs h o wever long l ived th e y

,
-

m ay be supp o sed t o be Apart fro m th i s G aut a m a i s

.
,

repre sent e d as no t m e re ly acquiescing in popular bel i e f s ,

bu t as speaki ng of h i s own i ntercourse with the go d s and

vi s it s to thei r heave ns ; and still more i mportant al l
, ,

th o se spi ri t u a l exerci ses which d o not lead di rectly t o

N i b b ana are speci a lly commended as securing the lesser ,

but s till very de si rable frui t s o f re bi rth i n the l o wer

,
-
,

h e aven s or in the Bra hm a world s o f Form or No

,
-

f o rm I n all th is more o ver there is n o t hing ill o gic a l t o

.
, ,

t h e spi rit o f t h e D hamma which i n s ist s on the law o f

,

Becoming b u t d o e s no t necessari ly exclude the p o ssibility

,

o f o th e r modes of Bec o ming than those familiar i n o u r

o rder o f experience Spiri tuali sm i n other word s whil e

.
, ,

quite une ssenti a l t o early Bu ddhism does not i n any way ,

c o ntradict the D ha mma .

I IO
Bu ddhi st H e av e n s H o w t o R e ac h T h e m
an d

The four highe st h e ave ns free fr o m ,

A upa lok
r a s, o r - sen su o us de s i re and not conditi o ned
Pl a ne s of N 0 by form These heaven s are att a in e d
.

form . by prac t ice of the F our A i up a

Yh ana s
'

Rupa loka s -
, The sixteen heavens free fro m se n
Planes su o u s de si re b u t conditioned by ,

Fo rm . fo rm These heaven s a re a tt a ined

.

by prac t ice of t h e F our 7 h an a s

.
.

P a ra n i mi t t a -
va sa va tt i

gods .

N i mma na ra t i gods .

i
Tu s ta h e av e n ( where
Gautama Buddh a re
The si x K am a sided pre vi o u s t o hi s
Ka m lok
a- a s , va cara de va la st birth and where
Plane s of Se n loka s Th e se Me t te ya no w aw a its
.

su o u s De si re heavens a re h i s last birth) .

( the se are a l s o attained by Y ama god s .

R a p lo k a- a s the meri t o f Tava t i msa heaven

but a re not go o d work s ( where re.s ide the

Brahm alokas ) Thirty thre e god s and -

thei r chief S akk a) .

1

Th e Four Great K i ngs

( Guard ia ns of the
F o ur Quart e rs N , .
,

S E and .
, .
,

Th e v e world s o f men demon s , ,

gho st s a ni mal s a nd purgatory

, ,
.

1
A h d d
un y mk
re o f our e ars a e o ne day a n d n ight o f th e Go d s of t he

S i t f th T hi ty th
u e o e t hi t y r -
re e r su c h dy i g h t th i m t h ;
a s an d n s e r on

and t w lv h m
e th
e th i su cy on s e r e ar . An d t h l g th f t h i l i v
e en o e r es

i s a th d h l ti l y
o u san su c c e es a . ears, or in h m n
u ak ni ng thi ty i
re c o r -
s x

y P ay i Su tta
,

mi ll i on e ars . as .

I I I
 Buddh a f Buddhi sm
the G o sp e l o

The chief o f t he god s wh o are comm o nly sp o k e n o f i n t h e

Sutta s are Sakka and Brahm a Sakka as it w e re i s
,
.
1
, ,

ki ng o f t he Olympian s t h e Jupi t er of the multitude and , ,

i s more or le ss t o be i dentied with the I ndra of p o pul a r

Brahma ni s m Great er than Sakka and more spiritu ally
.

c o nceived is Bra hm a the s upreme overl o rd of orthod o x

, ,

Brahman th e o logy i n t he days of t h e Buddha B o th o f .

th e se divi nitie s are repre sented in the Sutta s a s conve rt s

t o the D h a mma of the Budd ha wh o i s the teacher o f
,

g o ds and men A whole group of Sut t a s has t o do with

.

the conversion and exhortation of th e se god s and the se ,

Sutta s are evidently d e s igned t o make i t appe ar that the

Brahman god s are re ally on the side of Gautama and t o ,

th i s end they are mad e to spe ak as e nlightened and

d e vout Buddhi sts .

The Buddhi st co s mogony though related to t h e Brah

manical i s nevertheles s pecul iar t o i tself in detail and
, ,

d e serve s som e attentio n I t will b e b e tter u nd e rst o o d .

from t h e t abl e o n p age I 1 1 than by a l e ngthy d e scripti o n .

Th e mo st e s se ntial and the t rue st part of thi s c o smog o ny

h o wever ( and the o nly part whi ch i s dwe l t up o n i n t h e
more profo und pas sages of early Buddhist s cripture ) ,

i s the three fold d ivision i nt o t he Pl a n e s o f De s i re the

-
,

Brahm a Plan e s co nditi o ned by Form and the Brahm a ,

Plane s unco ndition e d by Form There i s a pro fo u nd truth .

c o ncealed even i n the mythol o gical idea of the po ss ibility

o f visiti ng t h e Brahm a world s while yet l ivi ng o n earth .

D o e s not he ri se above the Plane o f Desire wh o in ae sth e tic

c o nt e mplation s a u s s ich s lb st e r c t
i
e n t i t k 7 d o es no t .
2

t h e ge o m e tri ci a n a l s o kn o w t h e Brahm a Pla ne s of Form ?

There are ph ase s o f e xperi e nce th at can carry us furth e r .

1
Th e i mp l B hm
e rso n a ra an is k wn t
u n no o Bu ddhi t di l ti
s a ec c

F a s t ii p
.

th
2
Go e e, u 58 , , . 2 .

1 1 2
 Buddhi st H e av e n s 89 H o w "
to R e ac h T h e m
M . Po i nc are wri tes of the ma t hema t i cian Hermite :
7 a ma is i l

p ourta n t
n evoqu a i t u ne

im g s n s ib le
a e e , et

v ou s v ous ap e rce v iez bi entot gu e les ent i tes les p lus a b s tra ites '

e ta ie n t p our lu i c o m m e des t res v iv a n t s I l ne les v oya it

.

p s m a is i l se n ta it qu elles ne so n t p a s u n a ssem b lage

a ,

a rt c i e l e t
i gu e lles o n t je n e sa s
,
i g u e l p
rin c i
p e d u n it e

in te rn e .
1
D oe s not Keats moreover refer t o the , , .

Brahm a Plane unconditioned by Form when he wri tes ,

i n one of h i s le tt ers There will be no space and c o nse ,

quently the o nly commerce between spiri t s will be by

thei r in t e llige nce of each o t herwhen they will completely
underst and each other while we i n thi s world mere ly , , ,

c o mprehend each other i n di fferen t degrees ? I f i t

be true tha t he wh o does not a t tai n t o N ibb ana here and

no w is reborn in some o t her world and t his i s t aken for
granted i n early Buddhis mt hen wha t i s more reasonable
than t o suppose that t hose wh o cul t iva t e here on earth
th o se s t ates of mind which we have indica t ed vi z t h e , .

states of sel f absorption in t h e con templa t ion of beauty or

-

of ideal form or i n the mos t abs t rac t t hought are reborn

, ,

i n those worlds which the y have so often visi t ed ? This

con sideration i s main t ained as follows i n t he Tevi/ja

1
La a ur d l Sci n c M R h y D v id n ti th pp t
V le e a e e . rs s a s o ces e a are n

ab f m i i th hi g h
se nc e o B ddhi t h v
us c ( Buddh ist Psycho logy
n e er u s ea ens

,

p xlv) ; b t w h f m m t b pl d by hig h f t h f b t t
. u e re or us e re ac e e c es o a s rac

th g h t th
ou l m i m y b sil nt d m y n t
,

e re a so d th
us c a e e ,
an a o ne e o se

ti l t d i t m t w hi h
ar c u a e d i th l w h v
ns ru en s f c are u se n e o er e a e ns o se n se .

Py t h g did n t y t h t th m v m t f th h v ly

a o ras o sa a e o e en s o e ea e n

b di m d
o es di bl m i b t th t i t w i t l f m i
a e an au e p us c, u a as se a us c su ra

se ns i bl ( S h ll i g ) T h th w h l ky i ll d wi th
e

c e n d d

e re e o e s s e so u n , an

th th t m i i m d wi th t g d w i th t t i g

e re a us c s a e ou n e rs an ou s rn s

Th l d i th
e re a so , an m w y x i t t rn lly th V d D h mm
n e sa e a e s s e e a e e a or a a

,

w hi h i ly h e d i n l w w l d
c s on ar

o er or s
.

H I I
3
 B u ddh 8 a 63
2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
H aving described the Four Subli me M o ods Gau t ama ,

a sks

N ow what t hink you Vase tth a will the Bh i kkh u wh o

, ,

thus l ives be in possession of women and of wealth or ,

will he not ?
He will not Gau t ama !
,

Will he be full of anger or free from anger ? ,

He wi ll be free fro m anger Gautama ,

Will his mind be full of mal ice or free fro m mal ice ? ,

Free from malice Gautama ,

Wi ll his mind be t arni shed or pure ,

I t will be pure Gautama ,

Wil l he have self mastery or will he no t ?
-
,

Surely he will Gautama ! ,

Then you say Vase t tha tha t t h e Bhi kkh u i s free fro m
, ,

hou seh o l d and worldly cares and tha t Brahm a i s fre e ,

fr o m h o u seh o ld and worldly cares I s there then agree .

m e nt and likene ss be t ween t he Bh i kkh u and Brah m a ?

There i s Gautama !
,

Very g o o d Vase t t ha Then i n sooth Vase t t h a tha t

"

.
, , ,

the Bhi kkh u wh o i s free from hou sehold cares S houl d

after death when th e body is dis solved bec o me united
with Brahm a who is the s amesuch a condi t ion of t hings
, ,

i s every way possible ! 1

We mu st not however suppose that t he cultivati o n of t he

, ,

F o ur Subl i me Mood s by an a sce t ic and accord ing to the ,

stri ct Buddhi st formul a i s the only means of attaining t o

,

u nio n with Brahm a Buddhist scrip t ure re c o gnize s be sid e

.

the se ethical exercise s other special c o nditio ns o f int e llect

and em o tion which are att a i n e d i n the Four J h ana s ,

a nd th e se practices l ik e t hose o f the Four Subli m e M o o d s

, ,

m ay b e f o ll o wed by hou seh o lders as well as by ascetics .

1
T W R h y D v id Dialog s
. . s a s, ue f
o th e B ddh a i p
u , ,
.
318 .

1 I 4
 N i b b ana
I f i t shoul d be proved or come t o be generally bel ieved
,

i n the modern world tha t personali ty survives death

and i s i t reasonable to suppose tha t the acciden t of dea t h
s hould su fce to o vercome the i ndi vi dual Will t o L i fe ?

then some such classicati on of the heavens as is indi

c at e d in early Buddhist eschatology may well be used ;

alt e rnativ e ly we migh t speak of the three heavens of the

M onistBeau ty L ove and Tru t h And we m ay wel l
,

, , .

bel ieve with the early Buddhists t hat those wh o shal l

reach these heavens are precisely those wh o have al ready
experienced si milar s t a te s of consciousness : the various
ranks of ar t is t s lovers and philosophers The self
, , .

dev o tion and self forge t fulness of these mus t lead as

-

surely as the Buddh ist trances to the Brahm a world s -

,

on the principle tha t li ke to l ike a t tains Equally .

with the Buddhi st t rances also must the concentra ,

ti on of t he ar t is t lover and philosoph e r t end t o nal

,

emancipation .

Th e y dmit
sto r a s of b i ng t l d t h f
e o us ar, but w h t f ll w
a o o s is
hidd e n, an d canno t be t l d i n w d ]
o or s.

a ltalu dd R am i

zn .

N i b b ana i s one of the many names for t h e goal and su m

mu m b o n u m t o wh ich all other purposes of Buddhis t
thought converge What are Mok sh a to the Brahma n
.
,

the Ta o t o the Chine se my sti c F a n a to the Sfi ,

E t ei na l L ife to the followers of Jesu s that i s N ibb ana ,

to the Buddhist To a t t ain to this N i b b ana beyond the

.
,

reach of Evil i s the s i ngle though t that move s the Budd

,

h ist aspirant t o en t er on the Path s Whoever would .

understand Buddhism then must seek to understand , ,

N ibb ana : not th at is to say to i nterpret i t m e t aphysi

callyfor speculation is one of the Deadly Taints but
, ,

1 1 5
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
to unders t and i ts i mpl ica t ion s t o an or t hodox Buddhi st
and i t s meaning on the l ips of Gau t ama .

Unfortunately the t e rm N ibb ana ( in i t s Sanskrit form

,

N irvan a) b e came familiar to E uro pean st udents l o ng

b e fo re t h e Buddhist scri pture s had been made accessible ;

a nd the early w e st ern writers on Buddhi s m in terpreted
Buddhism in term s of thei r o wn b e lief as a state t o be ,

re ach e d after death A s such they supp o sed the dying

.

ou t

must mean the dyi ng out of a soul ; and endle ss

were the d i scussion s whether this meant eternal trance o r ,

absolu t e annihilation of a soul 1
How i rrelevant was t h is .

d iscussion will be seen when we realize t ha t N i b b ana i s a

s tate t o be real ized here and now and is recorded to have ,

been attained by the Buddha at the beginning of h i s

mi ni stry as well as by innumerable A rah at s hi s d i scipl e s ;
, ,

a nd when we remember that Buddhi s m deni e s the exist e nc e

o f a so ul at any ti me whether before or aft e r d e ath

, , .

I n t h e Mi li nda P a n h a Nibb ana is c o mpared to a glori o u s

,

city st ainless and u nde le d pure and whi te age less

, , , ,

deathles s secure cal m and happy , and ye t this city i s

,

very far from being a heaven t o which good men att ain
after dea t h :

There i s no spo t 0 king Eas t Sou t h Wes t or N or t h
, , , , ,

ab o ve below or beyond where N i b b ana i s situate and ye t

, , ,

N i b b ana is ; and he wh o orders hi s l i fe aright gro unded ,

i n vi rtue and wi th rational attention may re alize i t

, , ,

wh e ther he l ive i n Greece China Alexandria o r in , , ,

K o sala .

1
B u t t h e Al i /i nda Pan h a l a so s e a p k s ( e rrone o u sly ) o f an Arah at as

i g i t N ib ba
e nt e r n y i g th t th l ym wh tt i
n o

na, sa n a e a an o a a ns t o A rah at ta
m t i th
us te th O d p i t N i b b a th l tt
er e n e r e r er o r ass n o na, e a er a lt e rnat iv e

h i mply i g p h y i l d th ( i n th
e re n f S ddh d
s ca ea as e c ase o u o ana, th e f th
a er

of B ddh pu a, .

1 1 6
 N i b b ana

He enters in t o t h is ci ty who emancipa t es h is m ind in
A rah at t a

.

Th e l ite ral meani ng of t h e word N i b b ana i s : ou t

dying
,

o r exti nc t ion as of a re
1
To underst and its t echnical
, .

i mport mu st call to m ind t he s i mile of ame so c o n

we
st antl h

y employed i n B uddhist t hought : The w ole

worl d i s i n ames says Gau t ama
By what re i s i t , .

k indled ? By the re of lu st ( raga) of resen t ment ( do sa) , ,

of glamour ( moha ) ; by the re of bi rth old age death , , ,

pain lamen t ation s orr o w grief and despair i t i s kindled
, , , .

The proces s of t ransmigration the natural order of Be ,

coming is the communication o f this ame from o ne

,

aggrega t e of combustible ma t erial t o another The .

s alvati on o f the A rah at the saint then i s the dying

downN ibb anao f the ames of lus t hate and glamour
, , ,

, , ,

and of the will t o l ife N i b b ana i s jus t t hi s and no more .

,

and no less .

N i b b ana ( nirvana) is the only Buddhis t t erm for salvati o n

fam il iar to western reader s but i t i s only one of many that ,

o ccur in the or t hod o x Buddhis t scrip t ures Perhaps the .

broades t term i s Vi mokh a or Vi mu tt i salva t ion or , ,

1
Ot h ym l g i
er e t p i b l th I t i ll d N i b b a i th t i t
o o e s are oss e : us

s ca e na, n a

i s a
d p t f m t h t v i g w hi h i ll d ana l ti g
e -
ar u re

ro a c ra n c s ca e v us n

,

( A d
nu rudh Co mp n di m f P
a, h il s o h
p y i v e I t i u i m p t ot t o , , s o r an o

re m m b th t th t m N i va i l d th B ddhi m d i
e er a e er r na s o er an u s an s o ne

d by G t m i
,

o f th m yw d e an or s p il u se I th au a a n a s ec a se nse . n e

Up i h d it d
an s a t m s th d y i g t f y thi g b t th
o e s no e an e n ou o an n ,
u ra er

p f t l f l i ti t th i w h m th d k
er e c se -
rea za on f ig o ho se n o e ar ne ss o no ranc e as

b di p d by p f t k wl d g
een s e rse
t h hi g h t g
er ec l th p no e e, as e es oa e re o en s

b f t h m th t l p f t Ni a m ( Cha d gy Upan ish a d

e o re e e e e rna er ec rv na

n o a

g t i t tym l g i l ig i
, , ,

8 51 B ddhi t mp h i u th s u sa e e as z e s e s rc e o o ca s n c anc e

, ,

o f dy i g t; b t v
n ou it i t th d y i g
u t f
e l
e n so , i di s no e n ou o a so u o r an n

v i d li ty f
ua h thi g x i t d t h f
, o r no su c h thi g n di
e s s, an e re o re no su c n can e

ou t ; it i ly th p i ( v i g
s on tm e t d d l i ) th t
a ss o ns c ra n ,
re se n en an e u s on a can

di t
e ou A t wh t . m i if y thi g ly B ddhi m i i l t
s o a re a ns, an n , e ar u s s S en .

1 1 7
 Buddh a 89 t h e G o sp e l f Buddhi sm

o

del ive rance and those who have attained thi s s alvation
,

are call e d A ra h a t s ad e pt whil st t h e state o f a d e pt ship i s

, ,

called A rah a tta Other t erms and denition s i nclude the

.

end of su ffe ring t h e m e dicin e for all e vil ,

livi ng
,

water t h e imperi shabl e the abid ing the ine ffable
, , , ,

the detachment t h e e ndle ss securi ty ,

.

The N i b b ana o f wh ich we have so far spoken it will be ,

seen is e ssentially ethical ; but this Nibb ana i nv o lve s

, ,

and i s often used as a synonym for

the ces sati o n of ,

becoming ; and thi s of course is the great de sideratum

1
, , ,

o f wh ich the ethical extinction i s m e re ly the mean s a nd

t h e outward s ign Salvation ( v i mu tt i ) h as thu s al so a
.

psychol o gical aspect of whi ch the mo st e ssential el e m e nt ,

i s the relea se fro m individual ity Thus we nd d e ned .

the fo llowing E ight S t ations o f De l iverance : ( 1 ) H aving

o nesel f ext e rnal form o ne s e e s forms
; ( 2 ) unaware of one s

,

o wn external f o rm one see s f o rm s e xternal t o o n e se lf ;

,

( )
3 a
e sthetic hyp no s is ; (4 ) abiding i n t h e sphere o f s pace
re garded as innite ; ( 5 ) abidi ng in t h e sphere of c o gniti o n
regarded as innite ; ( 6 ) abiding in the sphere of n o thing
ne ss ;
( 7) abiding in the s ph e re o f neither ideation n or

non ideation ; and ( 8 ) abiding in the state where both

-

s en sations and ideas have ceased to b e

2
.

Another way to real ize the practical conno t ation o f the

Buddhist N ibb ana i s to c o n s ider the witne ss of those ,

A rah at s who b e s i de Gautama have attai ned thereto

, ,
.

Two o f Gautama s d i sciple s are sa id t o have t e stied as

f o llows : L ord he wh o is A rah ant who ,
h as wo n ,

hi s own salvation has u tt erly des t royed the fe t ters of

,

1
Sa myu tta N ihaya ii 5 1 1

M a h a [ Vi dana S u t ta 3 5 ; M h ap i u tta
.
, ,
2
,
a ar n i bbana S , 33 . Th e
4 th 7 th t t i id t i l w i th th F
s a o n s a re en ca e our A ru p a J h anas by w hi h c

th Fe ml h v n
or e ss tt i n d
ea e pp s are a a e ~
se e . 1 1 1 ,
1 47 .

1 1 8
 N i b b ana
becoming wh o is b y perfec t wisdom emancipa t e t o hi m
, ,

there does not occur the though t that any are be t ter than
I or equal to me or less than I
,

Even so answered , .

,

Gautama do men of t h e true st amp declare the gno si s
,

they have a tt ained ; they tell wha t they have gained (a t tha ) ,

but do not speak of I 1

The emancipa t ion con
t e mplat e d i n early Buddhism is from m an a the concei t ,

of self reference the Samkhyan a h a mkara Of h i m that

-
, .

has attained we can truly say that nothing of h i msel f i s

left in hi m Thus we nd a dialogue of two disciple s ;
.

one has a serene and radian t expression and t h e o ther ,

ask s Where have you been t h is day O Sari p u t t a ?

, ,

I have been alone in rst Jh ama ( contemplati o n) , ,

brother i s the t riumphan t answer
,

and t o me there ,

neve r came the though t : I am a tt aining i t ; I have
emerged with it 1

For the e ffec t on l ife of the experience of N ibb ana we ,

have the witne ss of the Brethre n and Si sters whose

P sal ms are recorded i n the Th era th eri g ath a
3
To
"

- -
.

t ake the Bre t hren rs t : I llusion u t terly has passed from

me says one cool am I now ; gone o u t all re within
, , .

A no t her describes t h e easy movemen t of t h e l ife of t he

free :
E

en a s h gh b r d s t r w ith cr s t d b ck l ghtly t h
th e i -
e ee e e a i e

p lough do w n t h furro w turns a e ,

So l ghtly glid f m t h n ghts nd d ys n w th t th is

i e or e e i a a , o a

p ur u n t in t d b liss i w o n
e a e s .

1
A ng u tta ra I Vikaya ,

iii , 3 59 .

2
Sa myu tta N ihaya i ii , 2 35 Cf th e . S ufi c o nc e p ti on o f F an a a lf an a
p i g wy fp i g
.
, ,

th e ass n v th
a a o ass n a w y wh
a

en e en e i
c o nsc o u sn e ss
,

of h v i g tt i d f an a di pp
a n a a ne sa ears .

2
W i tt d w 8 r d v i l b l t E gl i h
en o d i th
n 0 B C . .
,
an a a a e o n s re a e rs n e c are ufl
an d ymp th t i S i f C A F R h y D v id
a e Psa lms
c ve rs o n s o . . s a s, of the
d Psa lms f th Br th r n 9 3
.

Sist rs 9 e ,
1 1 0 , an o e e e , 1 1 .

I 1 1 9
 Buddh a Se ?
t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
Perhap s the prevail ing though t i s a more or le ss rap t urou s
delight i n the escape from evil and fro m craving ( dukkha
and tanh a) fro m lust hate and i nfatuati o n and fr o m
the prospec t of re bi r t h o f continued Becomi ng i n any
, , , ,

other conditi oned l ife Fro m the s t andp o int o f will . ,

again there is emphasis upon t he ach ievement of freed o m

, ,

self mas t e ry and s o for t h And the attainment i s al so

-
, .

expre ssed poeticallyj ust as t h e Brahman i n Brahmanical

scripture is symbol ized as bl i ss
in t elligence e t c
.
, ,

as light t ruth knowledge happiness calm peace ; b u t

, , , , ,

t h e si miles are always cool never suggesting any violent ,

rapture or overmastering emotion But while we rec o g .

nize an unmis t akable no t e of exulta t ion in t h e conque st

achieved here and now we mus t als o clearly recognize ,

that or t hodox Buddhi st teaching i s characterized by t he

absence of all j oy i n t h e forward view ; 1

and indeed no , ,

mystic can look forward t o grea t er bl iss than has al ready

been experienced : to what more indeed can o ne wh o
2
, ,

h as alread y a tt ained the su mm u m b o n u m look f o rward ,

or what can the ph ys ic al accident of dea t h ach i e ve for

h i m who has already by his own e ffort reached the g o al ?
Gautama expressly refuses to answer an y ques t ion relative
t o life after death and he condemns all specula t ion
,

as unedifying : I have not h e s ay s addres si ng the , ,

venerable Malu nkyapu t t a wh o desi red i nformation on ,

these poin t s revealed t hat the Ara b a t exi sts after death
, ,

I have not revealed t hat he does not exi st ; I have not

revealed t hat he at once exists and doe s no t exi st af ter
death nor tha t he neither exis t s nor does no t exis t af ter
,

1
C AF R h y D v id Psa lms f th Br th r n
. . . s a s, o e e e ,
1 91 3 , p xlv iii
. .

2
Fo r :
P di i ti ll p arath ( B hm
se s s u o n e ar e en ) :

Wh I g h en o e nc e ,

m y my l t w d b t h t w h t I h v
a as or s i e, a a a e se e n s u nsu r assa p bl ( T g e a o re
) .

T h i s n thi g m t b d i d
e re o n o re o e e s re .

1 20
 N i bb ana
death And wh y M alu nkyapu t t a have I no t revealed
.
, ,

these th i ng s ? Becau se O Malu nkyapu t t a thi s i s no t , ,

ed ifying nor connec ted wi th the essence of the norm no r

, ,

te nd to t urning of the will t o the absence o f pa ss ion to , ,

ce ssation rest to the higher faculties to supreme wisdom

, , , ,

nor t o N ibb ana ; therefore have I no t revealed i t 1

The .

early A rah at s refraining l oyally from speculation might

, ,

have concurred with E merson in sayi ng : Of i mmort al ity
the soul when well emplo y ed is incurious I t i s so well
, , .

tha t i t i s sure i t wi ll be well .

I t i s most expl icitly i ndi ca t ed tha t t he s t a t e of N ibb ana

cannot be d iscussed
A s a ame blown t o and fro by the wi nd say s the ,

Buddha g o es o u t and cann o t be registered even s o a

, ,

Sage se t free from name and form has d isappeared and

, , ,

cann o t be regis t ered .

The d i sciple inquires : Has he t hen merely d isappeared ,

o r d o es he indeed no longer exis t ?

For hi m wh o has di sappeared says the Buddha there , ,

i s no form ; t hat by whi ch they say He i s exi st s fo r

h i m no more ; when al l conditions are c u t o ff all matter ,

fo r discussion is al s o c u t o ff 2
.

O r again
A s sp a rk s fro m a forge a re one by one
t h e ei y
ex t ingu ish e d ,

A n d n o o ne k n o w s w h e re th ey h a v e go n e ,

S o i t i s w ith tho se wh o h a v e a tta in e d t o co m

p le t e e m a n c i
p a t io n ,

Wh o h a v e cro ss ed t h e oo d of des ire ,

Wh o h a ve en te re d up o n th e ca lm de light .

th e s e n o tra ce re m a ins
Of .

1
M /jhi m I Vikay S tt 6 3

a a a, u a

S u tta pat
.

2
in 73 5 a, 10
- -
.

I 2 I
 B u ddh a 89
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
On th is accoun t t hey are someti mes compared to the
bi rds of the a i r whose path i s hard t o follow because
, ,

they leave no trace 1

.

L et us return to the meani ng of N i b b ana or Vi mu t t i as

i t applie s t o the still l ivi ng A rah at The A rah at and th e .

Buddha have alike a t tained N ibb ana o r Vi m u t t i and ,

are Vi mu t t o ; are we t o understand tha t t h i s sta t e i s

con t inuously main t ained from the moment of enlighten
men t to the momen t of dea t h ? I f so what i s i t that ,

main t ains li fe i n the del ivered being ? Thi s questi o n

ari ses equally in the Ved anta The usual answer is t ha t .

the momen t u m of an t ecedent ka mma su fce s t o carr y on

t h e individual l ife even af t er the Will to L ife has

ceased and t his i s expressed i n t he brill ian t simile of

,

the pot t er s wheel whi ch continues t o t urn for s ome time
,

aft er the hand o f the potter i s removed I n any ca se i t i s .

evident that t h e freed o m of the A rah at o r J i van m u kt a -

d o e s not i nv o lve an i mmediate and pe rmane nt eman

c i at i o n from mor t al ity : the Buddha for exampl e th o ugh
p , ,

he had long since attained Perfect Enligh te nment i s ,

recorded t o have su ffe red from severe illness and t o have ,

been aware of i t I t i s no doubt con sidera t i o n s of thi s

.
, ,

sort whi ch de termined the d istinction which was so me

ti mes d rawn be t we e n N ibb ana or Dying Out and ,

,

Pari ni b b ana Comple t e or Fi nal Dy ing O u t c o incident ,

,

with phy s ical death .

The A rah at has i ndeed passed through an experience

, ,

which i llumine s al l h i s remaining li fe : he kn o w s thi ngs

a s they really are and is saved fro m fear and grief : h e
,

h as realiz e d i f b u t for an i nstant the Abyss wherein all

, , ,

B e c o ming i s not He i s sati sed of t h e authenti city of

.

the expe rienc e by the very fac t that t h e thought I am

1
Dh a mm apa da v , .
92 .

1 2 2
 N i b ban a
experiencing I have experienced was no t presen t Bu t
, .

t h e mere fac t tha t he knows tha t he has had th i s ex

e ri e nc e and may have i t again may even command i t
p

,

at wil l prove s that he does not continu o usly real ize i t .

I t i s contrary moreover to all s pi ritual experience and

, ,

we mu st prot e st s tro ngly against the Buddhis t clai m that

the Buddhi st expe rience of salvati on i s uniquet hat the
h ighest rapture should be regarded as consciou sly coexisten t
wi th the ordinary activity of the empi ri cal consciou sne ss ,

even where the daily rou t ine o f l ife i s s o simple as that

o f the Buddhist Brother And i n Buddhis t scrip t ure s
.

i t i s frequently i nd icated t ha t both the Buddha and the

Bre thren pass int o and o u t fro m the highest rapture At .

other ti me s t he empiri cal consciousnes s mus t be awake

and i ndeed this consciousness being component and
, , ,

mutable cannot as such be se t free

, , , Experience .

therefo re sugge st s that while N i bb ana i s mos t a ssuredly

acces sible here and nowas t h e my st ics of all ages hav e
emphatically t e st i e da continuou s real ization of salva
ti on i s only thinkable after death And as the Buddha
.
,

s ays what tha t real ization involve s i s not thinkable

, .

L ater Buddhism a ffords another explanati on of the fact

that we canno t regard N ib b ana or V i m u tt i i n this l ife as
an unin t errupt ed experience Thi s explanati o n wh ich i s
. ,

aki n to the Doceti c heresy of Chri stianity l ogically wel l ,

fo unded a ssert s that the emancipa t ed i ndividual the

,

case of the Buddha i s particul a rly considered in a sy stem

which regard s Buddh ahood ra ther than A rah att a as the
goal i s on ce and for al l freed : a nd what remains the ,

l iving and speaking man on earth i s merely a m i rage , ,

existent in the consciousness of o t hers but no t main t ai ned

by any i nheren t Wi l l t o L i fei t i s once more the potter s
,

,

wheel from wh ich the hand of the potter has been li fted
, .

1 2 3
 B u ddh a 89 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
There i s a cer t ai n amoun t o f evi dence t e ndi ng t o show
that the N i b b ana o r Vi m u t t i sta t e a ffo rd s the franchi se
o f both w o rld s the By ss as well as the Aby ss
,
We read .
,

fo r example that whe n a Brother has mast e red the E ight

,

St ation s o f De l iverance so that he i s able to los e

h im self in as well as to e m e rg e fro m any o ne o f them
, , ,

whenever he cho o se s wherever h e ch o o ses and fo r

as long as he choo se swh e n too by ro o ti ng o u t t h e
, ,

Taints he ent e rs into and abide s in tha t emancipati o n of

,

h e art th a t emanc i pa t i on of the I n t ellec t whi ch h e by

,

h i m self here i n thi s pre sen t world h as come t o know

, ,

and reali ze then such a Brother Ananda i s called , ,

Free i n both
- -
U nfortunately we cann o t here

tak e Free i n b o th ways to mean free of both world s
-
-

the co ndi ti o ned and the unconditi oned for the phrase
-

clearly refers t o the dual character of Del iverance as a t

o nce p sych o logi cal and eth ical But i t i s nevertheles s .
, ,

i ndi cat e d that the ad e pt Brother i s free t o pa ss fro m o ne

w o rld to the other fro m the Byss t o the Abys s and t h e
, ,

Abyss t o the Bys s at will : and we can hardly suppo se

that phys ical death involve s t he loss o f this p o wer : o r i f
we do s o we have i mmedia t ely drawn a di stincti o n
,

be t ween N i b b ana o f t he l iving individu al and N i b b ana

o f the dead
,

and the latter become s the more l i mited ,

the le ss free And that the Vi mu t ta con sciousnes s after

the death o f t h e i ndividual o r rather altogeth e r apart
.

fro m the bi rth o r death of the individual really t o uch e s

,

both the By ss and the Abys s as Brah manical mysticism ,

plainly a sserts i s at any ra t e no t denied by the Buddha

, .

We even nd it laid down tha t To say of a Bro ther

thus se t free by insigh t He know s not he sees no t ,

that were ab surd ! 2
In o t her words i t i s clear the , ,

1
IlI a h a I Vi dana S
-
'

u tta , 36 .
2
Ibid 3
. 2 .

I 2 4
 Nibb a na

emancipa t ed ind ivi dual af t er dea t h does no t cease t o
, ,

know things as they really are : t he doors of percepti o n

being clea nsed he must continue t o see al l thing s as t hey

are i nni t e o r t o revert t o Buddh ist phraseology as
,

, ,

void There i s however no ind ividual who sees for

.
,

t h e erstwhile i nd ivi dual i s l ikewise inni t e or voi d :

s ubject and objec t are u nied i n the Abys s Thus once .

again we cann o t se t u p a nal d istinc t i o n be t ween t h e

,

po sitive and negative ph raseol o gy of my st icism What .

i s i n any case cer t ain i s that the Buddhist ( and Brah

manical ) use of nega t ive s does no t i mply that the state
of freedom i nvolves a loss for those wh o nd i t For .

Wes t ern readers t h e language of We st ern mystics

sh o uld be a su fcien t indication of wha t i s mea nt :

N ibb ana i s assuredly t ha t noble Pearl wh ich to the ,

World appears Noth ing b u t t o the Ch i ldren of Wisd o m

,

i s A ll Th ings Precisely wha t N i b b ana signies

.

i n early Buddhism and Nirvan a in the Mah ay ana

, ,
'

could no t be more exac t ly explained t han in the rst

and sec o nd o f t he following paragraphs of Beh men s

L a stly whereas I said Whoso e v ern ds i t n ds No th ing

, ,

a nd ll Th ings ; t ha t i s also cer t ain and true

a But h o w .

nd s he Noth ing ? Why I will tel l thee how He tha t ,

nde t h i t nde t h a supernatural supersensual Abyss , ,

which hath no ground or Byss to sta nd on and where ,

there i s no place t o dwell in ; and he nde t h also no th ing

i s like unto i t and therefore i t may t ly be c o mpared to
Noth ing for i t i s dee per than any Th ing and i t i s as
, ,

N o thi ng with re spect to All Thi ngs fora smuch as i t i s ,

not comprehen s ibl e by any o f them And because i t i s .

Nothing re spectively i t is therefore free from All Thi ngs

, ,

and i s that only Good which a man canno t expres s o r

,

1 2 5
 B u ddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
u tt er wha t i t is there being No t hing t o wh ich i t may be ,

compared t o express i t by , .

But in tha t I lastly s aid : Wh osoe vernds i t n ds A ll

Th ings ; there i s nothing can be more true t han this
as serti on I t hath b e en the Beginni ng of Al l Thi ngs ;
.

a nd i t ruleth All Things I t is also the End of All .

Things ; and wil l thence comprehend All Thi ngs wi thin

i t s ci rcle All Th ing s are from it and i n i t and by
.
, ,

it . I f t hou nde st i t thou comest i n t o that ground

from whence All Things are proceeded and where in ,

they s ubsi st ; and t hou art i n i t a K ing over all the

works of God .

V . E TH ICS
Le t not a b th
ro er o c c u py hi m l f w i th b y w k
se us or s .

Th eragath a,
'

1 0 72 .

In consideri ng the subject of Buddhis t moralit y we can ,

not i n the rst place t o o s tro ngly emphasize the fac t that
, ,

i t was no more the purpose of Gautama t han of Jesus t o

e s tablish order i n the world 1
N othing c o uld have been .

further from h i s t houghts t han the redress of s ocial i n

j ustice no r could any mo re inappropria t e title be devised
,

fo r H i m wh o h as thus attained t han t hat of democrat or

- - - -
,

social reformer A wi se man says the Dh a mmapa da .

, ,

s hould leave the dark s t a t e of l ife in the world and follow

t h e brigh t sta t e of li fe as a m o nk 2 .

1
Dh ammap a da v 4 Th B ddhi t l i k th T l t y
, ,C h i ti
1 2 . e u s , e e o s o an rs an ,

h as n of i th i g v m t W
a nd f pi it l l
o e rn f pi en e re a o s r ua e sso ns or r nc e s,

.

b t th
u d f p l i ti l w i d m i ll d
e ro a o l p th f f l
o ca s o

s ca e an u nc e an a o a se

(f t k m l x i x Th p i t i f th i ll t t d i G t m

n e ss a a a a a, , e o n s ur er u s ra e n au a as

f l t i t v w h th m g i b g h t t h t D d t t h
re u sa o n er e n e en e e ssa e s ro u a e va a a as

p d h th
u su r e f K pi l
t e t th ( s up ra p
ro n e o a ava u

I b id 8 7 8 8
.
,
2
. .
,

1 2 6
 VI I

T
TH E V I C O R Y O F B U DDH A
A B A NI ND R O N AT H T G R
A O E

12 6
 E t hi c s
Gau t ama s message i s add ressed t o t hose i n whom h e

perceived t h e poten t ial i t y o f nal insigh t already upon t h e

p o int of ripening : for these he speak s the word of relea se
fr o m which arises the i rresistible call t o leave the world

and to foll o w N ibb ana
To the wise belongeth t his .

L aw and not to the f o olish

, fo r children and t hose wh o
are l i ke ch ild ren ( as Professor Oldenberg remark s) the
arms of Buddha are no t O pened I t i s not even j us t t o
Gau t ama to contrast his Dham mat he Buddhis t N orm
.

wi th the D harmas whi ch a re assig ned t o men o f diverse

-

social sta t us i n the Brah m a nic a l social order I n order

'

t o view his doctrine without prejudice we must conce nt ra t e

our a tten t i on upon t he Sa ng h a t h e O rder which he , ,

fou nded : we mu st compare his sys t em no t with o t her ,

religions b u t with o ther monasti c syst em s and con sider

, ,

whether or no i t s men t al and moral d iscipline is calculated

t o be s tow on those wh o foll o w it t he salva t i o n which they ,

desi red F o r Gau t ama cer t ainly did no t bel ieve that
.

s alva t ion could be attained in any o t her way nor by Bre t hren ,

of any o t her Order : for such as t hese and for the vas t
ma ss of laymen there could be only a question o f rebi rth
i n favourable or unfavou rable cond i t i ons accord ing to t h e
moral value of thei r deeds 1
.

The early Buddhist ideal i s no t only far removed from

what i s i mmoral but al so a nd not les s far from wh at i s
, , ,

moral : i t goes beyond these conceptions of good and

1
ddhi m h m h t y f th f t
Bu s as uct t f tho wh
sa di o e u u re s a e o o se o e

v d t h v i g t ff th
u n sa e ,
no a di ti w hi h d t m i
n cu O b i th e con o ns c e er ne re r .

A it i
s xp d by M R h y D v id Th m
s e re sse f g
rs d v g s a s,

e ass o oo a e ra e

f l k g i g w i th th p ti
o , o n ,
d eg f ll a m t l th
e nc e an gh c o u ra e o a san e o r a s, ro u

t g
s a e a ft t g f g er s a e o i mm t i ty th g h th j y d
re e n w th t
a ur ,
ro u e o s an so rro s a

hv d d w i ll
a e re c u rre i i t ly ft h v n nd p g t y
an re c u r so n n e o e n, ea e a u r a or

th i t l f w i t t h i f t

an d e ar se a a e r u ure .

1 2 7
 Buddh a 823 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
evil for even good deed s after the j udgme nt of the
, ,

world de t ermi ne rebirth : veri ly they have thei r reward

, , .

A nd ye , Brethren says Gau t ama
, learn by t h e ,

parable of the raft tha t ye must put away good cond iti o ns ,

no t to sp e ak of bad The good is b u t the raft t hat
.

carries u s a cro ss the dangerou s se a ; he that w o uld land

up o n the fa rther shore mu st leave the ra ft when i t touche s
t h e s trand .To real ize t hi s truth however de t ract s in
no way from a real iza t ion of the presen t value of t h e

raft
Th i s i s a Rel igion of E t erni t y the Brahmanical n i
.

vri t t i mai a and as such could be legiti mately s poken of
g
as a nti s o ci al i f i t were i n t h e least degree l ikely or had
-
,

i t b e e n c o n t empla t ed t h a t i t should or could be adop t ed

in i t s en t i re t y by all Such re l igion s while they emb o dy
.
,

t h e highe s t tru t h to which mankind h as attained a re o nly ,

t o b e criticized as puritanical i n s o far as th e i r f o ll o w e r s

s e e k to i mpose an a s ceti c regi me
( rather than o ne of
temp e rance) on all al ike ; in so far as thei r view of a rt i s
exclu sively hed o ni stic ; and thei r view of worship and
ritual wholly un sympathe t i c .

There i s much t o be said for t h e Brah manical doc t rine

o f the social debt and for the view that a man
,

s hould reti re from t h e worl d only late in l ife and ,

only after t aki ng due part i n the l ife of the world .

N e v e rthel e ss we mu st a f rm the convi c t ion tha t the

re nunciati o n o f t h e world at any moment by thos e
, ,

who experience the vocation t o asc e tici s m i s entire ly ,

ju stiabl e i f the vocati o n be real I t i s further a p o s i

, .
, ,

tive s o ci al and moral advan t age to t h e c o mmu nity that a

c e rtai n number o f its nest mind s leadi ng a l ife that may ,

be called sh e lte red should remain unatt a ch e d to social

,

activities and unbound by social t ies Too much s t ress .

 E t hi c s
is laid upon u t il i ty i n c o m muni t ies where nei t her re li
gienn nor women are protecte d And notwi thstandi ng .

that i t i s not t he purpose o f the herm i t to e s t ablish order

i n the world let u s remember that the onl o oker sees mos t
,

o f the game ; i t i s no t without reason that i t h as become

an establi shed t raditi on of the Eas t tha t t he ruler shoul d

be guided by the sage The example of asce t ici sm .

,

moreover, where thi s asceticism i s natural and e ffortle ss ,

provides a u seful corrective to luxu ry ; where voluntary

poverty is h ighl y respe cted some par t of the su ffering ,

i nvolved i n ordinary poverty i s ta ken away To thi s .

day t h e I ndian Brahman ide a l of plai n l iving and

,

social d iscipl ine stro ngly inuences the manners and

cu stoms of al l other cas t e s ; and the same result i s
a t tain e d by Buddhi st mona sticis m i n Burma where i t ,

i s cu stomary not merely for l ife asce t ics fo r all men

, ,

o f wha t ever calling t o spend a shor t er or longer t i me

,

within the fol d of the Order .

Mo st l ikely the root of the objec t ion wh ich many feel for
m o na sti c ideal s of the Buddhi st type i s to be found in the
s el shne ss of thei r ai m o r to put the mat t er in ano t her

,

way i n the l aying o f s t re s s on K nowledge ra t her than

, ,

L o ve Bu t let us remember tha t mos t and maybe all of

.

our u nse lsh ne ss i s a delusi on .

N o one ca n gro w f or a n oth e rn o t one .

i
Th e gift i s t o t h e g ve r a n d o m e s b a c , c k m ost t h imi io

c nn ot f il
a a ,

A nd n m n u n d rs t n ds ny gr t n ss
o a e goo dn ss b t
a a ea e or e u

h i ow n s t h in dic t io n of h i o w n
, or e a s .

L et als rem mber that p ity n m or c ould b

us o e ll o e e, a

wr h ppy y and j ust thi happines i s pr mised

e e as a as e : s s o

to all who are prepared to rel inquish desi re resentment , ,

1 1 2 9
 Buddh a 89 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
an d se nti me ntal i t y We m ust no t forge t th at i t was a
.

recog nized duty o f the Brethren and s o me tim e s o f t h e ,

Sisters t o preach the D hamma ; and wh o will put f o rward

,

t h e asserti o n tha t man shall l ive by bread al o ne ? Accord

ing to the Edict o f Asoka There i s no s uch al m sgiving
,

a s i s the al m sgiving of the Dhamma

This was equally .

the view o f so practi cal a We st e rn mind as Cromwell s wh o se

,

rst ex t ant letter ( as M r Vincent Smith h as p o inted out)

supplie s a near parallel to the saying o f Asoka jus t quoted

Building of hospital s he writes pro vid e s for men s
, ,

b o di e s ; to ma t eri al t empl e s i s judged a w o rk o f piety ; but

th e y tha t procure spi ritual f o od they t hat bu ild u p spi ritual
,

temple s they are the men truly charitable t ruly pious
, , .

I t is m o st l ikely that t h e earlies t Buddhi sm had no o th e r

moral cod e than that of the mental and m o ral discipline
app o i nt e d for tho se wh o renounced the w o rl d and entered
t h e Path s The foll o wing Ten Commandmen t s are t h o se
.

wh ich are binding upon the Bre t hren :

To av o id ( 1 ) t h e de s truc t io n of l ife ( 2 ) theft ( 3 ) nu , ,

cha sti ty ( 4 ) lying ( 5 ) t h e use o f int o xica t i ng l iquors

, , ,

( )
6 eating between meal s
( )
7 attending
, secular entert a in

ments ( 8 ) use of ungue nts and jewellery ( 9) the u se of

, ,

h igh or luxuri ous beds and ( 1 0 ) t h e handling of money

, .

Th o se wh o attach e d themselves to the t e a ching of the

B reth ren but re mained laymen were required t o o bey
t h e rst ve of t hese i nj unction sall of which i t will be
, ,

n o ticed are of a negative charac ter ; but i n the ca se o f

,

l aymen the thi rd c o mmand ment is taken to mean o nly

,

t h e av o idance of adul t ery .

Pra c ti cally all the se rule s are taken o ver fro m Brahm ani c
so urce s .Thi s i s more particularly evide nt i n o th e r
p assage s of the can o nical bo o k s where lay mora lity i s
expounded in grea t er detai l When ma t ters are referred
.

1 3 o
 E t hi c s
to Gau t ama for his deci s ion or t o the Bre t hren t he deci , ,

s i o n given evidently accord s wi t h curren t publ i c O pini o n ;

m a rriage and family l i fe are not d i rectly attacked i t i s ,

merely pointed out that the secular life doe s no t lead

t o emancipa t ion from rebi rth and su ffering We h ave
1
.

i ndeed in some books a detailed expo s itio n o f the mu t ual

duties of chi ld ren a nd parents man and wi fe master and , ,

servan t These injunctio ns l ay d o wn j ust those dutie s

.

wh ich are acknowledged i n the Brahmanical works and ,

i ndicate a blamel e s s mode of life where special stre ss i s ,

lai d on not injuring others support of paren t s and t h e , ,

giving of alms to the Brethren This i s t he next bes t .

cond ition to that of the Wanderer wh o i s a member of ,

the Order and homel e ss The duties of l aymen are se t .

,

fo rth i n the S igala vada Su tta under s i x head s : p a rents

should restrain thei r chi ldren fro m vice train them in ,

vi rtue have them taugh t ar t s an d sciences provide t hem

, ,

with suitable wi ves or husbands and give them th e i r ,

inheri t ance : children should support t hose wh o have

supp o rted them perform family dutie s guard thei r paren t s
, ,

property make themselve s worthy t o be thei r heirs and

, ,

nally h o nour thei r memo ry Pupils sh o uld honour thei r .

teachers by rising in thei r presence by mini stering to ,

them by obeyi ng them by supplyi ng thei r wants and by

, , ,

atten t ion to in st ruction ; the teacher shoul d show a ffection

1
p i i t y f t h h m l l if i g i d g i mp h i d
B u t th e su e r or o e o e e ss e s a a n an a a n e as z e ,

e g . F ll f hi d
.

u i th o h h l d l if
n p th d l d by
ranc e s s e o u se o e, a a e e

p i f ass o n : i i t h p t h f h i m wh h
re e a s a r s d ll w l d ly
e a o o as re no u nc e a or

t hi g H w di f l t i t i f t h m
n s . o wh d w ll cu t h m t l i v th
s or e an o e s a o e o e e

hi g h l if i ll i t f l
er e i ll i t p i t y i
n a ll i t b i g h t p f t i
s u ne ss, n a s ur , n a s r er ec on

L t m the t
e ff my h i d b
en cu d l t m l th my l f i th
o a r an e ar , e e c o e se n e

g l d b
o ran e c o o u re -
d l t m g f th f m ro h h l d l if i t
e s, an e e o or ro a o u se o e n o

th h m le o t t T ijj Su tta
e e ss s a e It i y t b t i i gh t q

ev a

s e as o o a n r e us

h h ld
. .

ne ss ni th f t b t t e f o re s , f a t
u k m d
nold f A ya
so or a o u se o er .

a a o r

Sa xxx i i
ra
,
.

I 3 I
 Buddh a 59 2
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
for h i s pupil s by trai ni ng th e m i n al l that is g o od teaching ,

th e m t o hold knowledge f a st i nstructi ng them in science ,

a nd l o re speaki ng well of them and by guarding th e m

, ,

from da nge r Th e hu sband sh o uld trea t his wife with

.

re spect and kindnes s be fai thful t o her cau se her t o be

, ,

h o no ured by o thers and give her suitable clothes and

,

j e wel s : sh e sh o uld ord e r the household duly be hospitable ,

t o ki ns me n and friend s h e chaste and thrifty and i n , ,

al l matters exh ibi t skill and diligence A man shoul d .

mini ster to h i s friends by present s cour te o us speech , ,

pro m o te thei r interest s treat them as equals and s hare

, ,

with them hi s pro sperity ; t hey should watch over h i m

wh e n he is o ff h i s guard pro t ect hi s proper ty when h e i s
,

carele ss o ffer hi m a refuge in danger adhere t o hi m in

, ,

m i sfortune and S how kindn e ss to h i s family The ma st e r

, .

s h o uld care fo r h i s depe nde nt s by a pp o rti o ning thei r work

acc o rdi ng t o th e i r strength givi ng suitable f o od a nd ,

w age s tendi ng them in s ickn e s s shari ng with them unu sual

, ,

d e li cacie s and givi ng th e m occa s io nal h o lid ays ; th e y

,

s hould ri se before h im retire later to re st be conte nt

, ,

wi th wh a t i s given th e m work cheerfully and well and , ,

s pe a k w e ll o f hi m A laym an should mini ster t o Bh i k

. kh u s
a nd to Brahman s by a ffectio n i n th o ught word and d e e d , , ,

by giving th e m a ready w e lcome a nd by supplying thei r ,

temporal needs ; and they shoul d d issuade hi m fro m vic e ,

exh o rt hi m to vi rtue fee l kindly t o him ins t ruct hi m in

, ,

rel igion clear up h i s d o ubt s and point t he way to h e ave n

, , .

A nd by thu s acting the six ai rt s ( N Z enith and ,

Nadi r) are preserved i n peace and free from danger .

We m ay also rem ark o f the Brethre n and Si sters that ,

th o ugh the practice of g o od works i s by no m e ans

enj o i ned th e y w e re con stantly e ng aged with what we
,

should no w call moral e duca t ion and to a considerable ,

1 3 2
 E t hi c s
ext e nt and more so i n later ti me s with education and
, ,

l e a rni ng in general On the whole i t can hardly be

. ,

c o ntroverted that Buddhi st mona stici sm h as bee n a tru e

be net t o every country wh e re it h as been i ntroduced ,

and that in Indi a also Buddhi s m as a wh o le c o ntribute d

valuabl e and specic element s to the pe rm anent i mpr o ve
m e nt of current standard s o f social e thic s .

I t will be a useful commentary on t h e presen t section t o

append the following quo t ation de scriptive of p o pular
m o rali ty i n Buddhis t C e ylon where the social i nuence
,

of early Buddhism may fai rly be credi ted wi t h a con

s i de rab le part of popul a r culture :

There i s annually a gathering from al l part s of the

I sland at Anuradhapura t o visi t wha t are called s acred
places . I suppose about people come here ,

remain for a few days and then leave There are no

, .

houses for thei r reception b u t under the grand umbrage

,

of tree s of our park like envi rons they erect thei r little
-

b o oths and picni c in the O pen ai r As the height o f the

.

fe stival approaches the place becomes i nstin ct with li fe ;

,

and when there i s no room left to camp i n t h e l a t e r ,

comers unceremoniously take pos session o f the vera nda s

of the publ i c buildings So orderly i s thei r conduct
.
,

however that no one thinks of disturbing t hem The

, .

old K ac c e ri ( Governmen t O fce) stand s a detached ,

buildi ng no t far from the bazaar and ab o ut one eighth ,

-

o f a mi le fro m t h e As s istant Agent s house Till lately

- .

the trea sure used to be lodged i n a l ittle i ron box that

a few men could ea sily ru n away with guarded by three ,

native treasu ry watchers There lay thi s su m o f m o ney

.
,

year after year at the mercy of any s ix men wh o ch o se

to run with i t i n t o t he neighbouring j ungleonce i n
,

de t ection was al mos t i mpossibleand yet no one ever

1 33
 B u ddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
suppo sed t he attempt would be made These .

men fr o m all parts o f the c o untry com e and g o annually

without a singl e pol i c e man bei ng here ; and as t h e ,

M agi strate of t he di st ri ct I can only say th at any t o

,

surpas s thei r dec o rum and s obriety o f conduct i t i s

i mp o s sibl e t o conceive Such a th ing as a row
.

i s unheard o f Report of the Government Agent

.
,

Anuradhapura Ceyl o n 1 8 70
, , .

To this we may add the te st i m o ny of K nox wh o was ,

a pri soner i n the interi o r of Ce yl o n late i n t he se ve nteenth

c e ntury He s ays that the prov e rb Ta ke a p lough ma n
.
,

fro m t h e plough a nd wa sh q h i s dirt a nd h e i s t t o rule

, ,

a kingdo m was s poken of the pe o ple of Cande U da

,

b e cau se o f the civility und e rstand i ng and gravi ty o f t h e

, ,

p o orest among them Their ordinary pl o ughmen h e

.

,

add s and hu sbandmen do speak e lega ntly and are full

,

, ,

o f complement And there i s no di ffe rence be t ween the

.

abil ity and s peech o f a Coun t rym a n and a Courtier .

But perhap s the be st id e a of t h e eth ical con seque nces of

Buddhist m o des o f thought will b e gathered from t h e
fo ll o wing Japanes e critici s m of We st e rn I ndu stri ali sm ,

o riginally publ i shed i n t h e Japan D a il y Ma il ( 1 8 90 ) by

Viscount Tori o who was deeply versed i n Buddhi st
,

ph ilo sophy and also held high ra nk i n the Japane se a rmy :

,

Order or di sorder i n a na t i on doe s no t depe nd up o n

so mething that fall s from t h e sk or rises from the earth
y .

I t i s de t erm i ne d by the d i sp o sition o f the peopl e The .

piv o t o n which the publi c di sposition t urn s i s the p o i nt

where public and pri va t e m o tive s separate I f t h e pe o pl e .

b e i nuenced chi e y by publi c con sid e ra tions o rd e r i s ,

a ssured ; i f by private dis o rd e r i s i nevitabl e

,
Publ i c .

con sid e ration s are t ho se that promp t the prope r o b se rv

ance of dutie s . Priva t e considerations a re tho se
1 34
 Et hi c s
sugges t ed by selsh motives To regard our fami ly
.

a ffairs wi th all the intere st due to our family and o u r

nati o nal a ffai rs wi th all the interest du e to the nati o n thi s ,

i s t o t ly d i scharge our du ty and to be guided by publi c

,

con sideration s . Se lsh ne ss i s born i n every man ;

t o i ndulge i t freely i s t o bec o me a bea s t Therefore i t i s
.

that Sages preach the principle s of du t y and proprie t y ,

ju st ice and m o ral ity providing restraint s for private ai ms

,

and encouragemen t fo r publ ic spiri t What we .

know of Western civilizat ion i s that i t s truggles on

through long cen t uries i n a confused condition and ,

nally a t tained a state of some order ; but that even

thi s order not bei ng based upon such principles as th o se
,

of the natural and i mmu t able relati o ns betwe en sovere ign

and subject parent and child with all thei r corre sp o nd
, ,

i ng righ t s and duties is l i able t o con st ant chang e

, ,

according t o the growth of human ambition s and human

ai ms Admirably suited to persons whose ac t ions are
.

controlled by selsh ambition the adoption of thi s ,

sy s tem i n Japan i s na t urally sought by a certain class

of p o l itician s From a supercial point of view the
.
,

Occide ntal fo rm of society i s very attractive i na smuch ,

as being t he o u t c o m e of a free devel o pment of human

desires from ancient ti mes i t repre sents t he very extreme

,

of luxu ry and ex t ravaga nce Briey s peaki ng the s tate

. ,

of things o btai ning i n the We st i s based upon t he fre e

play o f hum an sel sh nes s and c an o nly be re ached by
,

givi ng ful l sway to that qual i ty Soci a l disturbance s are

.

li ttle he e d e d in the Occiden t ; yet they are at o nce the

evi dence s and the fact o rs of the pre sent evi l state o f
a ffairs . I n the Orie nt fro m a ncient times national
, ,

governmen t h as been based on benevolence and directed ,

to securing t h e welfare and happiness of the people No .

1 35
 Bu ddh a 89 t h e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

p o litical creed has ever held t ha t in t e llec t ual s trength

sh o uld be cultiva t ed for t h e purpose of exploiting

i nferi ori ty and ignorance Now t o satisfy t h e
.
,

needs of one luxuri ous man t h e toi l of a thou sand i s ,

needed Surely i t i s mons t rous t ha t t hose wh o o we t o

.

labour the pleasures suggested b y their civil ization

sh o uld fo rget what they o we to t he labourer and t re at ,

h i m as i f he were not a fellow being Bu t civilizati o n .

,

according to t h e Occident serve s only t o satisfy men ,

of larg e de si res I t i s of no benet t o the masse s but

.
,

i s s i mply a system under wh ich ambitions c o mpete to

e st abli sh thei r aims That the Occidental system
.

i s gravely di sturbing to the order and peace of a country

i s seen b y m e n wh o have eyes and heard by men wh o ,

have ears The future of Japan under such a sy stem ll s

.

u s with anxi e ty A sys tem ba sed on the pri nciple th at

.

ethics and re l igion are made to serve human ambition

naturally accord s wi t h t h e wishes of s elsh i nd ividual s ;
and such th e orie s as th o se embodi e d in the modern
f o rmula of liberty and equal i t y annih ilate t h e es t abl ish e d
relati o n s o f s oci e ty and outrage decorum and propriety
, .

Absolu te equality and absolute liberty being nu

attainable the l imi ts prescribed by righ t and du t y a re
,

suppo sed t o be se t But as each person seeks to have

.

as much righ t and to be burdened with as l ittle duty as

po ssible t he results are endle ss di sputes and legal con

,

t e nti o ns . I t i s plain that i f the mu t ual rights

o f m e n and t hei r status are made to depend on degrees

o f w e alth the maj ori t y of the people bei ng without

, ,

we alth mu st fail to establ ish thei r righ ts ; wherea s t h e

,

mi nority wh o are we a lthy will assert thei r rights a nd , ,

u nder s ociety s s anction will exact o ppre ss ive duti e s

,

from t he poor neglecting t he dictates of humanity and

,

1 3 6
 C o nsc i e nc e
benev o lence The ad o ption of these principl e s o f liberty
.

and e qual i ty i n Japan would vi tiate the g o o d and peaceful

custom s of our c o untry re nder the ge neral di sp o si ti o n of
,

t h e people harsh and u nfeel ing and prove nally a s ource ,

o f calami t to t h e m a sse s Though at rs t s i h t O c c i

y g .

dental civili zation presents an a t tra ctive appeara nce ,

adapted as i t i s to the gra tication o f s e lsh de s i res yet , ,

S i nce i ts ba s i s i s the hypothesis that men s wi s hes c o n

s t i t u t e n a tural law s i t mu st ultimately end in di s app o i nt

,

ment and demoral iza t ion Occidental na t ion s h ave .

become what they are after pas sing th rough c o nicts a nd

vici ssitudes of the m o st seri o us kind Perpetual .

d i sturb ance i s thei r doom Peaceful equal i ty can never .

be attained until bu il t u p among the ruin s o f annih il ate d

Wester n State s and t he ashes of ex t inc t Wes t ern people s 1
.

VI . CONSCIENCE
I t h as often been o bjec ted as agains t Buddhism that
while i t s moral code i s admi rable i t pro vides no sancti o n , ,

or no su fcient sanc t i o ns for morali ty And we m ay say , .

at o nc e that s ince the i ndividual does not exist th e re
, ,

can be no question of re ward or punishment for the

i nd ivi dual and therefore t here i s no sancti o n fo r moral i ty
,

ba sed on reward o r punish ment a ffecting the i ndividual

i n the fu t ure Neither does Buddh i s m name any G od
.

from whom have proceeded Table s of t h e L aw i nve st e d

with supernatural authori t y The true Buddhist how .
,

ever doe s no t need to be coerced by h o pe s of heave n o r

,

fears of hell ; no r can he i magine a higher sanc t i on than

that of reason ( Truth ) 2
.

1
f di H m j ap an p 4
La ca o ea , ,
. 2 1 .

2
T h wh d t d m i t th
o se o o no a e i
su f c e nc y o f re aso n canno t be ll d ca e

B ddhi t
u t th m tim i t
s s a e sa e e c anno t be g d by
ar u e such a p io i t h t
r r ,
a

I S7
 Buddh a 59 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Since Buddhism i s e ssentially a prac t ical system psycho ,

logi cal and ethical rather than philosoph ical or religi o u s , ,

i t may ve ry j ustly demand to be j udged by i t s fruits and ,

i t has no n e ed t o fear compari so ns .

At the sam e ti m e it will throw some light on Buddhi s t

thought i f we inquire what in Buddhis m corresponds to
con science Conscienceto dene the Engli sh wo rd
.

i s an in ternal moral j udgment upon t h e m o t ive s and

-

acti ons of the i ndividual and as such i s an unde niable ,

fac t o f consciousness i t automati cally and i nstantly refers

all activities to a moral standard Thi s m o ral standard .

i n a theisti c sys t em like the ol d Semiti c i s formulated i n

a serie s of comma ndments : i n an a t hei st i c system of self
a sserti o n such as i s i mpl icitly acknowl e dged i n c o mpetitive
societi e s ( modern Industrialism ) there exist si milar com
m andme nt s but ad mit t edly man made a nd recorded i n
,
-

l e gal codes ; he wh o breaks no laws has there a good

c o nscience I n i deal i sti c sys t ems such as that of Je su s
.
,

the moral standard i s re sumed i n the principle t o love ,

o ne s ne ighbour as one self a position which the m o ni s t

,

j u sties by adding for thy neighb o ur i s thysel f indeed , .

Thus i n i ts l o we st form con science wh ich i s already , ,

recognizable in certain of t h e lower ani mals consist s i n ,

l it t le more t han the fear of punishment which however , , ,

ddhi t
fo r t ru e B u m y t b s s, f i t ti
re aso n A id a no e a su c en sanc on s sa

by C A F R h y D v id ( Psa lms f th Sis t rs p xx i x )

.

. . . s a w s o e e ,
.
,
are e su re

w h v g g d th w ki g f ll h m
e a e au e h t d v yt ht
e or n o a u an e ar s an e er ou c o

w hi h t h y w i ll p d ? I t i t w th y t h t i th t hi ty f
c e re s on

s no e or a n e r -
ou r

e di t f A k d v t i g m l b h v i th i ly
c s o so a a o ca ll i t
n o ra e a ou r, e re s on o ne a u s on o

th we d f th B ddh
or o eh t h ly t i i th
u f m ti v
a a s su c e on san c on , n e se n se o o e

for m l i ty i th w l f f th i di v id l d th mm w l f
o ra , s e e are o e n ua an e co on e are .

Th id e f p m t i g th w l f
ea o ro f ll b i g i d ply
o n t d i I di n
e e are o a e n s s ee ro o e n n a

se nti m t den ,
t i v i ty d v t d t
an th t
an d w ld
ac ly h v e o e o a en ou sc arc e a e

se em d t q i f th m ti v w h t h t B ddhi t B ah m
e o re u re a ur er o e, e er o u s or r an .

1 38
 C o nsc i e nc e
may soon develop in t o
a sense of sin which does
no t

altoge ther depend on fear but i s largely a matter of con

,

v e nt i o n An o ther and higher aspect of conscience i s

ba sed on reason the knowledge of cause and e ffecta
.

full realization that evil actions mu st sooner or later recoi l

on the doer and the reec t ion on the other hand that al l
, , ,

beings are like natured and therefore i t mu st be right

-
,

to do to o t hers as one would have them d o t o o nesel f A .

t h i rd and s till higher f o rm of conscience arise s from t h e

i ntuition ( O E in w it) of i denti t y : a bad conscience t hen
. .

s ig nie s a consciousne ss of selsh mo t ive equivalent to a

denial of the i nner rela t ion of uni t y to which the con

s cience is witness .

The Buddhist sa ti mindfulness or recollec t iveness is t o

, ,

be id e ntied with the conscience ba sed on rea so n I t .

works no t so much t hrough the fear of con sequence as ,

by a sen se of the futil ity of ad mitti ng hindrance s to

spi ritual pr o gres s He that i s recoll e c t ed re m in ds hi m sel f
.

of natural law vi z t he c o ming to b e as the re sult o f a

, .
- -

cau se and the passing away again o f al l phen o me na

,
- -
, ,

phy s ical or men t al To act as i f th i s actual fact of

.

Becoming were no t a fact woul d be fo o lish senti me ntal

, , ,

wrong Whoever real izes all existence s are non ego
.
,
-
,

he canno t a c t from selsh motive s for he knows no self , .

To many Western m ind s i t may appe ar t h at t o be ever

'

mindful o f i mpermanence cannot be a su fcient sanction

for m o ral ity No r can i t be pretended that such a sanctio n
.

would o r d o es su fce fo r all Those for example

perh ap s t h e m ajori ty of professi ng Buddhist swho re gard
.
,

a heaven to be reached after death perform meritori o u s ,

actions i n order to attai n i t But for th o se wh o understand

.

t h e true s ignicance of N ibb an a ethi cal behaviour i s ,

derived from a categori cal inner imperative because of ,

I S9
 Buddh a $ 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
S ince t h e high e s t go o d i s a s tate of mind

N ibb ana .
1

( t h e s tate o f mi nd of the Ara b at wh o is d e liv e red fr o m ,

d e s i re re sentm e nt and gl a mour) every ethical activity

, , ,

mu st b e j udg e d as a mean s t o t h e attainment o f that s tate .

A bad co nscience th e n a state of si n would be de scrib e d , , ,

by a Buddhi st as a s t ate of mi nd contrary t o N ib b ana .

I t may seem that Becau se of N i b b ana i s no t a su fcient

e thi cal m ot if I n t he sam e way e v e n the true Buddhi s t
.

might fa i l t o unders ta nd t he fo rce o f the Christia n Thy

will be d o ne
Thy way no t mine 0 L o rd o r of the
,

, , ,

re signation s ignied i n I sl am Y e t all the se re fer to .

o ne and the same inner experience o f which we are ,

remind e d by the S ufi when h e s ays : Wh o so hath no t ,

s urrend e red will no wi ll hath he Most pro bably the
, .

fo rce o f the se s tat emen t s c an never be mad e fully appare nt

t o th o se wh o hav e no t yet i n th e i r o wn c o n s ciou sne s s
experienced at lea st t he beginni ng of t h e turning o f
t h e p e rson a l will fro m a frm ati o n to de ni a l But ju st i n .

s o far as a man all o w s h i s thought s a nd action s to b e

d e te rmin e d by i mpersonal m oti ve LA nat t a o r N ibb ana

m o tive as a Buddhist might sayso far he begins t o t aste
,

of a peac e that p asse s understandi ng I t i s thi s p e ace .

which l ie s at the heart of all religio n and Buddhism may ,

well clai m that the pri nciple Becau se of N i b b ana su fce s

t o se t tle i n the a frmative the qu e s tion whether or not the
sy s tem of Gautama i s properly described as a rel igio n
( th o ugh this e xpre ss io n suggests rather a Mah ay ana than

an e a rly mod e of thought ) .

1
Sh w Z e i iii
an Au n g Bu ddh is t
p 7 Cf: C l i v B ll R ev e w, 2 10 e e ,

A rt ii iii
. .
, , ,

dG E M
, , Prin cipia E thi
,
an . . o o re , ca .

C f Shi kh
. m y f Sh a n t i D v
s a sa 3 M k
u cca at h y m i t o e a, vv . 2 1 , 2 :

a e er

p by d d f ll f th p i i t f t n d n
u re ee sd th Vo i d
u oI s e s r o e e r e ss a n e . n c rea e

of j ym nt i f m lm g i v i ng f ll f th p i i t f t nd n
en o e s ro d th a s u o e S r o e e r e ss a n e

Void

.

I O
 Spi r i t u al E xe rc i se s
That a spect of consci e nce which inhibi t s wrong ac t iviti e s
i t will be remembered tha t most of t he early Buddhi st
c o m ma ndments are negativeis then sati o r rec o ll e cted , ,

ness There i s however another side to conscience

.
, ,

which i mpels the individu al not merely to refrai n fr o m

i njuring others b u t to expe nd h i m se lf to thei r advantage
, ,

i n acc o rdance with the pri nciple that L o v e ca n n e v e r be

idle : thi s i s sp o ke n of i n Mah ayana Buddhism as the , ,

Bo dh i c itta or Heart o f E nl ightenme nt I t di ffe rs from

-
, .

s ati ch iey i n i t s sponta ne ity ; i t does no t ari se fro m

reection but fr o m the h a rm o ny o f the i nd ividual will
,

wi th the wi sdo m and activi ty of t h e Buddhas Thi s c o n .

d iti o n i s so meti me s sp o ken o f in Wes t ern b o ok s of e di

c a ti o n as a state o f grace or more popularly as the s tate ,

of bei ng i n tune with the I nnite But a very exc e ll e nt .

renderi ng of b o dhi ci t ta may be found in F e lt h am s -

shoot ve rla st i n n esse : th i ph ra se i s h mor

of e g
1
s t e e

appr o priate because t he awake ni ng o f the bodhi citta i s

,
-

p o e tically repre sented i n Buddhi st l iterature as t h e O pen .

i ng o f the l otus of the heart .

The t wo st a te s of mind which i n Buddhis m correspo nd to

the We stern i dea o f conscience are then re collecte dn ess , , ,

a nd lo v e ; and i t i s fro m these cond itions th a t there

natura lly o w all th o se c o nception s o f t h e goo d whi ch a re

de ned at length in the Buddhist pa ssages on ethi c s .

VI I . SP IRI TUA L EX ER CISE S

A regular part of the d a ily work o f t h e m e mbers of the
Sa nghawhether Brethren o r Si sters c o nsi st e d i n t h e
pra cti c e of certai n c o nt e mplati o ns Th e se st a ti o n s o f .

1
Th e Co nsc i e nc e , th e h
C arac te r o f a Go d stam p t i n i t, an d th e
A pp hre i
e ns o n o f E t rn i t
e y do e all ro e i t ap v
o sh o t o f ev erlasti ngn esse .

F e lth am s R e

s ol s ve .

1 4 1
 Buddh a 59 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
med itation di ffer o nly i n min o r detail s fro m th o se wh ich
a re regularly practi sed by I ndian ascetic s o f other o rd e r s .

With chara cteri sti c sys tema t izati o n these mode s o f ,

tra ini ng he art and mi nd are often spoken of as forty

f o ur i n numb e r H o w es se nti ally self educa t i o n al i s t h e
.
-

purpo se of the se stati o ns o f m e di tation a ppears fr o m t h e

fa ct that certain one s are appointed for person s of o ne
temperament and certain others fo r t h o se o f o ther t e m
,

e ra m e nt s I have spoken o f the se meditati o n s de li b e

p .

ra t e l as
work becau
se i t i s i mp o rtant t o unders t a nd
y ,

th a t we do no t speak here o f any s imple m a t t er s uch as

day d re a m o r reverie but of a s evere sy stem of mental
-
,

tra i ni ng f o unded o n an elaborate p sych o l o gy and w e l l

, ,

calculated no w by aut o sugge stion now by cl o se a t ten -

ti n t o produce the type of character ai med at

o .

T r ining of th
a e H ea t r
Th e rst m e ditations of an e t hical charac t er and in
a re ,

s om e respect s may be compared to prayer They con s i s t .

i n ch e ri s hi ng t h e m o od s ( bh a va na s) of loving ki nd ne ss -
,

c o mpas si o n sympathy and i mparti al ity ( m etta ka ru n a

' "

, , , ,

m u dita and upekkh a) These are called the F o ur I lli mi t

, .

abl e S ubli m e M o o d s ( B rah ma v i h aras) The meditati on .

o n L oving kindne ss for e xample c o ns i st s i n the emph as i s

-
, ,

of thi s feeling t h e active radi ati o n o f goodwill i n a ll

,

d i rection s and toward all forms o f li fe : and wh o eve r wi ll

practi se th i s o ne Buddhi st exercis e daily at a xed h o ur ,

fo r a x e d ti m e a nd with enti re att e ntion though h e

, ,

l e a rn l ittl e e l se of Buddh ism may be judge fo r hi m self ,

what i s t h e dev e lopmen t of character t o which i t t e nd s .

P e rh ap s we c an b e st u nderst and what the Four S ublim e

M o o d s re ally s ignify by c o n si deri ng thei r equivalent s i n
t h e th o ught of a m o dern Wh e n Walt Whitman s ays .

I
4 2
 T rai ni ng o f t h e H e art
I do no t a s kyou wh o you a re , th t
a is not imp ort n t a

t o me ,
You ca n do n o th ing a nd be n oth ing bu t wh a t I w ill
and
Wh e n I give , I give myself;
tha t i s mett a . When he says
I do not a skt h e w ou n de d p e rso n h ow h e fee ls , I
mys lf b comw ou n ded p e rso n
e e e th e ,

My hurts turn liv id up o n me a s I lea n on a c a ne

a n d o b se r ve ,

tha t is karun a . When he says

Iu n d rst n d th l rg h rts
e a e a e ea
f
o h ro s e e ,

Th c our g f p r s n t t im s
e a e o e e e and ll t im s a e .

I a m t h e ma n I j , su
f
kred, I was th r e e,

tha t is mudi ta . When he say s

H a ve you ou tstripp d e th e r st
e 7
. A re you th e
r sid n t
P e e 7
.
1

It i tri th y w ill m or th n rriv th r v ry

s a e, e e a a e e e e e

n o nd s t ill p ss o n
e, a a ,

that is u pe kkh a .

The purely intellec t ual charac t er o f up ekkh a however ,

which as i t were corr e ct s a nd bala nce s the thre e o ther

(
Subl i me M o od s) i s better explained perhap s by the ,

B h ag a va d Gi ta ( v 1 8 ) Th e y that are pand it s inde e d

.
,

reg a rd al ik e a wise and m o dest Brahm an a c o w an , ,

el e ph a nt o r eve n a do g or an outca ste

, We are reminded
1
I f fo r

Pre sid e nt

we re a d
I nd ra

or

Brah m a p re c i se ly th e
Pr s id n ts
,

e e of d v w l d
th e e a or and o f wh l U iv
th e o e n e rse , h l di g i
o n o ce

only f thor e t i m b i gw
e e n e c an u n d t nd t h l i
e rs a ese ne s i n tha g h ly o ro u

B d dhi t
u s se nse .

1 43
 Buddh a d? o
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
of the tha t shine s al ike upon t h e evi l and the g o od ;
su n

and Buddhi s m also knows of special medit a ti o ns up o n

the el e ment s e g upon the earth which harbours no
, .
,

re se ntm e nt a nd i s the I ndian symb o l of pati e nc e o r up o n

, ,

wa t er which becom e s again tra nsp a rent and cle a r wh a t

, ,

ever mud o r lth i s c a st into i t The Buddhist w o uld at .

all c o sts av o id se nti mental ity and parti a l ity : Gautam a ,

perhap s had reected l ike Nietzsch e
, , Ah where i n , ,

the w o rld have there been greater follies than with t he

piti ful ?
With the Four Medi t ati ons just men t ion e d i s a sso ciated
s very
)

(

a nother asu bh a bh a va na - on Foul thi
,
ngs Th i .

di fferent co ntemplati o n i s app o int e d for tho se who se

emoti o nal n ature i s al ready active enough b u t a re ,

on the other h and too readily moved by the th o ught o r

s ight o f phy s ical beauty or fee l a pride in thei r o wn
,

phys i cal perfection The obj e ct of thi s meditati on i s t o

.

i mpre ss on t h e mi nd th a t every l iving o rganis m i s subject

to cha nge and decay ; the practice consi st s i n the c o ntem
p la t i o n of human bo ne s or half dec ayed corpse s s uch as -
,

m ay be seen i n an I ndian bu ri a l ground -

.

I t would be d i fcult to secure fo r thi s d iscipl ine t he

sympath y of modern mind s No r d o es the method .

appear quit e calculat e d to secure the d e s i r e d end ; m ay i t

not ra ther enhance t h e value of t h e eeting momen t to
re e c t

Such bea uty of a ma id

i s th e
L ik e a u tu m n lea ves th ey fa ll a ndfa de 7 .

No t all the analyti c l o re the physi o l o gis t makes hi m

of

any the le ss susceptible t o love I f we neglect h o weve r .

, ,

this pure ly m o na stic a spect o f a rather futile end e av o ur t o

i nduc e d isgu st by articial means and remember how ,

1 44
 T rai ni ng o f t h e H e art
Buddhis t though t i s alwa y s on guard t o avoid sen t i
m e ntal i ty we may understand s uch a med itation as a
,

c o rrectiv e to the temperament wh ich falls in love with all

that i s new and fair and adm i re s only such art as re pre
,

s en t s the charms of youth and beau t y But i t seems to .

be o verlooked th a t physical beau t y i s in i t self and so far

a goo d He t hat would go further must renounc e i ndu l
.

g e nce no t becau se that indulgence i s bad but because he

, ,

has othe r and stronger desi res The true asceti c i s no t .

he wh o i s such by a specie s of men t al violence but he 1

,

wh o i s th inki ng o f other th i ng s than passing goods .

With regard t o the purpo se of these medi t ati ons : we may

observe that they are not i ntended for a scetics only but ,

equally for laymen and must have re sulted in active

,

deeds of compa ssi on Buddhist though t however i s.

, ,

m o re concerned wi t h sta t es of mind than with d irect

i njunctions t o labour for o t hers and the t rue purpose of
the Four Subli me M oods i s t o correct the dispo si t ion
o f those wh o are i ll t empered and uncharitable To
-
.

o ve rcome r e s e ntment i s essential to al l further pr o gress ;

but the Sublime M oods by them selves lead o nly t o re

birth in the Brah m a Heavens of F o rm In t he sub sequent .

development t oward N ibb ana the Subl i me M ood s are

overpa st since they are di rected toward other pe rson s
, ,

while the thought of t h e mo st advanced i s d i rec ted

o nly to N i bb ana For the realization of N ibb ana
.

there must be put away not only ba d states o f mind ,

but al so g o o d o nes The former lead to rebi rth u nder

.

painful c o ndition s the latter to rebirth under favour

,

able condi tions ; but neither cons t itutes the saving

knowledge which gives emancipation Buddha i s made .
,

1
Th e say i g f th p
n o e o e t, t h at

D i
e s re s su pp re sse d b d p ti l
re e es e nc e ,

is c on m d b y th
r e e re se arc h
e s of th e pyh
s c o-ana ly ts .

K 1 4 5
 Buddh a 89 t h e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
9

i n the Bu ddha ca rita o f A sv agh o sh a ( vi i 2

- to S peak ,
of

the se e ffo rts as f o llow s :

I t i s not the e ffort i t self which I blame wh ich ingi ng ,

aside t he ba se pursue s a high path of i t s own ; but t h e

wi se by all thi s common t oil ought t o at t ain t ha t s t ate in
, ,

which no t hing needs ever t o be done again .

j h d n a

A further group of medita t ions consis t s of t h e J h anas or

D h yanas stri ctly so called ; these t o o are d iscipl i ne s o f
-
, ,

attenti o n and ab st ra c t i o n al mo st identical with t hose which

are better known as bel o nging to Y oga .

Ble ssed art thou therefore , s ay s Behmen i f th o u
, ,

can st s t and s t ill from self thinking and self willing and
- -
,

c an s t stop the whe e l of thy i magination and thy sen ses ;

fo ra s much a s hereby thou mayst arrive at le ngth t o se e
t h e great Salvati o n of God being made capable of al l ,

m anner of d ivin e sensati o n s and heavenl y c o m mu ni c a

tion s Since it i s nough t indeed but thi ne own hearing
.

a nd willing that do hinder thee Ju st as the mysti c se ek s
.

to be ab stracted fro m men t al ac t ivi ty in order the bette r ,

t o know t h e One Reality in just the same way t h e Bud

,

dh i st make s a practice of abstrac t i on that he may be

delivered fro m self think ing and may c o me t o kn o w
- :

thing s as t hey really are I f we omi t the two words of

.

God in the above quota t ion or remember t ha t G o d i s

,

No thing i t wil l exactly explain the charac ter and ul t ima t e

-
,

purpo se of the Buddhist J h anas .

O ne serie s of these consi sts in med ita t ion upon cer t ain
se t o bjects for example a circle o f s m o oth earth i h
~
,

s uch a wa as t o separ a t e o nesel f fr o m all a ppetit e o r i m

y
pul se i n conn e xi o n with them Thi s exerci se recall s the
.

d i sin teres t edness of ae s t he t i c con t empla t ion where t he ,

1 46
P LA T E K 1 46
TH E B U DD HA IN S A M AD HI
Co l o ssa l im age a t A nu rad h a p u ra , Ce yl o n, c a . y
z u d c e nt u r A D
. .
 J ha na

spec t ator i s from hi msel f se t free ; the Buddhist J hana
ai ms t o a ttain the same result i n a m o re m e cha nic a l w ay .

Thi s contemplati on prep a re s the way for higher things ,

a nd by i t sel f leads to favourable rebi rth in the Heav e n o f

Ideal F o rm ( ri a loka ) The resulting trance i s divided

.

i nt o four or ve phase s .

A further serie s which secure rebi rth i n the Heaven of

,

N o form (a rup a loka ) con si st s in the s ucc e s s ive real izati on

-
,

of t he s tation s of t he I nni ty o f Spac e of the Inni t y of ,

Intellec t ion of E mptine ss and of Neither consci o u sne ss

, ,
-

nor unconsciousness
-
I n these exerci se s the aspirant
.

experience s as i t were a f o re tas te of t h e world s o f re

, ,

b e c o ming t o which h is character wi ll le a d a fter d e ath ;

fo r the moment i ndeed he al re a dy enters th o se w o rld s
, , .

The se exerci se s however do not lead di rectly and i mme

, ,

di ate ly to N i bb ana b u t only to re becoming i n the m o re

,
-

id e al condi t ion s of th o se higher other worlds Bey o nd -

.

the se s tation s there re mained the cultivati o n of th o ught
e ngaged upon the world bey ond ( loku t ta ra m ci tta m)
.

Th e method hardly di ffers from what has be e n last

d e scribed but i s w ithout t hough t or de s i re of any other
,

world whether of form or formle ss and i s pursued so lely

, ,

with t h e view to achievi ng perfection of insight h e re and

no w . Fo r thi s rea so n n o twithstandi ng the s i milari t y of
,

method the Buddhist authors draw a sharp di stincti on

,

b e tween the J hana wh ich lead s to N ibb ana d irectly and ,

tho se J h anas wh ich mere ly lead to rebi rth in the Brahm a

H e ave ns o f Form o r N o fo rm -
.

The ter m Sa m adh i mu st a l so be mentioned origin a lly ,

indi cati ng any pro fo und piou s meditati o n or c o nc e ntrati o n

t he one p o inted s tat e of the mind i s a
-
,

synonym for s am adhi thi s sam adhi wh ich i s call e d ,

self collectednes s
- has as i t s characteris t i c mark t h e
,

1 47
 Buddh a 9 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
ab se nce o f wa nderi ng of distraction a nd a s i ts
,

co nc o mita nt s c almne ss o r wi sd o m
,
and ea se , .
1

Sam adhi i s a ls o d ivid e d under m any separate classe s e g , . .

t h e Empty ( su h at a) the S ignl e ss ( ani m i t t a) and t h e

, ,

Ai ml e ss ( appani h i t a) corre sp o ndi ng to t h e thre e phas e s o f

,

Vi mu t t i similarly characterized .

VIII . CONSOL A TION

N o thing i s m o re characteristic of Gautama s thought th an

the fo rm of the c o n sol a ti o n which it o ffers t o t he s u ffe ri ng

i ndivi dual There i s no promi se o f future c o mpens ati o n
. ,

a s o f a reuni o n in heaven but th e re is reference t o the ,

universality of s u ffering ; the ind ividual i s led t o re ga rd

h i s s o rr o w no t as h i s own but as w o rld s orro w w e lt

, , ,

sch me rz i n se para b le from l i fe it self ; all sorro w i s self

,

i n i cted i nherent in the c o nc e it of an I Con solati o n i s

, .

t o be found i n the
knowledge of thi ngs as they re ally

a re .

The pilgri mage o f bei ngs ( Sam sara) my d i sciple s , ,

s ay s Gaut a ma h as i t s b e gi nni ng i n et e rnity

, N 0 o pe n .

i ng ( r st cau se ) can be d i sc o ve red wh e nc e pr o c e e di ng , ,

cre ature s fett e red by a t hi rst fo r being stray and w a nd e r , .

Wh at thi nk ye d i sciples whether i s m o re t h e wat e r which

, , ,

i s i n the f o ur great oceans or the tears wh ich have owed ,

from you and have been shed by you while ye strayed and ,

wandered on this long pilgri mag e and s o rrow e d and w e pt , ,

because that was your p o rtion which ye abhorred and that

wh ich ye love d was no t your p o rti o n ? 2
No t only h as

e ach in hi m self thi s long i nheritance of s u ffering but a ll ,

h ave experie nced and stil l experie nce the same I t i s .

re l a ted th a t there came a mother G o tami the Slender t o , ,

1
Co mm
e n tar o n t h e y Dh am m a Sang an i -
.

2
Sa myu tta I Vikaya, iii , 1 49 .

1 48
 C o nso l at i o n
Gautama havi ng lost h e r only so n whil e yet a child
, , .

B e wi ldere d by her grief sh e set the ch ild s dead b o dy on ,

h e r hip and went fr o m d o o r to d o or cryi ng Give me ,

med ici ne for my child When sh e came t o Gautama ,

h e a nswered Go i nt o the town bring m e a l i ttle m u s

, ,

t a rd se e d fro m a ny hou se where no man hath yet d ied
- .

She wen t ; b u t there was no family where death had never

entered At la st going fr o m hous e t o hou se i n vain she
.
, ,

came to hers elf a nd thought Th is wi ll be the same

, ,

th roughout the ci ty i t i s the L aw that al l thi ngs ,

pass away So s aying she returned to the ma ster ; and
.
,

wh e n he a sked for the seed sh e s a id Wrought i s the

, ,

work l o rd of the l ittle must a rd Give thou me c o nrm a

, , .

ti o n At that ti m e she entered the Fi rst Path and i t

.

,

wa s not l o ng before sh e at t ained t o A ra h att a .

I n an o ther place t he Buddhis t nun Pat ac ara i s re presented

,

as con so l i ng many bereaved mothers of the ci ty i n the

following words :
Weep n ot f or su c h i s h ere th e lif e of ma n
, .

U n a sk e d h e ca m e u n b idde n w e n t h e h e n ce , .

L o a skthy se lf aga in w h e n c e ca m e t hy son

To b ide on ea rth th is lit t le b rea th ing sp a ce 7 .

By one way co m e a nd by a n oth e r go n e ,

S o h ith e r a n d so h e n cew hy should ye w eep ? 1

And th e se mothers also i t i s recorded were moved t o , ,

leave the w o rld a nd practi sing as sisters the me ntal and

mor a l d i scipli ne o f t h e O rd e r they shortly attained to ,

A rah att a a nd t h e e nd i ng of gri e f .

1
C A F R h y D v id Psa lms f th S is t rs p 7 8 O b v th t
. . . s a s, o e e , . . se r e a

P ta a a
a c l ti diff l i tt l f m th t f S i K i h i th
r

s c o n so a on e rs e ro a o r rs na n e

d G i t a ( ii i d th t th d d

Bh g a a va F t th h , or o e o rn , su re s ea , o e ea ,

su rei b i th s f n ir th t m y n t b
: sop d th d t n t
or a ssu e a a o e e sc a e ou os o

w ll t
e w o sorro .

I 49
 Buddh a 863 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Very s ig nicant al so i s the c o ns olatio n wh ich the Buddha
o ffer s to h i s di sciples at the tim e of h i s own d e a th
1
.

En o ugh A nanda ! do no t le t y o urse lf be troubled ; do

,

no t w e e p ! H ave I no t al re ady o n former occa sion s told , ,

o u that i t i s i n the very nature of a ll thing s m o st near

y
a nd d e a r u nt o u s that we mu s t d ivide ourselv e s fr o m

th e m ? H o w then Ananda c an thi s be possiblewhere as

, , ,

a nythi ng wha te ve r b o rn bro ught into b e ing and organized, , ,

c o ntain s within i t self the inh e rent nece ss ity of d i ss oluti o n

how the n can thi s be po ssibl e that such a bei ng sh o ul d
, , ,

no t b e dissolved ? N 0 s uch co nditi o n can exi st !
I t will be re m e mbered that A nanda th o ugh i n a m e a sure ,

t h e fav o urite di sciple of Buddha was al so spiritually the ,

y o u nge st t he m o st backw a rd a nd did no t attain t o

, ,

A rah at t a u nti l a fte r t he de a th of the Buddha And so .

wh e n th at d e ath t ake s place he is repre sented as ove rc o m e ,

by grief and excl a i ming :

,

Th e n was th e terror !
Th e n stoo d th e h a ir on end !
Wh en h e e n do wed w ith e ve ry gra ce
Th e s up re m e Bu ddh a die d
an d of t ho se o f the Brethren wh o were no t yet free fro m
the passi o ns s ome stret ch e d th e i r arms and we pt and
, ,

s o me f e ll headl o ng o n the grou nd rolling t o and fro i n ,

a ngui s h a t the th o ught :

To o s o o n h as the Ex alte d O ne
died ! To o so o n h as t h e H appy O ne pa sse d aw ay ! To o
s o o n h a s the L ight gone o u t i n the w o rld ! But th o se o f

t h e Bre thren w h o w e re fr e e fr o m the pa ss i o ns b o r e th e i r

gri e f c o ll e cted and c o mpo se d a t t h e thought I mperm ane nt
a re all c o mp o ne nt thi ng s ! H o w i s i t p o s s ible that th ey
(
1
mp w i th t hi th d t h b d
Co are s e ea -
e l i
c o nso at o n o f K i gD
n u tthaga mani ,
q t d p 3 b l w f m th M ha
uo e . 00, e o ,
ro e a vamsa.

t
5o
 VI I I

B U DDHA AS M E N D I CAN T
A BA NI NDR O N AT T G R
H A O E

1 50
 Th e O rd e r
s hould beno t The venerable A nu ru ddh a ,

o ne wh o had already attained and was an A rah at does , ,

no t feel the personal and passiona t e grief whi ch d is t ress e s

_

Ananda and he says :

,

Wh e n h e wh o fro m a ll cra v ing wa n t was free

Wh o t o Nirva n a s tra nqu il s ta te h a d rea ch ed

Wh e n t h e grea t sage n ish ed hi s spa n of li e

N o ga sping struggl v d th t st df st h rt e ex e a ea a ea

A ll r solut e d w ith u n sh k n min d

e, a n a e

H c lm ly triu mph d
e a t h p in f d th e o er

e a o ea .

B

b ght m di s w y w
en a s a ri a e e a a , so as

Th l st m n c ip t io n f h i h rt
e a e a a o s ea .

While Sakka the king of the gods of heaven

, , under
Brahm a u t ters the famous l ines :
,

Th ey re tra n s ien t

ch b ing s p rts d pow rs
a ll, ea e

a an e ,

Gro w th i th ir y stur d d
e c y
v ei na e, a n e a ,

Th y ep ro duc d th y
a re dissolv d g in
e e a re e a a

T b ring th m ll in to su bj c tio n th t i b liss

,

o e a e a s .

IX . TH E ORDER
The central i nstitution of H i nayana Buddhism i s t h e
Sa ngha t he Company of Brethren t he men and i n
,

, ,

s m aller number the women wh o left the w o rl d t o w alk o n ,

the Path that lead s to A rah att a t h e attainmen t of N i b b ana , .

Gautama h im self t o gether with h is di s ciples belonged t o

, ,

the cla ss of re ligie ux then well k nown as Wa nderers -

,

a ri bba a k ) h o are to be distingui shed fr om the

( P j as w ,

f o re st dwelling hermit s ( Vanap ra sth a s) The Wanderers

- .

trav e ll e d ab o ut s i ngly or i n band s o r t o ok up thei r ,

re side nc e fo r a time i n t he groves o r buildings se t apart

fo r thei r use by g o od laymen Thus we hear of the .

1
5 1
 Buddh a 827
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
w andering mendi cant Po t t h apada who o n a ce rtain occa ,

was dwelli ng at the hall put up in Q u e en M alli k

si o n as
Park for the di scussion of systems o f o pinion the hall
s e t round with a ro w o f Ti ndu k a trees and known by ,

the name o f The H all And there was with hi m a .

great fo llowi ng of mendican t s ; to wi t three hundred ,

m endi ca nt s
1
.

Such mendican t s or B h i kkh u s ( a term after ward coming

,

t o have a d is t inctively Buddhi s t signicanc e ) were o ften

as so ciated i n companie s under the teaching o f s o me ,

leader s uch as the Po tt h apada above menti o ned ; and

,

we h e ar am o ngs t others o f the following orders with

m e mbers o f which Gautama at o ne ti m e o r anoth e r e nt e rs
into argum e nt the Ni g ant h as ( or Jaina s) led by Mah avi ra ; ,

t h e Aj i vik as ; the G o t am akas followers m o st l ik e ly o f ,

De v adatt a the Buddha s schisma t i c and i ll mi nd e d

-
,

c o usin ; vari o us Brahmanical group s and many oth e rs o f ,

wh o se view s we kn o w l ittle The rst of the se gr o up s .

deve loped lik e Buddhism i nto an Order and a rel igi o n and ,

has survived i n Indi a t o the pre sent day with an ex t en s ive

l ite rature and over a milli on adh e rent s The Rule .

ad o pt ed b y o ne or the o t her group of Wanderers vari e d

i n det a il but always embraced a certain d e gre e o f
,

ascetici s m ( always i ncluding cel ibacy) combined with ,

voluntary povert y .

1
T W R h y D v id Dial g u s f th B ddh a i 4 P f
. . s a s, o e o e u , , 2 2 . ro e sso r

R h y D v id
s add th f ll w i g t
s a s Th v y f t f th
e o tio n no e : e er ac o e e re c on

o f h pl i
su c a th
ac e p f f th f d m f t h g h t p v l t i
s ano er ro o o e re e o o ou re a en n

th eE t v ll y f th G g i th i x th t y
as e rn a e o B ddh
e an es n e s c en ur B C . u a

.

g h h
os a t ll t he t ft
s us T h H ll ha db at bl i h d
er th e a

a een e s a s e , o e rs n e ar

it h d ba b ilt i h
een u fv i fm t h
n b t th g
o no u r o p ar o u s a ou s e ac e rs u e ro u

o f b i l di g
u ti dt b k w
n s c on

Th H ll
nu e T h B ah m
o e no n as e a .

e re r an s,

Ni g th an A h l
as, P i b b aj k
c d th
e as, t h mt d ar a as, an o er e ac e rs e an ex

p d d di
ou n e , d th i v i w
or sc u sse , e r e s
.

1 5 2
P L 1 52
U DDH I S T M O N K (bl h kh
LAT E

B ii u )
Ch in e se h l fL gm ( h
sc oo o on -
en 8t c e nt u r y)
on f M V o G
,

Co lle ct i o r w i ct r o lo n b e
 Th e O rd e r
We can now examine i n grea t er detail the S pecial Rule
which was adopted i n t h e Order founded by Gautama ,

and o rganized under his i mmedia t e guidance We h ave .

al ready mentioned th e Ten Commandment s or r a ther , ,

Pr o hibitio ns which must be observed by every member

,

of the Order The Bre t hren are also required t o wear a

.

monasti c cos t ume o f yellow or o ra nge clo t h made of ,

torn pieces sewn t ogether so as t o have no commercial

,

value : t o seek t hei r d aily food as al ms ; t o abs t ain fro m

food be t ween meal s at t h e appointed hours : and generally ,

to m a intain a decorou s behaviour But they are not re .

quired t o t ake any vow of l ife long adhe si o n o n the -

c o ntrary those wh o nd they have no t rue v o cati o n are

,

e nc o uraged t o return t o the w o rld wh e re i f they ca nnot , ,

attai n A rah att a i n thi s l i fe they may yet a spi re to a favour

,

abl e rebi rth N or are the Brethren required t o take any

.

vow of obedience t o superiors al l are equal with due all o w ,

a nce for seniori t y and degree of s piri tual advancement :

,

even in larg e mo nasteries the head i s merely p rim u s ,

in te r pa res The Order con stitute s thus a se lf contained

.
-

dem o cracy analogous to a guild or occupation al ca ste

, .

D i scipl ine is maintained f o rmally by the Order as a wh o le ,

acti ng upo n the co nfession or proved fault o f the erri ng

Brother and appoin t i ng i n b i monthly co nvocation a
, ,
-
,

s uitabl e penance ; the h e aviest punishment a pp o int e d fo r ,

infri ngeme nt o f either of the F o ur Cardi nal Sins ( breach

of the vow o f cha stity theft killi ng and layi ng clai m t o
, , ,

m ira culou s powers) i s e x pul sion fr o m t h e Order ; me nti o n

,

i s al so m ade i n A so ka s edi cts o f expul si o n or u nfro cki ng

o f h e r e tic s o r schism a ti c s A n e xt e r na l c h e ck i s al so
.

provid e d by publi c O pini o n which neither in the d ay s o f

,

Gautama no r i n m o dern Burma or Ceyl o n woul d tolerate

, ,

t h e mere pre t ence of a holy l ife Thus s ays M r Fielding

.
,

1 53
 Buddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

Hall i n m o dern Burma the supervi si o n exerci se d by
,

t he p e opl e ove r th e i r monk s i s m ost st ringent A s .

l o ng a s t he m o nk s act as mo nk s sh o uld th e y are h e ld i n ,

great h o no ur th e y are addre ssed by titles o f great re sp e ct

, ,

they are supplied with all they wan t withi n the rules of
the Wini ( Vin aya ) they are the gl o ry o f the village , .

D i re ctly he bre ak s h i s law s hi s h o li ne ss is gone The , .

vill agers will have non e s uc h as he They will hun t hi m .

out o f the village they will refuse him food t hey will , ,

m ake hi m a byw o rd a scorn , .

The mona stery i s al so i n many cases the village school ; 1

and i n Burma it i s the cu st o m for al mo s t every young

man to tak e the m o na stic vow s for a s h o rt time and t o ,

re side fo r t hat peri o d within the monastery wall s Thi s .

p o s sibility of u s i ng t h e Order as a R e t reat al so expl a ins
h o w i t wa s po ss ible for As o ka to a ssume the mona sti c
r o b e s with o ut nally rel inqui shi ng hi s th r o ne .

I t i s above all i mport ant t o realiz e that the Buddhist

Bro ther M o nk Rel igi ou s mendicant ( Bh i kkh u the word
, , ,

i n m o st gen e ral u se ) Wanderer o r however we spe ak of , ,

hi m is no t a pri e st He does no t belo ng to an ap o stoli c

, .

s ucces s i o n nor h a s he any power t o s ave o r cond e mn t o

, ,

fo rgive S in s o r to admi nister sacraments ; he has no o ther

1
All m o naste ri e s are sc h o o l s Fi e l di ng H all The Sou l of People
.
, a .

Of hi g i t
c o u rse , t e ac t i l d ty f th B t h
n s no b t t k
an e sse n a u o e ro e r, u a as

v l t i ly d t k
o u n ar Si m i l
un di t i
er a p v i l d nt i l
en . nt ly ar c o n o ns re a e , u re c e ,

i
n C yl e B id th
on : l ti i w hi h th p i t t nd t

es es e re a on n c e r es s s a o

th i t
e r t l d l d d th l i g i i
e nan s a s an f th i p
o r s, an i e re ous n u e nc e o e r o sse ss o n ,

th y h v
e th h ld
a e o th p er i f th p pl T h i p l
o s on e o sse ss o n o e eo e . e r a nsa a s

(m t i )
o n as e r e s th h l f v i ll g hi l d
are e sc d th oo s f v or a e c re n, an e sons o e en

th p i h dm
e su er or v yg ea lly d t d t th m T h y h v
e n are er e ne ra e u ca e a e . e a e

l f q t ly m k wl d g f m di i
a so re u en so e d wh not hi i t h e e o e c n e , an en s s e c ase

th y g
e lly g i v th b t f t h i d v i g t i t ly
e n e ra e e th i
ene o e r a ce ra u ou s e r

i
n m g th p pl i i
u e nc e a on i l p i t f vi w
e eo f lly e s, n a so c a o n o e u se u

mpl y d C yl S ic T n u s Co mm issio n R p ort 8 7

,

e o e . e o n, erv e e re e ,
1 2 .

1
54
 A . N S T ER Y
MO A OF C HI E HT A I

-
SSU , N EA R P E K I N G

P
L AT E M
B . CO U R T YA R D OF TH E PI -
Y UN T E M PL E N E A R P E K I N G
,

P h o t o g ph b
ra s y B . F .
J o hn o n
st
 T o l e ranc e
s anctity than a t tach e s t o hi s own g o od living The care .

of a Buddhi st temple i s no essenti al part o f h i s dutie s ,

t hough i n most cases a temple i s attached t o ev e ry

mo nastery and i s under the care of the Bre thre n wh ile
, ,

village sh rin e s have thei r i ncumben t s whose l ivel iho o d i s

pro vided by the produce of land s dedica t ed to i t But .

thi s care of sacred places has no l ikeness to priestcraft ,

no r do e s the temple c o ntai n a n sanctu m whi ch may no t

y
be approached as wel l by layme n as by Brethren .

E ach monk i s permitted eight posses sion s only : the three

robes a wai st cloth an a lms bowl a raz o r a needle and
, , , , ,

a water strainer Th e modern Bh i kkh u ge nerally po sses se s

- .

1
i n addition an umbre lla and a fe w books but t he handli ng ,

of m o ney i s carefully av o ided Neverthel e ss the hardship .

of volu ntary p o ver ty i s large ly mitigated by the fact that

t he Order as such is permitted to receive gifts and e u
d o wment s from l aymen a practice begun even i n t h e tim e
,

of the Buddha ; later Buddh is t m o nasterie s became ex

t re me ly wealthy and are well furni sh e d with re s idence s
fo r the Brethren Eve n under the se conditi ons the mode
.

of life i s extremel y si mple and no one could accuse the ,

monks of luxury .

X . TOL E R A N CB
I ndi a i s the l and o f religiou s tol e ranc e There c an be no .

d o ubt that G autama and h i s di scipl e s exte nded t o th o se

o f o ther per s ua s io ns t h e s ame court e sy which he rec e ived .

Thi s i s indi c ated no t o nly by t h e gen e ral pr o ce dure ad o pte d

i n the c a se o f argume nt with opp o nent s but also i n se vera l ,

ami abl e anecdote s We read fo r ex a mple th a t Gautam a

.
, ,

c o nvert e d at Va i sali a L i c c h av i n o bl e ma n wh o h ad b e e n ,

1
W i ti g w k w b t b k w
r n as no n, u oo s e re no t in g e n e ra l u se wh en th e
d w f d d th b i f l i
or e r as oun e : e as s o e arn n gwas wh at a man re me m b d e re .

1
55
 Buddh a @3 9
2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
a follower o f M ah avi ra : but he advised hi m as follows :

F o r a long time Si ha you r house has b e e n a place of

, ,

refuge for the N i g ant h as ( foll o wers o f Mah avi ra i e , . .

Jain as) Therefore you should consider i t becoming that

.

al m s s hould s till be given to them when t hey come t o you 1
.

Pri mi ti ve Buddhism included eighteen various sch o ols of

th o ught som e ti mes spoken of as sects or denomi nati on s ;
,

according t o another classica t ion t he number i s twelve .

Concerning these school s whi ch woul d arise after h i s death ,

Gautama i s sai d to have made t h e following pro nounce

ment : These school s will be the repositori e s of the
twelve d ivers ied fruit s of my script ure s without pri ority
o r i nferiorityj u s t as the ta ste o f sea wat e r i s everywhere -

the same o r as the twelve s ons of one m an all h o ne st ,

and true so will be t h e expo s iti o n of my doc t rine a dv o

,

c at e d by these s chools I f these are no t t h e a ctu al
2
.

word s of the Buddha they tes t ify at least to what t h e ,

Buddh ists at a later period c o n sidered that he m ight very

well have sai d ; and th i s sympatheti c position i s al so wel l
i llustrated i n practice fo r H i o u e n Tsang in the s ixth
,

century found repre sentatives of all the e ighteen sect s l iving

s ide by s ide in a s i ngle monastery without di ssen s i o n Th e .

traditional t o lera nce o f I ndian ki ngs wh o e xt e nd the i r su p ,

port to al l s ect s al ike i s al so well seen in the case of As o ka

, ,

wh o patro nized even the Aj i vi ka s whose d o ctrine s are s o ,

ofte n denou nced by Gautama as denitely false Certain .

pa ssage s i n the Edicts treat of tol e rance as foll o ws :

H i s S a cred a nd Gracious M aj e sty the K ing d o e s
re v e rence t o m e n o f all se ct s whether a sc e ti c s o r hou se ,

h o ld e rs by gi fts and vari o us f o rm s of reve rence

, .

H i s Sacred M aj e sty how e v e r care s no t so much fo r

, ,

gift s o r e xt e rnal reverence as that there sh o uld be a

1
M ah avagga ,
vi , 3 1 .
2
Be al , I nd A nt
.
,
ix , 1 8 8 0, p .
300 .

1 5 6
 A . S U MMI T OF A D A M S P EA K

Sh ri n e of t h e Sac re d F o o t p ri nt
, W I t h t wo B h I kkh u s

P LATE N
B . L A NK ATI LA K A , NR . KA ND Y
 T o le ranc e
growth of the e ssence of the ma tt er in all sects The .

gro wth of the e ssence o f the matter assum e s variou s

fo rm s but the root of i t i s restraint o f speech to wi t a
, , ,

man mu st not do reverence to hi s own se ct o r di sparage

that o f a no ther man without reason Depreciation sh o uld .

be for specic reasons onl y becau se the sect s of other ,

people al l de serve revere nce for one reason o r another

he wh o doe s reverence to hi s own sect while di sparaging
t h e sec t s of o t her s whol ly fro m attachmen t to his o wn ,

with inten t to e nhance the splendour of h i s o wn sect in ,

real i ty by such c o nduct i ni cts the severe st injury on hi s

own sect 1
Conc o rd theref o re i s meri t o riou s to wit
.
, , , ,

hearke ni ng and he a rkening willingly to t he L aw of Pi e ty

as acc e pted by other people For t hi s i s the desi re o f .

H i s Sacred Maje sty that all sects should hear much

teaching and h o ld sound doctrine .

1
H e, i n thew d S h p h or s o f
wh l b c f lly t p v
o e n au e r, o

a o u rs c are u o ro e

th t th a d gm f th f i g b l i f d t g w i t h t h
e o as o e o re f hi n e e o no a re e o se o s

o w t
n, xpl i t h t t ly th y d t y th m b t t i ly
o e a n a no on e o no sa e sa e, u c er a n

t m m hi W i th th t h f i i h i i mpl i i t y
d o no th e an e sa e as s . a e anc e s n s s c

th t h a h ep v d t h f l i ty f t h d t i
as ro e f th
e li b li f
a s o e o c r ne s o e a en e e .

It lly v
re a ne t him t k th q t i
e r o c c u rs w hi h f t h t w
o o as e u es on c o e o

i s i ght I w
r . q i t d w i th
as o nc e d t E gl i h pp t
ac ua n e an ar e n n s su or er

o f f i g m i i wh i f m d m t h t H i d w
o re n ss o ns o n or B ddhi t e e a a n u as a u s

wh w hi pp d M h m m d A k v i w f t l i t h t w hi h

o o rs e u a a . so a s e o o e ranc e s a c

h as a lw y p v i l d i I di C mp
a s re a e L t v y m
n n f a . o are

e e er an, so ar as

i nhi m l i th h lp th e di g f th
, e i pt e w h th th
re a n f o e sc r u re s, e er o se o

h h th th ( Bh a k ta k lp d m

hi w
s o n c u rc f or o se o f P t p
an o er -
a a ru a o ra a a

Si m h a, Th ly t m i i y i h wh b i g t th
e on ru e ss o nar s e o rn s o e

su p p t f th i p t
or o f the t h t w hi h h
sc r d i hi w
u re s o o e rs, a c e n s n s o n

b k Th m
oo s. k w f v i b l i f th m i mp i bl i t
e o re o ne no s o ar o u s e e s, e o re o ss e

b m t di ti g i h
eco es o f m ths n u s di d d o ne li g i
ro ld ano er an n ee no re o n c ou

b t e w hi h did t i mply th m w hi h v y th l i g i i mpl i

ru e c no e sa e c e er o e r re on es .

Th lly th t h g h t f ll m i ll g d l d th y
e se are re a e ou s o a en n a a e s an an s, e are

no t i g i l w i th m I f t h y
or na t y e m h m in t h y
e are no o u rs a s uc as e, e are

x t t thi g W l t W hi tm
.

thi g

no n , o r ne o no n . a an .

I S7
 Buddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
I t mu st no t h o weve r be supp o se d tha t e arly Buddhi st s
, ,

exte nd e d the id e a o f t o leranc e so far as t o bel i e v e th a t i t

was p o ss ible to att a in sa lv a tion o th e rwi se than thr o ugh
the D o ctri ne a nd D i s cipl in e expressly taugh t by Gautama .

H e re sy o n the co ntrary i s regard e d as a damnabl e s i n to

, , ,

be expiat e d i n t h e purgat o ries The Aj i vi k as are re garded .

as p a rticul a rly i mpi o u s and Gautama bei ng a sk e d whether ,

an s uch can a tt a in to heaven after death t o sa no thi ng

y y
o f N i bb ana repli e s : I n the ninety o ne aeon s O Vat sya
-
, ,

which I recall I remember but o ne s ingle Aj i vika wh o

,

attai ned t o he aven and he acknowledged the truth of

kamma and the e fcacy o f w o rk s 1
.

V o id are the sy ste m s of other teachers say s Gautama , ,

v o id of true sain t s a view that i s echoed by Broth e r ,

2

N agita a s fo ll o ws :
O u ts ide ou r O rde r ma ny oth ers be wh o tea ch ,

A pa th ne ve r like th is one t o Nibb an a lea di ng

, , , .
3

No r was fre e thinking a ctually t o l e r ated within the o rder .

Th e wh o l e o bj e ct o f the Buddhi s t C o uncil s as w e ll as o f ,

t he na l writi ng d o wn o f the P ali can o n was t o x the ,

tru e d o ctri n e and eradicate the fal se Heretic a l brethren .

were e xcommu nicate d ; the be st e vi denc e of thi s appe a rs

i n cert a in o f the Edi ct s o f As o ka wh o lays d o wn th a t t he ,

Way o f t h e Church mu st no t be departed from and that ,

tho se wh o bre ak the unity o f the Church shall be u nfr o cked ,

a nd mu st d we ll apart from the Brethren I t is quite

4
.

1
A ng u tta ra I Vi kay a ,
'

ii p 7 2 2

S u t ta ( D ia log u s f th Bu ddh a ii
. .
,

2
M a h ap a rni bbana Cf le o e , , a so ,

F o r all bi ge n s sa lv t i i ly t b f d i B ddh D h mm
a on s on o e ou n n u a, a a, an d

Sangh a .

K h u dda kap a th a .

3
P Br th r n N lxxxv i ( Nagi t )
sa lms f
o th e e e , O . a .

1
M R F J h t n i th
r. . f . t q ito ns o s e re o re no u e c o rre c t yi g th
in sa n at

exp l i f m m kh d i n v i n i t d
u s on ro on oo s e er c e fo r f
re e th gh t i
ou or n

d li ty Buddh ist Ch ina p 3 8

e , . 0 .

I 58
 W m o en

cl e ar that the early Buddhi st s claimed no t mere ly to

po sse ss the truth but t o pos se ss a mgpp g zly DL I ru th
, .

The Mah ayana i s more Cath o l ic The fundam e ntal .

d oc t rine of Convenie nt Mea ns ( upaya ) o f i tself i mplies

'

the ne c e ssa ry v ari e ty of external f o rm and formul a whi c h

i ntui tion or revelation must a ssume We therefore read .

characteristically that
Percei vi ng an i ncarnation of the Dharmak aya i n every
spiritual l e a der regard le s s o f hi s nationali t y and pr o fe sse d

creed Mahayanist s recognize a Buddha i n Socrate s

, ,

Moh a mm ad Jesus Franci s of Assisi Confucius L a o tze

, , , , ,

and many o thers 1
.

The Mah ay ana is indeed i n principle as eclecti c as

H indui s m and coul d ea sily a ssi milate to itsel f any f o reign
,

religious system as a new sect F o r the C o nquer o rs .

are ma sters of variou s and mani fold means whereby t he

Tath agata reveal s the supreme light t o the world o f god s

and men m e an s adapted t o thei r temperament and
,

prej udi ces 2
All past and al l future Buddhas teach the
.

s ame savi ng knowledge i n the manner best suited t o the

time and place of thei r appearance .

XI . WOMEN

Re v e re n d Si h v r, a e you se e n a w m p
o an ass t hi s way ?

And th e e ld er

sa id
Was I t aw m o an, o r a man
T h t p d t hi
a asse s way ? I c anno t te ll .

B t t hi I k
u w s no ,
a se t o f b o ne s

I t v ll i g p hi d
s ra e n u on t s roa .

Vi su ddh i M agga , ch . 1 .

A good number of the J ataka s o r Birth st o ries o f Gautam a -

are d e sign e d to p o int t h e moral of femi ni ne i niquity .

1
S uz uO ki
e of M
,
u t lin s
aya ah na Buddh ism p , . 63 .

2
Saddh armap u nda ri ka S h tra , ii 3 6 d 7 3
, an .

I S9
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

U nfathomably de e p, like a sh s course i n t h e water ,

they say i s the ch a racte r of women ro b b e rs with many

, ,

art i c e s with whom truth

,
i s hard to nd t o wh o m a ,

l ie i s l ik e the truth and the truth i s like a li e .

N o heed should be pai d ei t her t o thei r l ikes or t o thei r

di slik e s .

The d o ctrine of Gautama i s monasti c as his t emperament ,

i s unemo t ional I n the word s of Oldenb e rg Was i t
.
,

po ssibl e for a m ind l ike Buddha wh o i n the severe deter ,

mination of renunciation had torn hi m sel f away fro m all

that i s a t trac t ive and lovely in this world was he give n ,

the facul ty to understand and to value w o man s nature ?
,

We mu st understand that t he Early Buddhi st want o f

sympathy wi th woman i s not an u nique phenomenon b u t ,

rather one that i s typical o f monasti c senti ment al l the

w o rld over I t i s based on fear Fo r of all the s nares
. .

of t he sen ses which Ignorance set s before the unwary the ,

most in s idi o us the mos t dangerous the mos t a t tractive

, , ,

i s w o man .

Maste r says Ananda
,

how shall we behave b e f o re ,

w o me n ? Y o u shoul d shun t hei r gaze Ananda , .

But i f we se e them master what then are we t o do P
, ,

No t spe ak t o them Ananda But i f we do speak

, .

to them wh a t then ?
, Then yo u must watch o ve r
yourselve s Ananda , To fall i n l o ve is a form o f M aa
.

,

infatuation : and j ust as the m o nasti c view of art take s

n o te o nly of i ts sen suous element s so the mona st ic vi e w ,

o f w o ma n a nd the love o f w o man takes into acc o unt none

but the physical fac t o rs To c o mpare N ibb anaas the .

B m a a dm nya a Up a m s a a compare s the bl i ss of Atman

'

'

i ntuiti o n t o the sel f f o rgetting happin e ss o f e arthly

-

l o vers locke d i n each other s a rm s would be for Buddhist

,

,

though t a bi t t er mockery N0 less remo t e from Buddhis t .

1 60
 W me n
o

s enti men t i s the view o f We stern ch ival ry which see s in

w o man a guid i ng s tar o r that of Vai shn a va or Plat o ni c
,

ideal i s m whi ch nd s i n the ad o ration of the individual

a n educati o n t o the l ove o f all .

We need not deny that the posi t ion of Gau t ama i s from
a c e rtain poi nt o f view just I t i s scarcely to be gain sai d
.

that woman i s neare r t o the world than man ; and sexual

di fferenti ati o n i s one o f tho se things which are not so ,

not so i n N i rvana We have o nly to rec o gnize th a t
.

Gautama h ad no c o nception of a m o ral duty to pro vi d e

fo r the continuance o f the race s uch as i s i mpl ied in t h e
,

later Brah manical d o ctrine of t h e debt t o t h e a nc e stors .

He called on men and women al ike to r o ot up the i nfe rnal

gro ve to ab a ndon the sexual nature and to put o n spi ritual
, ,

m a nh o od ; for those no t yet prepare d for th i s cha nge h e ,

fe l t such c o mpa ssi o n a s a gentl e spi ri t m ay f e e l fo r th o se

wh o su ffer and who se suffe ri ng i s t h e re sult of thei r own
i nfatu ati o n .

Gautama s favou rite and spi ritually youngest d i sciple

Anand a i s frequently represente d as advocati ng t he

cau se of woman Whe n t he qu e stion of the admis s ion
of women t o the Orderi n e ffe ct a clai m t o the right s
.

o f w o me n no t altogether unl ik e that o f t h e moderns

was rai sed A nanda already three t ime s re fused nally
, , ,

a sk s :
A re women compe t en t Reverend Si r i f they reti re from
, ,

t h e h o usehold l i fe to the h o u sele ss one under the doctrine

,

a nd d i s cipline a nnounced by the Tath agata to attai n t o ,

the fruit of conversion t o attain to the fruit of once

,

returni ng t o attain to the frui t of never returni ng t o

,
-
,

attain to A rah at t a P

Gaut a ma cannot deny their c o mpetence ; i n respo nse to

Ananda s further pleas he ad mit s w o men to t he Ord e r

,

L 1 6 1
 B u ddh a 89 9
t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
subject t o eigh ty weighty regulati o n s beginning with o ne ,

t o the e ffect tha t even the eldest o rdain e d S ist e r mu s t

stand before and behave with extreme humi lity toward a
Brother i f even only ordained a s ingle day But he add s :
, .

I f Ananda women had no t reti red from househol d l ife

, ,

t o the houseless one under t h e doc t rine and discipli ne ,

announced by t h e Tath agata religion Ananda woul d , , ,

long endure ; a t hou sand years would the good doctrine

abide But since Anand a women have now retired fro m
.
, ,

t h e hou sehol d l ife to the hou sele ss one under the d octrine ,

and discipline announced by the Tath agata not long , ,

Ananda will rel igion endure ; b u t ve hundred years

, ,

Ananda will the good doctrine abide
, .

E l sewhere i n reply to ano t her ques t ion propounded b y

,

Ananda Gau t ama repl ies

,

Women are soon angered Ananda ; w o men are full of ,

passion Ananda ; wom e n are envious Ananda ; wom e n

, ,

a re s tupid Ananda Th a t i s the reas o n Ana nd a that

, .
, ,

the cau se why women have no place in publi c a ssembli e s

, ,

do no t carry on a busi ness and d o not earn thei r l iving ,

by any pro fe ssion .

H ighly characteris t i c i s the story of thir t y charitable

men led by the Bo dhi satta when exi sting i n the fo rm of
,

t h e y o ung Br ahman Magha : these men upon a certain , ,

occasion were set t ing up a rest house at the cros s ro ad s - -

by way of chari ty Bu t as they no longer t o ok deligh t

.

i n womankind they allowed no woman t o share i n t h e

,

g o o d work I t i s pleasing t o reect that a lady of the
.

name of Piety succeeded in bribing o ne o f the se pai nfully

g o od men to agree t o a s t ratagem by which sh e was

e nabl e d t o share i n the merit o ri o us w o rk and that she ,

thereby earned for herself a palace in t he heaven of Sakka 1

.

1
K u ldzzaka j alaka .

I 62
 W o me n
On the o t her hand we nd that Gautama did not d isdain
to a ccept t h e ho spi tal ity and t h e gifts of devout laywo m e n l
.

Such a o ne i s repre sented to u s i n the hon o urable matr o n

Vi sak ha a ri ch citizen comm oner at Sav at t h i t he chief
, ,

tow n o f K o sala the mo t her of many blooming childre n

, ,

the grandmother of cou ntless grandchildren Thi s lady .

make s provi sion o n a liberal scale for the Buddha and h i s

d isciples while they reside at Sav att hi One day sh e .

appr o aches Gautama and makes eight request s and the se ,

are that she may be allowed to furni sh the brethren with

,

clothes for the rainy sea son food to the brethre n wh o reach ,

Sav a tt hi or pa ss thr o ugh Sav att hi or wh o are sick o r

, , ,

who re side there med icine fo r the sick and bathing , ,

d re sse s to the s i sters She set s forth the desi rabil i ty of .

s uch al m s i n detail The Buddha replies with word s of .

approval and i s pleased t o grant the eigh t fav o ur s I t

, .

sh o ul d be remarked tha t i n accordance with t he I ndi a n ,

view o f chari ty these are so many fav o urs bestowed up o n

h a no t a s Western readers m ight think upon the
,

Vi sak , , ,

Order ; for the rel igi o us mendicant by accepting gift s , ,

co nfers upo n the giver t he oppor t uni ty of a merit o ri o u s

deed Accordingly the H oly One prai sed Vi sakh a as o ne
.

who walks the shining commendable path and wi ll joy , ,

fully reap for a long peri od the reward of her chari ty i n ,

heaven above .

I t i s j ustly remarked by Professor Oldenberg : Pi cture s

l ike thi s of Vi sakh a be nefactresse s o f the Church wi th , ,

thei r inexh a u stible religiou s z e al and their no t l e ss i ne x ,

h au s t i b le re sources o f money are certainly i f a nyth i ng , ,

1
Th e se v m
en o st i ll
w m f E ly B ddhi m
u st r o u si K h ma o en o ar u s are : e ,

U ppalavann a,
P ta a a Bh dd a K i a G t mi Dh mm di
a c r , a d a ,
s o a ,
a a nn ,
an

Vi sakha . For th f ll t y f Vi akha

e Wu B dd/ i m i
s or o s se e arre n, u z s n

Tra nsla ti ons, p 4 5 f ; f K i a G t mi

. 1 pp 3 4 8 7 ; f or s o a se e . 2 , 1 ,
2 0 or

Vi sakh a se e
, p 5 f K h mi
. 2 p 3 or e se e . 2 2 .

1 63
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
ever was drawn from t h e l ife o f I ndi a in th o se day s they
,

can no t b e l e ft out of s ight i f we d e s ire t o get an id e a ,

o f the act o rs wh o m a d e the old e s t Buddhi s t c o mmunity

what i t was .

Gaut a m a however did not merely accep t the o fferi ngs o f

, ,

t h e respec t able b u t al so tho se of s inners I t i s rec o rd e d .

,

that upo n a certain o cca s ion he accepte d for hi m self and

h i s f o llowers an invitation to di nner fr o m the c o urte san
1

A mb apali a nd refused the alternative invi tati o n of the

,

L i c c h av i prince s to thei r great annoy a nc e ,

H e al so fo r .
2

so me ti me t o o k up h is re si dence in her mang o plea saunce ,

of which moreover she made a gift t o t he Order The

, , .

Sutta says
Th e Exal ted One accept ed the gi ft a nd after i n st ruct
ing and ro u si ng and i nciti ng and gl add e ning h e r with
, , ,

re ligiou s discourse he r o se fr o m h i s s eat and depart e d ,

th e nce .

I t i s worthy o f n o te th a t neith e r Vi sakha nor A mb apali

i s repre se nt e d t o have l e ft the w o rld as an i mmediate re sult
o f h i s t e aching o r e v e n t o have ch a ng e d her m o de o f life
,

th e i r gi ft s were accept e d by Gautama si mply as th o se o f

pi o us l ayw o men Each w o uld rec e ive i n s ome heave n t h e
.

i mmediate re ward o f her gen e ro s ity and in s o me future ,

l ife t he fruit o f perfe ct e nl ight e nm e nt .

Buddhi s t thought giv e s h o nour t o w o man t o thi s e xt e nt ,

that i t neve r doubt s the p o ssibility o f h e r putti ng o ff h e r

w o m an s nature and e v e n i n thi s life b e c o mi ng as i t w e re
, , ,

a m an Th e cas e i s give n o f t h e l ady G o pi ka wh o

.
,

h avi ng ab and o ned a w o man s th o ught s and cultiv at e d

the th o ught s o f a m an w as re born a s a so n o f Sa kk a in

h e av e n Th e re was a l so and m o re c o nspi cu o u s the
.
, ,

1
T hi d s o e s no t i v lv i tt i g d w
n o e s n o n t o e at at t h e sa m e ta bl e o r at th e
sa m ti m
e e .
2
Se e a b v pp
o e, .
74 , 7 5 .

1 64
 W me n
o

grea t b o dy o f t h e Sistersinitia ted t hough under pro t est

with the con sent of Gau t ama hi m selfo f whom ma ny
, ,

attained to A rah a t t a to Ni bb ana ; and o f the se la st the

, ,
,

b e au t iful so ngs of triumph are preserved i n the P sa lms of

t ae S i st ers And although these Si sters were tech ni cally
.

appointed juni ors i n perpe t uity to the Brethre n i t i s ,

equally clear th at by i ntellectual and moral eminenc e

, ,

a Th e ri

migh t claim equali ty with the highe st o f the

frate rnity 1
.

The woman wh o left the worl d and adopted t h e Sister s

rule not o nly escaped fro m the restri cti o n s and drudgery o f

dom e s t ici t y but l ike t h e H indu wid o w of the type of
,

Li lav at i or l ike the m o d e rn wo man thinker wh o m e e ts

'

her ma sculine colleague s on equal terms o btained from

,

her brethre n rec o g niti o n as a rati o nal b e ing a hum a n ,

bei ng rather than a wom an ; she shared the i ntell e ctu a l

c o mmuni o n of the rel igiou s arist o cracy o f the A ri ya s .

Her p o int of view i n this regard i s clearly expre ssed in

the Ps alms :
Am I a w oma n i n su e/ema tt ers or ,

Am [ a ma n 7 or
. n
w a t a m ] tne n 7 .

and
H ow snonla tae woma n s
ni naer Us
'
na t u re 7
.

while al l tha t is e ssen t ially feminine is left behind

S p ea k n ot to me o
f dellg t z ng
' '

zn an
g at o
f se nsu ou s

pl ea su res

Ve ri ly a ll su e/e v a n i t i es n ow n o more may ( nag/n me .

This posi ti o n i s very closely p a ralleled by t ha t whi ch i s

put fo rward by Schope nhau e r and by Wei ninger The , .

l atter sums u p h i s argument by sayi ng : Man can only

1
C A
. . F . R h y D ids av s, P salms f
o tlze Si sters, p x i
. xv .

1 65
 Buddh a 869 t h e G o sp e l f Buddhi sm
9
o

re spect woman when she herself ceases to be o bj e c t and

material for man A woman wh o had re ally given up
.

h e r s exual self wh o wi shed t o be at peac e would be no

, ,

l o nger w o ma n She woul d have cea sed to be w o man
.

,

s h e w o uld have received the i nward and s piritual sign as

w e ll a s the outward form of regenerati o n H e as ks I s .

,

i t ( the n) p o ssible for w o man really to wish to re al ize the

pro bl e m o f e xi stence the concepti o n o f guilt ( dukkh a) ?
,

C an sh e re a l ly de s i re fre e dom ? This can happen o nly

by her bei ng penetra t ed by an i deal brought to t h e ,

u i di n st ar I n tha t wa o nly can there be an e m anc i

g g .
y
at i o n
( )

p N ibb ana of woman 1
To these que s ti o n s the .

Buddhi st experience repl ies that i t i s pos s ible for woman

t o really desi re freed o m and tha t no s mall number of ,

women am o ngs t t h e Buddhi st Si sters a t tained i t .

I t may be left to the advocate s o f w o man s emancipa

ti o n on the o ne ha nd and t o femi nine i d e ali st s on the

,

o ther t o debate h o w far these views involve the h o n o ur

,

o r the dishon o ur of woman

.

XI I . EA RL Y B UD D H I S M A ND NA TUR E
H e re , 0B hikk u s, are th e ro o ts o f tre e s, h e re are e mp ty pl ac e s :

m di t e ate M a
jjl nma [ Vinaya
'

- ,
i ,
1 1 8 .

That deep underst anding of Nature whi ch charac t erizes

the later devel o pments of Buddhism in China and Jap a n
we mu st no t regard as enti rely al i e n to the early Bud
dhi st s s till le ss as e ssentially Far Eastern rath e r t han
,

I ndian I n s pite of t hemselve s the early Buddhist her

.

mits were l ove rs o f Na t ure and even i n H i nayana l itera ,

ture t h e poet now and agai n overcome s t he mo nk Th a t .

delight i n owers and fo rest s wh ich i s charac t eristic of

1
Wi i g
e n n e r, Sex a nd C/zaraeter pp .

34 7 9 .

1 66
 E arly Buddhi sm @ N at u re 9

the Brahmanical epi cs e specially t he R am ayana and of

, ,

the I nd ian love song throughout was also felt by some

-
,

of the Buddhist Brethren and Sister s Al most exac t ly .

that sentiment wh ich nds expressi on i n Whitman s
exclamation
I tni n I cou ld tu rn and li ve wi tle tae a ni ma ls , taey a re so

pl
ac i d a nd self - conta i n

d,
I sta nd a nd looka t t nem long a nd long .

Taey do not swea t a nd wai ne a oou t taci r condi t i on .

Not one i s di ssa t i sed not one i s demented wi t/i tae ma ni a

,

be recognized in t h e cus t omary I ndian and therefore

i s to ,

also Buddhi st compari son of the ideal man be he R ama

, ,

or Buddha t o a l ion or an elephan t or so me t i mes to a

, ,

mountain t hat ma y no t be shaken :

L i e e lep na nt su e ro i s ne p
On w ooded ang ers i n H i ma lay
Tae N ag a s t ru nki s conde nce

H i s wai t e t u ses equ a ni mi ty .

D eta c/z me nt i s t ne t a i l of ai m
F mom st ore la i d up ne dota ref ra i n .
l

or again
, , the hermi t
S ai netag lori ou s i n a p a tcnwor roaa

A s li on i n tae somore mou nta i n ca r

/e .
1

or is likened to the moun t ain s sel f :
S u re ea sed,
- a B rotaer wi t/z i llu si ons g one,
L i ne t o ta t mou nta i n sta nds u nwa ve ri ng
1

1
P salms f
o tlze B ret/ wen trans T W . . . and C . A . F .

R h y D vid
s a s. Th e e i gh t q i
u o tat o ns ne xt f l l w ing f
o o are ro m th e same

so u rc e .

1 67
 B u ddh a 33 9

t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Elsewhere the Buddha or one l ike Buddha i s c o mpared
,

t o t he ower o f the l o tu s :

S o i s t ae B u ddna i n t ai s world,
B orn i n tae world a n d dwe lli ng t nere,
But o y t a
e world n ow i se de led

E
en a s tae li ly o
y t ae la ne .

The way o f the Buddhi st fre e man the A ri yas wh o have ,

escaped the fe t ters o f the world is l ikened to the igh t o f ,

t h e white cranes again s t the cl o udy sky .

We nd al so amo ng the Psal ms o f the Bre t hre n veritable

nature poem s :
Tnose rocy ea ger: w i t/t nu e of da rnblu e clou ds ,

Wnere li es e moosomed ma ny a sai ni ng ta rn

0f l
cr sta l c ea r, cool
y wa t ers, a nd waase slo p es

Tne n er ds o
f I n dra cove r a n d oe dec
F ai r u pl an ds i
ra n- re res
f ned , a n d resona n t

Wan crest e d crea tu res cri es a n t ip nona l ,

L one na g/u s wnere si len t B i sai s o

f t re sort

F re e f rom t ae c row ds o
f ci t i z e ns oe low ,

B u t tarong ed w i tn oc s f m an
y w i n e d t ai ng s
g o ,

n
Tae ome of ae rdi ng crea t u res of tae w i ld
H a u nt e d oy ola c f aced a es a nd t i mi d deer, p
Wnere
nea tn orig nt olossoms ru n t ne si lve r st rea ms
S u ca a re t/t e ora es wne rei n my sou l de lzgnts .

A no th e r of the poe t monks is credited with nine g at h as,

o f which o ne ru ns :

W/i e n i n tae loweri ng sk

y t au n de rs t ne s t o rm c lou d s dru m -

,

A n d a ll t ae
p nw y f
a s o att ae oi rds a re t ai ca w i ta ra i n ,

Tne orotne r si t s w i tni n t ae nollow of tae n i l/s

A lone , ra pt i n t /t oug /i t

s e cst a y
s . N o aign e r oli ss
[ s g i ve n t o men t/t a n t/t i s .

1 68
 E arly Buddhi sm @ N at u re 9

While ye t another writes :

Wnene e r ]
see t ne cra ne , ne r clea r l w i ng s p a e

Ou t st ret c/i e d i n f ea r t o ee t ae ola c st orm clou d, -

A nelt e r seeki ng t o saf e snelter oorne

s , ,

Tnen dot/c tne r i ve r Aja a ra n i

Gi ve joy t o me .

Wao dot/c n ot love t o see on e i t e r o n

a n

Clu st e red rose- a ff le t rees i n

f ai r a rra
y,
B eyon d t/t e g rea t ca ve f o t /z e nei m i tag e ,

0 r li ea r t /i e sof t croa o
f t ne
f g
ro s 7 .

N 0 less characteristi c a re t h e rain s ong s :

-

melody most sweet ,

God i
ra ns a s t we re a

S nug i s my li tt le nu t , sne lt e re d w e ll roof ed ,

-
.

Tli e nea rt of me i s st ea dfa st a n d a t pea ce .

N ow , an i t p leaset/c tace t o ra n , i g od . ra n i !

But the se are t h e utterance s o f individual m o nk s ; we

can no t fra nkly cred it e a rly Buddhi s mthe teaching of
Buddhawith the kinship of the wild Th e l o ve o f .

lo ne ly place s i s most oft e n for thei r v e ry loneliness a nd ,

b e cau se there i s the mo st c o nvenien t refu ge fr o m the

h u st le and temptati o n s o f the world fro m i nterc o urse ,

with worldly men and with w o m e n The l ines thu s qu o te d .

e nding
Su ch are the braes wherein my s oul delight s ,

,

a re f o ll o wed i mmedi a tely by the edi fying j u stication

soundi ng almo st l ik e an excu se :
F or t /z a t w/i i c/i ri ng s nze ex qu i si t e de lzg/i t
Is n ot t/z e st ra i ns o f st i i ng an d Moe an d dru m ,

B u t w ae n w i t /c i nt e lle ct w e ll -
p oi se d, i n t e nt ,

[ g a i n t/z e p rf
f
e ect v i si o n o t/Z e N o rm .

While he that notes ho w all the pa t hways of t he birds
are thi ck wi th rain clai ms t o be absorbed i n t he ecstasy
1 69
 B u ddh a 89 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
of thought A s Mrs Rhys D avi ds say s the ecs t a sy
.
,

i s here scarcely the pr o duct o f rel igi o u s plea sure a l o ne .

I s no t th e n the gentle paganism which allows the i ndi
vidual p o et anchorite t o fe el thi s p o sitive pl e a sure i n the
s cen e s a nd s ight s of the forests regarded from the s tand ,

p o int o f t h e N orm a spiritual weakne ss ? To s uch as

,

yi e lded th e reto a city l ife migh t very well have b e en

,

a ppointed by wa of penance
y .

M o re truly i n a ccord wi th the monas t i c will t o en t i re alo o f

n e ss i s the c o l dness of the monk Citta Gu t t a o f wh o m the ,

Vi su ddni M agg a rela t es that he dwelt for s ixty y e ars i n

a painted cave befo re which grew a beautiful r o se ches t
,
-

nut ye t no t only had he never observed the painti ngs o n

t h e ro o f of t h e cave b u t he only knew when the tree
,

o wered every year through seeing t h e fallen p o llen and

,

t h e petal s o n the ground I n the M a n a P a ri n i ooana

.
-

S u t t a t o o the Buddha h o lds up t o highe s t admirati o n the

, ,

m an ( hi mself) wh o b e ing c o nsciou s and aw ak e n e ither
, ,

se e s no r h e ars the sound t hereof whe n the falling rai n i s

,

b e ati ng and S pla shing and the l ightni ngs are a shing ,

f o rth a nd t h e thunderbolt s are cra shing
,
.

I t i s true that Early Buddhi st l iterature abounds wi t h

m any c o mp a ri son s of t h e id e al man t o an elephant o r a
rhin o cero s The hear t of the comparison t o the Buddhi st
.
, ,

l ay i n the parti cularization of the e lephan t as a sol itary

el ephant and the fact tha t the rhinocero s i s by nature
,

so l itary I n thi s way the Buddhi sts called on h igher m e n

.

t o leave the marke t place knowing that ,

Grea t t ni ng s a re done wae n me n a nd mou nt a i ns meet

Th ey a re n ot done 5y jost li ng i n tae st reet .

But we cannot credit the Buddhi st au t hors wh o u se t h e se

m e t aphors with any special understand ing o f Nature ,

1 70
 E arly B u ddhi sm N at u re
any more than we should the early Chris t ian wri ters wh o
s peak o f the lamb and the d ove The compari so n very .

s o o n indeed become s ridiculous

, , Cultiva t ing kindne ss .
,

equa nimity compassion del iverance and sympathy un o h

, , ,

structed by the whole world let hi m wander alone l ike a ,

rhino ceros i s the co nstant t heme of the K nagg a v i sana

,

S u tta But thi s i s a false and sentimental view or at le a st

.
,

n o thi ng better than the t wi st ing of na t ural fact to edi fying

ends for the rhinocero s i s a surly beast and t h e sol itary
, ,

e lephan t a rogue Still more is i t false and no t regard

.
,

i ng thing s as they really are t o pretend for the a nim al s

wh o a re not i n fact at all em a ncip at e from pas s ion a nd ,

wh o d o not t h ink about their s ins or practi se A su on a

meditati onsthe temperame nt of an asceti c huma n Th e
,

p agan in nocence of animal s a nd children i s i n truth v e ry

fa r i ndeed from t h e I d e al of Early Buddhi st m o nasti ci s m .

What these me t aphors show us i s a phase of the comm o n

Oriental tendency to nd in natural objects the symb o l s of
general i deas But the y do no t yet i mply any such sen se
.

o f the uni t y of l ife a s nd s expres s ion i n M at su na a s

g

poem on the morning glory or Wh itman s pa ssionate
1
,

confessi o n of belief i n tho se winged purp o se s Even .

the epithet s miga onu te na cetasa having a heart l ike the

"

,

wild deer and a ra nna sa uni no havi ng the fore st sen se -

o f th i ng s for all thei r beautymay not alw ays me a n

, ,

all that they seem t o say At lea st we cann o t but doubt .

i f th o se wh o used th e se term s realized al l that th e y

i mpl i e d I n Zen Buddhism o n the co ntrary phra ses of
.
, ,

thi s s ort have a real and deep meani ng for i n a nimal s and ,

childre n the inner and o uter l ife are at one the dual ity of ,

e sh a nd spi rit which a ficts us with the sen se o f si n i s

not yet felt ; the Zen Buddhist d oes i n truth aspi re to
1
Se e bl w p
e o , . 2 56 .

1 7 1
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
recover that unity of con sciou sne ss which i s asked for i n
t h e b e autiful pray e r of S o crate s t o make at o ne the inner
and outer man and h e k nows that t o recover the kingd o m
o f he a ve n the state o f Buddhahood he must become
, ,

agai n as a little child he mus t pos se ss the he a rt o f the

,

wild dee r ; notwithstanding he mu st also overcome the

ign o rance o f which they are no t yet aware But i t was .

no t i n thi s se nse tha t the early Buddhi st a scetic s ye a r ned

for t h e forest sen se of th i ngs ; o r i f fo r s ome i t w as

so ,
then th e se indivi du a l s ingers a re no l o nge r typic a l
e xp o ne nt s o f pri mitive Buddhi s m but f o rerunner s of t h e ,

M a h ay ana and Z e n taught by thei r f o re st m as ters t o

,

u nderstand the u ni ty of l ife hearing al ready the Serm o n ,

of t h e W o ods a l ready breaking through the spiritual

,

i so l a ti o n o f the A rah at and P a cceka Buddha .

That the e arly Buddhi st culture i s still far from a tru e

i nti macy wi th t h e Suchn e ss o f t h e w o rld appears i n its l ac k
o f sympathy with human nature It is i mp o ssibl e t o cl a i m .

fo r a m o nastic rul e which include s a s an e sse ntial pra ctice

t h e M e d it ation o n t h e F o uln e ss o f Thi ngs a r e al sympathy ,

with N ature : it i s i ncon si st e nt to del ight in the w ays of

the wild cre atures o f the wood s and t o turn with loathi ng ,

fr o m the no bil ity and inn o cence o f men I t i s a strange .

view o f N a ture th a t re gard s the hum an body as i mpure ,

mal o d o rou s full o f f o ul mat te r an o ffe n s iv e shape
, , ,

and a c a rri o n thi ng and stri ve s t o promote a d i sgust
,

fo r t h e he a lthy e s h by a contemplati o n of d e c ayi ng

c o rp se s Thi s b o dy vi l e says Si ste r Vij aya d o th

.
, ,

t o uch m e only with dis t re ss and sham e 1
.

1
m b id p t
Th e or as e c s o f t hi s h ot -
h o u se c u l ti v ti
a on o f n i di ff e re nc e and

p i ty
ur i di t d i
are n ca e n P sa lms o f t lze B re tlz ren, W .
3 1 6, 1 0
5 5 , an d

alm t q lly i
os e ua so n vv .
567 . Se e a so l Vi su aa lz i M agg a,

ch . vi ,

W arre n, B u dd/z i sm i n Tra nsla ti ons, p . 2 98 .

1 7 2
 E arly Buddhi sm 89 Nat u re 9

N 0 o ne will wi sh t o deny th at the truth s of early Buddhism

are true o r that the stre ss that was laid o n Anicca ( tr an
,

s cie nce
) (
a nd An a tt a no eternal so ul
) a nd the th o ught o f
,

salvation here a nd no w ,
con stituted a perma ne nt c o n
t ri b u t i o n t o our re a l ization of things as they really are ;
and we can hard ly b e too grateful fo r the c o nd e mnati o n
of senti mental ity as a card inal sin But the earl y .

Buddh ists l ike so many other enthu s ia sts used thei r s h a re

, ,

of truth fo r the de nial o f o thers : they w e re so convinced

of the sorrow s of the w o rld that they coul d no t sympath ize
w ith i t s j o ys I n saying th i s I do no t f o rget the Subl i me
.
,

M o od o f M udita ; but I re member that e a rly Buddhi st

l it e rature as a wh o le is lled with a conte mpt of the world
which i nevit ably pre clude s a symp athy with i t s h o pe s and
fe a rs Early Buddhi s m doe s not a ssociate it self with the
.

hope s and fe ars of th is l ife i t seek s o nly t o p o i nt out t h e

h a ven of refuge fr o m both h o pe and fear and i t s symp athy,

i s with the struggl e s of tho se wh o are caught in the toil s of

e ither . Th e early Buddh i s t could no t p o ss ibly grasp t h e
th o ught that The soul o f swee t delight can never be de le d .

We must not on the o ther hand all o w ourselves t o carry

, ,

t o o far thi s criticism o f early Buddhi s t d e cienci e s Le t .

u s o nc e more rem e mber that thi s i s no t a re l igio n fo r

l aymen but a rule fo r monk s and as such th o ugh se ve re

, , , ,

i t i s rea so nable and sa ne and well design e d t o cultiva te

,

the n o ble type of chara ct e r de s ired We mu st al so

.

rem e mb e r th a t Gaut a m a d id no t s t and al o n e in h i s

Puri tani s m ; this was t h e i ntellectual bia s of h i s age ,

and i s reecte d as much i n Brahm a nic al and ja i na

as i n Buddh ist text s ,
a nd i t s urvive s a s a te nd e ncy i n

I ndian thought t o the pre se nt day th o ugh o nly as o ne

,

am o ng o th e rs more p o w e rful . Th e gen e ral ( no t o nly

Buddhi st ) ae sthetic o f Gaut a ma s age m o re o ve r was whol ly

, ,

I 73
 B u ddha 863 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
hedonistic ; i t was not i magined that musi c o r pla stic art
con sidered as se cul a r c o uld have any oth e r than a se nsu o us
app e al o r con sidere d as rel igiou s could sub serve a m o re
,

s piritual ai m th a n that of ple a s ing the god s or fullling

t h e purp o se s of the magician I t was al s o an ag e o f .

highly d e vel o ped materi al civi l ization and at lea st ,

fo r th o se cl asse s where the i nt e ll e ctu a l m o vem e nt s o f

A t m ani sm and Buddhi s m originated o f great i f s impl e , , ,

luxury I t was then the rs t natural rea cti o n o f t h e

.
, ,

thi nking mind t o e s cape from t h e b o ndage of the se nse s

by a scetici sm cut t ing o ff as it were the hand and pluck
, ,

i ng o u t the eye Am o ngs t many wh o felt thi s i mpulse

.
,

Gautama was distingui shed by mod e ra t ion .

This Indi a n age of a scetici s m moreover we ought to , ,

re gard as the useful oranmacarya t he severe and spartan ,

e arly e ducation of the future hou seholder acc o mpl i sh e d ,

accordi ng t o the disciplin e o f the nal truth s Anatt a and

n et i ,n et i As one of the mo st severe critic s of early
.

Buddhi s m h as remarked : A sceticism and Puritani s m are

a lm o st i ndi spensable means of educating and ennobling a

r a ce wh ich se ek s t o rise above i ts hered itary ba sen e ss

and w o rk i tself upward t o fu t ure supremacy 1
I n lat e r .

centuries the rac e that had thus by se l f k nowledge and

2 -

se l f c o ntr o l attained t o s piri tual manh o od

- could perm it ,

to i t se lf a relaxation of t he mona sti c discipl i ne propor ,

t i o nat e to i t s growing p o w e r to achieve the uni o n of

re nunciation with swee t del ight and t o nd i n w o rk no , ,

w o rk The future civi lization of I ndia ab o v e all i t s

.
,

w o nd e rful soci al id e al was ba sed on the i ntellectual tapa s

,

o f t h e Fore s t dwellers and the Wanderers of the a e o f

g
-

1
Ni e t z sc h e, B eyond Good a nd E vi l, p . 81 .

2
By rac e

I m e an no m o re h
t an th e su c c e ss o n o f n i i di vid l i g
ua s sh ar n

th e I n d y
o- A r an c u lt u re .

1 74
 E arly Buddhi sm 89 N at u re 9

the Up ani shads a nd of Gautama and i t w o uld i ll b e come

,
-

us to depreciate t hat without which the future could no t

have b e en .

Th e early Buddhis t i deal considered as such needs no

j u sti c a ti o n ; i t i s o nly as again st tho se who see k to
establi sh i t as the one and o nly mode o f saving truth ,

and i n particular tho se wh o speak of the Mah ay ana and of

H i ndui s m as a falling away i nto superstition and ign o rance ,

that we have to p o int out very unmi stakably that t h e ,

Therav ada ideal i f not positively narrow i s at least

, ,

de nitely lim ited N 0 one pretend s that with cha nge there
.

d id not come both l oss and gain ; but no religion has ever
e t pers ist e d fo r even a s ingle centu ry uncha nged the
y ,

po ssibility of such a thi ng i s eve n contrary t o Anicca and ,

the Buddhi st D hamma could no m o re d e fend i tself from

growth than any other l iving seed Th o se wh o w o ul d
.

ca st away the stem and the branches whether t o re turn

,

to the vedas of Brahmanism or to return t o the Therav ada

,

D hamma of Gau t ama may be compared to a man wh o i s

old in years and experience and i n honourable achievem e nt
, ,

and yet remembering the grea t ne ss of the sai n t ed teachers

,

o f his youth would fain never have departed from thei r

,

feet t o d e al with good and evi l in the w o rld o f l iving men .

L e t u s on the contrary recognize that there exi st s no breach

of continuity b e tween the old and the new law s and that ,

the Mah ayana a nd the later expa nsio n of H i nduism a re

t h e very fruit of the earl ier di s ciplin e Fr o m thi s p o i nt o f
.

view i t becomes of the utm o st i nterest t o seek o u t a nd

recognize i n early Buddhi st thought t he unmi stakable
germs wh ich a re afterward fully devel o ped i n the
M ah ay ana especially the Mah ayana of the Z e n type and
, ,

wh ich i n a ll iance wi th Ta oi st philosophy e ffe cted a recon

ciliation of religion with the world Amongs t the sources
.

I 7S
 Bud dh a 89 9
t he G o sp e l o f Bu ddhi sm
of this wider culture no t the le ast i mp o rt a nt a re tho se
,

t r a ce s o f t h e l o ve o f nature and that tendency t o lyric a l

,

a nd ballad f o rm expre ss i o n wh ich we o b se rve s o well

-

mark e d i n the Psalm s of the Brethren and Si sters and i n ,

the J at aka s .

XI I I . B UD D H I S T P E S S I M I S M
I t h as o ften b e e n said and not alt o gether w ithout reason
, ,

th a t ( early) Buddhi s m i s a pe ssi mi stic f a ith I t i s t o .

Buddha and such as Buddha that N ietz sche refers whe n

he e xclai ms

They m e et an inval id or an o ld man or a corpse and ,

,

i mmed iately th e y say L ife i s

Can we agree that Buddhi s m i s pe ss imi stic ? The a n swer
i s b o th Y e s and N 0 H uman life i s o f s upreme value t o
.

the Buddhi st as t h e o nly c o nditio n fro m which t h e highe st

g o o d c an be re ach e d ; h e nce s uicid e ( the re a l pro o f o f t h e
c o nvicti o n that l ife i s no t w o rth l ivi ng ) i s expli c itly and
c o n sta ntly c o ndemn e d by Buddh i st s cript ure a s w aste o f
o pp o rtunity But we hav e to rec o gniz e that t h e quality
.

o f l ife is ve ry v a ri e d a nd Buddhi s m is far fr o m o pti mi stic

,

about an and ev ry rt f l ife the mere fact o f e xi s te nce

y e so o ,
.

Gautama ridi cul e s t h e m e re wi ll to l ife a s much as

N ietz sche him se lf de spi se s se nsual men ; even t h e d e si re
fo r re birth i n t h e highe s t heave ns i s sp o ken o f by Buddhi st s
as
lo w

The c o mmon l ife of the world acc o rdi ng t o
.
,

G a utam a i s no t w o rth l iving i t i s no l ife fo r an Ariya

, ,

a ge ntleman But o n t h e o th e r hand h e put s fo rwa rd a

.

m o de o f l ife for higher men which he re gard s as well

w o rth l iving and claim s that by thi s l i fe the highe st go o d
,

i s a tt a i nabl e and in thi s c o nvicti o n that Paradi se i s s till
,

up o n e arth h e i s anyth i ng but pes si mi stic I t i s tru e

.

th a t he re fuse s t o regard l ife as an end i n itself ; but so

1 76
 B u ddhi st P e ssi m i sm
do N ietz sche and Whi t man We do no t cal l . the lat ter
pessi mi sti c when he praise s death more than life .

Taroug /z me s/z a ll tae words 6e sa i d t o mat e dea t/i ex

lz i la ra t i ng
N or wi ll I a llo w you a ny more to oa l me wi ta waa t I wa s
g f
ca lli n l i e,

F or n ow i t i s con ve ed t o me taa t tae

y you a re g p
u r orts

esse n t i a l,

Tna t you ai de i n tnese saif t i ng f orms of life .

Tna t you wi ll one day p eraap s ta e control of a ll .

I n precisely t h e same way using Death for N i b b ana the ,

artis t disparages l ife

For looking t o o long upon life may one not nd all th is

, ,

t o be not the beauti ful nor the mys t eriou s nor the tr agi c
, , ,

but the dull t he melodrama t i c and t he si lly : the conspiracy

against vi t ali tyagainst both red and whi t e heat ? And
, ,

from such th ings which lack the sun o f li fe i t i s not

possible t o draw in spi ration But from t hat mysteriou s .
,

j oyous and superbly comple t e l ife wh ich is called Death

,

which seems a ki nd of spring a blossoming from ,

this land and from this idea can come so vast an inspi ration ,

tha t with unhesi t a t ing exultation I leap forward to it ; and

behold in an instant I nd my arms ful l of owers
, ,
1
.

The rs t of the Four Ariyan Truths then which a frms

the exi stence of su ffering D ukkha as the symptom and , ,

constituti o nal sickness o f individual ity canno t be called ,

p e ss i misti c becau se it merely st ate s the obvious : we

,

k now that a co nditioned l i fe o f e t ernal happine ss i s a

contradicti o n i n term s .

M o re o ver the early Buddhi sts were very far from mi ser
,

abl e ; they rej o i ced as those who were heal t hy among st the
1
d
Go r on Cra ig , TI n A rt of the Thea tre .

M I 77
 Buddh a 89
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
ailing and had found a remedy for every possible recur
,

rence o f i ll ne ss .

We read for exampl e i n the D na mmapa da

, ,

I n perfec t j oy we l ive withou t enemy i n th i s world of

,

enmi t y among s i ck men we dwell without sickne ss

among toiling men we dwell without toil The .

monk wh o dwells i n an empty abode whose soul is ful l ,

of peace enj oys superhuman felici ty gazing s olely on t he

, ,

truth .

I t i s t o be observed however and must be ad mi t t ed that

, , ,

the Buddhis t view o f o rdina ry l ife i s lacking in courage .

The very emphasis lai d on D ukkha i s false : for i t i s no t

D ukkha only but an exactly equal measure of D ukkha
,

and Sukha alike Pain and Plea sure whi ch i s t he mark of

, ,

this l i fe There are indee d many rea son s why we cannot

.

place the zenith of our being i n t his world of Pai n and

Pleasure ; but the predominance of Pain over Pleasure
ca nnot be o ne o f these .

Ano t her mark of genuine pes s i mism b y which I mean

only looking on the dark s ide o f things
is t he charac
t e ri st i c Early Buddhi s t d istru st of plea sure We cann o t .

n o bly nd a rul ing principle of l ife either in seeking t o

avoid pain or in courting plea sure ; but much ra t her in
,

the thought : I strive not after my happiness I s t rive ,

after my work .

The highe st state m us t be wi t hout des ire beca use des ire ,

i mpli e s a lack and in this sense the superman the

, ,

A rab a t i s by deni t ion passionles s N ow this is a state

, .

which we may be st conceive in the manner of Chuang Tzu :

By a man withou t pas sions I mean o ne wh o do e s no t
p e rmit g o o d a nd e vi l to d i sturb hi s i nternal ec o n o my ,

but rather fall s in with whateve r h appe ns as a matter o f ,

c o urse and d o es no t add to the sum o f his mor tality
, .

1 7 8
 Buddhi st P e ssi m i sm
But the B uddhi st i s very much d i sturbed by go o d and
e vi l h e fear s pl e asure and he would avoid p a i n and the
, ,

wh o le of the D hamma i s designed to achi ev e the l atter

end I t is true that saving knowl e dge must at la s t
.

release the ind ividual fr o m the possibi lity of pai n : But

Budd h ism was the rst to t ransform that whi ch was
a mere consequence i n t o a mo t ive and by conceiv i ng ,

emancipation as an escape fro m the su ffe rings of exis t ence ,

to make selshness the mainspring of existence 1
Thi s
i s probably t h e mos t severe cri ticism that has anywhere
been passed on Early Buddh i sm and though I think i t i s ,

unfai rly comprehens ive i t contains some elements o f truth

, .

I t is of course otherwise wi t h t he Bo dh i sat t a ideal

, , ,

where the i nd ivi dual for an end beyond hi m sel f take s

upon his o wn shoulders t he burden of t he wo rld s

ignorance and freely spends h i mself i n coun tless l ives

,

of superna t ural generosi t y The Bo dhi sat t a ideal is .

prac t ically iden t ical with t ha t of the N i e t z sc he an Super

man wi t h his Bes t owing Vi r t ue
, .

Bu t while in certain aspect s E arly Buddh is m has a

pessi m is t i c charac ter we mus t pro t es t against either of
,

the assump t ions : ( 1 ) tha t the view tha t ordinary l ife a ,

mere exi st ence i s relatively worthless i s prope rly to be

, ,

described as pes si m isti c or ( 2 ) that I ndian religi o u s

,

pes s imism real or fancied has any connexion whatever

, ,

with the supposed unhappy ci rcumstances of Indian li fe

or the enerva t i ng consequences of the I nd ian cl i mate .

As regards the rst assumpti on i t may su fce to indi cate ,

that the O pti mistic N ietzsche pours more sc o rn on

mere existence than i s t o be found anywhere in
Buddhism And as regards the second i t may be
pointed o u t t o select b u t one o f many argumen t st ha t
.
,

1
De u sse n, l e P /z i losop /zy o f tlze Up ani s/z ads, p .
34 1 .

1
79
 Buddh a 89 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
the so called pe ssimistic beliefs have always procee ded
-

from the higher cla sse s who e njoyed t he go o d thing s o f

,

th is li fe t o the ful l : if there is a contra st between t h e

childi sh O ptimi s m of the early Ved ic hymns with ,

thei r prayers fo r many cattle an d long l i fe and th e ,

pes s i mism o f the Ved anta o r of Buddh i s m th is i s a

,

re sul t not o f a decl ine in material civilization but of t h e ,

accumulation of expe rience For t he I ndi an view i s t h e

.

c o rre ct o ne that i t is no t deprivation of the good t hings

,

o f th i s world that lead s t h e wise at las t t o turn t o higher

th o ught s but rather long experience of thei r ul t i mate

,

mon o tony Des ires suppre ssed breed pes t ilence but t h e
.

ro ad of exce ss leads t o the palace of wi s d o m E man .

c i at i o n seeks to avoid a future heaven no less than a

p
future hell had i t been promp ted by a mere reaction
fo r the misery of phy s ical ex istence this must have ,

creat e d a religion similar t o certain aspec ts of Chri stianity

where comp ensa t i on for the sorrows o f t his li fe is expected
i n a heaven of endless delight .

XI V . A B UD D H I S T EMP ER OR
A characteri stic st ory is related i n the lat er l e gendary
history of Gautama I t is said that when he was seated
.

beneath the B o dhi tree and near t o attain Nibb ana the
, ,

Evil One f a iling t o shake h i s purpo se in other way s

, ,

appeared in the gui se of a me ssenger with lett e rs beari ng

the false report t hat De v adat t aGautama s c o u sin and

c o n stant e ne myhad usurped the thro ne of K ap i lav ast u ,

and had taken the wive s and the goods of Gautama t o

hi m se lf and i mpri soned h i s father ; the letters urged hi m

to re turn t o restore peace and order But Gaut a ma .

reecte d th a t De v adat t a s acti o n resulted from h i s malice

and lust while t h e Sakyas i n no t defending t hei r king

, ,

1 80
 A B u ddhi st E m p e ro r
had shown a cowardly and despicable disposition Con .

t e m plat i ng the se foll ies and weakne sses o f the natural

man hi s own resolution to attain to something higher
,

a nd better was conrmed in h im 1

.

Thi s l e gend aptly expres se s the indi fference of Buddhism

to the order of the world I t i s in full accord with this .

p o int of vi e w that Buddhi sm h as never formulate d the

ideal of a social o rder of this or that t e : i t s ethi is
purely a nd place s no rel iance whatever o n

exte rnal re gulation Mere good government canno t lead

.

t o the Dyi ng O u t ( N i b b ana) of Cravi ng Re sentmen t a nd , ,

I nfa t uati on : and since t he Gospel of Gau t ama has solely

t o d o with the way to that Dyi ng Out i t i s not c o ncerned ,

with g o vernmen t at all Thi s p o siti o n is practi cal ly

.

id e ntic a l with that o f Jesus wh o repudiated any allianc e of

,

the K ingd o m of God with temporal power I n agreeme nt .

with thi s vi e w both the father a nd mother of Gautama

, ,

and his wi fe and son and a ho st of S akya princes resig ne d

,

thei r worldly sta t us and became homeles s followers of

H i m who h as thus attained
- - - -
.

I f howeve r every ruler who accep ted the Buddhi st Gospel

, ,

had i mm e diately ad o pt e d the h o mele ss li fe i t would be i m ,

pos sibl e to speak of Buddhis t emper o rs or king s We nd .

,

o n the contrary that rul i ng pri nc e s Buddhi s t by educati o n

, ,

o r convers i o n c o n stantly retai ned th e i r temporal power and

, ,

used thi s powe r for the propagation of the Dhamma for the ,

supp o rt o f the Brethre n and for the mainten ance of social

,

ord e r confo rmable t o Buddhist ethi c H i st o ry pre se rve s fo r .

u s the nam e s of m any s uch Buddh i s t ki ng s w h o no t wi t h , ,

s t a ndi ng th a t Buddhi s m i s 3 G o sp e l o f se lf ma stery alo ne -

,

so ught t o i mpr o v e the o rder o f the world by rul ing

oth e rs I t i s i n thi s way th a t t h e doctrine which was
.

1
l
Be a , R omanti c I I i story of B u dd/1 a , p . 20 7 su p ra ,
p .
32 .

1 81
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Bu ddhi sm
origi nally no t perhap s altoge ther anti social but at least
,
-
,

no n social has c o m e to have an inuenc e upon the social

-
,

o rder .

We shall gain a good idea of the social inuence of

Buddhism by devoting a t ten t i o n to Asoka Mau rya the ,

mo st famous of the Buddhist rulers o f I ndia A soka .

succ e e ded to t h e throne of Mag adh a about 2 70 B C and . .

rec e iv e d a more formal coronati o n four years later The .

rst great event in hi s reign t ook place eight years lat e r ;

thi s was the conque st of Kalinga a con siderable territ o ry ,

borderi ng the ea st coas t south of the modern Ori ssa ; ,

with th is add ition his t e rritory embraced the whol e of ,

I ndi a except the extreme south Th i s conque st i nv o lve d .

t h e slaughter of person s while half as m any ,

aga in we re c a rried i n t o cap t ivity and ma ny m o re ,

peri shed fro m famine and pestilence Pe rhap s t h e .

s p e ctacle o f so much s u fferi ng predisposed t h e Emp e ror

t o c o n s id e r with s pecial a t t e ntion that sy s tem of which

the so le a i m was to poin t out t he way o f salvati o n fro m
Su ffe ri ng D ukkha 1
, A t any rate As o ka hi m self rec o rd s
.

h i s adhe s ion t o the Buddhist D hamma i n the followi ng

te rm s :
D i rectly after t h e annexation of the K alingas began h i s ,

Sacred M ajesty s zealou s protecti on o f the Dhamma h is

,

l o ve o f th a t Dhamma and h i s giving instructio n there i n , .

Thu s arose Hi s Sacre d Maje sty s remorse fo r havi ng c o n

quered the K a lingas because the conque st of a country ,

1
Vi c to r y ,

sa s y b d ht d f
th e D aa mmap ada, v . 201 ,

re e s a re , or

th e nq d i nh ppy I t i w th n t i c th t i t h b n
co u e re s u a .

s or o e a as ee

su gg t d th t th t d y f B ddhi m i l ik ly t
es e a e iv g ts u o u s s e o re c e e a re a

i mp t i th i mm di t f t
e us n b e f
it p w t t in
e a e u u re , e c au se o s o er o re s ra

it dh t f m t h
s a e re n s g i n y tb k f i nt n ti n l b t h y
ro o se san u '
ar ou re a s o er a o a u c er

w hi h c b t n i n v y g n t i n i n th W t C mo i g
occur a ou o ce e er e e ra o e es .

a r a e

M g ia Ap i l 4
az ne,
9 5 r 2 , 1 1 .

1 82
 A B u ddhi st E m p e ro r
previ ou sl y unconquered involves the slaugh ter death and , ,

carrying away cap t ive of the pe o ple That is a matter .

of profound s o rrow and regret t o H is Sacred Majes ty ,

and thus connec t ing hi s conversion with the change of

attitude toward others he continues ,

Thus of all the people wh o were then slain done t o ,

dea t h or carried away captive in t h e K al ingas i f the

, ,

hundredth or t h e thousandth par t were t o su ffe r the same

'

fa t e i t would now be matter of regret t o H i s S acred

,

Maje sty Moreover should any one do h i m wrong that

.
,

too mus t be borne with b y H i s Sacred M aje st y i f i t can ,

p o s sibly be borne with H i s Sacred Majes ty de s i re s

.

that al l ani mate beings shoul d h ave secu rity se l f con t r o l ,

-
,

peace of mind and j o you snes s

, And for this purpose
.

h as th i s pi ous ed ic t been wri t ten i n order t ha t my s ons

a nd grandsons who may h e should not regard i t as thei r
, ,

d uty t o conquer a new conque st I f perchance they .

, ,

become engaged i n a conquest by arms they should t ake ,

pleasure i n patience and ge ntleness and regard as ( t h e ,

o nly true ) c o nquest the conque st wo n by piety Tha t .

avail s fo r both this world and the nex t Le t all joy be i n .

e ffo rt becau se that avai ls for both thi s world and the nex t
, .

I n many other edi cts which were engraved on stone and

,

are still extan t Asoka proclai m s h i s D hamma in great

,

detail This Dhamma i s d istinctively Budd h is t but i t

.
,

d i ffers fro m the t e a chi ng o f Gautama in omitti ng all

referen ce s to the analytic a spect and dwell ing exclusively
o n eth i cs : N ibb ana is not even mentioned and the ,

re ward o f well doing is t o be the I mpe rial favour i n thi s

-

world and w e ll bei ng in the next t h e beyo nd not the

,

av o idance of rebi rth The mention of former Buddhas

.

t o gether with other de t ails shows already some devel o p

,

m e nt of Mah ay ani st doctrines I t is thus po ssible that .

1 83
 Bu ddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Asoka made the determina t ion t o attain Buddhahood i n
some future l i fe but more l ikely he lo o ked forward only to
,

a fu t ure a t t ainmen t of A rah at t a .

The e di ct s are e ssen t ially concerned with e t hical b e

haviour ; they i mply a considerable amount of inter
ference wi t h personal l iber t y such as we should now call
,

making pe o ple good by Act of Parli ament Asoka .

des ires to be a father t o his subjec t s and speak s with ,

paren t al auth o rity He lay s t h e grea t es t stres s on re

.

li g i o u s t olerance and on the du t y of reverence to tho se

whose age o r stat ion deserves i t ; and s t rongly inculcate s
the sancti ty of ani mal life O n the o ther hand there i s
.

no a tt e m pt to abolish capi t al punishment Reverence .

,

c o mpassion t ruthfulness and sympathy are the cardinal

,

virt ues .

The most remarkable far reaching and permanen t e ffe ct s

,
-

o f A s oka s activi t ies are those which resulted from h i s

Foreign M i ssion s Thi s phra se i s t o be understo o d i n

.

the modern evangelical and no t i n a pol iti cal sense : for

, ,

we nd tha t not conten t with preaching the D h a mma to

h i s o wn subjects Asoka di spatched impe rial m is s ionaries
,

to all other parts of India to Ceylon and t hen to Syria

, , ,

Egypt Cyrene Macedonia and Epirus and the se mi ssi o n

, , , ,

ari se s togeth e r with the Buddh ist Dham ma were als o

charged t o d i ffu se a knowledge of useful medi cine s I t .

i s due more to Asoka than t o any other i ndivi dual that

Buddhism became and l o ng remained the predominant
rel igion of I ndia and indeed of A sia and up t o the
, ,

pre s e nt day counts m o re adhere nt s than any o ther fai th .

Th e c o nve rsio n o f Ce ylon i s rec o rd e d in the Chro nicl e s of

C e yl o n with a we alth o f pic t uresque detail which i s p artly
c o nrmed by arch ae o logical d isc o verie s i n North e rn
India but ca nnot be regarded as h is t ori cal i n t oto I n
, .
P L AT E 0 1 84
S ANC H I S T UPA A ND G AT E WA Y
3 rd y
a nd 2 n d c e n t u r B C
. .
 A Bud dhi st E m p e ro r

particular i t is related that A soka s chief m i ssi o nary to
,

C e ylo n was a son named Mahe ndra who c o nverted t h e ,

K i ng o f Ceyl o n and of his subjects I n o rd e r .

that the Prince ss Anula and other women might al so b e

o rdained a re t urn missi o n was se n t to request the di spatch
,

of As o ka s daughter Sang h am i t t a wi th a branch o f the

,

s acred B o dhi tree to be plant e d i n Ceylon I t is clai med .

that the sacred Bo t re e still preserved at Anuradhapura

-

in Ceyl o n i s that sam e branch which h as become the

, ,

oldest historical t ree i n the worl d The Prince ss was .

duly ordained by Sang h am i t ta and became an Ara b at .

In point of fact the conver s ion of Ceylon mu st have been

more gradual than i s here indi cated but there is no doubt
,

that emba ssies were exchanged and converts mad e The .

Sinh alese not of cours e the Tamil s wh o o ccupy a good

part o f the north of the i sland have remained Buddhi st s
, ,

to thi s d ay and for the mo st part though not exclu s ively

, , ,

of the orthodox H i nayana persuasion .

We must al so think o f Asoka as a grea t admini stra t or

and a great builder H is E mpire embraced al mo st the
.

wh o le of I ndi a and Afghani stan of which the adm i ni s

,

t rat i o n was already highly organized al ike for record and

execut ive action With t i reless energy Asoka attempted
.

t h e i mpo ss ible ta sk o f personally supervi s ing al l t h e

a ffai rs of government : I am never fully sati sed he

,

say s with my e ffort s and my di spatch of busines s
, .

The e ssential character o f his rule was a paternal

despoti sm That he s ucc e ss fully ruled so large an
.

Empire for f o rty years i s pr o o f o f h i s ability as t he

word s o f hi s edict s are of h i s stro ng ind ividual itywh ich
,

h as been liken e d to th at of Cromwell and Constantine

and practical piety .

We have alread y mentioned t ha t t he Edic ts were engraved

1 85
 Buddh a @3 9
9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
on s t one and that many survive Some of the se are
, .

re c o rded on monol ithic pillars ; by far the nest of th e se

i s t h e pillar recently di s covered at S arn ath amo ng the ,

m o naste ri e s o n the si t e of the old deer park at B e nare s -

,

where Gautama preached h is rst sermon Th e pillar .

was surm o u nted by a l ion capital ( Pla t e P ) with a ,

s tri ng c o urs e bearing a hor se l i o n bull and elephant in , , ,

rel ief and t h e Wheel of the L aw above a bell shaped

, ,
-

ba se of Persian character such as appe a rs e l se where in ,

c o nte mp o rary archi t ecture The wh o le i s o f extra .

o rdinarily perf e ct workmanship only par a lleled i n nish by

the accurate tting of s o me o f t h e A so kan ma so nry and ,

t h e burni shed surfaces o f s om e of the rock c e ll s d e dicat e d -

by Asoka fo r the use o f the Aj i vikas : and we mu st no t

f o rge t t h e engineering skill i mpl i e d i n the tran sport and
erecti o n often hundred s o f m il e s from the pre sent quarri e s
, ,

of m o n o l ith ic pillars w e ighi ng as much as fty to ns .

A so k a s o wn c apital at Pat ali pu t ra m o dern Patna is

1
, ,

described as follows by the Chinese pilgri m Fa H ien ,

eight centuri e s later

The royal palace and halls i n the midst o f the city ,

which exist now as of old were all made by spi rit s which
,

h e employed and which pil e d up the s t one s r e ared t h e

, ,

wall s and gates and executed t h e elegan t carving and

,

inl aid sculpture work in a way wh ich no human hand s o f

thi s world could accompl i sh .

1
Ex v ti
ca a o ns o n t hi i t
s s e are no w i n p g
ro re ss .

1 86
 3

Pu n k P

CA PI TA L OF A O S KA COL UMN
sam at h , 3 rd y
c e nt u r B C
. .
PA RT I I I C ONT E M P O R A RY
S Y S T E MS
I . TH E VE D A N TA
H E sy stem of philosoph y which i s above all the
philosophy of I ndia i s the Ved an t a the com
,

le ti on


o r goal

o f the Veda s : and by th i s term
p
V e d anta i s t o be unders t ood the interpre t ation of the Upani
sh ads and of the Ved an t a St ra s according t o Sank
, , arac arya

i n the nin t h century A D and by R am anja in the el e venth

. . .

I t wi ll be seen that these synth e tic i nterpretati o ns are long

post Buddhist ; but that i s not the ca se with the most
-

i mp o rtant of the actual Upanishad s vi z the Brih ad , .

aranyaka and the Ch ando gya whi ch a re undoub t edly pre

,

Buddhi st These are likewi se the most i mpor t ant of t h e

.

Ved anta scrip t ures and they mus t be the more referred
,

to here because so me writers have considered th a t i t i s
the idea s of the Upani shads which by a kind of degenera
tion have developed in t o Buddh ism on one side and the

S amkhya sys tem o n t he other .

Just as the Old Testamen t i s superseded by the Ne w so ,

the Upani shads declare t h e i n su fciency o f ritual and i ts

reward and s ubstitute fo r t he se a religion of the S pi ri t
, .

Al l the Upanishad s al ike treat of one subject the doctrine ,

o f t h e Bra h man or Atm a n Very often the se a re treated

.

a s syn o nymou s I f or where a d istincti o n i s m a de th e n

.
,

the Brah man i s the Absolute and the Atman i s th a t ,

Abs o lute as re alized i n the i nd ividual c o n sci o usne ss ;

we can then expre ss the fundamental thought of the
U pani shad s by the simple equati o n
Brahman Atman .

If we should seek a simile for t his iden t i ty we ma y

1 87
 Buddh a 59 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
nd i t i n the identity of I n ni t e Space wi th t h e space i n
any cl o sed v e ssel sha t ter the bounding wall s of the
ve ss e l that i s t o say t h e ig norance that maintain s o u r
, ,

s eemi ng i ndividuali ty and the i d e ntity of space with

,

S pace is patent That art Thou
. this i s the form the
e quati o n tak e s : i n the actual language of t h e Bri h ad
aranyaka Ta t t va m asi, That Absolute i s o ne and the.

s am e with whatever in oursel ves we mu st con s ider as o u r

tru e Se lf the unchangeable es sence of our being our spiri t

, , .

What then i s the spirit o f man ? Wha t am I ? Tha t i s a

que stion to which as the Ved an t a recognizes there may
, ,

be ma ny an swers Even the mo st ide a li sti c U pani sh ad s

.

do no t s t art by de nying as G a utam a denie s the exi st e nce

, ,

o f an I a k nowi ng perduri ng s ubjec t ; i t is only by a

, ,

pro ce ss o f e l i mi nation that the th o ught i s reached that

the Subject i s No thi ng Thu s so me identi fy the e g o
- .
,

with t h e b o dy as we still do in every day parla nce wh e n

, ,

,

fo r example we say I am cold meaning Th e b o dy ,

i s cold But seeing that the body vi sibly change s

.

and decays how are we to iden t ify o u r overwh e lmi ng

c o nsciou sn e ss of the eternity and freedom of o u r b e i ng
with the mortal e sh ? Ano t her an swer po stulate s an
E ternal Soul a dwell e r i n the body pa ss ing from body

,

t o body : thi s i s the well kn o wn I ndian theory of tran s -

migrati on o f an individual for which in Buddhi sm , ,

i s s ub stitu t ed the tran s migra tion o f charac ter Such .

a so ul i f i magined t o be fre ed fr o m corporeal fe t ters

, ,

may be liken e d t o the dream con sciousness where the ,

b o nd s of ti me a nd space are loo sely drawn Anal o g o u s .

t o thi s view is t h e Christian d o ctrine of an Etern a l

S o ul which pass e s fr o m Earth t o an Eternal Heaven

or Hell and i t i s again st such c o ncepti o ns o f the Atman
,

that the Anatta theory of Budd h ism is d irec t ed A .

1 88
 Th e Ve d a nt a
th i rd view i s ideal istic recognizing only one supreme ,

s o ul wherei n there i s no duali ty
,
neither S had o w of ,

turni ng nor con sciousness of s ubjec t and object This .

view subject to S l ight d i fferences of in terpre t ation forms

, ,

the common phi losoph i c basis of a grea t par t of Eastern

a nd Western mys t i cism Here the s t ate of the sel f i s .

l ikened t o Deep Sleep I t i s th is universal Self one .

,

wi thout any other which the individual seeker pressing ,

i nward to the centre nd s in h is o wn consciousnes s when ,

noth ing of h im self is left i n h i m Ph i IOSOphi c ally as we

have said i t i s reached by a proce ss of el imina t ionthe
.
,

superp o s ition of a t tributes and the successive denial of

1
,

each i n t urn as each i s found t o contradict our conscious

,

nes s o f t i meles s being and u t t er freedom : and thus we

'

reach the great Ved anti c formula descrip t ive of the ,

Atman or Brahman as N ot so not so
The soul is , .

,

then void N 0 thing i t doe s not pass from bi rth t o death

, , , ,

i t has no parts i t is no t subjec t to becoming nor t o time

, ,

b u t is that ti meless Abyss wh ich i s now as i t was in the

beginning and ever shal l be To these t hree stations of .

the soul the later U panishads add a fourth whi ch i s ,

si mply so called The Fourth , .

We have then four s t ations , Fi rst i s t he Wa n i ng

, .

Consci ou sness of everyday experience :

1
f ll l i t f t h
Th e u tt i b t
s o ll d Wad/e se ai di v id l i i g
r u e s, ca e
'

22s o r n ua z n

d t m i ti
e er i n l d ( ) ll thi g d l ti
na o ns, c u es f th 1 t
a w ld n s an re a o ns o e ou er or

g
,

( ) t
2 h b de y io t i ,
f t h g
c o ns s l m t n3 ) t hoI y e i t h ro ss e e e n s, e

narz as, v z .
, e

g
ve o r an s o f d th p di g g
se n se an f ti ( 4 ) th
e c o rre s o n n ve o r ans o ac o n, e

M (
a nasm i d ) A nt na ( i
or g ) w hi
n a h va ra nat h d n-ne t o r an c co e rs e un er

t
s an di g d n i w i ll th i d
an c o nsc o u s m i gly i d p i i pl e un e o r se e n un e r nc e

,

o f nco i l if th sc o u s l in p p l e, n
e d ( 5 ) t h m l ly
so u

a o u ar se se , an e u z z a

p a r na , v i t l i th i m i l ly ni d
a a rs, m i gly i d p i i pl f
e s ar u e o r se e n un e r nc e o

i l if All th
u n c o n sc o u s e t w y by hi m wh nd th S l f
e se are cu a a o s e e

.
,

w hi h i th B h m
c s e n t ra n t an, o so , o so .

1 89
 Buddh a 89 "
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Wken tke sou l i s ali n ded oy g la mou r ( maya)
I t i nkaoi t s tke ood a n d a ccomp li skes a ct i ons
y
By w omen , f ood, dri nk , a n d ma ny jy
e n o ments,

It oota i ns sa t i s a ct i on f in a wa ki ng con di t i on .
1

In th e second s t ation of D ream sleep : ,

-

I n tke drea m sta t eke moves up a nd down -

,

A ndf a ski ons f or ki mse l/ a s g od ma ny f orms 2

.

I n the thi rd s t ation o f Deep Sleep there i s no empi rical

co nsciousness but an identication with t he Brahma n
, .

Thi s condition corre spo nds to the E t ernal Re st of
We stern mystici s m Thi s state of l iberation is describ e d
.

in a beautiful pa ss ag e of t h e Bri h adaranyaka U pan i sh ad ,

which we tra nscribe here as an example of the pre

Buddhist V e d antic literature
But l ike as i n yon space a f a lc o n or an eagle a fter he ,

h as hovered wearily fold s h i s pinions and sink s t o re st

, ,

thus al so has t ens the Spiri t to that condition i n which ,

s unk t o sleep h e feels no more d e s i re nor behold s any

, ,

more dream s That i s h is ( true ) form of being wherein

.
,

he i s raised above l onging free fro m evi l and from fear , .

For like as one whom a bel o ved woman embraces h as

, ,

no consciousne ss of wha t i s wi thout or wha t is within so ,

also the Spi rit embraced by the Self of Knowledge ( the

,

Brahma n) h as no c o nsciousnes s of wha t i s without o r

,

what i s with in That i s his form of being where in h i s

.
,

lo nging i s stilled hi mself i s h i s lo nging he i s wi th o ut

, ,

l o nging and freed fro m grief Then the father i s not

, .

1
K a i va lya ( Inani slz ad T hi s is l i vi g
n on th e f
su r ac e , e m pi i l r ca

e xp i e r en c e .

2
B ri lz adara nya k

a Up a n i s/zaa 4 ,
3

. Co m p are th e state o f th e c re a ti v e
i
art st o r p e rso na lg o d.

1 90
 Th e Ve d a nt a
fa t her nor t he m o ther mother nor the worlds world s no r
, , ,

the g o d s god s nor the Veda s Vedas

, then i s he
un move d by g o od unmoved by evil then h as he van
, ,

u i sh e d al l the torments of the heart Y t i s he a

q e .

knower even tho u gh he does no t know ; S ince for the

,

knowe r there i s no in t erruption of knowing ; because he

i s i mperishable H e stands i n the tu mul t uous ocean
.

as beholder al o ne and without a second he whose world

, ,

is the Brah man Thi s is h is highest goal th is i s h i s

.
,

h ighest j oy thi s is his h ighes t world this i s his highest

, ,

bl iss .

He who is not thus l ibera t ed but i s s t ill subjec t t o desi re

, ,

Af t er li e kas recei ved rewa rd

F or a ll t /z a t ke kas ke re p e formed
r ,

H e comes oa ckf rom taa t otk e r world

I n to tae world of deeds aelow .

Bu t he wh o is wi thou t desi re free from desire whos e , ,

desi re i s st i lle d wh o i s h i mself h is desi re hi s vi t al spirit s

, ,

do not depart ; b u t Brah man i s he and i nto Brah man he

resolves h imsel f
Waen eve r
y p a ssi on u tt e rl
y i s
g one ,

Tka t lu rks a n d nest les o ma n

f i n tae k eart ,

Tke n nds t/i i s morta l i mmorta li ty ,

Tken kas ke rea cked tk e B ra kma n t/z e S u , p re me .

Of this l iberation t h e na t ural frui t i n t his l ife i s asce

,

t i c i s m an d thus
,

This knew those of old when they longed not fo r ,

descendants and said : Why S h ould we wi sh i ndeed
,

for descendants we whose sel f i s the universe ? And
,

they ceased from the longing after ch ild re n from the ,

longing after possessions and from t he longing af ter

1 91
 Buddh a @ 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
t he world and wa ndered fo rth as beggars For l o ngi ng
, .

for children i s longi ng fo r posse ssio ns and longing fo r ,

possession s i s longing fo r the world ; for one l ike the

,

other i s mer e ly lo nging But He the At man i s N ot .

, ,

tk u s n ot tk

, us .

There i s ano t her s t ation called t h e Fourth t ranscending , ,

al ike Non being and Being Thi s s t a t ion i s i ndicated in

- .

the O m logion and corre spond s to the Western con ,

c e pt i o n of Eternal Rest and Et e rnal Wo rkas S imultaneous

aspects of the U nity Preci sely h o w this s t ation d i ffers .

from Deep Sleep will be apparen t from t he verses of

G au dapada :

D rea ms a nd slee p a l g t tk t w t
e on o e o rs ,

A drea mless l p i ta p
s ee i fst k t ki d
e ossess on o e r ,

N ei tker drea m l p d k wa k w i t
s nor s ee oes e o no s

A sci i ae t o tae fou rtk .

Tke drea me r s knowledg e i s f a lse

,

Tke slee er knows notk p

i ng a t a ll .

B otkg o ast ra
y wkere a ll tkis va ni s es k
Tkere tko ou rtksta t e i s
f rea c kea
.

I t i s i n tko ae i nn i n less i llu si on o

g g f t ke world
Tka t tae sou l ( i ndeed) slee s waen i t i n soot/c) p a wa kes ,

Tk e n tke re a wa kes i n i t tae e t erna l ,

Ti meless a ndf ree f rom drea ms a nd slee p a li ke

.
1

The se l in e s are po st Buddhis t b u t represent a perfectl y -

,

l o gic al deve lopmen t of the concepti o n o f t h e Brah man

i ndi ca ted a s eternal kn o wer with o ut o bject i n t h e phrase , ,

ju st qu o ted Y e t i s he a kn o wer even th o ugh he does

, ,

no t know ; s ince for t h e knower there i s no interruptio n

1
H e re th e u sa e o f g th e symb l f w ki g
o s o a n and s e e l pi g n is re v e rse d
t h e t ru e a w k i gi
a en n s a s ee l p i g t th w l d
n o e or .

1 9 2
 Th e Ve d a nta
3
of knowing because he i s i mperishable
, Thi s phrase i t .
,

may b e noti ced vividly recall s the saying of the Buddha

,

regardi ng the after de ath s tate of hi m wh o h as att a ined

-

N i b b ana : But t o say of a Brother wh o h as been so se t

free by i n s igh t : He knows not he sees not t ha t were , ,

absurd l 1

The objec t of the U pani sh ad t each ing t hen i s to remove , ,

our ig no ranc e for ign o rance l ies at t he r o ot of desi re

, ,

and de s ire i mplyi ng lack i s a m ark of i mpe rfe cti o n and

, , ,

ca nnot char a cterize the h ighe s t state The knowledge .

which i s o pp o sed to ign o r a nce a s l ight t o darkn e ss , ,

con s i st s i n the realization o f the uni ty of the o ne wh ich

i s no t so not so This knowledge i s not the mea ns o f
, .

l ib e ra tion i t i s l iberati on i tself

, .

He who at t ai ns t o the realizati o n I am the Brahman
not of course wh o m e re ly m ake s the verbal stateme nt
knowi ng hi msel f t o b e t h e t o t al i ty o f al l that i s h as
, ,

nothing t o desi re o r fe ar for there i s nought el se to fe ar ,

o r to de s ire nor wi ll he inj ure any bei ng fo r no one

, ,

i nju re s h im self by hi m self He who h as reached th is .

understa nding continues t o e xi st for t h e con sequences ,

of his former deed s are still val id in the empi rical world
o f c a u sal ity ; but li f e c an no l o nger de ceive hi m Hi s .

former work s are burnt away in the re of kn o wledge .

He know s that h is body i s not h is body nor his works
hi s w o rk s ; and when he dies hi s Sel f goe s nowhere

,

where i t i s not already nor may he ever again be subject ,

t o the l imi t ations of ind ivid u a l exi s tence .

As i n tae dee
r i ve rs ru n a nd p
L ose na me a ndf orm a nd di sa pp ea r,

S o g oes f rom na me a ndf orm

, released,

T/z e w i se ma n to u dei ty .

1
c f
. su p ra ,
p . 1 2 4 .

1 93
 Buddh a 83 9
9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Here the Buddhist thinker must ever h e ar i n mind that
the d e i ty in passage s l ike thi s refers to the Bra hma n

,
,

wh ich i s no t so and not to any pers onal g o d preci sely

,

as the Buddhi st hi m sel f is cons t rained by t h e nece ss ity of

l anguage t o symboliz e N i b b ana as Bli ss and the l ike .

Of Brahman and Buddhi st i t may well be said as i t may ,

be sai d of all religions in t h e deepes t appl ication

Tkou g oest tai ne a nd I g o mi ne ,

M a ny ways we wend
M a ny days a nd ma ny ways , ,

E ndi ng i n one e nd .

M a ny a wrong a nd i ts cu ri ng song , :

M a ny a wora a nd ma ny a n i nn

,

R oom t o m ou t only one

roa , kome
F or a ll tae world t o w i n .

11 . S AM K H YA
There exi st s ano t her sys t em t he S amkh y a no t like the , , ,

U panishad s the crea t ion of a school but known to u s as

, ,

formul a te d by one sage of the name of Kapila ; from wh o m

,

m o s t l ikely the name of K api lav at t h u the city o f Buddha s ,

bi rth and youth is derived I t i s not with o u t signicance

, .

i n th is connexion that Buddhis m seems to have ari sen

in a quarter where S amkhya ideas were dominant and ,

t o hav e b o rr o wed ve ry con s iderably from them ; and t h e

fact that the S amkhya i s really the chief source of Bud
dh i st m o de s of th o ught give s to t hi s system con siderable
,

i mp o rtance for our s t udy By contra st with the m o ni sti c

.

i deali s m of t h e Upani shads which dene the A t ma n or ,

P u ru sk a
( spi rit
) as the s o le reality t h e S amkhya i s an ,

explicit du ali sm po stula t i ng t h e ete rnal reality o f P a ra sn a

,

and P rakri t i spiri t and nature ; the S amkhya moreover

,

I 94
 am k h y
s a

speak s of a pl ural i ty of P u ru ska s or spi rit s whereas the ,

P a ra sn a of Ved anti c thought i s one and i ndivi s ible .

N a ture i s the naturally undi ffe rentiated e quil ibrium o f

the three qual ities sa tt va rajas and ta ma s goodn e ss
, , , ,

p as si o n and in e rti a ; evol ution re sult s from the proxi mity

,
1

of spi rit The rst product o f d i fferentia t ion i s ou dd/z i

. ,

rea son ; then a ka mkara the c o nceit o f ind ividual ity

,

and fro m this on the one hand t h e ve subtle and ve

gro ss elemen ts and on the o t h e r ma nas mind or
, ,

heart and the outer and i nner orga ns of sense These ,

together with soul c o nstitute the twen ty

.
,

v e ca t egorie s
o f the S amkhya That which migrate s from body to
.

body i s not the S pi ri t for this i s unco nd itioned but the, ,

characteristi c body the individual soul con sisti ng of
, ,

buddhi ahamk ara manas and the i nn e r and outer organ s

, ,

of s e n se beari ng the i mpressions ( sa mskara s vasa nas) of

'

, ,

i t s previ ou s deed s and obtai ni ng a new physical body i n

,

preci se accordance with thei r moral worth

The i nd ividual Purushathe f i va is una ffec t ed even
.

i n i t s state of bondage ; even i ts apparent consciousne ss

o f subject and objec t i s a delu s ion I t i s the i nner
man the soul a nta kka ra na vi z buddhi ahamk ara
.

and mana smoved by the attached spi ri t S h ining all
, , .
,

unconsciously upon i t which falsely i m agine s i ts e l f t o,

be an ego ; i n thi s complex s o ul ari se co ncepti on s o f

pleasure and pain l o ve and hat e ; th e se i t proj e ct s upo n

,

the Spi rit or Sel f which i t thu s kno ws o nly thro ugh a glass
i

, ,

darkly S uch a vici o us ci rcle o f l ife i s perpetuated fo r

.

ever o nly temp o rari ly interrupted by the co smi c rhyth m

,

of i nvolution and ev o lutio n evolution and i nvolution i n , ,

succe ssive aeon s ( ka lpa s) But som e few there are wh o .

,

after many bi rths attain t o savi ng knowledge : wi t h the

,

1
M ore str c t i ly , x
t h e e tre me s and t h e me an .

1 95
 Buddh a $9 t he G o sp e l 9
f Buddhi sm o

axe of re a son i s fe lled the tre e of the eg o i sm o f the

s oul and the axe t o o bei ng ca st away the bond o f

Spi ri t and M a tter i s sev e redthe Spiri t i s ev e rmore

, ,

s i ngle
( k y )
a i va l a no mor e i nvolved in the wheel o f birth

and death
( s ams ara
) Whoev e r fully understand s thi s
.

poin t o f view will be prepared to understand the cardinal

,

d o ctrines of Buddhi sm which di ffer chiey fro m th o se

,

of the S amkhya in thei r taci t denial of Puru sha o r ,

perhaps we Should rather say i n thei r refu sal t o di scu ss ,

aught b u t the nature o f the S oul and the practi c a l

means of deliverance ; Buddhism and t he S amkhya with ,

the Ved anta no le ss are agreed that plea sure and pai n
are alike su ffe ringfor the i mpermanence of any plea sure
,

con sti tu t es an eternal s kele t on at the feast .

III . YO G A
Ce ase b u t f m t hi
ro ne o wn ac t i v i ty st e a df tly x i g thi
as n ne Eye
p i t B
,

u p o n one o n . elt men

A th ird sys t em which was wel l known though no t yet

, ,

expounded in full detail before the ti me of Buddh a i s ,

that of Y oga o r Union Th i s i s a d i scipl in e d e s ign e d to

, .

se cure the del iverance contemplated in the S amkhya It .

h as a practi cal a spect which i s partly ethical and partly

,

phy s iological ; and a kingly part consi sti ng of the
,

th re e pha se s o f meditation dka ra na dk y ana and sa madk

, i , , ,

i n wh ich by concen t rati o n of thought the di sti ncti o n o f

subject and object i s overreached and the s o ul bec o me s ,

aware of i t s et e rnal separatenes s from re ason ( buddhi )

a nd i ts conformati o ns sam sk ra s) and become s fo r ever
( a ,

s i ngle
( kaivalya ) The system d i ffe r s from the S amkhya

.

and fro m early Buddhi sm in tha t i t i s not a t h e i stic that

i s to say i t recognizes an Overlord ( Isv ara) wh o i s a
, ,

1 96
 Y o ga
par t icular and exalted purusha or i ndividual soul by , ,

wh o m the devotee may be aided on the way of e m anc i

at i o n ; but thi s Isv a ra i s by no mean s e ssential t o the
p
system and i s but one o f the many object s of meditation
,

wh ich are suggested to the student The spi ri tual exerci se s .

of the Buddhi s t contemplative are t aken over al most

uncha nged from Brah ma nical sources and for this reason ,

it i s not nece ssa ry t o repeat here wha t h as already been

s a id o n this subjec t ; but i t may be useful t o i llustrat e
fro m a quite di stinc t source wha t i s the S ignic anc e
o f accompl ished Y oga i n the following pa ssage from
,

Schelling s P ki losop ki ca l L et ters up on D og ma t i sm a n d

Cri t i ci sm

In all of us there dwells a secre t marvellous power

of freeing ourselve s fro m the change s of t i me o f with ,

d rawing to our secret selves away fr o m exte rnal things ,

and of so discoveri ng t o our se lve s the e t ernal i n u s i n t h e

form of unchangeabilit y Thi s presenta t ion o f o urselve s

.

t o ourselves i s the mos t t ruly perso na l experience upon ,

whi ch depend s everything that we know of the supra

sen sual w o rld Thi s presentation shows us fo r t h e rst
.

time what real exi st ence is whi ls t all else o nly appears to
,

be I t di ffe rs from eve ry presentation of the sense i n its

.

perfect freedom whilst all other presentati ons a re bound

, ,

being overweighted by the burden of the object .

This intellectu al pre sentatio n occurs when we cea se t o be

o u r o wn obj e ct whe n withd rawing int o ourselve s t he
, , ,

perc e iving i mage merge s in the sel f perceived At th a t -

.

m o me nt we an nih ilate ti me and durati on of time : we a re

no lo nger in ti me b u t time or rather eternity i tsel f ( the
, ,

ti m e le ss) i s i n us The external world i s no longer an

.

object fo r us b u t i s los t in us
, .

1
97
 Buddh a 59 t h e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
"

I V B UD D H I S M A N D B R A H M A NI S M
.

All writers up o n Buddhi s m are faced wi t h the di fcul ty

to explain i n what re spec t the t eaching of Gau t ama di ffe rs
from the higher pha ses of Brahman t hought I t i s true .

t hat the d istinction a pp e ared clear enough to Gautama

and hi s succe sso rs ; b u t thi s was largely b e cause the
Brahm a nism agai nst which they maint a ined thei r p o lemi c
was after all merely t h e p o pular a spect of Brahmanism .

From a study o f the Buddha s d ial o gues i t would appear

that he never enc o untered a capable expo n e n t of t h e

high e st Ve d antic idealism su ch a one as Y ajnav alkhya
,

o r J an a ka ; o r if Al ara is to be considered such Gaut a ma ,

t o ok e xce p t i o n t o the At m ani st i c terminol o gy ra t her th a n

i t s ulti mat e s ig nicance I t appeared to Gautama and
.

to h i s f o ll o wers the n and now th at the highest truth s

e specially the truth embodied by Buddhi s t s i n the phra se

A n a tta no soul lay ra t h e r without than within the

-
,
-

Brah manical circle .

Many times in t h e hi st ory of religions has t he Protes t an t ,

h avi ng thu s e asily carried the outer defences o f an Orthodox

faith b e li e ved that th e re remained no other citadel I t
, .

may be on the o t her hand that Gau t ama knew of the

exi stence of such a Brahman citadel where the t ruth
, ,

w a s held that
, the Atman is not so not so , but regarded
the surrou ndi ng city as so h o pelessly habituate d t o erro rs
o f thought and acti o n as to determine hi m rather t o build
,

up o n a new s ite than t o j o in h a nd s wi th the be leaguere d

g a rriso n Perh ap s he d id no t take in t o acc o unt th at all
.

such garrisons must be small and did no t fo resee their

,

nal victory H owever t his may be it is at leas t ce rtain

.
,

th at at this period there e xi sted no fundamental d o ctrinal

O pposition of Brahmanism and Buddhism b u t G au t ama ,

1 98
 Buddhi sm 9 B ra h m ani s m 9

and some other K sh at t ri yas and s ome Brahman s were ,

alike engaged i n one and t he same task .

A t rst sight nothi ng can appe a r more denite t han the

O ppo s ition o f the Buddhi st A n at t a no Atman and the - -

, ,

Brahm an Atman the sole real i ty But i n u sing the same

, .

term A t ta or Atman Buddhi st and Brahman are tal k

, ,

ing of di ffe rent th i ng s and whe n thi s is real ized i t will b e

, ,

s een tha t the Buddhi st disputation s on this point l o se

nearly all thei r value I t i s frankly ad mi t ted by Professor

.

Rhys Davi d s that

The neuter Brahman i s S o far as I am aware entirely , ,

unknown i n t he N i kayas and o f c o urse the Buddha s id e a ,

of Brah m a i n t he mascul ine really d i ffers widely from

, ,

that of the Upanishads 1
.

There is nothi ng then to show tha t the Buddhis t s ever

, ,

really underst ood the pure d o ctrine o f the Atman which ,

i s not so not SO
The at t ack wh i ch they led up o n the
.
,

idea of soul or sel f is direc ted against the co ncepti on of

the eternity in ti me of an unchanging indivi dual ity ; of the
t i meless S pi ri t they do not speak a nd yet t hey clai m to have ,

d i sposed of the t heory of the Atman ! I n reality both

S ide s were i n agreement tha t t h e soul or ego manas
( ,

ahamk ara v ijana etc ) i s complex and phenomenal

, , .
,

while of th a t wh ich i s not so we know nothing .

Buddhist d ialectic b y the si mile of the chari ot and so

, ,

1 i p
D i alogu es of tlze B u dd/2a , , F h y D v id
2 98 : C A R s a s, B u dd/z i sm,

p
. . . .

57
. an d ye t i nlt hpl
e a t te rl im d h
a c e i t i s c a e t at

i t i s t h e At mani st

p ii g w hi h
o s t o n a ai nst c ddhi g m
t h e Bu d w
st ar u j
e nt i s ra n u p

I t i s u st
hi p i i w hi h G m d
.

t s o s t on c au ta f p i g
a o e s not re e r t o m
Th e art n o f Gau ta a .

l p p hp
and A ara re re se nt s, g g dy
e r a s, t h e dd ligi
reate st t ra e re c o r e i n re ou s

hi t y I t h b
s or m k d w i th p f t j ti by A W l y
as een re ar e er ec us ce . o rs e :

i bl th t h d G t m h d t m t i h i
.

It i p s o ss e a a li t
au a a c anc e o ee , n s e ar e s

w d i g t w t h f th hi g h t t th th w h l hi t y f th
an e r n s, o e ac e rs o e es ru e o e s or o e

Old W l d mi g h t h v b n h g d C
,

p t f M i m p 97

or a e ee c an e . once s o on s , . 1 .

I 99
 Buddh a 863 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

f o rth is di rected to S how that thi ngs are Empty ; when
,

thei r compo nent elemen t s are recognized there i s no

re mainder but only the Voi d ; he wh o real izes this
, ,

att a in s N i bb ana a nd is freed Bu t we canno t d istingui sh

.

th is V o id or Aby ss from t ha t Brahman whi ch is N 0
thi ng .

I t i s true tha t t he Ved an t a speaks of many A t mans t h ree ,

or even ve and also tha t t h e ji vatma n or unco nditi o ned
,

Se lf i n the ind ividual i s s o me t ime s confused with the

i ndividual ego or discri minating subject ( ahamk ara or

1

v ijanaa s i f we s h o uld attribute indivi duality t o a

porti o n of space encl o sed in a j ar forgetting that Space i s ,

traceles s and the jar alone has mark s but the stri ctly
non ani mis t i c view i s main t ained in many o t her and m o re
-

i mportant pa ssages 2
E ither Gau t ama was only ac
.

u a i nt e d with p o pular Br ahmani s m o r he ch o se t o ignore

q ,

i t s higher a spects At a ny ra te th o se whom h e d e fe at s

.
,

i n c o ntro ve rsy so ea sily are mere puppets wh o never put

fo rward the d o ctri ne o f the u nco nditioned Self at a ll .

Gautama meets no foeman worthy of h i s s t eel and fo r ,

thi s reason the greater p art o f Buddhist polemic i s u m

av o idably occupi e d i n beating the ai r This cri t icism .

applie s as much to modern as t o ancient expo siti o n .

We are told for example tha t Buddhism d i ffers fro m

, ,

Brahmani s m i n i t s re futation of the then curre nt p e ssi
m i sti c idea that s a lvation could no t be reached o n earth ,

and must th e re fore be sought fo r i n rebirth in heaven .

3

But if thi s idea was current as a m o tif o f t h e sacrici a l

ritu al i t cert a i nly was no t main t ai ned by the Brahm an
,

i deali sts That a rt thou denote s a present conditi o n

.

,

1
Clz anaogya , 7, and B ri lz adara nya ka , 4 , 3 , 7 ,

e tc

.

2
Ch andogya, 8 , 7 1 2 , and Ta i tti riya , 2 .

3
T W h y D v id
. R . s a s, E a rly B u dd/z i sm, 55 p . .

2 00
 Buddhi sm 9 B ra h m ani sm 9

and no t a s t ate t o be reached after death To day also -

,

s ays the B r i ka dara n a k

( 4 ) he w h o knows t his
'

a 1 I o
y
I am Brahman becomes th i s universe ; and even the
, , ,

gods have no power to prevent his so becoming ; for he

i s i t s Atman I n the fa ce of utterances such as these we

.

c a nno t ad mit the suggestion that the doctrine o f salvation

here and no w was never cle a rly or O penl y expressed in

pre Buddhi st though t
-
1
.

We also hear that

i n a ll I ndian thought except
the Buddh ist souls and the god s wh o are made i n
, ,

i mitatio n o f soul s a re con sid e red as excepti o ns and
, ,

that to these S pi rit s i s attribu t ed a Being with o ut

Becomi ng an i nd ividual i t y withou t cha nge a b e gi nning
, ,

without an end 1
I t i s di fcul t t o und e rstand how any
.

one acqu a inted with I ndian th o ught except the Buddhi st

can make a sta t eme nt of thi s kind For i t i s clearly .

sta ted by Sank a ra that the word I ndra mean s not an

i nd ividual but a certai n posi t i o n ( stkana v i seska ) s o me

,
-
,

thi ng l ike the word General ; wh o ever occupie s the

position bears the name 3
This view i s taken fo r .

gran ted i n popul a r H indu l iterature ; i t i s c o mmonly

held for example that H anuman is t o be the B rahm a
, ,

of the next ae on Moreover i n the pre Buddhi st

.

U p ani shads the po sition o f the p e rson a l g o ds i s no more

privileged th an i t i s i n Buddhi s m ; preci se ly as i n
Buddhi s m th e y are repre sente d as st andi ng i n need of ,

a nd c a p abl e of re c e iving s avi ng kn o wl e dge a nd in thi s

, ,

re spe ct th e y h a ve no adv a ntage ove r m e n 1
W o uld i t .

b e po ssible t o poi nt to any H i ndu t e xt cl a i mi ng for any

p e rso nal deity as s uch a begi nni ng with o ut an end ? And
1
T W R h y D v id E ly B
. . s a s, ar u dd/z i s m, p .
74 .

2
I oi p 5 5 ( it l i m i )
'
a . . a cs ne .

3
De u sse n, System o
f t/1e Vedanta, p . 69 .
4
Clz ana ogya, 8 , 7 f

20 1
 Buddh a 89 t h e G o sp e l
9
of Buddhi sm
i f such t ex t s could be d iscovere d could they be regarded ,

as re prese nting the Ved anta ? M o s t likely in maki ng the ,

statem e nt s above quo t ed modern exp o nen t s o f Buddhism

,

have c o nfu sed t he posi t ion o f t h e Vedic d e i t ie s ( de vas)

in t h e Ved anta with the theism which is a s ubs e quent

devel o pment anal o gou s t o the th e i sti c d e ve l o pments i n
Buddhi sm itselfwhere ind ividual god s ( f skva ras) appear
as symboli cal representative s of the Atman t aking the ,

form s that are i magined by thei r worshippers .

Buddhi st s lay c o ns iderable stres s upon the refu sal of

G autama to all o w specul a ti o n on the after death s t ate -

of th o s e wh o attain N i b b ana a refusal based o n grounds

,

of expedie ncy Bu t there i s nothing peculiar to Buddhi s m

.

i n the refu sal to speculate o nly in the Ved anta it i s not

,

ba sed on practi cal gr o und s but o n the ground o f the

,

evident futility o f any s uch inquiry for as the S ufi s say , , ,

thi s i s t o o high for our l i mited a nd c o nti nge nt b e ing .

Sankara fo r example preserv e s a n old st o ry to t h e e ffec t

, , ,

that a m an of the name o f Bah v a was que sti o ned by

Vash k ali o n the nature of the Brahman and th a t h e k e p t ,

silence Bei ng questioned a second and a thi rd ti m e at

.
,

la st he replied : I t e ach you i ndeed b u t you do no t , ,

understand ; this Brah man i s silence For t hat At man .

of whi ch it i s said Tha t art thou i s neither the body nor
the individual soul ; i t i s no t an o bjec t o f kn o wledge

,

but l ike the fu t ure st a t e of the Ara b at i t l ie s on the other

s ide o f e xperie nce i nv i s i b le u nu tt e rab le and unfathomable
, , , .

That the Brah man c annot

be known i s ag a i n and agai n

a frmed in the Upah iSFacIS

'

Tk a t t o wk i ckn o eye p enet ra tes nor sp eeck nor tk , ou k

g t , ,

Wai ca rema i ns u nknown a nd we see i t not kow ca n

, ,

us i
1 1
i nst ru ct i on t/i erei n oe g i ven to
1
R e na Up a ni ska d,

202
 Buddhi sm 9 B ra h m ani sm 9

Not 5y speeck not oy tkoug kt not by sigat i s li e com re

, , p
kended ,

H e is oy t ki s w ord i s ke comp reke nde d a n d i n n o otke r way

1
, .

Much confusion s t ill exi st s amongst exponen t s of Bud

dhi s m as t o wha t the doctrine of the Atman really
.

sig nie s The formul a o f i de nt i ty Thou art thou is
'

, ,

hopelessly dis t or ted b y M rs Rhys Davids when she

writes

The a nt i a tta argumen t of Buddhism i s mainly and

-

c o n s istently d i rec t ed against the notion of a soul which ,

was no t only a persi s ten t unchanging bl i ssful trans , , ,

migrating su pe rph e no me nal being b u t was als o a bei ng

, ,

wherein the supreme Atman or w o rld soul was i mma ne nt ,

o ne with i t i n essence and as a bodily o r men t al factor ,

i ssuing i t s at 2
.

Th i s confusion does no t belong t o t h e Ved an t a as under

stood by the Ve dant i ns Buddhis t s have perhap s alway s .

made the mi stake o f underrating the i n t ellige nce of thei r

O ppo nents We can only say that the high intrinsic value
.

of Buddhi st thought does not demand a spuri ous exalta

ti on achieved by such compari son wi t h merely p o pular
or inconsi s tent fo rms o f Brahmani sm The best mus t be .

compared with the bes t if the best i s to be kn o wn .

Buddh ists very l ikely would point t o pa ssages such as

1
K a t/za ka U a ni s/za d, 6 ,
p 1 2 3 , 1 .

2
F R h y D v id
C A
. . . s a s, B u dd/l i st P syclzology, 1 91 5 , 31 p . . Th e A t m an

i p i ly t h t w hi h d mig Th e at m f

s re c se a c o e s n ot t ran s rat e . se e s to re e r

t th
o epti f th
c o nc e on o g id ( t yami ) d e B ra hm an as i nn e r u e an ar n an

o f th iv e th
un l t f h i mm d ( p a m) g i
e rse as e re su o s co an ras sa na , e . . n

B il y k 3 8 9 B t t h l g g i i t hi mi d

a
r z aa ra n a a, . u e an u a e s n s ca se su n er

, ,

d Th i g i d i th t g i l i mp ti v th hi g h t
t
s oo . e nne r u e s e ca e o r ca e ra e, e es

f m f
or io d w i t h t hi w m y
c o nsc e nc e , mp th B ddh i t
an s e a co are e u s

sanc ti
b on f N i b ba w hi l th
e c au se o
mm d i t h t h na

e e co an s a su c ne ss

( t tt ) w h by v y thi g b m
a va e re it b
e m er n ec o es as eco es .

2 03
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
Bkag a va d Gi t a , i i 2 As a man lay aside ou tworn

'

,
2 s

garme nt s and takes others that a re new so the B o dy ,

D weller puts away unborn bodies and goes t o others that

are new as a nimisti c notwithstandi ng tha t i t i s con

,

st ant l a sserted through o u t the same chapter tha t Tk at

y

i s n e ver born and never d ies But Buddhi st s also are .

c o mpelled t o make use o f curren t phrase o logy and even ,

though they do not mean to speak o f the transmigrati o n

o f a so ul they cannot avoi d sayi ng tha t when s ome o ne
,

d ies he is reborn i n a new life and i n t h e Pi taka s we
, ,

seem t o see a bel ief in t ransmigrati on o f a pa ssing S o u l ,

j u st as much as we see i t i n the bo o ks of animi sti c

Bu ddh ag h o sh a comment s on th is

creed s 1
. I t would
be more correct not to u se popular mode s o f st ating the

case a nd we must j ust guard ourselve s from supposi ng
,

that these m o de s expres s fact The di fcultie s O f lan .

guage were the same fo r Buddhi st s and Brahmans ; and

t h e s ame allowance mu s t be made for both .

We are t o l d again that those U p ani shad s which are

ranked as the o lde s t S h o w a n a if animism : tho se '

ra nked later reveal thought attained t o relative

maturity Thi s i s a complete i nvers ion I t i s true
.
2
.
,

indeed th at there are still many ani mi sti c pas sages i n

,

the old U pani shad s ; b u t the formula s No t s o no t so , ,

and That art thou taken t o ge t her repre se n t the highe st
, ,

at t ainment o f I ndian t hought ; and the l ater U pani shad s

s h o w not a n advance du e t o the ab so rpti o n o f Buddhi s t
,

i d e as but a reacti o n i n fa vour of ri tual and re al i sti c

thought
,

s o rt of H igh Chu rch devel o pment not

3
a

wi th o ut parallels in Buddhi s m it sel f .

1
C A
. F R h y D v id
. . s a s, B u dd/z i sm, p . 1
37 .

1
R h y D v id D i l g
s a s, a o u es o f ti le B u ddli a, vol . ii p
, .
4 8 .

3
De u sse n, P ki losoplzy o
f tlz e Upa n i ska as,

pp . 6 4 , 6 5, 1 71 1 72 .

2 04
 Buddhi sm @3 B ra h mani sm 9
9

Professor Rhys D avid s say s again the h ighest teach ing

current b e fo re the Buddh a and still preserved i n t h e ,

pre Buddhist Upani shad s wa s preci sely about union with

-
,

Brah m a ; we do no t know h o w th is statement i s to be

rec o nci led with the admission al ready ci ted t h a t the
Buddha s idea of Brahm a i n the masculine really differs

, ,

widely fro m t hat of the U pani shads 1
.

The further shore i s a symbol of salvati on used by

both parties ; i n the Te v i/ja S u tta Gautama sugge st s

tha t i t i s empl o yed by the Brah man s t o mean union with
Brahm a ( in the masculine ) wh e rea s he hi mself mean s ,

A rah at t a I f he real ly understood the heart of the

.

At m ani st posi ti on in thi s manner i t proves t h at he spoke ,

withou t knowledge ; i f he assu med that t his was the

Brah man view for purposes of argumen t he was guilt y ,

o f deliberate dishone s ty .

The latter view should no t be en ter t ained Bu t i t i s .

undeniable that Gau t ama s d ialogue i s largely determined
by controvers ial nece ssity !
The compilers of the Di a
log u e s had to represent the Buddh a as vi ctorious i n
argument and they succeed by set t ing up a dummy which
,

it i s e asy t o demol i sh while t he object of nominal attack

, ,

t he A t ma n theory is never a t tach e d Gautama c o n

, .

st ant l
y accuse s other s of eel wriggl ing but i n the D i a -
,

lo g u e s h e ad o pt s the same meth o d hi mself The neuter .

Brahman i s quietly ig no red and w o rd s are i nte rpreted ,

i n ne w sen se s I n parti cular the w o rd a tt a ( Atma n) i s
.
,

used i n a d i fferent sen se fr o m that of the Brahman

at m ani st s and thus an e a sy vi cto ry i s secu red by
,

thinking of someth i ng else The coining of the term

A n att a to i mply the ab sence of a perduring individual i t y

-

1
D i a logu es f
o t lz e B u dd/ m, vo l . ii p, . 2 98 .

2
As i di
n c at e d l by M
a so rs R hy s p .
5 91 .

20
5
 Buddh a 863 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
i s a t ri umph of ingenuity but i t should no t blind us t o
,

the fact th a t the pe rduring Atman o f the Brahmans was

not an individuali ty at all .

I t may readily b e gran t ed t ha t Buddhi st th o ught is far

m o re con si stent than the thought of the U pani shad s .

I he Upani shad s are the w o rk o f ma ny hand s and ext e nd
o ver ma ny ce nturies ; am o ng st th e i r authors are b o th
p o et s and philosophers The Buddhi s t Dhamma cl ai m s
.

to be the pronouncement of a s i ngl e rati o nal ist and to ,

have b u t one avour Gautama propounds a creed and

.

a system and i t i s largely t o t his fact that the succe ss of

,

hi s mi ssi o nary activitie s was d ue The U pani shad s do

.

not formula t e a creed though they constantly reve rt t o

,

t h e th o ught o f unity ; i t is with Sankara or R am anja , ,

and not wi th t he authors of t he U pani shads that we must

compare Gau t ama i f we would se e a contrast of con
,

s i stency with con s i st ency .

N 0 o ne will as sert that the U pani shads exhibi t a con sisten t

creed Bu t the explanati o n o f thei r inc o n si stencie s is
.

hi stori cal and leaves the truth of thei r ultimate c o nclu sions
quite un t ouched Gautama s Dhamma purports t o be the
.

c o nsidered work of a S ingle i ndividual and it would be ,

strange ind e e d i f i t failed t o attain consi stency ; the

U panishad s are t he work of many mind s and a co m ,

p e n di u m of many thought s I n other words

. the l iterature ,

of I nd ian though t apart fro m Buddhi s m as interprete d by

,

Buddhis ts exh ibits a c o ntinuous development and k nows

no acute crise s ; or rather the real crisessuch as the
, ,

i denticati on o f all gods as one and the devel o pm e nt o f

,

the doc t rine s o f emancipati on and t ransmigrati o nare

no t determi ned by name s and dates th e y were no t ann o unced
,

as the Dharma of any one teach e r and they are only ,

recognized in re t rospec t ion Here t here i s a gradual

.

2 06
 B u ddhi sm 9 B ra h mani sm 9

proce ss
of t hi nking al o ud wherein by stri ppi ng the self

,

of veil after veil o f contingency th e re i s nothi ng left but

the Aby ss wh ich is not so not so the Ground of unity
, , .

From ani mi sm t o ideali s m there i s d irec t development ,

and i t i s for this re ason that we meet with pri mitive

t e rminologies invested with a new signicance ; moreover
the old strata pers is t beneath the newes t layers and thus ,

i t i s not only pri mitive term s but al so pri mi tiv e th o ughts

,

which persis t i n the great complex that we speak of as

Brah manism But this does no t mean that the highe st of
.

these thoughts i s pri mitive it means only that the h i st o rical

,

continuity of t hought is preserved i n the nal sy stem ,

and that sys t em remains adapted t o the intelligence of

vari ous minds . Sankara writing lo ng afterward and
, ,

looking back on t his development as i t had so far proceeded ,

very cl e arly perceived thi s complexity of thought i n the

U pani shads and explained thei r inconsiste ncies and con
,

t ra di c t i o ns by the brilliant generalization in which the

scriptural teach ings are d ivided into abs o lute or esoteri c
t ruth ( pa ra v i dya) and relative or exoteric truths ( ap a ra
,

vi d a
y )
. Wi th thi s clue i n our hands we are able to regard
the whole A u pani sh adi c l iterature as a pr o ce ss of though t ,

cul minating i n certain well de ne d formul ae and we can

-
,

di stinguish the p o etic and symbol ic nature o f many other

p assages which do not the les s fefer to truth becau se they
speak i n parable s The neces si tie s o f contro versy m ay
.

have preve nt e d the Early Buddhi sts fro m taking any such
ext e nded view of their opp o nent s teaching s ; o r i t m ay

be that wi th the b e st will i t would have b e e n i mpo ssible so

,

early and so clo se to the actual developme nt t o sy nthesiz e

the whole body of I ndian specul a ti o n H o w e ver thi s may .

be we nd i n poin t of fact that the es sential thought of

,

t h e U panishads i s never grasped by the Early Buddhi s t s ,

20 7
 Buddh a 89 9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
and i s so metimes but obscurely apprehend e d by modern
exponent s .

I n B uddhi sm great stress i s laid o n the doc t rine of the

Mea n b o th fro m the standp o int of ethic s and of truth
,
.

I n the l atter ca se i t i s as usual the phenomenal world

, ,

alo ne which c o mes under discu ss ion : Gautama repudiate s

the two extrem e view s that every thing i s and that every
, ,

thing i s not and substitutes the thought tha t there exi st s

,

only a Becomi ng 1
I t i s due to Gau t ama t o sayt hat the ah
.

s tract concept O f causal ity as the fundament a l principle of

the phenomenal world i s by hi m far more rmly gra sped

and more clearly emphasized than we nd i t in the early
U pani shad s nevertheles s the thought and t he word
Beco ming are comm o n to both and both are in agreement ,

that this Becoming i s the order of the world the mark of ,

organic exis tence from which N ibb ana or the Brahman

, ,

( according to thei r respec t ive phraseology ) alone i s

free .

Where a d i fference of ou t look appears is i n t h e fac t that the

Buddha is content with th is conclu s ion and cond e mn s all ,

further speculation as u nde fyi ng ; and thus like Sankara , ,

he exclude s fo r ever a reconcil iation of e t erni ty and t i me ,

of religion with the world .

The s ame resul t i s reached in another wa y by those

Ve d antis t s o f the scho o l o f Sankara wh o develope d the
d o ctrine of M aya in an absolute s e n se to mean the absolute
2

nonentity of the phenomen al world c o ntra sted with the ,

o nly reality of t h e Br a hman which alone i s Thi s i s one .

o f the two extreme views rightly repudia t ed by Gautama ,

but there i s agreement t o this extent that both Gautama

and the Mayav adi ns rejec t t he unreal world of Becom ing ,

1
Sa myu tta Ni kay a , xx ii90 , 1 6

.
,
2
Svetasva ta ra Up a ni slz ad, 4 , 9 1 0.

2 08
 Buddhi sm an d B ra h man i sm
e ith e r bec a u se i t is inseparable fro m Evil or si mply ,

because it i s unreal .

But the interpreta t ion of the term M ay a to signify the

ab solute n o ne nti t y of the phe nome nal world i f i t be l ong s ,

to the Ved anta at all i s c o mparatively late ; and even in

1
,

the R ig Veda we nd an o ther though t expre ssed i n which ,

n i
the wh o le u iv e rse id ntied with the Eternal Male
s e 2
,

afte rward a rec o gnized symb o l of the Atman The sam e .

i d e a nd s m any e xpre ssions i n the U pani shad s notably i n ,

the saying That art th o u H e re in place of o r S i d e .

, _ ,

by s ide with t h e thought Not so no t so we have t he , , ,

equ ally true con siderati o n o f totali sti c phi los o phy that ,

there i s N 0 thi ng which That Brahman i s no t : That Brah

man which i s N 0 th i ng i s at the same time All thi ngs
, , .

To di smi ss the w o rld o f Becoming as a S i mpl e n o nentity ,

i s a fal se extreme as rightly pointed o u t al ike by Gaut a m a

, ,

a nd i n I sa Up a n i sk ad 1 2 I t i s quite true that thi ng s , .

have no se lf exi stence as such fo r Bec o ming never st o ps ;

-
,

but the pr o ces s of Becoming cann o t be denied and as i t ,

ca nn o t have a begi n ni ng so i t cann o t have an end , .

There i s thus asserted from two points of view an i rre

c o nc i lab le O pp o sition of Bec o ming and Being S a msara ,

a nd N i rv ana Thi s and Tha t Over again st the se

, .

extre mes th e re appears a nother doctrine of the Mea n ,

e nti re ly di s ti nct fr o m that of Gautam a which mere ly

as serts that Becomi ng and not e ither Being nor no n ,

1
W hi h i t b d b t d
c s o e ou e . Th e c o nc e p ti on o f th e b l t
a so u e no ne nt t iy
o f th ph m l w l d
e e no i ly t y t e na g
or is e n t re c o n rar o m yp an assa es in
B l da

rz z a y k d C/ a d gy
ra n a w ll t th B km Sat
a an z n o a , as e as o e ra a ra , 1 ,
2 ,

w hi h c t t h t Ev y t hi g i B h m
asse r s aIt i t th w ld
er n s ra an .

s no e or

bu t
x t i n f th w l d i t i m d p t h
,

th e e e ns o O e t ti or n e an s ac e e c o n rac on and

id ti ti i t v i tyw hi h
en ca on ti t t
n o M aya T hi i
ar e c c o ns u es . s s the
V da t
e di g t R ama j
n a ac c o r n o nu a .

1
R g Vd x 9
i e a, ,
0 2 .

0 2 09
 Buddh a 89 "
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
B e i ng i s the mark o f t ki s w o rld This o ther Mean a sse rts .

th at t h e S o l e Reality the Brahm a n sub si st s no t mere ly

, , ,

a s no t Becomi ng
- but al so as Becoming : no t m e re ly as
,

the unre gi strable but al so as th at o f wh ich our re gi stra

,

ti o n i s and mu st be i mperfe ct and incompl e te .

I n truth there are two forms of Brah man tha t is t o say

, ,

Tke f ormed a nd tke f

u n or me d t ae morta l
, a nd t ae
i mm orta l ,

Tke aai di ng a nd tke eet i n , t ae a

g e i ng a nd tke

aeyond .
1

Th e Brahm an i s no t merely n i rg u na i n no wise but al so , ,

sa r va u na
g
in all wise ; and he i s saved attains N i r
vanaknow s the Brahman wh o see s that these are o ne
,

and the s ame that the t wo worlds are o ne

, .

Empiri cal truth ( apara vidya) i s then no t ab so lute ly u n

true but merely rel atively true whi l e the ab so lutely true
, ,

( par a vidy a ) embrace s and re s ume s all rel a tiv e truth ;

se en fr o m the s t a ndpoint o f our empiri cal con sci ou sne s s

i t is veritably the Real that i s reected through the do o r

way s O f o u r ve o r si x sen se s and takes the form s o f our ,

i m aginati o n Here the ph e nomenal world i s not with o ut

.

s ignicance but h as ju s t so much s ig nicance a s t h e d e gree

,

of ou r e nlighte nment allow s us t o d iscover i n it I f the .

d o ors o f perception were cl e ansed everythi ng would

appear t o m an as i t is inn i te , .

From thi s point of vi e w t h e d o ctrine of A v i dy a or

M aya ig noranc e or glamour doe s not and s h o uld no t
, ,

a ssert t h e ab solute n o ne ntity and i nsi g ni c anc e o f t h e

w o rld but merely that as we se e i t empi ric a lly exte nd e d
, ,

i n t h e o rd e r of sp a c e ti me and causality it has no stati c

, ,

1
B ri /z adara nyaka U a ni s/z ad,
p 2 , 3 ,
I .

2 10
 Buddhi sm an d B ra h m an i sm
exi stence as a thi ng i n i ts e lf : o u r parti a l vision i s fal se i n
s o far and onl i n so f a r a s it i s partial
, y , .

This po sition is ob scured i n Buddhism and l ikewise i n ,

the system o f Sa nk a ra by the e mph a sis which i s l a id ,

on B e c o mi ng as a sta te t o oe a voi ded ; and thi s h e d o ni sti c

outlook which nd s l o gical expressi o n i n m o na stici s m
a nd purita nism has occupied the t o o exclu s ive attention

of m o dern s tude nt s To o exclusive for i t i s no t thi s

.
,

o ne s id e d view o f l i fe but the doctrine o f the id e ntity o f

-
,

th i s w o rld and that which can a nd do e s a fford t h e key t o

,

the hi st o ri c al developm e nt o f t h e I ndia n culture t he mo st ,

rem a rkable ch aract e risti c o f whi ch appears i n a gen e ra l

apprehen sion of the i ndivisibility o f t he sensuous and the
s piritual .

A no ther and etki ca l Me an i s put forward by Gautam a as

,

the M iddle Path b e tween extremes of self m o rt i c at i o n -

and sel f indulge nce But here again i t mu st be rec o g

-
.

ni z e d that th i s i s no t really a middl e p a th a nd that it ,

re m a in s i n c o ntrasti ng the bright st ate o f the Wa nd e re r

,

with the dark state of the H o useh o ld e r i f no t at al l ,

m o rbidly asceti c neverth e les s unmi stakably a rule o f

,

ab ste ntio n rather than m o derati o n Certai n actions and

, .

certai n e nvi ro nment s are c o ndemned as b ad in them selve s .

Gaut a m a h a rdly contemplat e s the p o ssibili ty that fre e dom

may al so b e attai ned by th o se wh o are still e ngag e d in
worldly activi ti e s no r that thi s fre e dom mu st depend o n
,

ab se nce o f m o ti f rather tha n ab se nce of activity ; the

f aci na M arg a i s for hi m the o nly way 1
.

I t i s justly poi nted out by Old e nb e rg that there was

1
No t ly d on oes he no t p i v th
e rc e e at th e w i h t v id D kkh i i
s o a o u a s n
it lf d i
se a e s re , a nd as su c h hi d
a n ranc e , b t t i ll l
u s d h e ss th t oe s e se e a

th ef f pl
e ar o easu re e v e n as i t m ay c o m e u nso u g hti ti l l m s a s o re

su b tl b d ge on a e .

2 1 1
 Buddh a 39 t h e G o sp e l
o f Buddhi sm

nothi ng i n Buddh a s a t titude generally wh i ch c o uld be
re ga rded by h i s cont e mporarie s as unusual he had no t t o ,

i ntroduce a nythi ng fu nd a mentally new ; on t h e c o ntra ry ,

i t w o uld have bee n an i nnovati o n i f he had undert aken

to pre ach a way o f salvati o n which di d no t proceed on

a b asi s o f m o na sti c O b servance s 1
.

Th e rs t syste matic expres s i o n o f s uch an i nn o vati o n
,

of which t h e s o urce and s ancti o n are to be f o u nd i n the

a l re ady O ld d o c t rine o f the identity o f Thi s a nd That ,

B e c o ming and not Bec o ming i s in the B kag a va d Gi t a

-
, .

Thi s i s variously dated as be t we e n 4 0 0 B C and A D 2 0 0 . . . .

,

but whatever remod e lling i t may have und e rgone i t can

hardly b e d o ubted that i t s essenti a l thought i s t h e rec o g
ni t i o n of K a rma Yog a and B k ak t i Yog a side by S ide with

7 mm Yog a as means of s alvati o n :

I t was with work s that Janaka and o thers came i n t o

a d e ptship ; thou t o o sh o ulds t do them c o ns id e ri ng the ,

o rder of t h e world as do the unwi se attached to ,

w o rk s so Sh o ul d the wi se do but with o u t attachment

, , ,

se e ki ng t o e s t abl i sh o rder i n the w o rld .

He wh o beholds in Work No work and i n No Work -

,
-

W o rk i s the man of understanding amo ngst m o rtals he

,

i s i n the rule a doer of perfect work , Free fr o m

attachme nt to the frui t of work s everlasti ngly contented , ,

unc o n ned even though he be engaged i n Work he does

,

no t W o rk at all .

Ca sting o ff all t hy W o rks upon Me with thy mi nd on

the O ne over S e lf be thou withou t craving and with o u t
,

1
B u ddli a, En gl i h t
s l i
ran s at o n, e d . 2 p . 1 1 9 . h t th
I t i s tru e t a e

l yma an A ra b at is no t a l t g th
o e e r u n no k wn t o Ear ly B u ddhi m ( tw t y
s en

o n e arem t i d i th en o ne n e A ng u ttara I Vikaya , iii 4 51, and Su ddh o dana,

G t m f th i l
,

au a

a s a er s a so s p i lly m ti d ) b t th f llm t
ec a en o ne , u e u en of

w l d ly d ti h w v
or u e s, o e e r se l ly w
e ss v p hd
,
as w y ne e r reac e as a a of

lv t i
sa a on .

2 I 2
 Buddhi sm an d B ra h m ani sm
thought of a M in e and with thy fever cal med engage i n , ,

battle .

Thus i t i s that eve n laymen may attain to perfect freed o m ,

i n a life o bedie nt to vocation i f only the activity be v o id ,

o f m o tive and self refere nce The d e gree of b o ndage

-
.

i mpl i e d i n vari o us e nvi ronment s dep e nd s e nti rely o n

t h e o utl o o k of the individual and no t o n any good o r bad ,

u a l ity intrin s ic i n any thi ng or an tatu Bo nd ag e and

q y s s .

deliver a nce are al ike to be fou nd i n the h ome and i n the

fore st a nd no t m o re nor le ss i n o ne th a n the other ; every
,

th ing a like i s H o ly ( i n terms of Buddhi sm and ,

m e n and w o men a re not l e s s s o than m o untai ns o r fore st s .

Ab o ve all thi s reco ncili ati o n of religi on with t h e world

,

i s pra cti c a lly ma ni fe st e d i n sele ss ob e d ience t o vocati o n

sva dk
( -
)
a rma ; for n o t withsta nding th is world i s but a

B e c o mi ng i t h as a me aning whi ch cann o t be fa th o med

,

by th o se wh o turn thei r b ack s upon i t in o rd e r to esc ap e

fro m i t s pains and elude i ts plea sure s .

Preci sely t he same cri si s that we here speak of as di s

t i ng u i sh i ng Buddhi s m from Brahm anism i s pa ssed through ,

i n the hi st o ry o f Brahma ni s m it se lf and mu st p e rhaps be , , ,

p a ssed over i n the hi st o ry of every sch o o l o f th o ught that

attain s t o i t s full devel o pme nt I t had been held am o ng s t .

B rahm ans as i t had bee n al so fo r a ti m e a ssum e d by

,

Gaut a ma that sal va ti o n mu st be so ught i n pe nanc e

,

ap a s
( t ) and i n t h e li f e of t h e h e rmi t Gautama intro .

du c e d no r a d ic a l ch ang e i n mere ly i nsi sti ng o n the futility

1

of carryi ng such d i sci pl ine s to a morbid extreme But i n .

1
hp
Pe r ag h t t y h g t ll f i t w l d b di f l t t
s we ou o sa no c an e a a , or ou e cu o

p i t t y ly i mp t t B ah m i l t x t d v ti g m t l
o n o an e ar or o r an r an c a e a oca n a en a

and m l di i pl i m
o ra v th t h t f th B ddhi t B th
sc ne o re se e re an a o e u s re re n

on th t ey th U p i h d
c o n rar t t ly i
,
i t th t lv ti
e an s a s c o ns an ns s a sa a on

i w s by k wl d g l
on d t h t ll l
no i m
e ly p l i m i y
e a o ne , an a a e se s e re re nar .

2 1
3
 Buddh a 83 Go sp e l o f Bu ddh i sm t he
9
9

Brahma n ci rcle s that wi de move m e nt o f th o ught o f which

, ,

G a utam a rev e al s but a s ingle ph ase and a s i ngl e s tage ,

culmi nate s i n a v e ry di ffe re nt th e o ry o f tapas which i s ,

expre ssed as fo ll o w s i n the M ana va D ka rma sast ra : -

The t apa s o f t h e Brah mana i s c o nce ntr at e d s tudy ; of t h e

K sh at t ri ya protecti o n of the weak ; o f the Va i sh ya tr a d e
, ,

a nd agricultur e ; of the S adra se rvice o f oth e rs , .

F o r the Brahman tapa s and vi dy a se lf denial and wi sd o m

, ,
-

are the o nly me a n s to the nal go al e t c , .

This i s m e rely another ver s io n of the doctrine o f vocati o n

already refe rred to .

I t i s perfectly true that the m o re deeply we p e netrat e

Buddhi s t and Brahmanic a l th o ught t he le ss i s it po ssibl e ,

t o d ivid e th e m I f fo r exampl e we imagin e t h e que sti o n

.
, ,

pro p o u nded to a t e a ch e r o f e ither p e rs ua si o n Wh a t sh a ll

I do t o be saved ? t he sa me a nswe r w o uld b e m ad e
,

,

that salvation v e ri tably c o n si st s i n o ve rc o mi ng the illu s i o n

th t ny such e g
a a o I exi s t s and t h e way t o th i s ,

salvatio n w o uld b e d e scribed as the ov e rc o mi ng o f cravi ng .

These are i nde e d t h e an sw e rs of Chri st and o f all o ther

gre at Ma st e rs : He th a t l o se s h i s life sh all save i t ; Thy
will not mine I t i s wh e n we pr o c e e d t o f o rmulat e a
, .

d i scipl i ne th a t di st incti o n s ari se and h e re that the ,

i di o syncra sy o f the i ndividu a l te a ch e r b e c o m e s m o s t

e vid e nt Gautam a s scheme of t h e Ariya n Eightfo ld Pa th
.

,

a s a compl e t e schem e is unive rsa l o nly i n t h e se nse th at ,

in all la nd s and in all age s there are t o be fo u nd i ndi

v i du als o f rati on a l i st and a sc e ti c t e mp e r a m e nt ki ndre d

Th e f it f ru ti i m o h f ll
asc eth d d m tb
c s as su c ,
as o a o er ee s, us e

i t i i t l f Of t th O G g i y Yaj lkh y hi m l f
n e n se :

a ru , ar ,

sa s nava a, se a

h m i t h wh d
er ,

t k
e w t hi i mp i h bl O th g h i t hi
o o e s no no s er s a e ne, ou n s

w l d h h l d di t i b t lm d p t i p
or e s ou (
s rt p t py t ) u e a s an rac se e nan c e a as a a e

for m y th an dy a th by w i b t i t g d B i l d
o u san e ars, e re ns u n e oo .

-
r za

ara nya ka Upa ni sh ad, 3 , 8 , 1 0 .

2 1 4
 Buddhi sm an d B ra h m an i sm
with hi s own I f we l ike n Early Buddhi sm t o a L es ser
.

R a ft then we may ju stly spea k of Brahm anism as o f the

,

,

M ah ay ana as a Gre a te r Ves sel ; each convey s t h e

,

travell e r t o hi s de s ire d hav e n but the larger ve ssel s e rv e s

,

the ne ed s o f a greater va riety o f men Here i s t o be .

sought the expl anati o n of that nal vi ctory of H ind

du i sm and o f the Mah ay a na which the expone nt s of ,

Early Buddhism a nd of the pure religions of t h e Vedas
,

have agreed to reg ard as a descent into s uperstition and

pri e stcraft .

I t had be e n and always remained to a certain e xt e nt a

,

principle of Brahmanism t o i mpart t h e highe st teach i ng s

o nly in pupilla ry s uccession to th o se wh o S h o w th e mselv e s

qu al i e d t o receive i t The fact o f Gaut a ma s ign o ra nce

.

of the At m ani st po siti o n may b e t a k e n to pr o ve that i n his

day the d o ctri ne o f the Atma n was still an es o t e ri c truth
k no wn only t o the few G autama on the o ther h a nd.
, ,

while h e refu sed to answ e r in so luble problems of escha

t o lo gy and metaphy s ic s expr e s sly says that he doe s no t
,

reserve an e so te ri c d o ctrin e ; all h i s sermo ns were preached

i n public a nd accessibl e t o laymen and to women He
, .

d id not re serve t o twice bor n ca ste s the right to enter the

-

spiritual ord e r and i t has been e sti mated that s ome t e n

,

per cent o f the Brethren were low b o rn

.
fo r hi m the -
,

o nly true Brahman is the man wh o excels in wisdom and

good ness .

O n the se grounds i t is someti mes assumed that Gautama

was a s ucce ssful social reformer wh o broke the chai ns o f
ca ste and wo n fo r the poor and humble a place i n the
k i ngdom of the spi ri t But thi s view of the missi o n of
.

Gaut a ma who se ki ngdom like that o f Jesu s was no t o f

, , ,

thi s world i s u nhi st o rical Had Gautama been of those

, .

wh o seek to i mprove the world by good government and ,

2 1 5
 B u ddh a 8 63
9
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
to secure thei r ju st right s fo r the poor and de spi se d he ,

w o uld no t h ave left h i s ki ngd o m t o bec o me a h o mel e ss

w and e re r he w o uld no t have pre fe rred t he sta t u s o f a
,

teacher t o th at o f a powerful prince ; there ne ed have been

no Gre at R e nu nciation but hi story w o uld have rec o rd e d ,

an o ther A so ka fullling the ideal o f an e arthly Dh arma raja

,

such as R ama But Gautama when he saw t h e s i ck and

.
,

the dying d id not t hink of su ffering as due t o extern al cau ses ,

o r to be a llevi a ted by the b e ttering o f the soci a l ord e r ;

he sa w t hat s u ffe ri ng was bou nd up with t h e e g o a sse rti ng -

nature of man and th e ref o re he t aught no thing but a

,

me nt a l and m o ral di scipl ine de sig ned t o ro ot out the

c o nceit o f an I I t i s made abund a ntly clear th at Gautama
.

regard s the state o f t h e world as h o peless a nd i rremediable ,

and while the t ruth of thi s i s i n o ne se nse unde ni able and ,

the Brahmans were e qu a lly aware o f i t and o f t h e

1
,

re l ativity of all ethic s neverth e l e ss i t i s they and no t , ,

Gautama wh o have seen a pro fo und signicance in the

,

m a intenance of the o rder of the world c o nsid e ri ng i t a ,

sch o ol where ign o ra nc e may be gradually disp e ll e d I t i s .

they wh o o ccupied themselves with the developm e nt of an

i d e al s oci e ty which they a nticipated in the Utopias o f
,

V alm i ki Vyasa and Manu Had any Buddhi st p o i nt e d

, , .

out t o a Brahman philosopher the i mpo ssibility o f e st ab

li shi ng a mille nnium the latter would h a ve re pl ied th a t ,

he f o und S ignicance i n the ta sk i tself and no t i n i ts ,

achi e vement .

Th e re i s too a fallacy i n the ve ry sugge sti o n that Gautama

c o uld have br o k e n the chain s of ca st e ; for no twi th standi ng
that th o se ski lful craft smen the Brahman U t o pi st s re fe rred ,

t o were a lre ady at w o rk t h e s o call e d ch a i ns were no t

, ,
-

1
x mpl t y d t m di ti t f m H i m
W h at
Fo r ( th e

e a e, a o i n a ar a s s nc ro

h m ) t h t i f ll f ff i g
,

B ra B i k da y k 3 4

an , a s u o t su er n . r a ra n a a, , ,
2 , e c .

2 1 6
 Buddhi sm an d B ra h mani sm
yet forged Th e ca ste system as i t now exi sts is a sort of
.

Guild S o cial ism s upported by theocrati c s anctio ns and

as sociated with euge nic s ; each ca ste being self governing -
,

i nternally democrati c and having i ts o wn norm ( sva

,

d/z a rma ) . We need not di scuss the meri t o r demeri t of

thi s sys te m here ; but i t must be real ized that in the ti me
of G auta ma t h e system had no t yet crystallized What .

alre ady e xi sted was a classication of men accordi ng to

c o mplexio n i n the F o ur Varnas o r colours ; e a ch of
,

the se i nclud e d ma ny gr o up s which afterward crystall ized

a s sep a ra t e ca st e s Moreov e r at thi s t i me the po sition o f
.

the Brahm an s a s leaders of s ociety was not ye t secure ; we

ca nnot re gard the i ndi cations of the Brahman U t o pi sts as
histori c al and i t w o uld appear that the status o f Brahman s
,

i n the age of Gau t ama was s omewhat l o wer than th a t of

K sh att ri yas At any rate i n Mag adh a the intellectual
.

ra nk o f the latter i s su fcie ntly i ndicate d by thei r achieve

me nts s uch as the f o rmulation of the Atm a n doctrin e
, ,

the in stitution of wa nderi ng friars the A n at t a doctrine

,
-

of Gautama the teaching s of M ah avi ra and so forth

, , .

N e v e rtheles s i t i s cl e ar that the Brahman s clai med i n

t e lle c t u al and ethical s uperi o ri ty ; and n o o ne acqu a inted
with I ndi an history can doubt that I ndia n Brahma ns
b o rn have to a l a rge extent de served by character and
ach ievement the re spect in which th e y hav e always been
h e ld ; i t i s e a sy to criticize as di d Gautama t h e empiric a l
, ,

meth o d of d e te rm i ning Brahmanhood by birth but th is ,

was the m o st pra ctical m e thod that could b e d e vi se d a nd ,

t h e w o rld h a s yet to discover a better way t o secure i n all

i t s a ffa ir s the guid ance of t he wi se st Gaut a ma d o e s not
.

O ffe r a ny a lt e rn a tiv e t o the d o ctrin e of Brahm a nhood by

bi rth re gard e d as the so lution t o a S oci a l pro blem t h e

,

mean s o f pre serving a given type of high culture He .

2 1
7
 Bud dh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
was able to ig nore thi s problem only becau se he wi shed
,

that all high e r men sh o uld wander al o ne .

At t h e sam e ti me i t i s no t o nly Gautama wh o sought to

u se the term Br ahm a n i n a pure ly e thical se n se ; the sa m e

u sage i s f o u nd in the p re Buddhi st B ri ka dara nya ka

-

Up a ni sk ad
( i i i 5 I
) and
, ,e l sewhere Eve n wher
. e a s in ,

M a nu the doctrine of Brahmanh o o d by bi rth i s taken for

,

gra nted we nd i t sa id th at t h e Brahman i s b o rn fo r

,

dh a rma al o ne and not for wealth o r pl e a sure ; whil e the

( later ) M a rk a n de
y a P u rana lay s dow n th a t nothi ng is per
m i tt e d to be do ne by the Brah man for the sak e of e njoy

ment And with regard to the re m a ining p o i nt the righ t of
.
,

the l o we st cla sse s to S hare i n the kingdom of the spi ri t : this

was by no mean s rst o r only a s serted by Gautama ; i t i s ,

fo r exampl e t aken for gra nted in the S a ma i ciz a p k

, a la -

S u t t a th a t religi o u s o rders alre a dy exi sti ng i n t h e time o f

G autama a nd no t fo u nded by hi m admitted e ven s l av e s
t o th e i r r ank s and in many o th e r s of the Buddhi s t Suttas
,

there are me nti o ned S adra s wh o became Wand e rers as ,

i f i t w e re a c o mm o n occurrence and well recognized .

A nd i f the Brahman s were careful t o exclude t h e u nc u lt i

v a t e d cl a sse s from h e aring the V e da s r e peated and taught ,

thi s appl ied alm o st e nti re ly t o the older Vedi c l itera ture ,

i n i t s prie stly and m agical a spect s ; alth o ugh the d o ctrine

o f the Atman may have b e e n known to few i n the days

of Gaut a ma ( and it is in the na t ure o f things t hat such

d o ctri ne s mu st lo ng remain in the hand s of t he fe w)
neverth e le ss the Brahmani cal obj e ction to S adra initia
ti o n d o es not exte nd to t h e U pa ni shad s which c o n sti tute ,

that part o f the Veda which al o ne in it se lf su fce s fo r

salvati o n M ore ove r we h a ve t o know that the Brahman s
.
,

th e m se lve s by m e an s o f the Epics ( and e specially the

,

Bk )
a a va d G i ta and the Puranas delibera t ely under t o ok
g ,

2 1 8
 Buddhi sm and B ra h mani sm
and acc o mpl i sh e d that educati o n o f the whole In dian
pe o ple wome n included whi ch has made th e m from t h e
, , ,

s t a ndp o i nt o f ch a ract e r a nd court e sy i f no t of t e chnical

,

l ite ra cy t h e m o st educ a t e d ra ce i n the w o rld I n comparing

, .

Buddhi s m ( the t e aching o f Gautama that is ) with ,

Brahma nism we have th e n t o u nd e rstand and t a ke

,

into acc o unt the d i fference o f the pro blem sough t to

be so lved Gautama i s co ncerned with s alv ati o n and
.

n o thi ng but salvati o n : t h e Brah man s likewi se se e i n that

su mmu m oon u m the ulti mate S ignicance of all exi s t e nce ,

but they al so take into accou nt the things of relative

i mp o rtance ; th e i rs is a rel igi o n both o f Eternity and
Ti me while G a utama l o o k s upon E terni ty al o ne I t
, .

i s no t really fai r t o Gautama o r t o t h e Brahmans to

contra st thei r D ka i ma ; for they do no t seek t o c o ver t h e
sa me gr o und We must compare the Buddhist eth ical
.

ide a l with the ( identical ) standard o f Brahmanhood

expected o f the Brahm a n b o rn ; we mu st c o ntrast the
Buddhist mo nasti c sy stem with the Brahmani c a l o rders
the d o ctri ne of A natt a with the doctrine of the Atman ,

and here we shall nd id e ntity But i f the exp o nent s of

.

Buddhi sm insi st o n conni ng the signicance of Buddhism

t o wh at i s taught by Gautama we mu s t poi nt out at
,

the same tim e that i t st and s fo r a re stri cted i deal which ,

c o ntrast s wi th Brahma ni s m as a part contrast s with a

wh o le ; Buddhi s m might well have b e en accounted by

Vijana Bhik shu as a s e venth da rsa na .

Ju st as with t h e hi story of the various Brahma nical

darsanas so wi th Buddhi s m as a sect th e re re m a in s much
,

t o b e ac c ompl i s hed in hi s t o rical e lucidati o n a nd i n e x e ge s i s

a nd i nte rpretation But a more i mp o rtant t ask has
.

hardly been e nvis aged : the co nnected hi st o ri cal study of

I ndian thought as an organi c entiret y Just as we now .

2 1 9
 Bu ddh a 89
t he G o sp e l
f Buddhi sm o

s e e clearly tha t Indi a n architecture canno t be d ivided i nto

s tyles o n a sec t arian ba si s but is alway s pri marily Indian

, ,

so al so with t h e philo so phi c and rel igiou s though t .

Th e re i s no true opp o siti o n of Buddhi sm and Brahm ani sm ,

but fr o m t he begi nni ng one ge neral moveme nt o r m any ,

cl o sely re lated move m e nts The integri ty o f I nd ian

.

th o ught more o ver w o uld no t b e br o ke n i f e v e ry spe c i

, ,

cally Buddhi st eleme nt w e re o mi tt e d ; we S h o uld o nly

have to say that certain detai ls had be en l e ss adequate ly
elab o rated or less emphasized To some Buddhi st s m ay .

b e rec o m me nded the word s o f A sok a :

He who does reverence to h i s o wn sect wh ile dis
a ra i n the cts o f others wholly fr o m attach ment to hi s
p g g se

o wn with in t ent to enh ance the splendour of h i s o wn

,

sect i n re al ity by such conduct i nicts the severe st i nju ry

,

o n hi s o wn sect C o ncord therefo re i s merit o ri o u s to

.
, , ,

wi t heark e ning and hearkening will ingly to t he Dharma

,

accepte d by o ther s .

To su m up : Gautama does not enunciate the co nception

of Freedom as a state independe nt o f envi ro nment and
vocati on ; the unity o f his system l ike that o f Haeckel s ,

,

i s only achieved by leaving out o f account the U nre g i s

t rah le ; i n a majority of fundamental s he doe s no t di ffer
from the A t mani st s a lthough he give s a fa r cl e are r
,

statement of the law of cau sality a s the essential mark o f

the world of Becoming The gre ater part of h i s p o l e mi c
. ,

h o wever i s wasted i n a misunderstand ing I mplici t

, .

i n Brahman thought from an early period on the o th e r ,

ha nd and formi ng the most marked featur e s o f l ater

Indian my stici s m achieved al so i n the Mah ay ana but
,

with gre at e r di fc u lt yi s the c o nvi ction that ig no rance i s

,

mai ntai ne d only by atta chm e nt and no t by s uch acti o n s as

,

a re v o id o f purpose and self reference

; and the thought
-

2 2o
 Buddhi sm an d B ra h m ani sm
that This and Th at w o rld Becomi ng and Being are seen , ,

to be one by tho se i n whom ignorance i s destroy e d In .

thi s identication there i s e ffec ted a reconciliati o n o f

re ligi on with the world which remained beyo nd the gra sp,

of Theravada Buddhi sts The d i stinc t ions between early .

Buddhism and Brahmanism however practically i mp o rt ,

ant a re thus merely temperamental ; fundamentally there

,

i s ab so lute agreement that b o ndage c o n si sts i n t h e though t

O f I and M in e and tha t this bondag e may be br o ken o nly
,

fo r th o se i n whom all craving i s extinct 1

I n all e ssential s .

Buddh i s m and Brahmanis m form a singl e sy stem .

1
T h wh l i m t h t B ddh did t t h t h
o se o c a a u a no eac e e x ti ti
nc on o f d i e s re

d hi m l th j ti Ev Ni t h t h kkama dlz a rma

o e ss an us ce . en e z sc e eac e s a nz s

w h h y D I th t i v ft h pp i
en e sa s : O en s r e a er a ne ss ? I str i v ft my
e a er

w k1or

2 2 1
PA RT IV THE M A H A Y A NA
I . B E GI N N I N G S OF TH E M A H A YA N A
F I RST Buddhist council was summoned i n the
reign of A sokaabout 2 4 o B C with a view t o. .

the settlement of sectarian di sputes I t i s cl e ar .

that here sies had already ari sen for certain of As o ka s

,

edict s are concerned with the unfrocking o f schi s m a tic s ;

and indeed we kn o w that heresies were pro mulg at e d
, ,

e ven during the l i fe of the Buddha him se lf I n c o urse o f .

tim e we nd t h a t a large number of sects devel o ped all ,

e qually clai mi ng to be f o ll o wers of t h e tru e doctri ne j u st ,

as h as be e n t h e ca se wi th Chris t ianity and e very other

great faith The Buddhist sects are divid e d i nt o two
.

mai n groups : th o se o f the H i nayana ( The L ittle R a ft )

and the Mah ayana ( The Great The f o rm e r ,

wh o se scripture s are prese rved i n P ali clai m t o repre se nt

,

the pure o rigin al teachi ng o f Gautama and do i n the ,

mai n pre serve i t s ra ti o nal i sti c mona stic and puritanical

,

feature s t o a mark e d extent : the l atter who se s cripture s

,

are in San skrit i nterpret the d o ctri ne in an o ther way

, ,

with a devel o pme nt that i s mystical theological and ,

devotional The H i n ayana has maintained i t s supremacy

.

mai nly i n the S o uth parti cularly in Ceylon and Burma ;

,

the Mah ay ana m a inly in the N orth i n Nepal and China

, .

But it is mi sleading t o speak o f the two s cho o l s as

de nitely N orthern and Southern .

L e t u s recal l th a t a cc o rding to the or t h o d o x H i nay ana ,

G a utama was o rigin a lly a man like o ther m e n and ,

di ffered fro m others o nly in hi s i ntuitive penetrati o n o f

the se cret o f l ife and s orrow in hi s percepti o n o f thi ng s
,

as they really are as an eternal B e c o mi ng ; with that

,

knowledge he attai ned N ibb ana and for h i m the cause s

,

2 2 2
 B e gi nni ngs o f t h e M ah aya na
of birth were exti nguished O ther men to whom . ,
the

Way h as b e en reve aled by the Buddha or his di sciples ,

can a ttai n t o A rah at t a and N i b b ana but a re not reg a rded ,

a s Buddhas nor i s i t s uggested that every creature

,

m ay ultimately re a ch the co nditi o n of Buddh a h ood Spe c u .

l ation i s f o rbidden as t o whe t her the Buddha and the

A rah at s exist or do not e x1 5 t a fter the de a th of t h e body .

I f now we s urvey the can o nical s criptures as a whole

written d o wn i n P al i ab o ut 8 0 B C we shall nd th a t . .

th e y i nclude certain el e ment s which a re m o re or l e ss

i ncon si ste nt with thi s pure i ntellectual d o ctrin e whi ch
appears to have formed the very c o ns istent Dhamma o f
Gautam a hi m self I n the d ial o gue o f Pase nadi ki ng o f
.
,

K o sala with the nun Khem a regardi ng the s t ate o f the

, ,

Buddha a fte r death we nd : R e le ased O great king
, , ,

i s the Perfect O ne from this that h is b e ing sh o uld be ,

g a uged by the m e a sure o f the corporeal world : he i s

d e e p i mmea surabl e unfathomable as the great oce an
, ,
1
.

H e re i s at l e a st the suggestio n that the u nd e termined the ,

u nregi strable that whi ch i s o ther th a n Becomi ng yet

, ,

i s th o ugh beyond o u r ken or und e rsta ndi ng

, I n an o ther .

pl ace an sw e ring the qu e stion : What kind o f bei ng i s 3

,

Buddha ? Gautama h i m self is made to reply that he i s

neither a Deva no r a G andharva nor a Y akkha no r a
, ,

m an but i s a Buddha
, I t may be intended only that a
.

Buddh a mu st no t be r e garded as an ordi nary man ; never

t h e le ss th e re i s cl e arly t o be seen here a n O p e ni ng fo r the
later Mah ayana d o c tri n e of t he B o dy o f Transf o rmation .

We nd again ( in t h e U dnaa vi ii
, t he f o ll o wing , ,

p assag e wh ich sound s m o re l ike a Brahm anical tha n a

,

Buddhist sayi ng :

There i s O Bhi kkhu s an unborn unorigina t ed u n

, , , ,

1
A vyakala Sa myu tta, 1 .

2 2 3
 Bud dh a d) o
?
t he G o sp e l o f Bu ddhi sm
created unfo rmed Were there no t 0 Bhi kkh u s this
, .
, ,

u nborn un o rigi nated u ncre at e d u nfo rmed there would

, , , ,

b e no e scape fro m t h e world of the h o rn o riginated , ,

cre a ted f o rm e d , .

I t m ay al s o b e remarked that the mos t de ni t e and uni

v e rsal verb al pr o fe s si o n of t h e Buddhi st o r conve rt run s :
1 tak e r e fuge i n the Buddh a the D hamma and the
, ,

Sa ngh a ( c o ll e ctively the Thre e

No doubt ,

thi s f o rmul a was rs t u sed i n the l ifeti me o f Gautam a ,

wh o se o wn p e rson m ay w e ll have seemed to the w o rld

w e ary a have n o f re fuge no le ss than t h e Go spel and the ,

Order But a fter h i s death what can t h e word s I t ak e

.

, ,

re fuge i n the Buddha h ave m e an t to a layman or any ,

,

but the most criti c a l of the Brethren ? I t d id not mean

the Buddh a s g o sp e l for that i s s e parately m e ntio ned

, .

Th o se w o m e n and o th e rs wh o m we se e in the s culptured

re li e fs o f Sanchi and Am a ravati k nee li ng wi th passi o nate ,

dev o ti o n and with o ffe ri ng s o f o we rs befo re an a ltar ,

wh e re t h e Buddha i s re pre se nted by t h e symb o l s o f the

f tprint s
o o o r t e wi d m tree ( Pl t e Q )
h s o a what di d i t -

m e an t o th e m t o tak e refuge in the Buddh a ?

Thi s phras e alone mu st have O perat e d wi th the subtle
p o we r o f hypnoti c sugge sti o n to c o nvi nce the w o rshipp e r
and the m ajority o f men are w o r shipper s rath e r than
-

thi nkers by nature that the Buddha still was a nd th at ,

so m e r e lation h o wever v a guely i magi ne d could b e e stab

, ,

li sh e d betwe e n the w o rshipper and H i m wh o h ad thu s - - -

a tt a i ned I t was alm o st certainly the gro wth of thi s

.
, ,

c o nvi ction which dete rmi ned t h e d e ve l o pme nt o f Buddhi st

1
d t i f d v ti l
Th e o c r ne o i e o o n a so o c c u rs n an o t h fer or m, wh
lm t e re a os

i th w d d Gi ta G t m md y th t t h

n f th B / g
e or s o e za a va ,
au a a is a e t
o sa a o se

wh h v t y t v
o t
a e no d th P t h
e e e n e n e re e a s

are su re o f h v if th y
ea en e

h v l v d f i th t w d M M jjl i m
a e o e an a o ar s e .

a z a Ni k
. aya ,
2 2 .

2 2 4
 B e gi nni ngs o f t h e h ay ana M a

i c o n o latry and all the mystical theology of the Mah ay ana .

I t i s the element O f worship which changed the monasti c

sy stem of Gautama into a w o rld rel igion -
.

I n the e a rl i e st Buddhist l iterature t h e w o rd Buddha has

no t yet come to b e u sed i n a technical sen se : Gaut a ma

never speak s o f hi m self as

the Buddha and when others ,

d o S O the term m e an s simply the Enl ightened One the ,

Awakened The Buddha i s but the wi sest and great e st

.

of the A rah at s I n course o f ti m e the t erm became m o re

.

s pecial ized to mea n a particul a r kind o f being ; while

the term Bo dh i sat t a or Wi sdom Being rs t used o f
,
-
,

Gaut a ma between the Going forth and the a ttainm e nt of

-

N ibb ana c a me to mean a Buddha designateany b e ing

,
-

d e stined to become a Buddha i n this or some future l ife .

Thi s doctrine o f the Bo dh i sat t a i s e xten s iv e ly develop e d

i n the bo o k o f the 5 5 o J at aka s or Birth Stori e s which
, ,

re cou nt the edi fyi ng his t o rie s o f Gautama s pre vious

exi ste nce as m an a ni mal or fai ry When the Brahman

, , .

Su m e dh a reject s t h e th o ugh t of cro ssing alone the sea of

B e c o ming and registers t he v o w t o attain omniscience i n ,

ord e r that he may a l so co nvey o ther men and g o ds acro ss , ,

that se a he speak s already i n the sense of the Mah ayana

, .

A ssociated with the doctrine o f t h e Bo dh i satt a i s that o f

previou s Buddha s wh o a re duly named in the M akapa dana
'

S u tt a a nd t h e det a ils O f thei r l ive s se t forth accordi ng to

,

a se t formul a thei r number i s three o r seven o r a cc o rdi ng ,

to a l ater a c c o unt twenty four Of future Buddhas only

,
-
. ,

t h e Bo dh i sat t a M e t t e ya the perso nicati o n o f L o vi ng

,

kind ne ss i s mentio ne d and that in the M i li n da P a n/t a

, , ,

which i s a l ittle l at e r th a n t h e c ano nical scripture s .

I t i s po ssible th at the thre e former Buddha s wh o are s aid

to have appe are d i n t h e presen t age but very l o ng ago , ,

r e pres e nt a mem o ry of actual teachers before Buddha : i n

P 2 2 5
 Buddh a 863 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
any ca se t h e the o ry th at all Buddha s te ach t h e s ame
,

d o ctri ne i s o f c o n siderable i nterest and i t c o rre sp o nd s to ,

the Brahm an view o f the eternity o f the Ve da s which are ,

heard ra ther than i nvented by succe ss ive te a chers This .

b e lief i n the ti mel e ss unity of truth which i s shared by ,

I ndi ans of d ivers persuas ion s i s of much s ignic ance , .

Without referring in grea t er de t ail t o the mythologi cal

a nd magical elements whi ch e nter i nt o even the earliest

Buddha l iterature i t wi ll su fce t o p o int o u t that this

,

l ite rature al ready include s as partly indicated above the , ,

ge rm s of most of tho se d o ctri ne s wh i ch are elab o rated t o

a fa r grea t er ex t ent i n the dogma s of the
Great Raft .

The d e vel o pme nt of that religi o n from t he ba s i s of early

Buddhi st p sych o logy i s n e arly parallel to the devel o pm e nt
o f medi ae v a l H induis m on the basis of the pure ideali s m

of t h e U pani shads .

II . S YS TE M OF TH E M A H A YA N A
pl u s sai nt, c e st le pl u s a m ant R U Y SB R OEC K

Le .

The Mah ayana or Grea t Vessel is so called by i t s adherent s -

,

in co ntrad istinction to the H i nay ana o r l ittl e Ve sse l o f

pri mitive B uddhi sm becau se the former o ffe rs t o a ll
,

beings i n all world s s a lvati o n b i ai t h and l o v e as well as

by knowledge while the l atter o nly avail s t o co nvey o ver
,

the rough se a of Bec o ming to the farther sh o re of N i b b ana

tho se few s t ro ng s o ul s wh o requi re no exte rnal s pi ritu a l
aid no r the c o ns o lation of W o rship Th e H i nayana .
,

lik e t h e u nshow n way o f th o se wh o see k the n i rg u na

/ 1
B ra k ma n is exceedi ng hard ; w h e rea s the burd e n o f t h e

,

1
I n th e w d
o r s of Be hm en ( Sup ersensu al L ife, Di l g
a o ue B u t, a la s
,

h ow h a rd i t i s f or tlze Wi ll to si nki nto not/Z i ng , to a ttra ct n ot/ti ng , to

i mag i ne not/Z i ng .

2 2 6
 Sy st e m o f the M h aya na a

M ah ay ana i s light and d o e s not re qui re that a m an S h o uld

,

i mm e diat e ly re no u nce t h e w o rld and all the a ffe cti o ns o f

hum anity The m ani fe stati o n o f the B o dy o f the L aw
.
,

say s t h e M a h ay ana i s adapted t o the various needs o f the

,

ch ildre n o f the Buddh a ; wh e rea s t h e H i nay ana i s o nly o f

avail to th o se wh o h ave l e ft th e i r s pi ritual ch ildho o d far
behi nd them The H i nay ana e mpha sizes the nece ssity o f
.

sa vi ng kn o wledge and a i m s a t the salvati o n o f t he

,

ind ividu a l and refu se s t o d e v e l o p the mystery o f N ibb ana

,

i n a po siti ve sen se ; the M ah ayana l ays as much or gre a ter

s tre ss o n l o v e and ai m s at the s alv a ti o n o f every se nti e nt
,

bei ng and nd s i n N i rvana the One Re al ity whi ch i s

, ,

V o id only i n the se nse that i t i s free from the l i mitatio ns

o f every pha se of the l i mited or c o nting e nt experi e nc e of

whi c h we have empi ric al kn o wl e dge Th e Buddhi st s o f .

the pri mitive sch o ol on the o ther ha nd naturally do no t

, ,

a ccept t h e name o f the L e sse r V e ssel and a s true ,

Protesta nts they rai se objection to the theol o gi c al and

ae s th e tic acc o m modation o f the true doctrine to t h e m ece s
s iti e s of human nature .

Opi ni o n s thu s d i ffer as to wh e th e r we may regard the

M ah ayana as a d e vel o pm e nt o r a degenerati o n Eve n the .

pro fe sse d expone nt s o f the H i nayana h ave th e i r d o ubt s .

Thu s in o ne place Profe sso r Rhy s D avid s spe ak s o f the

B o dhi sattv a d o ctri ne as t h e atro na w e e d which drov e o u t
'

t h e d o ctri ne o f the Ariya n path a nd t h e we e d _ i s no t

,

a ttr a ctive : wh il e i n a no th e r M rs Rhy s D avid s wri te s o f

1
,

t h e c o o l detachm e nt of t h e Ara b at th a t perhap s a yet m o re ,

s ai ntly Sari p u t t a w o uld hav e a spi red e t furth e r ev e n t o

y ,

a n i n nit e se rie s of re bi rth s wherei n h e m ight wi th e ver

, ,

gro wi ng p o we r and se l f devoti o n w o rk fo r t h e furth e ra nc e

-
,

o f t h e r e ligi o u s evolution o f h i s f e ll o ws addi ng that

,

1
D i alog u es of tin: B u dd/2a, ii p, . 1 .

2 2
7
 Buddh a 89 t h e G o sp e l

o f Buddhi sm

s o ci al and re ligi o u s i d e al s e volve o u t o f, ye a and e ven ,

b e y o nd the ni s hed work and ti m e stra ite ne d vi si o n o f -

t h e A rah ant s o f o ld 1
Pe rhap s we need not determi ne
.

the rel ative v a lue o f either s ch o o l : the way of k no wl e dg e

wil l e ver a ppe al to s o me and the way of l o ve a nd a cti o n
,

to oth e rs and the latt e r the majority Tho se wh o a re

, .

sa v e d by kn o wledge s tand apart from the world and i t s

h o pe s a nd fe ars o fferi ng to the world o nly that knowl e dge

,

whi ch sh a ll e nabl e oth e rs t o stand a s ide i n t he sam e way :

tho se o thers wh o are moved by their love and wi sd o m t o
perpetual activity i n wh o m the will to l ife i s dead but ,

t h e will t o p o wer ye t s urvive s i n i ts n o blest and mo s t

i mp e rso nal fo rmsatt a in at last the same goal and in t h e ,

m e a nwhile e ffect a re c o nciliati o n of re ligi o n with the world ,

and t h e uni o n o f re nu nciati o n with acti o n .

Th e d e vel o pm e nt o f the Mah ay ana i s in f act the ov e r

o wi ng o f Buddhi s m from the limit s o f t h e Ord e r i nt o
t h e l ife o f the w o rld ; i nt o whatever deviou s cha nne l s
Buddhi s m m ay have ulti m at e ly d e s ce nded are we t o say ,

that that id e ntic a tion with t h e li fe o f t h e world with all ,

i t s c o nse qu e nces in e thi c and ae sthetic was a mi sf o rtu ne ? ,

F e w wh o a re acquai nted with t h e h i sto ry of A s iatic culture

w o uld mai ntain any s uch the si s .

M ah ay ani st s do not he sit ate to d e scribe the H i nay an a

id e al as se l sh ; and we h av e i ndicate d i n se ve ra l pl ac e s t o
what e xt e nt i t mu st in a ny ca se b e called narro w But t h e
M a h ay ani st sno t t o s pe a k of Chri s tian criti c s o f t h e
.

H i nay ana do no t su fci e ntly realiz e th a t a se l sh b e i ng

c o uld no t p o ssibly b e c o m e a n Arab at wh o mu st be fre e ,

fro m e v e n the c o ncepti o n o f a n e g o and s till m o re fro m

,

e v e ry f o rm of e o a sse rti o n The se l sh ne s s o f the w o uld

g
-
.

b e Ara b at i s more appare nt t han real The ideal o f self

.

1
P salms f
o ti n B retlz ren, p xlv iii
. .

2 2 8
 Sy st e m f t h e M ah aya na
o

cul ture i s no t O ppo sed to that of self sac ri ce : i n a ny per

-

fe c t ly harm o ni o u s d e v e l o pme nt the se se e mi ngly o pp o s it e

t e nd e nc i e s are re c o nciled To achi e ve thi s re c o nciliatio n
.
,

t o c o mbin e re nu nciati o n wi th growth knowledg e with ,

l o ve stillne ss with activity is the problem of all e thic s

, , .

Curi o u sly enough th o ugh i t s so lution has often been

,

attempted by oriental religion s i t has never be e n so cl e arly

,

enunciated in the west as by the i rre ligious N i e t z sc h e

the latest of the mysti c swho se ide a l of the Sup e rma n

combi nes the Will t o P o wer p i dk ) with h
'

r a n an a t e

B e stowing Vi rtue ka ru na) .

I f the i d e al of the Private Buddh a seems to be a se l sh

o ne we may reply that the Great Man can render to his
,

fell o w s no higher servi ce th a n t o real ize the highe st

po ssibl e state O f his bei ng From t h e Uni ty of life we
.

cannot but deduce the identi ty o f ( true ) sel f i ntere st with t h e -

( true ) in t erest of others . While ther e fore the M ah ay anist s

may jus t ly clai m that thei r system i s i nd e e d a greater

ve ssel of salvation in the se n se of gre ater convenience o r ,

b e tter adaptation to the n e ed s of a m ajori ty of voyagers ,

th e y ca nn o t on the other ha nd j u stly accu se the c aptain

and the crew o f the smaller ship o f se lshne ss Tho se .

who seek to the farther shore may select the mean s best
suited to their o wn need s : the nal goal i s one and the
sa me .

The most e ssential par t o f the Mah ay ana i s its empha si s

on the Bodhi sattva ideal which repl a ces that o f
,

A rah at t a ,or ra nks b e fo re it Wh e re as t h e A rah at

.

s trive s mo s t earne s tly for N i rv ana the B o dhi sa ttva a s

,

rmly refuses to accept the nal relea se Fora s much .

as there i s t h e wil l that all se ntient being s sh o uld be alto

gether made fre e I will no t forsake my fell o w crea t ure s
,
1
.

1
A va ta msaka S z7tra .

2 2 9
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
The B o dhi sattva i s he i n whom t h e Bo dh i c i tt a or h e art o f
wi sd o m i s fully e xp and e d I n a s e nse we a re all Bodhi .
,

sat t v a s a nd i ndeed a ll Buddh a s o nly th a t i n u s by re a so n

, ,

o f ignora nce a nd i mp e rfection i n l o v e the gl o ry o f t h e

Bodhi heart i s not yet made manife st But th o se a re

-
.

s pecially call e d B o dh i s attva s w h o with sp e cic det e rmin a

ti o n d e dic a te all the acti viti e s o f thei r future and pre se nt

live s t o the t ask of saving the world They do not mere ly .

c o nte mplat e but fe el all the sorrow of the world and

, , ,

b e cau se o f th e i r love they cann o t b e idl e but e xp e nd ,

th e i r vi rtu e with supernatural ge nero si ty I t i s sa id o f .

G a utama Buddh a for ex a mple that th e re i s no sp o t o n

, ,

earth wh e re he h a s no t in so me pa st life sacriced h i s l i fe

for the sake of o th e rs while the whole s tory of h i s l ast ,

incarnati o n rel a ted in t h e Vessa nta ra f at aka re l at e s the

s am e un stinti ng ge ne r o s ity which d o e s no t shri nk e v e n ,

fro m t h e givi ng away o f wife and ch i ldre n But Buddha .

h o o d o nce attained acc o rding t o t h e old sch o o l i t remain s

, ,

fo r o th e rs t o work out their salvati o n al o ne : Be ye

lamp s unt o yourselve s i n t h e l a st word s o f G autama , .

Acc o rdi ng t o the Mah ayana h o wever e ve n the att a inme nt , ,

o f Buddhah o od does no t inv o lve i nd i fference t o t he so rr o w

of the w o rld ; t h e w o rk o f salvation i s perpetually carri e d

o n by t h e Bodhisattva emanations of the s upreme Buddha s ,

j u st as the work of the Father i s done by Je sus .

The Bodhisattvas are speci a lly d i sti nguished from the

Srav ak as
( A rah at s
) and Pacc e ka Buddh as o r Private -

Buddhas wh o have become f o ll o wers o f the Buddha

,

fo r the s ake o f thei r own complete N irvana : fo r t h e 1

1
H i d w l d xp
n us t hi
ou by y i g th t S a k d P k
e re ss s sa n a r va as an ac c e a

B ddh
u h
as c th p t h f I mm di t S lv t i n B dhi tt v
o o se e a o th t e a e a a o : o sa as, a

of U l t i m t S lv t i n
a e
Th d f a ad p th f L i b
o ti i th p t h
e e e rre a o e ra on s e a

vi
.

f ll B h k t I t i th p t h f mp i n P N Si nh

o a a as . s e a o co ass o o r se r ce . . . a,

Commenta ry on tlze B lz ag a va ta P a rana, p .

3 59 .

2 o
3
Pu n -z R 2 30
A VA L O K I T E S VA R A ( B o dh i sa ttva )
Npl
e pp i l
a e se c o er g t

, ot h 1 0 t h y D
c e nt u r A .

A u th o r s Co llect z o n
 Sy st e m
f t he M ah ayana o

Bodhisattvas enter upon th e i r course out of compas si o n

t o t h e world fo r the benet weal a nd happi ne ss o f t h e
, , ,

world at l a rge b o th g o ds and men for the sak e of the

, ,

c o mplete Ni rv ana o f all bei ng s Therefore they are

.

c alled Bodhisattva Mah asatt v a .

1

A doctrine specially as sociated with the Bodhisattva

i d e al i s that of the p a ri va rta or tu rning over of ethical
meri t to the advantage of others which amounts ve ry ,

n e arly to the doctrine of vicari ou s atonement Where as .

in early Buddhi sm i t i s empha sized th a t each li fe is

e ntirely separate from every o th e r
( als o a Jaina doc t ri ne ,

a nd no d oubt derived fro m the S amkhya c o nception

of a plurality O f Pu ru sh as) t h e Mah ayana in sist s on
,

the interdependence and even t he identity of all l i fe ; and

thi s po siti on a ffords a l o gi cal basis for the vi e w th a t
the m e rit acquired by o ne may be devoted t o the good o f
o thers .Thi s i s a p e culiarly amiable feature i n late
Buddhism ; we nd for example that wh o ever a e c o m
, ,

li sh e s a good d e ed s uch as a work of chari ty o r a

p ,

pilgri mage add s the prayer t ha t the meri t may be shared

,

by all se ntient bei ngs .

I t will b e seen that the doctrine of vicari o u s meri t i nv o lve s

the interpretation of karma i n the rst and m o re general
se nse referred to on page 1 0 8 N 0 man lives to hi m self
.

al o ne but we may re gard t he whole creation ( which

,

groaneth and t rav ai lle t h together ) as one l i fe and there

f o re as sh a ring a c o mm o n karma to which every ind i ,

vidual c o ntributes for go o d or ill Notwi th sta ndi ng from .

the i nd ividualist s ta ndpoi nt i t may appear both fal se

a nd d a ng e r o u s to li mi t the d o c t rine of pure ly individual

resp o nsibility i t i s not so in fac t ; the go o d or evi l of the

,

individual also a ffec t s o t hers and rather increases his ,

1
Sa dd/i a rmap u nda ri ka Sti t ra .

2 3 1
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
re spon sibil ity th an lighten s i t There i s no my st e ry i n
.

karma ; it i s s imply a ph a se o f t h e l aw o f cau se a nd e ffe ct ,

and i t h o lds as much fo r gr o up s a nd c o mmu niti e s a s

fo r indivi du a l s i f i ndeed individual s a re n o t al so com

, ,

m u ni t i e s. L e t u s t a ke a very s impl e e xample : i f a s ingl e

wi se st ate sma n by a generous treatment of a co nquered
ra ce secure s th e ir loyalty at some future time of stre ss ,

that karma accrue s no t merely t o him self but t o the

s t a te fo r ever ; and o ther member s of t h e c o mmu nity ,

e ven tho se wh o would h a ve dealt u nge ner o u sly i n

t h e r st instance benet und e niably from the vicari o u s
,

m e ri t of a s ingl e man Ju st i n thi s s en se i t is p o ssibl e

.

fo r hero so uls to bear o r to share the burden of t h e karma

-

o f hum a nity . By thi s conceptio n o f the t aking o n o f

s i n or rather t h e pa ssing on o f merit the Mah ay ana h as
, , ,

de nitely em e rged fro m the f o rmula of p sychi c i so lati o n

which the H i nayana inherit s from the S amkhya .

In o th e r w o rd s t h e great di fculty of i m agini ng a par

,

t i c u lar karma pa ss ing from i ndividual to i ndivi dual with ,

o u t the pers i stence ev e n o f a subtle b o dy i s avoid e d ,

by t he co nc e pti o n of hu man being s or i ndeed of t h e ,

wh o le u niverse as c o nstituting one li fe or self Thu s

, .

i t is from our ancestors that we receive our karma ,

and no t merely from our o wn past exi stence s ; and

what soever karma we create will be inheri ted by humanity

fo r ever .

Th e f o llowing accoun t of karma is given by a modern

M ah ayani st :

The aggregate acti on s of al l sentient bei ngs give birth
t o t h e varieti e s o f mountai n s rivers c ountrie s e t c
, ,
Th e y , .

a re c a u sed by aggregate a ction s a nd s o a re called aggr e g a t e

,

fruit s Our pre sent l ife i s t h e reecti o n of pa st a cti o ns

. .

Men consider th e se reections a s thei r real selve s Thei r .

2 32
 Sy st e m o f t he M h aya na
a

eye s no se s ears tongu e s and b o die s as well as th e i r

, , , ,

g a rd e n s wood s farms re side nc e s se rva nts and m a id s

, , , , ,

men i magi ne t o b e thei r o wn po sse ssi o n s ; but i n fact , ,

they are only re s ults endle ssly pr o duced by in numerabl e

actions In traci ng everything back to the ulti m ate
.

l i mit s o f the past we cann o t nd a begi nni ng : h e nce ,

i t is sa id that d e ath and birth have no begi nning Agai n .

,

when seeking the ultim at e li mi t of the fu t ure we cannot ,

nd the end 1
.

I t m ay be pointed o u t here just how fa r the d o ctrine

of karm a i s and i s no t fat a li stic I t i s fat a l istic i n the .

sen se that the pre sent i s alw ays det e rm i ned by t h e pa s t ;

but the future rem a i ns free Every action we m a ke .

depend s on what we have come to be at the ti me But .

wh at we a re comi ng to be at any ti me depends on the

directi o n o f the will The karmi c law merely a ssert s .

that thi s d irecti on canno t be a ltered suddenly by the

f o rgivene ss of s in s but mu st be cha nged by our own ,

e ffo rts I f ever the turning of the will appears t o tak e

.

place suddenly that c an only be d ue to the fruiti on of

,

l o ng accumulated late nt te ndencie s ( we co nstantly re ad

th a t Gau tama preached the L aw to such a nd such a o ne ,

forasmuch as he saw that hi s or her intelligence was

fully ripe and in these ca se s c o nvers i o n i mmed iately
,

r e sults) Thus i f we are not d i rectly re sponsibl e fo r o u r

.
,

pre se nt actions we are alway s re sp o n sible for o u r ch a ract e r

, ,

o n which future acti on s depend On thi s acc o unt the .

obj e ct o f Buddhi st moral di scipl ine i s alway s t h e ac c u m u

l atio n of meri t ( p u nya ) that i s t o say the h e api ng up ,

o f grace o r s imply t h e con sta nt i mprovement o f character

, .

The Mah ay ani st doctors rec o g nize ten s tatio ns i n the

S pi ritual ev o l ution of the B o dhisa tt va beginning wi th ,

1
S . K u ro d a, Ou tli nes of tlze M alz ayana P/z i losoplz y .

2 33
 Buddh a 89 "
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
the rs t awakeni ng o f the Wi s d o m heart ( Bo dh i c i t t a) i n -

the warmth of comp assi o n ( k a run a) a nd the light o f

d ivi ne kn o wl e dge ( praja The se st ati o ns are th o se
of
purity e ffulg e nce
burni g hard
jy

o , , n ,
t o ,

a ch i e v e
s h o wi ng

the face going afar O ff no t

, , ,

m o ving to and fro g o od inte lligence and dharma

,

,

cloud .I t i s i n t h e rst stati on th at t h e B o dhisattv a

mak e s th o se pre gn ant re so luti o ns ( prani dh ana) which

d e termine t h e c o urse of hi s future l ive s An exampl e o f .

s uch a v o w i s the re so luti on o f Aval o kitesvara no t t o

a cc e pt s alvatio n unti l t h e l e a s t particle o f du s t shall have

attai ned to Bu ddah o o d b e fore hi m .

I t may b e menti on e d t hat the course (ca riya) of the

B o dhisattva h as thi s advantage that he n e ver come s t o ,

bi rth in any purgatory no r in any u nfav o urable conditi o n

,

o n e arth No r is the B o dhi sattv a required t o culti vat e a

.

d i sgu st fo r the co nditi o ns of l ife ; he d o e s not pra cti se

a m e d itati o n on F o ul Thi ng s l ike the a spi rant fo r ,

A rah at t a The Bodhi sattva s i mply recogniz e s th a t t h e

.

c o nditi o n s of l ife have come t o be what th e y a re that i t ,

i s i n the nature ( t a t t va ok u ta tka s uchness

) of thi ng s t o
'

, ,

be so and h e take s them a ccordi ngly fo r what they a re

,

worth Thi s po siti o n i s nowhere m o re tersely summed

.

up than in the well known Japanese versele t

-

G ra n ted tai s de wdrop world (B

e ou t a de wdro pw orld,

Tk i s g ranted, yet

Thus the new Buddhi s t law was i n no way puritanical and ,

d id no t i nculcate an ab solu t e detachme nt Pleasure .

i nd e e d i s not t o be s o ught as an end i n i tself but it need ,

no t be r ej e cted a s it ari ses i ncident a lly The Bodhi sattva .

share s i n the l ife of the world ; fo r example he h as a ,

wife that h i s super natural genero sity may be seen i n the

,

2 34
 Sy
f t h e M ah ayana
st e m o

gift of wi fe and childre n and fo r the same re a son he may ,

be t h e p o sse ssor of p o wer a nd we alth I f by re aso n o f .

attachment and thi s a ss o ci a ti o n with t h e w o rld s om e

ve nial s ins are unav o idably commi tte d that i s o f littl e ,

con sequence and such si ns are wi ped aw ay i n the l o ve of

,

others : the cardinal sin s of hatred and se lf thinking -

can not b e i magi ned in hi m i n whom the h e art of wi sdom

h as been awake ned I t must not h o wever be s upp o sed
.
, ,

that the Mah ayana i n any way rel axe s the rule o f the
Order ; and even i n the matter of the rem is s ion of S i ns O f
the lai t y i t i s o nly m i no r and i nevitable s hortcoming s
that are consid e red and not del iberate deed s o f evil
, .

And i f t h e Mah ay ana d o ct o rs preach t h e futili ty of

remorse and d i scoura g e ment o n t h e other ha nd they a re ,

by no m e ans qui e ti st s but a dvocate a mysticism fully as

,

pra ctic a l as th a t of Ruy sbro eck .

Th e id e a o f t h e Bodhi sattva c o rre spond s to that o f the

Hero the Superman the Savi o ur and the Avat ar of
, ,

other sy stem s I n thi s connexi o n i t i s i nteresting t o

no te th a t legiti mate pridethe will to p o wer conj o i ned
.

with the b e stowing vi rtuei s by no m e an s al ien t o the

,

Bodhi sa ttva ch a racter but o n the co ntrary I n re spect
of three thing s may pride be borne ma n s w o rk s h i s
, ,

,

t e mptation s and h i s power and the exp o siti o n f o ll o ws

, ,

The prid e of work s l ies i n t h e thought for m e alo ne i s
the task Thi s world en slaved by pas si o n i s p o werl e ss
.
1
, ,

to accompl i sh i t s o wn weal ; then mu st I do i t fo r them ,

for I a m not i mpotent l ike them Sh al l a nother do a .

l o wly ta s k whil e I a m standi ng by ? I f I i n my pride

will not do i t be t ter i t i s that my pride peri sh
, .

1
Cf B
. lk
a e

wh J
Bu t en e su s was c ru c i d
e ,

Th w p f
en as e r e c te d Hi s g ll i g p id
a n r e .

2 35
 Buddh a 89 t h e G o sp e l f Buddhi sm

o

Th e n with rm spiri t I will und o t h e o cca si o ns o f u m

d o i ng ; if I s h o uld be c o nqu e re d by them my a mbiti o n ,

t o c o nquer t h e thre e f o ld w o rld would be a j e s t I will .

c o nquer all ; n o ne S h all conquer me Thi s i s the pri d e .

that I will bea r for I am the so n o f the Co nqu e r o r L i o n s !

,
1

Surr o unded by t h e t ro o p of the pa ssi o n s m an S h o uld

b e c o m e a th o u sand ti me s pr o uder and be as u nconqu e r ,

able to th e i r h o rde s as a li o n to ock s of d e er so ,

i nt o whateve r s trait s he may c o me he wi ll no t f all i nt o ,

the p o wer o f the Pa ss i o n s He will utt e rly giv e h i m se lf .

over to whate ver ta sk a rrive s gre edy fo r t h e work ,

h o w c an he whose h appine ss i s w o rk it se lf be happy i n

d o i ng no work ? He wi ll hold hi m se lf in readin e ss so ,

that even b e fo re a ta sk come s to hi m he i s prepare d t o

turn t o e ve ry course A s the se e d o f the cott o n tre e i s
.
-

sw ayed at the comi ng and going o f the wi nd so will he ,

b e o bedient to h i s re soluti o n ; and t hu s divine power i s

gained .
2

We m ay re mark here an i mporta nt distinctio n betwee n

t h e M ah ay an a and t h e H i n ay ana l ie s in the fact that t h e
f o rm e r i s e ssentially mythic a l and unhi st o ric al ; the
b e lieve r i s i nd e e d w a rnedpreci sely as t h e worshipp e r
, ,

o f K ri shna i s w a rned i n t h e V a i shnava scriptur e s that

the K ri shna Li l a i s no t a hi story but a proces s for ever

unfolded i n the he a rt of manthat matters o f hi st o rical
,

fa ct are wi th o ut rel igi o u s s ignicanc e On thi s acc o u nt . ,

notwith sta ndi ng i t s m o re popular form the M ah ay ana ,

h as b e en ju stly cal led more philo so phical than t h e

1
Bu ddh ft p k f C q
a is O (
en sJi tom m f m i
en ol i as on u e ro r na a er o re a ar

i x i w i t h th f ll w f M havi th J i
n c o nn e on e d
o Li
o ers o a ra, e a nas an as on

( Saky i h t h
as n l ia,f t
'
h S ak y )e on o e a rac e .

2
F m t h B d/ i ya ta f Sha ti D v t l t d b y L D
ro e o z ca r va ra o n e a, ran s a e . .

B arne t t, 1 90 2 .

2 3 6
P LAT E S 2 36
MA I T RE Y A ( B o dhi sa ttva )
Ce yl o n e se b ro n z e 6th y D
c e nt u r A . or l at e r

l
,

Co o mb o M m eu m
 M ah aya n a T h e o l o gy
H i nayana becau se under the f o rms o f re ligiou s o r
,

my stic a l i mage ry it expre sses the unive rsal wh e rea s t he ,

H i nayana cannot set i tself free fro m the dominati o n of

t h e hi stori cal fact 1
.

An i mportant dogmati c distinc t io n t he meaning of wh i ch ,

will b e made clear as we proce ed i s also found i n t h e ,

ne w i nterpretati o n o f the Three R e fug e s I n the H i n a .

y ana these are the Buddha the Dhamma and t h e S a ngha ; , ,

i n the Mah ay ana they are the Buddhas the S o ns of the ,

Buddhas ( Bodhi sattva s b o th i n the speci a l and i n the

wider sense ) and the Dharmak aya , .

M a h ayana Th e ology
The Mah ayan a i s thus di stingui shed by i t s my st i cal
Buddha the o logy Thi s mu st no t b e co nfu sed wi th the .

p o pular and quit e real istic theol ogy of S akka and Bra hm a
recog nized i n e arly Buddhism The Mah ayana Buddha .

th e olo g y as re marked by Rhy s Davi d s i s t he gre a t e s t

,

,

po ssible c o ntradi cti o n to the A gnp gti c Atheism which ,

i s the characteri s ti c of Gautama s syst em Of philo so phy

.

But this O ppo si tion i s si mply the i nevitable c o ntra st of

religi o n and ph ilo sophy relative and abs o lute truth and , ,

tho se who are intere sted i n the science of theol o gy ,

or are t o uched by art will not be l ikely to agree i n ,

de nounci ng the Buddha god s as the invention s o f a

s ickly s ch o l a stici s m h o ll o w ab stracti o n s without l i fe o r ,

re al ity 2
i n th i s c o ntingent world we l ive every day by
1
R . F . J h o nsto n, B u ddh i st Chi na , p 4 M t l ik ly C h i t i i ty
. 1 1 . os e rs an

a sol i n th e n e ar u tu ref w i ll d i b ki g th
su c c e e t gl i g ll i
n re a n e e n an n a anc e

li gi
o f re d hi t on an s or y f m w hi h t h my ti h v l d y l g
,
ro c e s cs a e a re a on

em g d Th
er e . e re c anno t b b l t t th w hi h i t
e an a so u e i bl ru c s no a c c e ss e

t dio t xp ire c e e r e nc e .

2
T W R h y D v id
. . s a s, B u ddh i sm an e ar ly di ti
e on, pp .

2 37
 Buddh a @33 2
th e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
rel ati ve truth s a nd fo r all th o se wh o do no t wi sh t o av o id
,

t h e w o rld o f B e c o mi ng at t h e earl i e s t p o ss ibl e m o m e nt

th e se re lative truth s are fa r fro m lacki ng i n l ife o r re al ity .

Th e M ah ay an a as a thei sti c faith i s so o nly t o the s a m e

e xt e nt a s the Ved ant a that i s to sa it h as a n e so teric
( , y
l
la sp e c t which spe a k s in n e g a tive term s of a Suchn e s s a nd
a V o id wh ich c a nn o t be kn o w n while o n t h e o ther it h as
,

a n ex o t e ri c and m o re elab o rate part in which the Ab so lut e

i s se en thr o ugh t he gla ss o f tim e and space contract e d ,

a nd id e ntied i nto variety Thi s d e vel o pm e nt a ppears in

.

t h e doctri ne o f the Trik aya the Thre e Bod ie s of Buddha

, .

Th e se thre e a re ( 1 ) t h e D h a rmakaya o r Es sence b o dy ;

,
-

s heav e nly ma nife s tati o n i n the S a mhh o a k

( )
2 i t g aya or ,

Body o f Bli ss ; and ( 3 ) the em anati o n tran sfo rmatio n o r

, ,

proj e cti o n th e re o f c a ll e d N i rmana kaya appare nt as the

, ,

vi s ibl e ind ividu a l Buddh a on e arth Thi s i s a s yst e m

.

wh i c h hardly d i ffe rs fro m what i s implied in t h e Chri sti an

d o c trin e o f I ncarnati o n and it i s no t u nlikely th a t
,

b o th Chri sti anity and the M ah ay ana are inherit o rs from

c o mm o n Gn o stic so urce s .

Thu s t he Dh a rmak aya may be c o mpared to t h e Fath e r ;

t h e Sambh o gak aya t o the gure o f Chri s t i n gl o ry ; t h e
N i rm anakaya t o the vi s ible J e su s wh o a nnou nce s i n

human spe e ch that I a nd my F a ther a re One Or again .

with the Ved anta : t h e Dh a rmak ay a i s t h e Brahm an ,

ti mel e ss and unc o nditi o ned ; the Sam b h o gak aya i s realiz e d
i n t h e f o rms o f Isv a ra ; the N i rm anak a a in e very av a t ar
y .

Th e e ssenc e o f all th i ngs t he o ne re a l ity o f which th e i r

,

e e ti ng s h ape s remind u s i s the D harmak aya Th e

, .

D harm ak aya i s no t a p e rs o na l bei ng wh o r e ve a l s

h im se lf t o u s i n a s i ngle i ncarn a ti o n but i t i s the a ll
,

p e rvading a nd tra ce l e ss gro und o f t h e so ul whi c h d o e s ,

no t in fact s u ffe r any modication but appears t o us t o

2 38
 M h aya na T h l gy
a eo o

a ssume a variety o f form s : we read that th o ugh the

Buddha ( a t e rm wh ich we mu st here u nder stand as
i mpe rso nal ) d o e s no t d e part fro m h i s seat i n the towe r
( s tate of D harmak aya ) yet he may a ss ume al l,
a nd

every form whe t her of a Brahm a a g o d or a mo nk or

, , , ,

a phys i cian or a tradesman or an arti st ; he may re veal

, ,

h i m se l f i n eve ry f o rm o f art and i ndu stry i n citi e s o r in ,

vill age s : from the highe st h e aven t o the l owest hell ,

there i s the Dharm ak aya i n which all senti e nt bei ngs ,

a re o ne Th e D h a rmak aya i s t h e i mperso nal grou nd o f

.

Buddhahood fr o m whi ch the perso nal will th o ugh t and ,

l o ve o f innumerable Buddha s a nd Bodh i sattvas ever

pro ceed i n re spon se to the need s of tho se i n wh o m the
perfec t nature i s no t ye t realiz e d I n s om e o f t h e l ater .

pha ses o f the M ah ay ana however t h e D harmak aya , ,

i s p e rs o nied as Adi Buddha ( sometime s Vai ro c ana) -

wh o i s then t o be regarded a s t h e Supre m e Bei ng ab o v e ,

a ll other Buddhas and who se s akti is Pra a aram i t a

, j p .

Dharmak aya i s c o mm o nly tran slated B o dy o f the L aw

,

but i t must no t be i nterpre ted merely as equival e nt to t h e

s u m of the s criptures Th e fath o mle ss being o f Buddha
.

h o o d accordi ng to the Mah ay ana i s s omethi ng more

, ,

than the i mmort ali ty of the i ndividual i n hi s d o ctrine ;

we mu st u nd e rst and D harma here as the 0 m o r L og os .

To underst and t h e meani ng of D harmak aya m o re fu lly

we mu st tak e i nt o acc o unt al so its sy no nym s fo r ,

e x a mple S va a h a va k
aya o r own nature b o dy like h
(
'

, , t e -

Brahm anic al sva rupa o wn Ta t t va or such

, ,

n e ss S u nya t h e v o id o r aby ss N i rvana t he e te rna l

,

, , ,

l ib e r ty S a nz ad/z zkaya ra pture body B odh i wi sd o m

,
'

-

, , , ,

n
d ivi ne k nowledg e T a rhh a
w mb

i a , a th a a ta
g g o ,
-
,

of th o se wh o attai n .

S o me of these terms must be further consi dered The .

2 39
 Buddh a 869 t h e G o sp e l 9
o f Buddhi sm

V o id
x a mpl e i s no t by any mea ns
fo r e ,

na ught but
, ,

S i mply t h e a b se nc e o f ch a r a cteri s tic s ; the D h a rm ak ay a i s

vo id j u st as t h e Bra hm a n i s n ot so not so a nd as

, ,

D u ns Sc o tu s s ays that G o d i s no t i mpr o perly c a ll e d
N o thi ng I t i s pre ci sel y fr o m the undetermin e d th at
.

evoluti o n i s i maginabl e ; where there i s n o thi ng there i s

r o o m fo r e ve rythi ng The void ne ss o f thing s i s the no n
.

e xi st e nce o f thing s i n th e m se lve s o n which s o much stre ss

-
,

i s rightly laid i n e arly Buddh i sm The phra se Own .

natur e b o dy e mpha s i ze s the th o ught

I am that I am .

B o dhi i s the wi sdom h e art whi ch aw a ke ns with t h e -

d e t e rm i nati o n to bec o me a Buddha

Such ne ss m ay b e .

t ak e n t o me a n i n e vit ability o r spont aneity th a t t h e , ,

highe st cause of everything mu st needs be in t he thi ng

i t se lf .

A special mea ning att a che s to the name Praja o r Praja

p aramit a v i z Supre me K no wl e dge Re aso n U nd e rst and
, .
, ,

i ng S o phi a ; fo r t h e na me Prajaparami t a i s appli e d

,

t o the chief o f the Mah ay an a s cripture s or a gr o up of ,

s cripture s s ig nifying the d ivin e kn o wl e dge which they

,

e mbody and s h e i s a l s o p e r s o nied as a f e mini ne divi nity

,
.

A s o ne with t h e D harmak ay a s h e is the kn o wl e dg e o f the

Aby ss t h e Buddhah o o d i n which the i nd ividu al B o dhi
,

s attva pa sse s a way But a s Rea so n o r U nd e rsta ndi ng S h e

.

i s T a th ag a t a g arb h a t h e W o mb or M o ther o f the Buddha s

-
, ,

and t h e so urc e fro m whi c h i ssue s t h e variety of thi ng s ,

b o th m e ntal and phys ical 1

I n H indu ph rase o l o gy S h e i s
. ,

t h e S akti o f the Supre me t h e power o f ma nif e s t a ti o n ,

in se p a rabl e from that which M anife st s : sh e i s De vi M aya , ,

o r P ra k

ri t i the O ne wh o i s al so the many
,
I n the .

1 P i ly
re c se as th e Z e ro m ay b e re g dd
ar e as a W mb b i g t h
o ,
e n e su m an d

so u rc e o f an i it
n n i pl
e se r e s o f u s an d o f minu s q t i ti
u an h e s, su c as th e

Ex t mre es or P i
a rs o f o pp i t os e s of th e re al ti v w l d
e or .

2 4 0
 N i rv a na
root she i s all Brahman ; i n the s t em she is all illusion ; i n
- -

the ower she is a ll world ; and i n the fruit all l ibera t ion - -

Ta nt ra Ta tt va ) 1
.

N i rv ana
The Mah ayana doc t rine o f N i rv ana require s somewhat
le ngthier con s i dera tion We have seen that in earl ier .

Buddhism N ibb ana meant the dyi ng out of the re s of

passion resentme nt and i nfa t uation and the d is solu t i o n
, , ,

o f the individual perso nal ity but what more or le s s than

,

thi s i t meant metaphysically Gautama woul d not say , ,

and he pl a inly c o ndemn s speculation as unedi fyi ng .

M ah ayani st s howe v e r do no t he s itate t o devel op a far

reaching i deal i s m s i milar t o that of the Ved anta and , ,

l o gically develop the early Buddhism phenomenalis m

i nto a comple t e nih il ism whi ch as we have seen declares , ,

1
N tu e ari eth say s Be h me n i n th e o town wo d o f th e di v i ne
a r s ,

,

u r

p p ti
e rc e d k wl d g
o n an Th w i d m i th g
no e t M y t y f th
e .

e s o s e re a s er o e

di vi t ; f
n e n a u re i h th p w
or l n d vi t er md e o e rs, c o o u rs an r ues are a e

m if t ; i h i th v i ti
an es n er f th p w s d th v i t
e ar a i th on o e o e r an e r u e, v z e

d t di gth t i th di vi
.

un d t di g h i th di i
e rs an n : s e s e v ne un e rs an n a s, e ne

v i i w h i th U i ty i m if t
s o n, e re n e i w hi h th i m g f
n s an es n c e a es o

an gl d l hv b
e s an so u s f m t i ty a e th i hv l i
e e n se e n ro e e rn e re n a e a n

all t hi g i ly g d
n s n o ne o n i m g l i t h hid i p i ro u n fw ,
d
a s an a e e n a ec e o oo

b f th ti d th v i t t d f hi i t ( Th Cl i )
e o re e ar cer o c ar e ou an as on

e av s .

ti m ti B h ma V i h M h d th

A t th e f e o c re a on ra ,
s nu , a e sv ara an o er

dv e as areb f th b d y f t h t b g i
o rn O i gl e d t o l K al ika
o a e nn n e ss an e e rna ,

d t th ti m f di l t i th y g i di pp i H (I Vi a
an a e e o sso u on e a a n sa e ar n er rv na

T t )
a n ra K al ik a i
. f th m y m f D vi S k t i P k i t i
s o ne o e an na es o e ,
a , ra r ,

Pa v ti K al i w i d m th t h th t p
r a ,
t h i , U ma th
e c : s e s as ,
e s o a a ea e n u

my m i d d i d m f th
n an r f I d my
e ( Tay ma
o e ) se nse O an

u navar :

wh w i t h th
o b l t i p bly i bl d d w w i th
e a so u e n se t ara s en e as o er sc e n , as

su n an d y l ifra , d b d
as y h hie l dan ll l i v i g t hi g w i t h
o er c re n , a n n s

l bl i mb i l
c e ase e ss ss a i hi g ( Ch i d mb S wam i ) I t i t
ro s a no u r s n

a ara . s no

w i th t i g i
ou s th t th
n t di t i
can c e l m fG tm a et h ly ra o na na e o au a

a s e ar

m t h i May a
o er s .

Q 2 4 1
 Buddh a 89 1
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
tha t t h e whole world of becoming i s t ruly void and
unreal .

Thi s nihili s m i s carried to i t s farthes t extreme i n works

s uch as the P rajii ap ara mi t as and t h e Vajra cch edi k

1
a

S ut ra we read for example i n the la tt er w o rk
, ,

And again O Su b h u t i a gift shoul d no t be given by

, ,

a B o dhi sattva while he still believe s i n t h e re al i ty o f

,

o bjec t s ; a gift should no t be given by hi m whi le h e yet

beli e ve s in any t h ing ; a gi ft sh o uld no t be given by h i m

wh il e he still believe s i n f o rm ; a gi ft S houl d no t b e give n
by hi m whi le he st ill bel ieves i n the special qual itie s o f
sound s m e ll ta st e and t ouch
, , And why ? B e cau se
, .

that B o dhi sat tva O Su b h u t i wh o give s a gi ft with o ut

, , ,

bel ievi ng in anyth ing t h e measure of hi s s t ock of meri t,

is not easy t o learn l
And this denial of entity i s carried t o t h e logical ex t reme
of denyi ng the e xistence o f s cripture :
Then what do you think O Su b h u t i i s there any , ,

doctrine that was preached by the Tath agata Su b h u t i

s aid : N ot s o ind e e d O Worshipful Th e re i s not any
, , ,

thing t hat was preached by t h e Tath agata .

Eve n more s tri king i s the famous M iddle Pa t h of Eigh t

N oes of N ag arju na :

There i s no production (u tp ada ) no destruction (u cch eda ) , ,

no annihilation ( ni rodh a ) no p e rs i stence (sasva ta ) no un ity , ,

ek m
( art h a ) no plur a lity n anart h a
, ( ) no coming i n (g
a a a n a
) , ,

and no g o ing forth

Thi s view however i s not properly t o be understood as
, ,

mere nihili sm ; i t i s constantly empha s ized tha t things of

1
So ca ll d b
e e c au se h y t t t l g t h f th Si x P f ti
t e re a a en o e e r ec o ns ( P ara
mz tas)

of a Bo dhi ttv sa d th l t f t h
a, an i p ti l e as o e se n ar c u ar . Th e Si x
P f e r e c ti o ns are da h i ty ; i l m l i t y ; kh a ti m k
n a, c ar s a, ora s n ,
ee ne ss

v z ry a ,

e ne r gy ; dhyana , m di t ti ; d p jna w i d m
e a on an ra , s o .

2 4 2
 Nagarju na
all kinds neither exis t nor d o no t exis t We may under .

stand this mi ddle view i n ei ther of two ways : as the

d o ctrine that of tha t which i s other th an phenom e nal th e re

cannot be any pre dication of exi st ence o r non exi st e nc e ; -

o r as t he d octrine tha t fro m t h e s ta ndp o int o f the A b so

lute things have no exis t ence while fro m the standpoint
, ,

of the Rela t ive t hey have a rela t ive being , .

The lat ter view is d is t inc t ly main t ained by Nagarju na ,

wh o lik e A sv agh o sa mus t have been o riginally a Brah

, ,

man and l ived about the end o f the sec o nd century

,

A D . The M iddle View j ust menti oned i s se t fo rth by

.

hi m i n the M adhya mi ka szct ras And here N ag arju na '

.

gives a very clear answer t o the objection that i f all be ,

Void then t h e Four Ariyan Truths t h e Order of

,

,

B rethren and Buddha h imself must be con sidered to be

,

and h ave been unreal : he meet s the d i fculty precisely as

Sank arac ar a meets t h e incon s i s t encies of the U pani shad s
y ,

by saying that the Buddha speaks of t wo truth s the one ,

Truth i n t h e highes t sen se absol ute the other a c o nv e n , ,

t i o nal and relative t ruth ; he wh o doe s not comprehend

the d istinction of these cannot unders t and the deeper
i mport of the t eaching of t he Buddha 1
.

1
Th e W
d t w i ll f m t w i th i m i l
e ste rn stu t di ti n
en o c o u rse ee s ar c o n ra c o s

i th
n Ch i ti g p l W h C h i t y I d my F th
e rs an
os e s . en rs sa s an a e r are

O th t i
ne ,

b l t t th ; w h H p k p t h
a s a so u e ifru en e s ea s u on e c ro ss a s
f k by th F th th t i
o rsa en

l t i v t th ly W h H y
e a e r, a s a re a e ru on . en e sa s

th t M y h
a h th g
ar d p t th t h ll t b t k w y f m
as c o se n e oo ar a s a no e a en a a ro

h th t i
e r, b l t ; b t w h H mm d t
a s a so u e d t C u en e co an s us o re n e ru n o ae sar

t h t hi g t h t C H g i g i th lm f l ti v i ty
e n s a are ae sar s, e re c o n z es a a n e re a o re a .

H l i t m y b id th t h wh d
e re a so t a g i th di
e sa a e o o e s no re c o n ze e s

ti ti
nc f l ti v
on o nd b l t t th nn t b id t d t d th
re a e a a so u e ru , ca o e sa o un e rs an e

g p l f Ch i t
os e o rs .

2 43
 Buddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
The Mah ay ana is thu s far from afrming t hat N i rvana i s
non existence pure and si mple it d o es no t hesitate t o say
-

that t o l o se o u r l ife i s to s ave i t N i rvana i s positive .

,

or po s itively i s ; even fo r t he individual i t ca nnot be sai d

to come t o be or to be entered into ; i t merely comes t o
,

b e re al ized so s oon a s that ignoranc e i s overc o me wh ich

,

o b s cure s the knowledge of our real freedom which ,

no thing h as ever i nfri nged or ever can infringe ,N i rvana .

i s that which i s not lacking i s no t acquire d i s not inter , ,

mittent i s no t non intermi t tent i s not subject t o destruct i on

,
-
, ,

and i s no t created whose s ign i s the absence of s ign s which

, ,

transcend s al ike non Being and Being The Mah ayana

-
.

N i rvana cannot be b e tter explained than in t h e words o f the

great S afi A l H ujwi ri- When a man becomes anni hilated
from h i s a ttributes h e attain s to pe rfect s ub s i st ence he is ,

neither near nor far neither s tranger no r intimate neither

, ,

so ber no r intoxic a ted nei ther separated no r u nited ; he

,

h as no name or s ig n or brand or mark ( K a shf a l M a h

, ,
-

j )
a b .I t i s the realizati o n of the i nnite lov e a nd i n nite

wi sdom where knowledge and love alike pro clai m identity

, ,

th a t c o n stitute thi s N irvana He in wh o m the H eart of .

Wisdom awakes however does no t shri nk from future

, ,

rebi rths but plunges hi m self in t o the ever ru shing

,

current of Sam sara and sacrices hi mself to save h i s

fellow creatures from being eternally drowned in i t He .

does not shrink from experience fo r j u st as the lotu s

,

o we rs do not grow on t h e d ry land but spring from the ,

d a rk and w a tery mud so i s i t wi th the Heart of Wi sdom

, ,

i t i s by vi rtue of passion and si n that the seeds and

sprout s of Buddhaho o d are able to gro w and no t fro m ,

i nacti o n and eternal an nihilation ( Vi ma la ki rt i S tura )

-
.

Mah ay ana no n duality cul minates in the magnicen t

-

paradox o f the iden t ity of N i rvana with the Sams ara ,

2 44
 M h aya na My st i i m
a c s

the no n dis t inc t i on of the u nshow n and the shown

-

this O u r worldly l ife i s an activi ty of N i rvana i tself no t ,

the slighte st distincti on exist s between them ( N ag ar

j una M adhya mi ka S ast ra ) Thi s view i s expre ssed with
, .

dramatic force i n t he aphorism Ya s klesa s so hodhi ya s , ,

sa msara s t a t n i rvana m That whi ch i s si n i s also Wisdom

, ,

the real m of Becomi ng i s also N i rvana 1

O ne and the .

same is the hear t of Suchness and the Hear t of B irth and -

Dea t h what i s i mm o rtal and what is mortal are

harmoniously blended for they are not one nor are they , ,

s eparate I f the t ru t h i s no t t o b e
found in our everyday experience i t will no t be found by ,

searching elsewhere .

M a h ayana myst i c i sm
I t scarcely need s to be poin t ed out though i t i s i mpor t ant ,

to realize th a t this i s the ulti mate posi t ion to whi ch the

,

mysti cs of every age and inheritance have ulti mately

returned I t i s that of Blake when he says t hat the noti on
.

that a man h as a body di sti nct fro m h i s s o ul mus t be

expunged and that i t i s o nly bec au se t h e doors o f per
,

c e p t i o n are closed b y ignor a nce that we d o not se e all

thi ng s a s they a re i n nit e I t i s th a t of K abi r when he

, .

s ay s i n the home i s real ity ; the h o me h e lps t o attai n

H i m who i s real I beh o ld H i s beauty eve rywhere ; and

when he ask s What i s the di fference betw e e n t h e rive r
,

and i t s waves ; becaus e i t h as bee n named as wave shal l ,

1
ya m i m i th t t l i ti i t f m t h
M ah a na on s s l i ty f
us o a s c : a r s e u nre a O

ph m e no e na as su c

h b t q lly i m t h i i g i u T hi l if i
e ua a r s e r s n c anc e . s e s
,

a d m b t t w i th t m i g T h i
re a ,
u no ti ou f t hi e an n . e re s no sanc on or s

d ti i
o c r nely B ddhi m d i
n e ar pl i t i l
u d m d by
s ,
an n o ne ac e s a so c o n e ne

A ghsvah b os af t h d v i l
as
( Th A w k i
o rng foF i th t e e e a en n o a ,
ran s .

T S ki p g 3 7) p h p i t w m ti m m i d t d i th
. uz u ,
a e 1 er a s as so e es su n e rs o o n e

f L t
se nse o t d i k db m
e y f t m w w di
u s ea , rn an e e rr , or o -
o rro e e .

2 45
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
it longe r b e c o n sidered water ?
no I t i s that of Behmen

whe n he say s the Eno c hi an l i fe i s i n this world yet as ,

i t were swallowed up i n the Myste ry ; b u t i t i s not alt e re d

in i t se l f i t i s only wi t hd rawn from our S ight and our
,

sense ; for i f our eyes were o pened we should see i t 1
,

Paradi se is stil l upon earth and only because of o u r ,

self thinking and self willing we do no t see and hear

- -

God 2
I t i s that of Whi tman whe n he say s there will
.
,

never be any more perfection t han there i s no w nor any ,

m o re of h e aven or hell than t here i s now and inquires , ,

W hy should I wish to see God bet t er t han t his day ?

S t ra ng e a nd h a rd t h a t p a ra dox t ru e I g i v e ,
0 h/ect s g ross a nd th e u n see n sou l a re o n e .

Th e B u ddh as
I n t h e re a l m o f absolu t e ( p a ra marth a ) t ruth we may s peak
o nly o f the D harmak aya as void But th e re exist s al s o .

for u s a real m of relative ( sa mvri tt i ) truth wh e re t h e

Ab solute i s made mani fe st by name and form ; t o the
dw e ll e rs i n heaven as Sambh o gak aya the B o dy o f Bli ss , ,

and t o th o s e o n ear t h as N i rm anak aya the Body o f ,

Tran s fo rmation .

The Sambhogak aya is the Buddha or Buddhas regarded

as G o d in h e ave n determined by nam e and fo rm but
, ,

om ni scient o m nipre se nt and withi n the law of c a u sality

, , ,

O mnip o t en t A Buddha i n t his sense i s identical with

.
, ,

1
Th e F orty Qu esti ons .

2
Di l g
Th e Sup ersensu a l L if e, Cl ly p ll l t p g f a o ue 1 . o se ara e o a assa e O

t m k Sut C hi l d f B ddh t h i t v l ivi g

th A e va a sa a ra o u a, e re s no e e n o ne n

b i g th t h
e n t t h w i d m f t h T t h ag t
a as n o e It i ly b
s o fo e a a a. s on e c au se o

th i v i
e r th g h t d ff t i th t ll b i g
a n ou an at i
ec o nsf a a e n s are no c o nsc o u s o

t hi

s .

9 6
 Th e Buddh as

the Brah manical I sv ara wh o may be worshipped under
,

variou s names ( e g as Vishnu or as Siva) the worshipper

. .
,

attaini ng the heaven ruled b y hi m whom he worship s ,

though he know s tha t all of t hese forms are :es se ntially

one and the same The Mah ayana does i n fac t multiply
.

t h e number of Buddhas indenitely and quite l ogi cal ly ,

s i nce i t i s the goal of every indi vidual t o become a

Buddha The natu re of t hese Buddhas and thei r heaven s
.

wi ll be bes t real ized i f we describe the most popular of all ,

whose name i s Amit abha o r Am ida , .

A mit abha Buddha rule s o ver the heaven Su kh av at i the ,

Pure L and or We stern Paradise With h i m are associated

.

the h is t orical Gautama as earthly emanation and the ,

B o dh is a ttva Aval o kite svara as the Saviour ( Plate R ) .

The history of Am it abha relates that ma ny l o ng ages ago

he was a great king wh o left h is throne to become a
,

wanderer and he at t ained t o Bo dhi sat t v ah o o d under the

,

guidance of the Buddha tha t i s the human Buddha then

, ,

manife st ; and he made a series of great vows bo t h to ,

beco me a Buddha for t he s ake of saving al l l iving thing s ,

and to cre ate a heaven where the souls of the ble ssed
m igh t enjoy an age long state of happi ness wisdom a nd
-
,

purity The eighteenth of these vows is the chief s ource

.

of the popular dev e lopmen t o f Amidism as the bel ief of ,

the worshippers of Ami tabha is s tyled This vow runs as .

f o ll o w s

When I become Buddha le t al l l iving beings of the ten
,

regi o ns o f t he u niverse maintain a co ndent and joyful

f a ith in me ; let them concentrate their lo ngings on a re
birth in my Paradi se ; and let them call up o n my name ,

though it be o nly t e n t imes or l e ss : then provided o nly ,

th e y have no t been gu ilty of the ve heinous sins and ,

h ave no t slandered or vilied t he t rue religion the ,

2 47
 Buddh a 863
the G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
desi re of s uch being s t o be b o rn in my Paradi se will be
surely fullled I f thi s be no t so may I never receive
. ,

the perfec t enlightenment of Bu ddaho o d .

Thi s i s a fully develope d doctri ne of salva t ion by faith .

The parallel with some forms of Chris t ianity i s very

.

cl o se Amit abha both draws men t o himself and
,

sent his son Gau t ama t o lead men to h im and he is ,

ever acces sible t hrough t h e holy spirit of Avalokitesvara .

The e fcacy of death bed repent ance i s admit t ed ; and i n

-

any case the dying Am id ist should contempla t e the

gl o ri ous gure of Ami tabha just as the dyi ng Catholi c ,

xes h is eyes upon t h e Crucix upheld by the priest wh o

ad mini sters ex t reme uncti on The faithful Amidist i s .

carried i mmediat ely t o h e aven and is there reborn with a ,

spi ritual body with in the calyx of one o f the lo t use s of the
sacred lak e But those of le ss vir t u e mu st wait lo ng
.

before their l o t u s expand s and un t il the n they can no t se e

,

Go d . Tho se wh o have committed o ne o f the ve h e inou s

s i ns and yet have called on A mi tabha s name mu st wai t
,

,

for countles s age s a period of ti me beyo nd concepti o n

, ,

before t heir owers O pen ; j ust as accordi ng t o B e h me n , ,

t hose soul s that depart from the body without Chri st s

body hanging as i t were by a t hread must wait for the
, ,

last day ere they come f o rth

, Another Mah ayani st id e a.
,

that the heaven of 3 Buddha i s coextensive with the

univers e is also t o be found i n Behmen wh o to t he
, , ,

ques t ion Must no t t he soul leave t he body at death and

, ,

o either t o heaven or hell ? answer There i s verily
g s ,

no s uch kind o f ent e ring i n ; fora s much as heaven and

hell are everywh e re bei ng universally e xte nded

, Stri ctly .

speaki ng t h e heaven o f Ami tabh a c ann o t be ide nti e d

,

with N i rvana but i s a Buddha e ld where prepara ti o n

,
-
,

fo r N i rvana is com pleted .

24 8
 Th e Buddh as
The foll o wing Table will exh ibi t the complete scheme of
Mah ayana Buddh o l o gy :
A D I BU D D H A

C e nt ra l East i S o u th W e st N o rth

B u ddh as
Vai ro c ana Aksh o b ya R at nasa mbh av a Am i t a h a b A mogh asiddh a

B odhi sat tv as
Samantabh adra Vajrap ani R atnapani A vl
a o ki te s v ara Vi svapani
or
Padm ap ani
B uddh as
K aku sandh a K o nagammana K p assa a G au ta ma M e tte ya

The Mah ayana pan t heon however i s ex t ended far beyond

, ,

thi s s imple s cheme t o includ e more than v e hundred

,

d ivinitie s : in the w o rd s o f L afcadio Hearn

a mo st ,

a ncient s horele ss se a of form s i ncomprehe ns ibly inter

cha nging and i nterming l ing but symbol izi ng the pro t ean ,

magi c o f that innite U nknown t hat shapes and reshape s

for ever all c osmi c being Of al l th e se di vini t ie s so me
.

furth e r account i s give n below but there mu st be men ,

t i o ne d here Prajaparam i t a the Bodhisattva s M anj u s ri ,

( Plate D D ) and the Ch i ne se Ti tsang and Kwa nnon -

( k w an i n
y Plat
, e s GG H H ) and
, al s o the T ar a
,s or
Sav i o u re sse s wh o are femi nine d ivi nitie s rec o g nized fro m ,

about the sixth century A D as embodying the principle of

. .

Grace i n the Bodh isattva s The full d e vel o pme nt of this

.

panthe o n take s pl a ce duri ng t h e rst twelve centurie s A D . .

,

th o ugh i t s begi nni ng s are e arl ier I ts n al elaboration .

i n L a maisti c Buddhi s m c o ntinu e s later .

W e mu st now c o n sider the N i rm anak aya the plane o f ,

tho se Buddh a app e ara nce s whi c h are emanated or pro

-

e c t e d from t h e Sambh o g a k aya a s magic a l earthly a

j p
ari t i o ns a doctrine of revelation i n respon se to the
p ,

s pi ri tual needs of sentie nt bei ng s We have al ready s e en .

2 49
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
that at an early stage o f Buddhism Gautama i s a lready made
t o a frm that he i s no t a man but a Buddha ; h e re i n a
, ,

dev e l o pme nt si milar to that of Chri stian D o ceti sm we ,

nd t h e view put forward that the earthly Buddha s are

not l iving men but gh o st s o r form s o f th o ught a cting as
, ,

vehicl e s o f t h e s avi o ur will which led t h e Bodhi sattva t o

-

the a bys s o f Buddhahood I n part no doubt thi s re pre

.
, ,

se nt s an attempt t o e t over the l o gical di fculty pre se nted

g
by the continued survival of the pers o n Gautama for
m any years after the attainm e nt o f that enlight e nme nt
wh ich cuts t h e conn e cting bond s of the spiritual compou nd
known as pers o nality ; this continuance h as al so been
aptly compared to the c o ntinu e d spi nni ng o f t he p o tt e r s

wheel for S ome ti me after the hand o f the potter h as b e en

'

removed the nal phy si cal d e ath o f the b o dy bei ng

,

l ikened to the subsequent s t opping of the wheel .

Conve ni e nt M e a ns
I nti mately associated with t h e doc t rine o f emana t ion i s
th at o f C o nve nient Mean s (upaya ) : the Heart o f Wi sd o m
abidi ng i n the U nity cre at e s particular m e an s o f salva ti o n
N
( g j )
a a r u na The .k no wled e o f th e se m e a n s i s o ne of
g
the perfe ctions of Buddhah o o d and is the power of ,

response t o t h e i nnite varie t y o f the spiritual need s of

se ntient beings The vari ous form s which t h e divine
.

Tath agat a assumes revealing h im self in t h e right plac e

, ,

at the righ t ti me and never mi ssi ng the right o pp o rtuni ty

and t h e right word thes e m anife station s c o n stitut e the
,

N i rmanakaya To a cert a in ex t ent the doctrine of upaya

.

corresp o nd s to the re ady wi t o f such te achers as Buddha

o r Christ wh o with l ittl e e ffo rt so e ffectually render
,

ai d to th o se wh o seek them and no less e ffe ctually c o n

,

fou nd thei r Opponents : admirably illus t ra t ed for example , ,

2 5o
 C o n v e n i e nt M e an s

i n Gau t ama s d e al ing with G o t ami t h e Slender and i n ,

many well known anecdotes of Jesus Of either it may

-
.

be said ,

H e i s th e A nsw erer ,

Wh a t ca n he a nswe r

d he a nsw e rs, an d wh a t ca n not he
a nsw e r d h e sh ows h ow i t

ca nn ot

he a nswe r d .

Th is is als o a d octrine of the graduation of tru t h : faiths

are not d ivided in t o the t rue and the fal se but are so ,

many rung s of the ladder so many separat e ladders tha t , ,

lead t o One U nknown The d octrin e o f upaya i mpl ies .

t h e perfec t unders t anding of human need s by tha t divine

intellige nce th at knows no need in itself save that i mplied ,

i n the s aying E t erni ty i s i n love wi th th e p rodu ct i ons of t i me

,

the only reas on we c an allege for the desire of t h e One to

becom e many Thi s perfect understanding
. as of fath e r ,

with so comrade with comrade lover with mistres s d o es
n ,
1
, ,

not clash with the intellectual recognition of the god s as

m an m a de and this the H indus have beauti fully r e con
-
,

ciled with the i dea of Grace in the adoration Thou tha t ,

doe st take the forms i magined by Thy worshippe rs
address e d indeed by Saiva s t o S iv a but no l e ss appropriate
, , ,

to the thought of the Mah ayana The doctri ne of up aya .

is c o mparable al s o with the thought H e make s h im self ,

as we are that we may be as He is The arts and

.
,

r ligion
e s o f the world are all so many u payas one source ,

one end o nly with d iversi ty of mean s

, .

A sec o nd Mah ay ana scho o l i n so me re spe cts d ivergent ,

fro m the M adhy a mik a school of Nagarju na i s the Y o ga ,

c ara sch o o l o f A sanga and Va su b andh u Here three .

kind s o f kn o wledge are rec o gniz e d i n place of two ; but

t wo of th e se thre e are merely a s ubdivisi on of rela t ive
1
B h ag avad Gi ta,

xi , 44 .

2 5 1
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
kn o wledge i nt o posi tive e rror and relative kn o wledge
,

pro p e rly so called We have thu s i n place of sa mvri t t i

- .

and p aram a rth a sa t a

y
( ) I P a ri ka l i ta
p sa tya , for example when , we mis t ake a
ro pe fo r a snake .

( )
2 P a ra ta n t ra sa tya for example when w e recognize, ,

the r o pe as a ro pe .

ari s a nna sa tya when we recognize tha t

rope i s
( 3)

P ,

a m e re concept and h as no b e ing as a thing i n it sel f

, .

Of which ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) are t ogether samv ri tt i and ( 3 ) is

p a ra mart h a .

The Y o g ac aras al s o maintain a form of i deal ism which

di ffe rs fro m the ab so lu t e ag nostici s m of the M adhyamikas .

Accordi ng to the f o rmer there doe s really exist a cosmi c , ,

no t i mp e rs o al M i d called A laya v iji u i na the All

1
'

n n , ,
-
,

c o nt a ini ng or Ever enduring Mind All thing s in the

,
-
, .

unive rse re st i n o r rather c o nsi st of t hi s su b st rat e I t i s

'

, .

so m e tim e s co nfu sed wi th the Suchness ; but ac t ually

it c o rre sp o nd s ra ther to t h e sag u na ( qu al ied) tha n the
n i rg u na ( unqualied ) Brahman of the Brahman s I t pro .

vide s the ba si s fo r a sort o f Pla t o ni c ide ali s m ; fo r ,

a ccording to the Y o g ac aras i t i s in thi s C o smi c M i nd ,

th at t h e germ s o f all thi ngs exi st in their ideali ty I n .

other word s t he o bjective worl d con si sts entirely of mi nd

,

stu ff and i t i s the i llu si o n born of ign o ra nce th at project s

,

the real idea s into an external and phenomenal universe .

CH A N , 0 R Z E N B UD D H I S M

III .

We have so far se t fo rth t h e Mah ayana accord i ng t o t he

M adhyamika school of N ag arju na and the Y o g ac ara sch o o l
of A sanga with i llu strati o n o f the Sambh o gak aya acc o rd
,

ing t o t h e se ct of the Amidi sts and with so me notice ,

1
H e nc e th e Y o gac ara s are c o mm ly p k
on s o e n o f as Vijnanavadi ns .

2 5 2
 Ch
an , o r Z en B u ddhi sm
of other special cults part i cularly t hat o f Avalokitesvara
, .

We shall now noti ce at greater length another phase o f

the Mah ay ana l ikewise of I ndian origin and of s omewhat
, ,

later devel o pment i n China and Japan This i s the s cho o l .

of Bod hidharma known i n China as Ch an and i n Japan
, ,

as Zen Buddhism from the I ndian word j h ana or D hyana

,

al ready explained Thi s Ch an or Zen Buddhi sm t hough
.
, ,

i n a practical and m ore or less i nti mate way associ at ed wi th

the cult of Am it abha represen t s the more phi los o phical and
,

my sti c a spect of the Mah ayana and is es se ntially i ndi f

,

fe re nt to i conolatry and to scriptural authori ty Thi s .

pha se of Mah ayana i s little determ ined by special forms ,

and can s carce ly be sai d to hav e any other creed than

that the kingdom of heaven is i n the heart o f man Thi s .

school of thought most fully represent s the Mah ayana as

a world religion ; for however at t ractive and pi cture sque
may be t he i mage ry o f Ami tabha s Western Paradi se
,

h o wever t ender the legenda ry h istorie s of t he deied

Buddhas and Bodhisat tvas t hese vi sions of a material
,

and sectarian paradi se and these personal d ivinities can

,

clai m univers al accep t ance no more t han tho se of any

other thei sti c system Ch an B uddhism di ffers from the
.

orthodox and popular M ah ay ana of the thei sti c St ras

j ust as the teaching of Christ and of the Christian my sti cs
d i ffers from the sy stemati c Chri stianity of t h e Churche s .

Furthermore i t i s i n clo se all ia nce with Taoist phil o sophy

, ,

and constitute s no t merely a religi on but the essential ,

culture of the Far Ea st ndi ng full expression not only

,

i n bel ief but practically in l i fe and art

, .

Ch an Buddhism was founded i n China by t h e patriarch
Bodhidharma claimed to be the twen ty eighth i n apos t oli c
,
-

successi o n from Gautama i n the year 5 2 7 This great

, .

man whose Chinese m inis t ry l as t ed for only nine years

, ,

2
53
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
and whose personality h as yet i mpressed itself so d e eply
o n the memory o f the Far East wa s o f a tacitur n and ,

even f a rou ch e di sp o siti on and li ttle incl i ned t o s u ffer ,

fools gladly He S pent the nine ye ars of h is l ife i n China

A D 52
.

o L in monastery near L oyang

( .
7 .
5 3 6 ) i n the Sha , ,

achieving littl e popul arity and earned the nick name o f ,

-

t h e Wall gazing Brah man The essence of hi s d o c t rine
- .

a ssert s that the B uddha i s not to be f o und in i mages and

b o oks but i n the heart of man H is followers as the

, .
,

name of the school i mpl ies lay great st re ss on medita ,

tion ; they avoid the slavish worship of i mages the fet ters ,

o f authority and the evil s of prie st craft 1 , .

The fundamental principle of Ch an or Zen Buddh i s m

, ,

may b e summed up in t h e expre ssion th at th e Un i verse i s

t h e scrip t u re of Z e n or m o re philos o ph i cally the id e ntity
2
, ,

of the Many and the O ne of Sam sara with the Brahman , ,

Thi s with That Actual s cri pture i s worthless in the lett e r

. ,

and o nly v a luable fo r that to wh ich i t lead s ; and t o t h at g o al .

there are other gu ides t han t h e writ t en page or S po ken word .

1
It m pp d h w v t h t th w id diff i f Ch
us t no t be su o se , o e e r, a e e us on o

an

id i C hi h d
e as n w y w i th i t l w hi p
na as v wi th p
o ne a a r ua o rs ,
or e en su er

s ti t i onTh . d f t h C hi e l ym
c re e i th o t i i e n e se a an , as n o e r c o u n r e s, s

oft d i t i l d p ti t i
e n c ru e, rra h i l i bl t m i t k
o na ymb l
,
an su e rs ou s e s a e o s a e s o

f or O bj ti v t th ; d h i p t t
ec e ru m th t f i th i
an f i t e s a o assu e a a s a su c en

g f hi t i f t R F J h t B ddh i t Ch i p 96
t
u aran e e o s or c ac . . . o n s o n, u s na , . .

Th C h d A m idi p ti p ti v ly p hi l p hi l my t i

e an an st ar e s, re s ec e o so ca or s c,

an d d v ti el l ly ll i dg g
o o na hiare c o se ft tt h d a e or eo u s s r n e s are o en a ac e

m t i v y m h C h i t i my ti i m i
,

t Ch itd

o an o nas e r e s er uc as rs an s c s s asso c a e

w i t h th i l t y f th R m h h Th C hi
e c o no a r o B ddhi t e o an c u rc . e ne se u s

l e ans t id o th th
o ne s di g t h i t mp m t d
e or e o e r acc o r n o s e e ra en an

s pi i t l d
r ua ne e s

.

2
H th
e, f i th t T h wh m k y p i v th
e re o re , s e ru e e ac er o a es ou e rc e e e

S p m S l f wh
u re e th mi d tt h
e i t lf ( K bi ) f
e reve r

Wh t v e n a ac es se

a r or a e er

t hi g f wh t v ki d i t b ti w i d m p t i h th l t hi g
n , o a so e er n e, s s o s ar n e ac e re a n

(K l x xv i

t o se e A ll i i
a rra ll , x , s na .

2 54
 Ch
an , o r Z en B u ddhi sm
I t is rel ated fo r example of the sage H uen Sha that he
, ,

was o ne day prepared to del iver a sermon to an a ssembled

congregati o n and was on the point o f beginni ng wh e n a
, ,

bird was heard to s i ng very sweetly close by ; H ije n Sha

de scended fr o m h is pulpit with the remark that the
sermon had been pre ached Ano t her sage Teu Tse o ne .
, ,

day poi nted to a st one lyi ng near the temple gate and ,

remark e d Therein r e side all the Buddhas of the pa st
, ,

t h e present and the future , The face of Nature was .

called The Sermon of the I nani ma t e .

A s we have alre a dy indi cated some o f these c o nc e p ,

tions m ay be traced back t o very early Buddhi st o rigin s ,

and i t woul d be eas y likewi se to point t o We s tern

parallels When the Z en teachers poin t to the risi ng
.

a nd s e t ting of the sun to the deep sea or t o the falling , ,

akes of sno w i n wi nter and t hereby i ncul cate the lessons ,

of Z e n we are reminded of One wh o bid s us consider the

,

l il ies which toil no t nei t her do they spin and wh o bid s

, , ,

us not to be anxious for the morrow When the mys t eri ou s .

vi sit o rs to the Chinese i sland of Pu t o being asked ,

to explain their rel igious bel iefs reply Our eyes have , ,

s ee n the ocean our ears have heard the wind s s igh i ng

, ,

the rain descend ing the sea waves da shing and the wild , ,

bird s calling 1
we are remi nded of Blake exclai ming
, , ,

Whe n thou seest an eagle thou seest a portion o f ge nius , .

L ift up thy head I and The pride of the peacock i s t h e

glory of God
Th e l ines alr e ady quo t ed a comple te poem i n the
.

Japanese origi nal

Gra nted t h i s de wdro pw orld he hu t a de wdro pw orld,

Th i s g ra nt e d ye t ,

1
R . F J hn t
. o s o n, B u ddhi st Chi na, p .
3 88 .

2 SS
 Buddh a 89
t he G o sp e l of B u ddhi sm
are purely o f the Z en traditi o n though no t perhap s i t s ,

mo st prof o und expres s ion That m o st profo und intuiti o n

.

i s of the o ne Suchne s s tha t nd s expression i n the v e ry

t ran s cience of every passing momen t : the same i ndivisible
b e i ng i s ever coming to expres s ion and never expressed , ,

i n the coming t o be and pass ing away of man and of the

whol e worl d momen t by moment ; i t i s the ve ry heart o f

culture and religi o n to recogniz e the eternal no t as ,

o b s cured but a s revealed by the tran s i e nt to se e i nnity

, ,

i n the grain o f sand the same unborn in every bi rth and

, ,

the same undying i n every death Thes e though ts nd .

con stant expre ss i o n i n the poetry and art in spi re d by Z en

th o ugh t The M o rning Glory for e xample fad ing i n
.
, ,

an hour i s a favourite theme of the Japane se poet and

,

painter W hat are we to unders t and by t he poem of

.

Mat sunaga Te i t o ku ?
Th e m orn i ng g lory hlooms hu t an h ou r , a nd y e t i t di e rs

n ot a t h ea rt
F rom th e g i a nt f i ne t h a t li v e s f or a t h ou sand yea rs .

Are we t o think of the morning gl ory as a type and symbol

of the tragic brevity o f o u r l ife as a mement o mori a re , ,

minder o f i mpermanence l ike the wagtail s tail ? We may

,

do this without e rror : but there l ies beyond this a deeper

me aning i n t he word s of M atsunaga somethi ng m o re than ,

a lamentati o n for t h e very c o n stitution of our experie nce .

Acc o rd i ng t o t h e commentary of K ins o :

He wh o h as found t he way i n t he morning may di e at
pe ace i n the evening To bloom i n the morni ng t o await
. ,

the heat of the sun and then t o peri sh s uch i s the lot
, ,

app o inted to the morning glory by Pro vid e nce There .

a re pi ne s ind e ed which h ave l ived for a thou sand years

, , ,

but t h e m o rni ng glo ry wh o must d ie so soon never for a

, ,

2
56
 Ch an Buddhi sm

,
or Z en

momen t forget s herself or s h o ws herself to be envi o u s of

,

others Eve ry m o rning her owers unfold magically fai r

.
, ,

they yield the natural vi r t ue t ha t h as been granted to

t hem then they wither
, And thus they perform their .

du t y faithfully Why condemn tha t fai t hfulness as vain

.

and pro tle ss ?

I t i s the s a me with the pi ne as with the morning

glo ry but as the li fe o f the latter is t he shorter i t i llus t r ate s
, ,

t h e principle i n a more s triking way The gian t pine .

doe s no t p o nd e r o n i ts th o u sand years no r the morning ,

glory on its l ife o f a s ingle day E a ch d o es s i mply what .

i t mu st Cert a inly the fate of the morning glo ry is o ther

.
,

t h an that o f the pi ne ye t thei r destiny is al ike in this that

, ,

th e y full the will o f Providence and are content Mat , .

s u na a th o ught hi s he a rt was like thei r heart and that i s

g ,

wh y he made that po e m on the morning gl o ry 1
.

Cl o sely con so n ant with Ma t su naga s poem i s Henry

K i ng s Contemp la ti on up on F low ers The student will

.
,

indeed nd that nearly every th o ugh t expre ssed in Budd

,

hi st and H indu l iterature nd s express i o n i n the We st ern

world al so ; and i t c o uld not be o therwi se for the value ,

of the se though t s i s universal and therefore they c o ul d no t ,

b e m o re Orie nt a l than We s tern ; the East has advanced

beyond the Wes t only in thei r wider and fuller accep t ance .

B rav e owe rs t ha t I cou ld g a lla nt i t li ke

you ,

A n d he as li t t le vai n

Y on com e a hroa d, a nd make a h a rm le ss sh ow,

A n d t o y ou r he ds of ea rt h ag a i n .

p
Y ou a re n ot rou d y ou k now y ou r hi rth

F or y ou r e m hroi de r d g arm e nts a re f rom

e a rt h .

1
R . Pe tru c c i ,
L a P h i losophi e de la Na tu re
da ns l A rt d E x t ri me

Ori ent .

R 2 57
 Buddh a 861 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
And with th is contras t s the futile longing of man for an
e terni ty of happiness :
You do ohey ou r
y mont h s and t i me s, hu t I
Wou ld have it eve r Sp ri n
g :

My f a te wou ld kn ow n o Wi n te r, nev e r di e .

N or thi nkof su c h a thi ng .

O t ha t I cou ld my he d of e a rt h hu t i
v ew

A nd sm i le , a nd lookas c h e erf u lly a s yo u

And so it i s tha t t he Sermon of the Woods should t each

u s spontaneity of ac t ion t o fall i n with the natural order
,

o f the worl d nei t her apathe t ic nor rebellious b u t possess

, ,

i ng our souls in pat ience .

2 5 8
 P A RT V : B U DD H I S T A RT

1 . B UDD H I S T L l TE R A TUR E

L a ng u ag e a nd Wri t i ng

E may safely a ssume t ha t Gautama s t each i ng
was commun ica t ed t o h i s di sciples in M agadh i ,

the spoken dialect of his native country The .

olde st contemporary docu ments of Buddhis t l i tera t ure ,

t h e Edicts of Asoka are writ ten in a la t er form of the

,

sister dialect of K o sala 1

The H i nay ana Buddhi st scri p
.

tures the Theravada Canon or old Buddhi st Bible are

, ,

pre served to us only in the literary d ialect kn o w n as P al i ;

wh i le t he la ter Mah ay ana tex t s of the Mah ay ana are com
piled to u s i n Sanskrit and preserved in tha t form or i n
, ,

the early Chinese t ranslations P al i and Sanskri t in

.

Buddhist ci rcles play the part whi ch was taken by L atin

i n t he Ch ristian Church of the M iddle Age s P al i is a .

l iterary form based on M agadh i gradually developed a nd , ,

perh a p s only denitely xed when t he scriptures were rst

wri t ten d own i n Ceyl o n abou t 8 0 B C .

Ho wcan we speak of authenti c scriptures which were not

.

put into wri ting until four centurie s after the death of
the teacher whose word s are recorded ? That i s possible
i n I ndia though not i n Europe I n the ti me of Gau t ama
, .
,

a very long period of literary activi t y was al ready past ,

and the same activi ty still continued Vedi c l iterature i n .

,

parti cular wi th the exception of the la t er U panishads was

, ,

al ready ancient while t he work of the great compilers of

,

epic poetry and of the grammarians and lawmen i s only

, ,

1
The E di cts of A soka , h g h v i t bl
t ou er a e ddhi t l i t
Bu s e rat u re , are no t

i l ddi
nc u e n t h e sc r ipt l
u ra c ano n, and are h f dt
e re re e rre o in a se p arat e

ch pt p
a e r, . 1 80 seq.

2 59
 B u ddh a 9 t h e G o sp e l
9
f Bud dhi sm o

3 li t tle later and thi s l itera t ure has been faithfully trans
,

m i t t e d t o the pre sent day There exi sted als o a great

.

mass of co ntemporary popul ar poe t ry in the form o f

ballads and romances tales and proverb s part of whi ch
, ,

i s pre served and embedded i n Buddhi st and San skri t

l itera t ure such as t h e P al i J at aka s and the Brahmanical
,

epics . And yet i t i s u nlikely that any writ t en bo o ks

exi sted much before t h e t ime of A soka .

Writing was rst in t roduced to I ndia ab o ut the eighth

centu ry B C probably by merchants trading with the
. .
,

cities o f the Euphra t es valley b u t for a l o ng ti me the ,

i d e a of the written word was regarded in l iterary circles

with much disfavou r One curious illu stration of thi s
.

a ppears i n the fact that books are not included in the l ist

of pers o nal pr o perty all o wed to h e po ssessed by the

Brethren The Indian s h ad l o ng S ince elab o rat e d a system
.

of rememb e red l iterature which give n t h e certai nt y o f a

, ,

re gular s ucce ssion o f teachers and discipl e s secured the ,

t ran s mi s sion o f text s as well and perhaps bet t er than the ,

writ te n page Because of thi s mnem o ni c sy stem the lack

.
,

o f e xter nal means of record had not been fe lt Study .

consi sted therefore in heari ng and in repeati ng to o ne

, ,

sel f no t in the re ading of books Thi s traditi o n h as

, .

survived i n con sid e rable vigour to the pres e nt day ; i t i s

no unc o mmon thing to mee t with Pandi t s wh o can repeat
from m e m o ry a b o dy of sacred l i t erature of alm o st i nc re d

ibl e extent and it is st ill b e l ieved that o ral instructi o n
,

i s far superior to b o o k learning i n ma t uring the mind and

-

devel o ping its p o wers I t hardly needs t o be poi nted
.

o u t that many gre at th inkers both ancie nt and modern , ,

h ave share d th i s view Plato s uggests tha t the inventi o n

.

of l e tt e r s will pro duce fo rgetfuln e ss i n the mi nd s o f

tho se wh o learn i t t hrough neglec t of memory for that

, , ,

2 60
 Langu age an d W i t i ng
r

th rough t rusting t o writing they will remember ou t wardly

,

by m e ans of fore ign mark s and not i nwardly by means

,

of thei r own facultie s ; while N ie t z sche exclai m s that
He that writ e th i n blood and proverb s d oth not wan t to ,

be re ad but t o be learnt by heart
, I n poin t of fact t he
principal l iterary form o f the ag e of Gau t ama is that o f

t h e S ut ra o r S u t ta a string o f log i a to be learn t by

,

heart ; and al mos t al l early I ndian l iterature even the ,

lit e rature of law and grammar i s compiled i n verse , .

An o ther reas o n fo r re g a rding writing with disfav o ur was

t hat the written text become s a cce ss ible to all wh ile t h e ,

Brahm ans at any rate wished to withhold the e soteri c

doctrine from those not qual ied t o unders t and or t o
make good u se of i t and other ma t ter from those who
,

would p e rhap s e ncroach on thei r profe ssi o nal rights The .

system of mnemoni c educa t ion and pupillary succe ssion

was also so well orga nized that there was no fear that the

well tra i ned rememberer would ever fo rge t wha t he
-

knew ; the only recognized dangers were that cer t ain t exts
m igh t fall o u t of favour and so be nally los t as h as ,

i nevit ably happened with a great part o f early Indian

l iterature or that some accid e nt might interfere with the
,

pupillary or apo stol ic succes sio n Moreover the means .

,

o f maki ng durable b o o ks had not ye t been devi sed i n the

time o f Ga utama On the o ther hand i t i s cl e a r from the

.

m o de of publi cation of As o ka s edict s that a fairly general
knowl e dge of writing a l iteracy p e rhap s about t h e same
,

as th a t o f mod e rn I nd ia had been attained by the thi rd

,

ce ntury B C . .

Th e Buddhi st canon was rs t writ t en d own i n P al i about

8 0 B C in the reign of K ing Vatt ag am ani i n Ceylon
. .
, It , .

is w o rth while to quote the words of the Sinhalese

chroni cle on t his impor t an t even t :
2 61
 Buddh a 863 2
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

The t ex t of t h e Three Pi t akas and t h e commen t ary

thereon d id the most wise Bhi kkh u s hand down in former
ti mes orally but s ince they saw that t he pe o ple were
,

fal ling away ( fr o m the ort hodox t eaching) the b hi kkh u s ,

met t o ge ther and in order tha t the true d oc t rines migh t

,

endure they wro te them down in book s
,
1
.

The se t ext s have been fai t hfully transmit t ed to modern

ti mes by succes s ive c o pyi st s On t h e oth e r hand i t i s .

quite certain tha t a considerable par t already existed i n

the same form in the t i me of A soka for some of the t exts ,

are referred to by name and with quotation in the Ed ict s

, , .

With o ut entering upon a l ong discussion it will su fce to ,

say that some parts of the t ex t s al mos t as certai nly go back

to an earlier peri od and record t h e sayings and doctrine
,

of Gautama as re membered by his i mmediate d isciples .

The orthodox H i nayani st s however are not justied in , ,

a sserting that the P al i ca non was actually x e d still les s ,

that it was written down at the Fi rst Council i mme ,

di at e ly f o llowing the death of Gautama ; t he Buddhist

Bible l ike the Chris t ian con si sts of books comp o sed at
, ,

d i fferen t ages and many or m o st of the books are compila

,

tions of materials b y man y hands and of various periods .

Th e P ali Ca non

The P al i can o n consi sts of Three Pitakas or Baskets
.

,

Th e Vi naya P i tak a is c o nc e rned with the rule s of the

Ord e r o f Brethren I t i s subd ivided as follows :

.

P21 1 21I l a
i
1

Su tt av i b h anga
Pa c 1 t t 1 ya
Mah av agg a
K handak a
Cu llav agga
Pari v ara
1
M a havamsa , c h . xxx i i i .

2 62
A . CA LL I NG TH E E A R T H To W I T N E SS (TH E A SS A U L T
O F M AR A )
Ca v p
e ai n t i n gat D m b ll C y l ( 8 h
a u a, e on 1 t y)
c e nt u r

P un ? 62
U DDH I S T RA R Y K A ND Y E YL O N
2

B . B LI B , , C
 Th e P al i C ano n
We need no t repea t here wha t has been said elsewhere
re gard i ng the organiza t ion of the O rder of b h i kkh u s But .

i t i s of interes t to no te that the rs t chapt er of th e

M a h avagg a con t ains some of t he oldes t par t s of t h e
Buddha legend rela t ing in d ignied archaic language
,

how Gau t ama a t t ained enligh tenment de t ermined t o ,

preach t he L aw and gained h is rs t disciples Here al so

, .

the Fi rst Sermon of th e Buddha at Benares and t h e , ,

well known Fi re Sermon are given and t h e ordina t i on of

-
,

R ahula i s also related In the Cu lla vagg a are found the

.

storie s of the m e rchant A nat h api ndi ka who dedi cated a

park t o the Order ; of De v adat t a Gautama s cousin and ,

enemy the rst sch isma t ic ; t he establi shment of the

,

order of Sis ters ; and a number of edifying a necdo t es al l ,

c o nnected with the hi story or consti t u t ion of the Order .

We have already quo t ed t he Fi rst Sermon of Gautama ,

in which are se t for t h t h e essen t ial s of the Dhamma the ,

Four Ariyan Tru t hs and t h e Eigh t fol d Path Here we .

t ranscribe with some abbrevi a t ion the al mos t equally

, ,

famous sermon i n which the transien t l ife of t h e ind ivi dual ,

subject to grief and t ormen t ed b y desi res i s l i kened to

exis tence i n t he mids t of a re .

Then sai d the Exalted One t o his disciples : Every

thing O d isciples i s i n ames And what Eve rythi ng
, , .
,

O d isciples i s i n ames ? The eye O disciples i s in

, , ,

ame s t h e visible is in ame s the knowledge of the

, ,

visible i s i n ames the contact with the visible i s i n

,

ames t h e feeling whi ch arises from contact with the

,

visible is in ames be i t pleasure be i t pain be i t neither

, , ,

pleasure nor pai n th i s also is i n ames By wha t re

, .

i s i t ki ndled ? By the re of de si re by the re of ha t e , ,

by the re of fascinatio n i t i s kindled ; by bir t h old age

, , ,

dea th pain lamen t a t ion sorrow gri e f despair i t i s

, , , , , ,

2 63
 Buddh a d? o t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
kindled : thus I say The ear is i n ame s t h e audible i s
. ,

i n ame s the knowledge of the audible i s in a m e s t h e

, ,

contact with the audible i s in a mes t he fe e li ng whi ch ,

ari se s from c o ntact with the audible i s in a me s be i t ,

pl e asure b e i t pain be i t n e ither pleasure nor pai n thi s

, , ,

al so i s in ame s By what re i s i t kindled ? By t h e

.

re of de s ire by the re o f hate by the re o f fascination

, , ,

it i s ki ndl e d ; by bi rth o ld age de a th pai n lamentati o n

, , , , ,

s o rr o w grief d e spai r i t i s kindled ; thu s I say The

, , , .

s en se of s m e ll i s i n ames and th e n f o ll o w s fo r t h e -

third time t h e same seri e s o f propositi o n s the t o ngu e i s

in ame s ; the body is i n ame s ; t h e mind is in a m e s
each ti m e t h e same detail follows unabridged Then the .

address go e s on :
K nowing thi s O di sciples a wi se n o ble b e are r o f the
, , , ,

word b e comes wearied o f the e ye h e becomes weari e d o f ,

the vi sible he b e comes w e ari e d of the kn o wl e dge o f the

,

vi sibl e he b e c o m e s wearied o f c o nt a ct with t h e vi s ibl e

, ,

he bec o m e s weari e d o f the fe eli ng wh ich ari se s fro m

c o ntact with t h e vi sible be i t plea sure b e i t pai n be i t , , ,

n e ith e r plea sure nor p a i n He become s weari e d o f t h e .

ear and then f o ll o ws o ne afte r the oth e r the wh o le

serie s o f id e as as above The addre ss co nclud e s : .

While he bec o mes w e aried thereof he b e come s free ,

from d e si re ; fre e from de si re he b e come s d e l ivered ; i n ,

the d e li ve re d ari se s the kn o wl e dg e : I am del ive red ;

re birth i s at an end perfec t ed i s h o l ine ss duty d o ne ;
, ,

th e re i s no more returning t o thi s w o rld h e know s thi s 1
.

I t sh o uld b e noted th a t thi s addres s i s d e livere d by

Gaut a ma t o an a sse mbly o f Brethren alre ady initi a te d
and o rd a ine d al re ady familiar with the thought o f o rigi n
,

ati o n and decea se A so mewhat di fferent m e thod i s

.

1
Co n d e nse d f m Ol d b
ro en er g . A no t h v i
er e rs o n a b v p
o e, .
4 2 .

2 64
 Th e P al i C an o n
employed in addresses to u ninitiat e d lay men such as , th e
village elders sent by King Bi mbi sara t o the
Buddha fo r instruction There is i n a much more popular
stylemilk fo r babes When in another place the Buddha
.

i s accu sed of favouritism ina smuch as he teache s the ,

more profound doctri ne t o hi s disciples and more s i mple

ma t ters t o the publ i c he draws an a nal o gy from the ,

O peration s of a farmer wh o devotes the most care to his ,

most productive e ld s ( the Brethren ) so mewhat les s ,

attenti o n t o the le ss fertile eld s ( the Buddhi st laity) and ,

le ss still t o the barren soil ( tho se who do no t accept the

G o o d L aw) .

While D i scipl ine i s dealt with i n the Vi naya P i taka t h e ,

S u t t a P i ta k a the Ba ske t of Su tt as i s our ch ief s ou rce

,

fo r the Buddha s G o spel as e xp o unded i n a rgumen t and

d ial o gu e s Here al so are included t h e P salm s of the
.

Brethre n and S i st ers the m o st i mp o rtant l iterary pro
,

ducti o n o f early Buddhism and t h e j ataka s whi ch , ,

emb o dy the largest and olde s t collection o f fo lkl ore

extant The S u t ta P i taka i s d ivided as f o llows
.

a Nik M a N i ha a ; 3
I.
n h ay a 2 a
jj h i m y . S a my u t t a .

Nik aya ; 4 A ng u t t a ra N. i k ay a ; a n d 5 K h u dd a k a .

Ni k aya The l ast agai n incl ude s 1 K h u dda kap ath a ;

.
, , , .

2 . D h a mmap a da ; 3 Udana ; 4 I t i vu tta k . a

5 S u t t a . .

n in ata ; 6 Vi mana va tth u ;

.
7 P e ta va tth u ; 8 Th era . .

h Th t h j t k N i dd
'

g at a ; 9 e r ig a. a ; 1 0 ci a a ; 1 1 esa ; I 2 . . .

P a t i sa mhhi damagg a ;
'

1 3 . Ap a dana ; I 4 . B u ddh a va msa

and 1 5 Ca r iyajh i taka
. .

The rst the n h a N i kaya Su t tas i s called the Perfect

of

Ne t I n this ne t are suppo sed to be caught and exp o sed

.

e a ch and all o f s ixty t wo d i ffere nt ph il o soph ie s whi ch -

pro ceed from the a nci e nt animi sti c c o ncepti o n o f soul

as a sub t le permanent enti ty wit h i n t he body a nd
, ,

2 65
 Buddh a 89 2
th e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
i ndependen t of the li fe of t h e body These various .

eel wriggl e rs as Gautama calls them he says are all

-
, ,

of them trapped i n t h e ne t of the s ixty two modes -

t hi s way and that t hey plunge ab o ut b u t t hey are in ,

i t ; this way and that t hey may ounder b u t t hey are ,

i ncluded i n it caugh t in i t Jus t brethren as wh e n

, .
, ,

a skilful sherman or sh e r lad sh o uld drag a t iny po o l-

o f water with a ne meshed net he might fai rly t hink :

-

Whatever sh o f size may be i n th i s pond every one ,

will be i n thi s net ; ounder about a s they may they will ,

be i ncluded i n i t and caught

, j ust so i s i t with the se
speculators about t h e past and future in th i s net ounder , ,

as they may they are i ncluded and caught
, .

I t i s unfortunate tha t in all t hese cases we hear only one

side of t h e argumen t which alw ays appears to leave
,

no way of escape for the

skilled ab so lutist I f ever .

Gau t ama met hi s match we should l ike to hear wha t

p assed o n such an occa sion .

Of m o re enduring interes t i s th e Sut t a upon t h e F ru i ts of

th e L if e of a Wa nderer Here moreover we do not get
.
, ,

a purely Buddhist but rather an I ndian point of view

,
.

The whole Su t ta cons t i t u t es a reply to the question ,

what advan t age i s the life of a recluse ? K i ng Aj ata

sat t u of Ma adh a points out t h e gain that men derive fr o m
g
t hei r worldly occupations and wish e s to know wha t corr e
,

s o ndi n
p g fruit visible
,
here and now the member s of a ,

religious Order ob t ain Gau t ama repl ie s tha t the fruit

.

of t h e l ife of the member of an Order m ay be seen in :

I . The honour and respec t shown to such men by others
i n t h e world ; even the king for example would S how , ,

respect to a man wh o had formerl y been a sl a ve or a

serva nt if he adopted the h o mele ss l ife 2 The train
,
. .

i ng i n mere morali t y as kindness honesty cha sti ty etc

, , , , .

2 66
 Th e P al i C ano n
3 .Condence freedom from fear e t c born of conscious
, , .
,

rectitude 4 and 5 Recollec tedness and self possessi on

. .
- .

6 C o ntentment wi t h l it t le
.
7 Emancipation from t h e . .

Fi ve H indrances : Covetousnes s ill t emper laziness ,

-
, ,

anxie ty and perplexity 8 The consequen t j oy and . .

pe ac e 9 Prac t i ce of the Four J h anas

. . IO I n sigh t . .

ari sing from kn o wledge 1 1 The power of projecting . .

men t al i mages 1 2 Five modes of mediumship and . .

cl a i rvoyance ( though t reading aud ition etc ) ; and 1 -

, , .

nally 1 3 ( which alone i s d is t inctively Buddhist ) ,

re al iz ation of the Four Tru t h s destruc t ion of t h e ,

Flood o f Passio n at t ainmen t of A rah at t a , .

The argu ment concludes :

Thus with the pure Heavenl y Eye surpassing t hat of ,

m e n he sees bei ng s as the y pass away from one sta t e

,

of existence and t ake form in another ; he recognizes the

,

mean and t h e noble t h e well favoured and t he ill favoured ,

- -
,

the happy and the wre t ched passing awa y accord ing t o ,

thei r deeds 2
.

A nd the recl use perceives t h e Four Ari y an Truths ,

and he knows Rebi rth has been destroyed The higher .

1
Th e se p ti g are lly b t by m rac lw y
ces dm d e ne ra ,
u no e an s a a s, c o n e ne

i ly B ddhi t i p t
n e ar u s sc r u re s .

2
I q t t hi p
uo e g th H v ly Ey ( D i hh kkh ) m i i t
s as sa e o n e ea en e a - ca u o n sc e n

vi i s on f ll t h t om t p i th K am l k d R up l k
a a co es o ass n e a o a an a o a

b th
e c au se m id i l my thi l f m f q tly
e sa e ea i n a e ss ca or re u en re c u rs n
I din w i ti g w i th f
an r t th
n s, i t i ti f m f g i re e re nc e o e n u on o en o en u s

g lly ; i t
e n e ra b p ll l d l w h c an g Ch g T
e Th
ara e e e se e re , e . . u an zu :

e

m i d f t h g b i g i p b m th m i
n o e sa e e n f th U i v n re o se eco es e rro r o e n e rse ,

th p l m f ll ti
e s ec u u d W i ll i m M
o a i It m t m
c re a o n,

an a o rr s :

se e s o e

th t a h no f th d y p ou r o th t th w h l w ld d e t h w
a asse s a e o e or o e s no s o

it l f t m
se B ddhi t
o el .

g i th D h mm kkh ( Ey f
u s s a so re c o n ze e a a ca-
u e or

th T eth ) dBru kkh ( Ey f W i d m ) I H i d my th l gy

an a nn a -ca u e o s o . n n u o o

th th
e se m d f vi i re e ym b l i d by th thi d y w hi h
o es O s on

a re s o ze e r e e c

o p th b
e ns o n w f Si v e ro o a
.

2 67
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
l ife h as been fullled What had t o be done has been ac c o m .

p li sh e d Aft e r thi s presen t l if e there will be no beyond

.

Ju st 0 ki ng as i f in a m o untain fa stnes s there were a
, ,

p o ol o f water clear tran sluce nt and serene ; and a man

, , , ,

s ta ndi ng on the bank and wi th eye s t o se e sh o ul d , ,

perceive the shell sh the gravel and the pebble s and the ,

s hoal s of sh as th e y m o ve abou t o r li e within i t : h e

,

would know : This po o l i s clear tran sparent and sere ne , ,

and there with i n it are the sh e ll sh and the sand and ,

gravel and that t h e shoals of sh are moving abou t o r

,

lyi ng still .

This O ki ng i s an i mmedia t e frui t o f the l ife of a
, ,

re clu se visible i n thi s world and higher and swee t e r

, ,

than the la st And there i s no frui t o f the l ife of a

.

recluse visible in thi s world tha t is higher and swee t er

, ,

than thi s .

The Te vi/ja S u t ta o ne o f the very fe w which e mphasize ,

t h e adv ant age o f re bi rth i n t h e Brah m a h e aven s whil e ,

leavi ng o u t o f account the fu ndamental idea o f A ra

h a tta i s re m a rk able fo r the b e autiful de scription of t he
,

Four Subli me Mo o d s which if th e y are no t the end of ,

Buddhi st culture are at any rate its initiation ,

And he let s h i s mind pervade one quarter o f the world

with thought s o f L ove and so the sec o nd and so the , ,

third and so t h e fourth And thu s the whol e w o rld

, . ,

above bel o w a rou nd and everywhere d o es he c o ntinue

, , , ,

t o p e rv ade with hear t of L ove far reachi ng grow n gre a t ,

-
, ,

and bey o nd measure .

Ju st Vase t th a as a migh ty trumpet e r make s hi m se lf

h e ard and that without di fc u ltyi n all t h e four
, ,

d ire cti o ns ; even so of all thi ng s that have shape or life ,

there i s no t o ne tha t h e pa sse s by or leaves a sid e but ,

regard s them al l with mind se t free and deep fel t love ,

- .

2 68
 Th e P ali C an o n

Veri ly thi s Vase tt h a i s the way t o a sta t e o f union with

, ,

B rah m a .

Exactly t h e same formula is repea t ed i n the ca se o f the

t hre e other moods Compassion Sympath y and I m
, , ,

p a rtial ity .

The S zgala vada S u tta consis t s of a discourse i n wh ich

the Bud dha lays down for a young layman the duties of
th o se wh o l ive i n the world in general accord with t he
,

i njunction s of Brahmanical scripture s .

A Sutta o f grea t er i mpor t ance i s the M ah a/h a ri nzhhana ,

the Great Sutta of t he Ful l R e le a se in wh ich the last ,

days and last words of the Teacher are recorded Some .

part s of th is da t e back al mos t certai nly to the memory o f

the Buddha s i mmed ia t e d isciples Undoub tedly old for

. ,

example i s the fam o u s saying :

,

Therefore O Ananda be ye lamps unto y o urselves
, ,
.

Be ye you r own refuge H old fast t o the Norm as your

.

L ight fa st t o the N o rm as your Refuge

, .

So too the description of Ananda s overwhel mi ng grief

,

leaning against a door po s t and weeping until the Ma ster

-
,

send s for and Speaks to hi m words of con solation M any .

of the vers e s sca t tered t hro ugh the pro se and marking ,

m o ment s of heightened emotion must be ancient I n all

,
.

these more ancie nt pass ages the Buddha spe ak s e nti rely
a s a man to man ; but el se where in the same w o rk super

natural powers and p o rtent s are freely introduced A .

number of quotation s fro m th is Su t ta have al ready been

give n i n earl i e r ch apters .

The P ayasi S u t ta maint a in s an argument in favour of the

exi stence o f a soul qui te contrary to the re al ge niu s o f early
Buddhi st thought I t i s true the upholder of the Buddhis t
.

p o sition is the ve ne rable K u m ara K a ssapa and no t ,

Gautama hi msel f ; still i t i s ta ken to be the Buddhist

2 69
 B u ddh a @ 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
position and it is very curious to see the sc e p t ical P ay asi
,

i nqui ri ng : But wh o le t s Ma ster K a ssapa know all the se

t h ing s : that t here are Three and Thirty Gods or that - -
,

the Three and Thirty God s l ive so many years ? We do

- -

no t bel ieve hi m when he s ay s these things Thi s i s .

evidence that some of the early Buddh i st s at least to o k , ,

very seri ously thei r pantheon o f minor d ivi nitie s .

The M ajjh i m a Ni kaya c o ntain s a numb e r 1 5 2 o f -

s erm o n s and d ialogues which are shor t er than those

of the D igha Ni kaya .

The Samyu tta N ik aya con t ains fty si x group s of Sutta s -

dealing with connec t ed subjec t s o r persons The M ara .

sa myu t ta and the B hi kku ni sa myu tta for example num

, ,

bers four and ve i n t he serie s contain a group o f ,

legends in whi ch M ara the Tempter appears to the

Buddha t o hi s disciples or t o o ne or other of t h e
, ,

Si sters and endeavours to shake th e i r fa ith The se

, .

Sutta s are cast i n the old f o rm o f conte f a hle an ,

alt e rnati o n of pro se and verse t he I ndian name o f which

,

is akhya na Amongs t these ballads are s ome of the

'

mos t b e au t iful o f O ld Indian poems ; we recogniz e in them

al so many of the el e ments of a pri mitive drama t h e ,

material from which drama may have devel o ped but we

'

cannot speak of them as early Buddhis t dram as in them

selve s fo r they are neither su fcien t ly elaborated nor was
, ,

any such worldly ac t ivity as the d rama t o lera t ed i n t h e

rule of the Bre t hren Only at a con siderably la te r date
.

sv a h o sh a
( A g ) d o we nd Buddhist poe t s creating ad mit

t e dly drama t i c works Of t he spi ri t u a l ballad s now under

.

co nsideration the following of Go t ami the Slend e rt he

,

st o ry of whose convers ion has al ready b ee n g i v e n ( p 1 4 8 f )

'

will serve as a good exampl e

. .

Thus have I heard The Ma ster was once st aying at

.

2 70
 Th e P al i C ano n
Sav att h i , in the Jetta grove the p ark of A nat hapi ndi ka , .

Sis t er K is a G o t am i dres sed herself early and taking the ,

alms bowl beneath her robe went t o Sav at th i to beg her

-
,

food And when she had gone about Sav at t hi and

.

re t urned with wha t she had collected and had duly ea ten , ,

she entered the DarkWood and sat her down at t he foot ,

o f a tree th inking t o pas s th e day there .

Then the evi l M ara de si ring t o arouse fear wavering
, , ,

and dread i n her desiring to make her t o desis t from her

,

concentred t hought went up t o her And he addressed

, .

K is a G o t ami i n the verse t ha t f o llows :

H ow c omes
i t t h ou dost si t wi t h t ea r sta i ne d f a ce -

L ik e t o som e m ot h e r t h a t h as lost h e r c hi ld ?

H e re dwe lli ng a ll a lone w i th i n th e f orest de ths p

I s it , p e rh a p s, a man th ou looke st f or ?

Then G o t ami the Slender reec t ed Who is this whether ,

human or not human wh o has spoken such a verse ?

-
,

And i t came into her mind : I t i s the evil M ara wh o ,

see k s to arouse in me fear waveri ng and dread and , , ,

would ma ke me t o de s ist from my concen t red though t ;

he has spoken the verse And when the Si ster K i sa .

Go t ami knew that i t was M ara she replied t o hi m in the ,

verse that fo llows :

Ti s sooth i nde ed th a t I a m sh e wh ose ch i ld i s lost f or eve r :
1

Whi le as f or men, t h ey a r e n ot h a rd t o nd
I do not we e p n or wa i l, n or h ave I an
yf ear o
f th e e , myf ri e n d
L ov e of th e world i s u tte rly de st roye d, th e g loom i s re n t

i n t wa i n ,
A nd I h a ve ov e rcome t h e h osts o f D e a th
A nd h e re ] dwe ll , f ro m a ll th e D e a dly F loods e ma nc i p a te .

1
Th e w d f v
or s or e er

c on ev y th th g h t th t w hi l G
e ou a e o ta m i h ad l o st

her c hi l d y t b i g
, e , e n an A ra b t v g i w l d h ff
a , ne e r a a n ou s e su e r th e l ik le o ss .

2
7 1
 Buddh a @3 9
2
th e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
The n M ara v ani sh e d thence sorry and d ejec ted think , ,

ing : Si ster Go t ami knoweth me

The A ng u tta ra N i h aya i s a very extensive work c o ntain ,

i ng at l e a s t 2 3 0 8 Sut t a s These are cla ss ied i n secti o ns .

,

numb e red o ne to e leve n t h e Suttas in each section deali ng ,

with such thi ngs of whi ch there are as many as the num
ber o f the S utta i tself Thus i n the Seco nd Secti on the .

Sutta s speak o f the t wo thing s which a m an should

av o i d the two kinds of Buddhas the two virtues of the
, ,

f o re st l ife ; in the Third Secti o n the Sutta s speak o f the

-

trinity of Thought Word and D eed and t h e three sorts o f

, , ,

monk s ; i n the Fourth S e ction the four thi ngs which lead ,

to a ce ssation of Becom i ng the four that l e ad t o Purga ,

t o ry t h e four tha t lead to Paradise and so f o rth ; in the

, ,

Eighth Section the eight way s in which m an and woman

,

mutu ally hi nder each o ther and the eight causes o f an ,

earthquak e ; i n the Tenth Section the ten p o wers of a ,

Buddha Needle ss t o p o int out the arrange ment i s formal

.
,

a nd p e danti c and the g e neral t o ne i s al so s omewha t dry

, .

One o f the be st pa ssage s h o wever is that which speaks , ,

o f the Three M e ssenger s o f the God s Old A e I ll ness

g
and Death o f whom K ing Y ama asks the misdoers wh o
, ,

fall into Purgatory thus : ,

O man d id you no t se e the rs t of Death s messengers

,

vi s ibly appear among men ?

He repli e s : L ord I d id no t , .

Then O Brethren K ing Y ama says t o hi m : O man
, , ,

d id yo u not se e among men a woman o r a man eighty o r ,

ninety o r hu ndred years of age decrepit cro o ked as the , ,

curve d rafter o f a gabl e ro of bowed d o wn leaning on a , ,

s t aff trembli ng as he walked

,
mi serable with y o uth lo ng , ,

e d brok e n toothed grey haired and nearly bald totter

,
-
,
-
,

i ng with wrinkled br o w and blotched with freckle s ?
, ,

2 7 2
 The P al i Cano n
H e repl ied L ord I d id , , .

The n O Breth ren K ing Y ama says t o hi m : O man d id

, , ,

it not occur t o you being a person of mature i nt e lligence

,

and years : I am also subject to old age and i n no way ,

exempt Come now I will ac t nobl y in deed word and

.
, , , ,

He replies : L ord I coul d no t L ord I di d no t thi nk

, .
, .

Then O Brethren K ing Y ama says t o h i m : O man
, , ,

t hrough t houghtlessnes s you failed t o act nobly i n deed ,

word and though t Verily i t S hall be done un t o you 0

, .
,

man in accordance with your t hough t lessness

, It .

was y ou yourself wh o d id this wickedness and you al one ,

Shall feel i t s consequences !

Fro m the literary poin t of view we may remark three

characteristi cs of the Su t tas so far considered Fi rst .

of all th e repet i t i ons of wh ich an example will be found

, ,

i n t he Fi re Sermon quo ted above I t is al most i mpossible .

t o pu t such t ex t s before a modern reader without con

densati on and withou t the use of t h e conj unc t ion and
, ,

and withou t pronouns as they are i n the original to say

, , ,

nothing of the tedi ous rei t era t ion of every phrase and
every shade of t hough t .

The periods of these addresses say s Profe ssor Olden ,

berg i n their mo t ionless and rigid uniformi ty on which

, ,

no ligh t s and shadows fall are an accurate picture of the ,

worl d as i t represen t ed it sel f to the eye of tha t mona sti c

fraterni ty the gri m world of origination and decease
, , .

wh ich goe s on l ike clockworki n an ever u niform course ,

and behind which res t s t h e still deep of the Ni rv ana I n .

t h e words o f th is ministry there is heard no sound of ,

working withi n no i mpassi o nal entrea t ing o f men t o

come t o the fai th no bit terness for the unbelieving wh o
,

remain afar o ff I n t hese addresses one word one

.
, ,

S 2
73
 Bu ddh a 863 t h e Go sp e l o f Buddhi sm 9

s e ntence lies bes ide a n o ther i n s to ny still ne ss whether

, ,

i t expre sse s t h e m o st t rivial t hing or the mo st i mpor t ant .

A S w o rld s of g o ds and men are for the Buddhi st con ,

sc i o u sne ss ruled by everlasti ng nece s sity so also are the

, ,

world s o f ideas and of veritie s : fo r the se t o o there i s , ,

one and only one necessary form o f knowledge and

, ,

expression and the t hink e r d o es not make th i s form but

,

h e adopt s wha t is ready t o hand and thus those

endless repe t i tions accumulate which Buddha s d isciples
were never t i red o f lis tening t o anew and alway s honour ,

i ng afresh as t he necessary garb of holy thought .

The Buddhi st authors were perhaps so much i mpres sed

by and so pleased wi t h the excellen t doc t rine tha t they ,

d id no t feel the repeti t ions wearisome t hey coul d not h e ar ,

too often the hard won t ruths t hat had set them free We
-
.

have a gli mp se o f this point of view i n one of Asoka s
Edicts where the Empero r says :
,

Certain phrases have been u t tered again and again by

re a son of the honeyed sweetness o f such and such a t o pi c ,

i n the h Ope that the people may ac t up t o t hem .

The early Buddhi sts had no wi sh to make t heir scriptures

i ntere sting and i t i s very true that they have but o ne
,

t as t e . A t the same t i me i t is mos t likely t hat thi s
ex t remel y serious and i ndeed heavy style made eloque nt
only by its very seri ousness i t i s not to be deni e d
,

that the me t hod of line upon l ine has a certain cumulative

impre ssivene ss a kind of noble aus terity and patie nce a
s ublime mono t ony
, ,

really reec t s the manner of Speech

of the Buddha hi msel f For Gau t ama i s notlike Je su s

a poet and a mysti c b u t a psychologis t : he doe s not
.

1
,

1
I f Gau ta m a was i d d my ti
n ee th aM s c , as e ah a ya i t l i m i t i th
n s s c a ,
s en

t o B u ddha gh o s h
a an d th f t h Pal i
o th
er o e au o rs wh m w m t g d
o e u s re ar as

c hi y
e re s p o ns i bl f P al i B ddhi m
e or u s .

2 74
 l

p LA TE U 2 74
T H E B U DDH A T E A CH I N G
Gi l t b ro n z e , L i G pt
ao s , t yl b t p
n u b bl y m
as e, u ro a e di e v al

Co ll ect i o n of M r Vi ctor Golonb ew

 Th e P al i C an o n
s peak to uneduca ted shermen b u t t o practi sed meta ,

physician s and i n an atmosphere of controversy : he

,

makes no personal appeal he speaks wi t h well considered

,
-

purpo se rather than enthu s ias m or fervou r and he i s ,

concerned t o leave no loophole for possible or del ibera t e

m isunders t andings He feels i ndeed some apprehension
.
, ,

lest i n fu t ure the mos t profound sermons shoul d be

neglected in favour of more ar t is t i c and a t t rac t ive com
po s i tions :

Some t here are he says

, wh o hearken willingly t o
,

t h e works of followers of mine wh o are poets poetast e rs , ,

li t t era t eu rs or mystics

, and wh o allow the serm o ns

of the Tath agata of profound i mport t ranscendent and
, , ,

devoted to the doc t rine of the Void to be fo rgotten , .

We may thus believe tha t t h e more poetical and l i terary

books were onl y l it t le by li t tle and with some di fculty
admi tted to the canon ; and this is probably t h e expl ana
tion of the fac t t ha t they are for the most part ga t hered
together i n one N i kaya the K h u dda ka whi ch was mo st
, ,

l ikely included in t he authoritative scripture at a com

arat i v e l la t e d ate though of cour se i t contain s ab u nd
p y ,

ance of ancien t ma t ter s i de by side with the younger .

The second characteri stic wh ich we remark i n t h e Sutta s

so far d i scus sed i s the di a lect i c meth od of the Buddha s

argument The manner of his speech i s always courteous

.

and friendly :
The method followed i s always the same Gau t ama pu t s .

h imself as far as po ssible i n the mental po sition of the

que sti o ner He attack s none o f h is cherished convicti o ns
. .

H e accept s as the starting point of his o wn expositio n t h e

-

d e si rability of the act o r c o nd ition prized by h is O ppo nent .

He even adopt s the very phraseology o f the ques

t i o ne r
. And then par t ly b y pu t t ing a new and ( from the
,

2 75
 Buddh a d) o

t he G o sp e l o f Bud dhi sm
Buddhi st poin t of view ) a h igh e r meaning i n t o the words
partly by an app e al to such ethi cal concep t i ons as are
comm o n gro und be t ween them ; he gradually leads hi s
O pponent up t o his conclusion This i s of course alway s .
, ,
1
A rah at sh i p .

This i s t h e me t hod of the Socra t i c dialogue ; and we may

al so t ake i t tha t i n the D ial o gue s extant we have at least
as much o f t h e actual t each ing o f Gautama preserv e d ,

as Pla t o gi ves of the teaching of Socra t e s The meth o d .

,

however presupposes an acquaintance with the poi nt o f

,

vi e w of the Buddha s opponen t s S ince as Profess o r Rhy s

, ,

D avi ds j us t ly remarks the a rg u mentu m a d h omi nem can

,

never be qui t e the sa me as a general s t atement made

withou t reference t o the opposi t e view There i s al so the .

d i sadvantage that the argument is made t o lead to a fore

go ne conclusion and t hough the logical sequence may be
,

i ndi sputable the t wi sting o f word s i n a new sens e some

,

ti mes corners the O pponent withou t meeting hi s real
po sition We do no t really hear bo t h sides o f the cas e
. .

A s Professor Oldenberg t rul y comment s :

Those wh o
c o nvers e wi th Buddha are good for nothing e l se but
si mply to say and t o be even t ually converted if ,

they have not yet been conver ted Subj e c t to thi s .

l i mi t at ion and apart fro m t he weari some repetition s we

, ,

can nevert heless recognize tha t the Dial o gue s are skil
fully construc ted and couched i n language of res t raint
and dignity .

A t h ird special charac teris t i c of t h e Su t tas i s the c o nstant

use of si mile and parable A s i mile indeed i s no t an .
, ,

argument ; but it o ften serve s better t o co nvi nce the

l i stener than any sequence of clo se reasoni ng Many o f .

the si miles are well found and additional t o thei r value

-
,

1
R h y D id
s av s, D i alog u es of the B u ddh a, i p
, . 2 0 6.

2
7 6
 Th e P al i C an o n
fo r e di c at i o n,
they t hrow a s t rong ligh t o n the every
day l i fe o f a ncient Ind ia very welcome to the historian ,

o f manner s Those wh ich r e fer t o the crafts are of speci al

.

intere s t : we read for example : ,

Just 0 king as a clever po t ter or his appren t i ce could
, ,

make could succeed i n ge t ti ng out of properl y prepare d

,

cl ay an y shape of ves sel he wanted to have or an iv o ry ,

carver out of i vory or a goldsmith out of gold : such

, ,

O king i s the Skill which i s an i mme diate fruit of t h e

life of a reclu se S a ma h h a ph a la S u t ta
,

-
. .

And with reference t o the practice of brea t hing exercises ,

and mind fulne ss :

Even as a skilful t urner or t urner s apprentice d rawing ,

,

h is stri ng at length or d rawing i t out S hort is con sci o u s

, ,

that he i s doi ng o ne or the o ther so le t a Brother practise

inhal i ng and exhali ng M a h a Sa t th ip a t th ana S u t ta
,

. .

A favouri te simile i s tha t of the oil lamp : -

Just O Brethren as an O i l lamp bu rns oi l and wick and

, ,
-
,

a man from t i me to time adds more oil and renews the

wick thi s oil lamp thu s fed with fuel burns for a much
-

longer ti meso Bre thre n wax e s Craving i n the man

,

, ,

wh o nd s his plea sure i n th ing s of the w o rld t ha t in

sooth are nought but b o nd s Sa myu tta N ihay a
,

. .

Another favourite s i mil e i s that Of the lo t us for ,

Ju st as t h e lotu s born of watery mud grows i n the ,

water ri se s above the water and i s not de le d by i t : so

, ,

have I ari sen in the world a nd pas sed beyo nd the world , ,

and am not de le d by the world says Gautama ,

.

Sa myu tt a N i k aya .

The l o tus has thus become a s y mbol of purity ; and i n

i conography whe n a n appariti onal charac ter had been
,

give n to the gure of the Buddha and i n the case o f ,

other supe rhuman being s the lotu s pe destal or sea t i s a ,

2 77
 Buddh a 89
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
mark of o ther w o rldly and d ivi ne o rigin or na t ure N e e d
- .

l e ss t o say the lotus i n l i t e ra t ure i s the source of ma ny

, ,

o ther s i mile s and me t aphors for t h e most par t not ,

specically Buddhi st .

I n general al so the lo t us s t ands for any thing t hat is

,

excellent and well li ked : -

The boy Vi passi Brethren became t he darling and

, ,

beloved o f the people even as a blue or ro se or white ,

lotus is dear t o and beloved of all so tha t he was l iterally

carried abou t from lap to lap
,

M ahap a dana S u t ta .

.

In another place t h e t rue spiritual life is compared to

a lute of whi ch the s tring s mus t be neither too loosely
,

nor too tightly stre t ched ; by th i s i s indica ted t h e in t ernal

bala nce and harmony of t h e i deal character The teaching .

of salva tion again i s comp ared t o t h e healing w o rk o f

, ,

the phys ician who removes from a wound the poi so ned
,

arro w and appli e s the curing herb s Sometimes the

, .

s i mil e s are hum o rous as when i t i s pointed out that,

i f a man s houl d milk a c o w by th e horns he would get ,

no m ilk ; or i f one shoul d ll a vessel with sand and

water and churn it ever so much se samum oil would
, ,

ne v er b e produced ; j us t so a mo nk will never reach his

goal unle ss he goes the righ t way about i t .

I n o ther cases the parable i s no t merely valueless as

argument b u t abs o lutely futile When fo r exampl e i t
, .
, ,

i s desi red to exp o se t h e soci al and s pi ritual prete nsi o n s

o f t h e Brahmans Gautama inqui re s i f a re sh o uld
,

be ligh t ed by a Brahman a K sh at t ri ya a Vai sh ya and a , ,

S adra : would the res l it by Brahman s and K sh at t ri yas

alone give light and h e at or would the res lit by o u t ,

ca st s hu nt e rs and swe ep e rs no t als o yield th e i r light

, ,

a nd h e at ? The ki ng with whom Gautama speak s can

naturally o nly an sw e r that the res will no t di ffer i n thei r

2
7 8
 Th e P al i C an o n
pro perties But what has this t o do with a d iscussion for
.

o r agai ns t the Br ahma ni cal scheme of social di ffer e nti ation ?

That all men have m any things i n common does no t

prove that al l men are alike in every particular no r doe s ,

i t disprove the advantage of heredi t ary culture : t h e

wh o le d iscu ssi o n like so man y others which t urn upon
,

anal o gy is neither h e re nor there

, .

The con t ents of the K h u ddaka N i kaya are very varied .

Mo st of the work s in this collection of aphorism s so ng s , ,

poem s and f ables have some arti st i c and li t e rary as wel l

,

as an e di i n character and thus it h a s the grea t est

y g ,

i mportance in the li terary h isto ry of India H e re also .

greater relative stre ss is laid o n ethics and the more ,

prof o und doctrine occupies less space Th e M a ng a la .

S u t ta for example mention s the honouri ng of parents

, ,

and the cheri shing O f wi fe and children as amo ngst the

mo st au spicious actions I t i s however the D h a mmapa da
.
, ,

i n which the ethi cal aphorisms are ch iey a ssembled .

This book i s better known in Europe than any other

Buddhi st scripture and has been O ften translated I t
, .

is indeed w o rthy of the notice i t has a tt racted and o f

, , ,

the eul o gy of Oldenberg :

F o r the elucidation o f Buddhism no t hing be tt er could
happen than that at the very outset of Buddhist s t udies
, ,

th e re should be presen ted to the student by an auspicious

hand the D h a mmapa da that most beautiful and riche st
,

collection of prove rb s to which anyone who i s d e termined

,

to k now Buddhi sm must o ver and ove r again re turn .

This proverbial wi sdom gives a true pi cture of Buddh ist

thought and fe e l i ng but e xpressed in terms of emotion
,

and poet ry which l e nd to the themes of tran sci e nce and t o

t h e f o rmul ae of the p sychologist a t ragi c poignancy that
is o fte n lacki ng in t h e set dialogues .

2 79
 Buddh a 85 t h e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

Ho w ye h e merry h o w can ye indulge d e sire ?

c an ,

Everm o re the ame s burn Darkness surrounds you will .

ye no t see k the light ?

Man gathers owers ; h i s heart is se t on pleasure .

De ath come s upon hi m l ike t he oods of wa t er on a ,

vill age and s weep s hi m away

, .

Man gathers owers ; his hear t i s se t on plea sure The .

D estr o yer bring s the man of i nsa t i able desire wi thin h i s

clu t ch .

Neither i n the region of the ai r no r i n the depth s of the ,

sea nor i f thou p i e rc e st i nt o t he cleft s of t he mou nt ain s

, ,

wil t th o u nd any pl ace o n th is earth where the hand of

death wi ll no t reach thee .

From merri ment c o meth sorrow from merri me nt cometh

fear Wh o so ever i s free fro m merri ment for hi m t here i s
.
,

no sorrow whence should fe ar reach hi m

From l o ve cometh s orrow : from l o ve c o meth fear :
1

wh o soever is free from love for hi m there i s no s o rr o w :

whence should fear reach hi m ?

Whoso looketh down upon t h e world as though he ,

gazed on a mere bubble or a dream hi m the ruler Death ,

behol deth no t .

Who soever hath t raversed the evil t rac kle ss path o f t h e ,

Sams ara wh o hath pushed on t o t h e end hath reached

, ,

the S hore rich in med itati on free from desire free fr o m

, , ,

hesitancy wh o freed from being ha t h f o und rest hi m

, , , ,

I call a true Brahman .

1
T hi t th w hi h h s d ply p t t d I di t h g h t i b l d
ru ,
c a s so ee e n e ra e n an ou ,
s a an c e

by a g i ti f th i mp i b i l i ty t h t t h m j i ty f m h l d
re co n on o e o ss a e a or o en s ou

f f
or f w f i f m l v d xp d w i th t g i b ty
e ar o so rro re ra n ro o e , an e re sse ra c e au

i w ll k w I di
n a e f i w hi h m y b t l t d
-
no n n an re ra n , c a e ran s a e

B eloved, h ad I known th a t love hri ng s p a i n ,

I mu st h a ve p roclai med, wi th hea t f
o dru m, th a t none sh ou ld love .

2 80 .
 Th e P al i C ano n
The thought of t ranscience constantly overshad o ws every
o ther :

Those bleached bones wh ich are t hrown o u t y o nder
, ,

l ike gourd s i n the au t umn seeing t hose how may any , ,

man be merry ?
Es teeming t his body l ike a bubble regarding i t as a ,

mi rage breaki ng the te mpter s o we r shaf t s pres s on to

,

-
,

the bourne where t h e monarch Death shall never see t hee

more .

Those wh o have t hus attained exclai m :

I n perfe ct j oy we l ive without e nemy in t h is world of
,

enmi ty ; among men lled with enmi ty we dwell withou t

enmity .

I n perfe ct j oy we l ive hal e a mo ng the S ick ; amo ng
,

sick m e n we dwe ll wi thout sickn e ss .

We read also
Al l men tremble a t punishm e nt all me n love l ife ; ,

remember that th o u art l ike un t o them and d o no t slay ,

nor c ause to slay .

Vi ctory breed s hatred for the conquered i s unhappy
, .

He wh o has given up both victory and defeat he the ,

conten ted i s happy , .

He abu se d me he bea t me he defeated me he robbed

, , ,

me in tho se who d o no t harb o ur such th o ught s hatre d
,

will cease .

For ha t red d o es not cease by hatred at an y t i me hatred

cea se s by l o v e thi s i s an old rule
, .

I t S hould be notic e d that the D h a mmapa da i s an ant h o

l o gy rather th an a s ingl e work many of the saying s can
,

be clo sely parall e led i n other I ndi a n bo o ks such as t he

M a h ahh ara ta or H i topa desa and no t more th an half can
'

b e re garded as d i st inctively Buddhist .

The Udana and the I t i vu ttaka consis t of prose and

2 81
 Buddh a the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
verse and c o n t ain a c o llec t ion of sayi ngs of t he Buddha
, .

Th e si mple ethi cal aspect of t he Dhamma for exampl e , ,

i s given as follows :
To s peak no i ll t o injure no t , ,

To be res t rai ned accord ing t o t he precepts ,

To be temperate i n food ,

To sleep alone ,

To dwell on l oft y though t s ,

Thi s i s the L aw of the Buddha .

The S u t ta n ip ata i s a collecti o n of ve Su t tas wh o lly i n

-

verse The Vaset th a S u t ta fo r exampl e returns t o the

.
, ,

o ld ques t i o n o f wha t cons t itu t e s a Brahman wh e ther ,

bi rth or character I n connexi o n with thi s discu ssi o n

.
,

th e re i s a remarkable pas sage a frming the u nity of the

human sp e ci e s a view i n accord with m o st ( though not
,

a ll
) o f modern auth o ri t ies The pas sag e ru ns
. aft er ,

m e ntioning the marks o f distinction be t ween quadrupeds ,

s erpe nt s bi rd s etc
, , .

A s i n the se species the marks tha t consti t u t e species are

abundant so in men t he marks that con stitu t e species are
,

not abundant .

No t as regards their hair head ears eyes mouth no se , , , , , ,

lips or brow s nor as regard s thei r hands fee t palms

, , , ,

nail s calves thigh s c o l o ur or voice are there marks that

, , , ,

c o nstitu t e specie s as i n o ther species .

D i ffe rence there i s i n b e ing s end o wed with bodie s b u t ,

a m o ngst men this i s no t t h e case ; t h e di ffe rence amongs t

men is only n o minal .

A nd therefore
,

No t by birth i s one a Brahman nor i s o ne by bi rth no ,

Brahman but by e ffo rt by re ligi ou s l ivi ng by self

, ,

re stra int and by t e mp e ra nce by th i s o ne i s a Brahm an, .

Am o ng st all w o rk s o f the K h u dda ka N i kaya h o wever the , ,

2 82
 Th e P al i Cano n
P sal m s of the Brethre n and Sisters ( Th erd th e ri g ath a)

- -

stand fo remo st i n l iterary and human interest I n skilful .

craftsmanship and beauty these songs are w o r t hy t o b e se t

be side the hymn s of the Ri g Veda and the lyrical poem s
,

of K al id asa and J ayade v a Each of the songs is a scribed

.

by name to some member of the Sa ngha who attai n e d to

A rah att a i n the li fetime of Gau t a ma and the later com ,

mentary often adds a fe w words by way of a bi o graphy o f

the author But we cannot place very much re li anc e on
.

the nam e s although thei r citati o n d o e s no t mislead u s in

,

presupp o si ng a great varie ty of authors in this c o lle c

tion I t is intere sting t o no te that analysis reveals certai n
.

p sych o l o gical d i ffe re ntiatio n as between the songs of the

Brethren and those of the Si sters : i n the latter there i s a
more pe rs o nal note and m o re of anecdote ; in the former
,

more of t he inner life and more descripti o ns of n atural

,

beau t y T he burden of all t he s o ng s i s the cal m delight

.
,

the peace beyond word s to which th e y have attain e d wh o ,

have left the world and are free from de s ires and fro m
re sentment ; each P s al m as i t were i s a l ittle s o ng o f
, ,

tri umph like the Buddh a s so ng of the build e r o f the

hou se which is here ascribed t o the A rah at Si v aka

,

pertinent to the ind ividual experience of the one that

s pe a k s .

The se so ngs are a personal expre ssion of all th o se id e al s

a nd aim s which are s p o ken of in the more
pro f o und

te xt s On the part o f the Brethren very ofte n the theme

. ,

i s o ne o f e xtrem e mi sogy ny : t h e true h e ro is h e wh o b a rs

h i s heart fro m al l that emanates from woman M o re .

than o ne picture o f a woman s corp se i n the charnel eld

i s pres e nted with u npl e a sa nt d e t a il ; and th e re at lea st a

woman b e come s of some u se for her decayi ng body
,

teache s the l e s son of di sgust ; nowhere el se can sh e be

2 83
 B u ddh a @ 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
augh t but a fe tter and a hind rance to those wh o would
se t them sel ves t o righteou s dutie s I t would perhaps be .

unfai r to contrast thi s poin t of view with the Brahma nical

ideal of marriage as under t aken by man and woman pre
c i se l fo r the j oin t perf o rmance of social and rel igious
y
duti e s ; for we are here concerned with mona st ici sm and ,

Brahmanic a l ascetic l i t erature can provid e i t s own m is

o
gy n i st i c texts t o compare with t h ose of Buddhism T h e .

f llowing may serve as an example o f t h e Thera s songs :

o 1

O f Canda na i t i s sai d tha t when a child was born t o hi m ,

he left hi s home fo r the O rder and dwelt i n the forest , .

One day hearing that he was e ngaged i n medi t ation in

,

the charn e l e ld his wi fe endeavoured to wi n hi m back

,

t o the hou seh o ld life I t was in vain ; and thi s was the
.

A rah at s wi tness

I n g olde n g e ar he de cked , a t roo p of m a i ds

A t t e n di ng i n h e r t ra i n he a ri ng t h e ha he ,

U p h e r h ip my wif e dre w ne a r t o me
on ,
.

I ma rke d h e r com i n
g m ot h e r m
f y
o c h i ld , ,

I n hra ve a rray, li ke sna re o f M ara lai d .

Th e rea t a rose i n me th e de e p er th oug h t

A tt e n t i on to th e f ac t a nd t o th e ca u se .

Th e m i se ry of i t a ll wa s ma n if e st ;
D i staste i ndif ,
f
ere n ce , t h e m i nd p osse sse d

A nd so my h eart was se t a t li he rty .

0 see th e se e mly orde r o f th e N orm

The Th re qfold Wi sdom h a ve I m a de my own ,

A nd a ll th e B u ddh a hi ds me do i s done .

1
Th e t ran s l ti
d f m th d m i bl v i
a o n s are q u o te ro e a ra e e rs o n s o f M rs R hy s

D v id ( P lm f th B th
a s sa Th m h m
s o e re ren , e uc o re i nte re s ti g
n

N t p m f th B t h
a u re oe q t d b p 66
s o e re re n are uo e a ove , . 1 seq .

2 84
 Th e P al i C ano n

The following i s an ex t rac t from the Psal m of

R e v at a :

Si nce I went f ort h f rom h ome to h ome less lif e ,

N e e r h ave I h a rhou re d c onsc i ou s wi sh

or pl an

Un A riya n
-
or li nked w i t h en mi ty .

Wi th th oug h t o f de a th I da lly n ot , n or ye t

D e ligh t i n li v i ng I a wa i t t h e h ou r
.

L ik e a ny h i re li ng wh o h a th done h i s t a sk .

Wi th th oug h t of death I da i ly not nor ye t ,

D e ligh t i n li v i ng I a wa i t t h e h ou r
.

Wi t h m i nd di sce rn i ng a nd wi th h eedf u lness .

Th e M ast e r h a th my f e a lty a nd love ,

'
A nd a ll t h e B u ddh a s hi ddi ng h a th he e n done .

L ow h av e I la i d th e h e a vy loa d I hore ,
Ca u se f or rehi rth i s f o u nd i n me n o more .

Th e Good f or wh i c h I hade th e world f a re we ll,

A nd lef t t h e h ome to le ad th e h om e le ss lif e ,

Th a t h i gh est Good h ave I a ccom li sh e d p ,

A nd e ve r
y hond a nd f e tte r i s dest royed .

Far more poeti c t han the verses inspi red by the Bre th re ns

fear of woman as the subtles t form of worldly snare are ,

those of the Si sters thems e lves re ecting o n the pa ssing ,

away of their own youth and beauty and pointing fo r ,

themselve s the lesson o f transcience ; and amo ngst these

none i s more interesting than t h at of the courte san
A mb apali wh o se ge nerosi ty to the O rder we have
,

al ready noticed ; she was converted by the preaching

of her own son and s t udyi ng the l aw of i mpermanence
,

as illustrated i n her o wn agei ng body she uttered ,

the following verses ( nine t een i n all of wh ich I quote ,

ve) :
2 85
 Buddh a 899 t h e G o sp e l
o f B u ddhi sm
Glossy a nd hlack as t h e down f
o th e hee my c u r ls once

clu ste re d .

Th ey wi th th e was te of t h e ye a rs a re li ker t o h e m p e n or

ha rkcloth .

S u ch a nd n ot ot h e r wi se r u n n e t h th e ru ne , t h e w o rd o f th e
S oot hsayer .

D e nse as a g r ov e we ll pl a n te d, a nd c o me ly wi t h c om h, p i n

a nd p a rt i n
g .

A ll wi th t h e waste f
o th e y e a rs di sh e ve lle d t h e f a i r pl a i ts

a nd f a lle n

S u ch a n d n ot ot h e rw i se r u n n e t h th e r u ne , t h e word o
f th e
S ooth saye r .

L ovely th e li ne s f
o my e a rs as t h e de li ca t e work of t h e
oldsm i t h
g .

Th ey wi th t h e wa ste of ye a rs a re se a m ed w i t h w r i nkle s
and p en de nt .

S u ch a nd not ot h e rwi se ru n n e t h th e ru ne , t h e word f

o th e
S oot h saye r .

F u ll a nd love ly i n c ont o u r rose

f
o
y o re th e s ma ll hre asts
f
o me .

Th ey w i t h th e waste of th e yea rs droo p sh ru n ke n as s ki ns

wi t h ou t wa t e r .

So a n d n ot ot h e rwi se r u nn e t h th e r u ne , t h e word of th e
S oothsaye r .

S u ch h a t h th i s hody he e n . N ow ag e
wea ry a nd we aka nd
u ns i gh t l
y ,

H ome of m a n ifold i lls ; old h ou se wh e n ce t h e mo rta r i s

So a n d not ot h e rw i se r u n ne t h the ru n e , t h e w o rd of the

S ooth saye r .

2 86
 Th e P al i Cano n
And inasmuch as the Theri by t h e vi s ible s ign s o f i m ,

permanence i n her own per so n di scerned i mp e rmanence ,

i n all phenomena of the three plane s and b e ari ng that i n ,

mind brought into reli e f the sign s of 1 11 ( dukkh a) and of

,

N o soul ( anatta) she making clear her insight i n her Path

-
, ,

progress attai ned A rah ant shi p

,
1
.

The w o rd s of Sundari Nanda another of the Sis ters -

, ,

resume the same t rain of though t :

No w f or th e hody ca re I n e ve r more , a n d a ll my consc i ou s
n e ss is p assi o n - f re e .

K e e n w i th f
u n e tt e re d z e a l, de t ach ed, ca lm a n d se re ne I
t ast e N i hhana s
'

p eace .

Another composite work and one O f t he grea tes t si gni ,

cance for l iterary and social h i st ory i s the book o fj ata ka s , ,

o r hi stories O f the previous bi r t hs of Gautama Origi n ally .

con sis t ing only of verses t o wh ich the reciter must have ,

added a verbal explana t ion they are now preserved i n the ,

form of the P al i f ataka va nna na where the verses are ,

enshrined i n a fo rmal framework of which the chief part s

are the intro duc t o ry episode and the concluding i de nt i c a
ti o n o f the characters ; within t hese i s the st o ry proper ,

con sisting of prose and verse Each of these four .

elements as Professor Rhys Davids points o u t has had a

, ,

separa t e h is t ory ; the old J ataka book co nt ained the verse s

only ; the necessary oral commentary wh ich accompanied

the quotation of the verses was subsequently written d o wn
and forms the prose s t ory whi ch i s su mmed up as i t , ,

were and cli nched by the old verses and nally the
, ,

1
M rs Rh y D v id mm t
s a It i i t ti g t
s co d then s : tw

s n e re s n o n e se o

i t i ti t t i th h t i f t h mm i ty d th W i W m
an c e n ns u o ns, e e a ra o e co un an e se o an ,

w i th h m p ly f i g t hi g t h y h v b
er ono o o se e n w i ll b n s as e a e e e n, are , o r e,

co mb i d i ne d th m p m
n o ne an e sa e oe .

2 87
 B u ddh a 863
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
scholastic framework was completed The J at akas in this .

nal form were no t comple t ed before the fth cen t ury A D . .

However the s t ories so preserved we have every rea son

, ,

to bel ieve closely follow an Old trad i t ion handed d o wn

,

from at least the t hird cen t ury B C ; for a considerable . .

number of t hese s t orie s are i llustra t ed in the well kn o wn -

Bharhu t sculpt ures and are there labelled with th e i r

,

name s and in one case a half verse i s also quoted We

, .

learn fro m these sculpt ures that folk t ales and secular -

fables were adapted to an edifyi ng purpose qui te early in

the h istory of Buddhism precisely as popul a r and secular
art i s adap t ed t o Buddhist purposes in the sculp t ure them

selves .

Beside t his we have t o o bserve t ha t although the stori es

,

are now convert ed to the purposes of Buddhis t e di cat i o n ,

they belong rather to I ndian than to speci cally Buddhi st

l iterature and very few have a purely Buddhis t o rigin
, .

I n point of fac t the rule o f the Order f o rbid s t h e Brethren

t o l isten to s tories of kings and queen s wars women g o d s , , ,

and fairie s and so forth and some l i t tle ti me must have

, ,

el ap sed befo re the Buddhi st s could have come t o bel ieve

that the J atakas were really related by t h e Buddha h imself .

Then again i n the very fac t of t he s t re ss that i s laid upon

,

the doctrine of the Bodhisa tt va and in t he emphasis lai d ,

upon the o ld res o lve o f the Br ahman Su me dh a ( in the

J ataka) as well as in the i ntroduc t ory and other references

,

to the twenty four previou s Buddhas the J at aka bo o k
-
,

s h o ws a c o nsiderable devel o pment of Buddhist s chola s

t i c i sm and the o logy and might very well be described as

,

a Mah ay anist scrip t ure notwi t hs t anding i t i s included i n

,

the P al i canon Many of the stories are o lder than

.

Buddhism and no t withs t anding that i n t heir Buddhi st

,

garb they do not date from t h e t i me of Gau t ama the y ,

2 88
 Th e P al i C ano n
give us a true pictu re of ol d I ndian li fe of abou t the fth
c e ntu ry B C Apart from thei r literary value th is fact
. .
,

al o ne makes the J ataka collection of great interest ; be si de

which thi s i s the mo st reliable the mo st c o mple t e and
, , ,

the mos t ancient collection of folk lore now ex t an t i n any -

l iterature in the world .
3

The J ataka s vary greatly both in subjec t and in l iterary

merit a nd al s o i n le ngth so me are d ry and witles s others
, ,

poi nt a merely c o mmon sen se moral others elaborate -

,

the sy stematic d o ctri ne of the previou s Buddha s and t h e

ch a ra cter o f the B o dhisattva as exempl ifyi ng t he ten gre a t
vi rtue s while ye t o thers are work s o f the
ne st art setting forth with poignan t inte nsity the d ra m a
,

o f hum a n emoti o n : s ome are fragment s of epi c s with t h e ,

av o u r o f a ri stocracy o thers are t h e w o rk o f u ni m ag i na

,

tive mi so gy ni st s oth e rs are p o pular ballad s and many

, ,

a re l ittl e m o re than nurse ry t al e s All thi s i s e asily .

e xplai ned by the comp o s i t e a uth o r s hip of the c o ll e cti o n ,

a nd the vari e t y of clas s a nd o ccupa t i on of those from

who m the Ord e r of the Buddhist Wanderers was

recru ited .

Amo ngs t the si mple st stories there are many fables of

w o rld wide d istributi o n like the s to ry o f the ass i n the
-
,

l i o n s skin stories of grateful bea sts and tha nkl e ss men ;

,

her e al so a re tale s of demons and fairies c a n nibal ki ng s ,

a nd ma ster s of magic to d e light the heart s of a ny ch ild or

,

childlik e p e o ple On t h e other ha nd a re t he fo rmal epic s

.
,

a m o ngst which i s the recensi o n of s ome old R ama ballad ,

such as con stitu t ed the basis of the R amaya na But .

here we shall quote only o ne J at aka at s ome le ngth the ,

Ch a dda nta j atak a which i s pe rhap s the mos t beautiful

, ,

a nd add als o a S hort summary o f a nother wh ich i s a great

favourite the Vessa nta ra f ataka which sets forth the

, ,

T 2 89
 Buddh a 89
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
S upernatural genero s ity of the B o dhi sattva i n hi s la s t
incarnation befo re the a t tainme nt Of Buddhahood .

Ch a dda nt a f at a ka

Intro ductory episod e : A well born girl of Sav at t h i -

,

recognizi ng t h e mi sery o f t h e worldly l i fe had adopt e d ,

t h e h o mele ss sta t e and was one day sea t ed with o th e rs

,

of the S isters hearing the Master s teaching ; and the

,

t hough t came i nt o heart

Was I i n s ome fo rmer li fe
,

an at t endant of hi s wives ? Then sh e rememb e re d th at

i n t h e tim e of t h e el e phant Ch addant a she herself had been ,

hi s wi fe and her heart was lled with j oy

But Was I
, .

well or ill di sposed to hi m ? she thought for t h e gre ater
-

,

part of wome n are i ll di sp o sed t o thei r l o rd s - Then .

s h e re membered that Sh e had borne a grudge ag a in st

Ch addant a and had s e nt a hunter w

, ith a p o i so ned arro w
t o take h i s tu s k s Th e n her gri e f a w o k e and her heart
.
,

burned and she burst int o so bs and we pt aloud O n

, .

seeing that the Mast e r s mil e d

, and being a sked by the ,

c o mpany of the Brethre n What Si r was the c au se o f , , ,

y o ur s miling he said Brethre n th i s young Si ster wept

, , ,

for an i nju ry she d id me long ag o And so saying he told .

a st o ry of the pa st .

Once o n a ti me the Bo dhi sat t a was born as the so n

o f t h e chief of a herd of el e ph ant s i n the H i m al aya s .

He was pure whi t e with re d fe et and face ; whe n h e

,

grew up he became the chief o f a great herd and h e ,

w o rshipped private Buddhas H i s two chief queens were .

C u llasu b h adda and M ah asu b h adda One y e ar i t wa s .

,

rep o rted Th e great S al grove i s in o wer ; and with -

all h i s herd h e w e nt t o take his plea sure th e re As he .

went al o ng h e struck a Sal tree with h i s f o re head and ,

b e cause C u llasu b h adda was standi ng t o windward twigs ,

2 90
 C haddant a
J aat ka

and d ry leaves and red ant s fe ll o n her while Mah a ,

s u b h a dda stood t o leeward so that o wer s a nd pollen and

,

green l e ave s fell on her Cu llasu b h adda thought H e
.
,

le t the o wers and p o llen fall on his fav o uri te wife and ,

t h e twig s a nd red ant s o n me a nd sh e bore hi m a grudge

.
,

U p o n another o ccasion when a lotu s wi th seven sh o o t s

,

had been o ffered t o hi m he pre sented i t to M ahasu b

,

hadd a .

Th e n Cu llasu b h adda was s till more e stranged and sh e ,

went to a shrin e o f private Buddhas and m a d e o ffering s

o f wild

fruit s and prayed : Here a fter wh e n I p as s
, ,

aw ay I w o uld be reborn as the daught e r o f a ki ng

, ,

that I may become t h e queen o f the King of Be nare s .

Then shall I b e clear to hi m and may work my will , ,

a nd I wil l h a ve h i m t o send a hunt e r with a poi s o ned

arrow t o kill thi s el e phant and bring me h i s s ixf o ld tu sk s .

A nd i n ti m e to come sh e b e c o me s the chi e f que e n o f t h e

K i ng o f Be nares She remembers her former life and
.
,

think s : My praye r h as be e n fulll e d She fe ign s s ickne ss .

,

a nd per suade s the ki ng t o grant her a b o on which al o ne ,

will re store her he alth and spi rit s ; what the boon i s sh e
will tell when all the king s hunt s men are a ssembl e d I t

.

i s th a t so me one o f them sh o uld bring her the tu sks of

C h addant a . Sh e opens a wi ndow and point s to t h e
H i m alayas in the N orth and says :

Th e re dwe lls i nv i n c i hle i n mi gh t ,

p
Th i s e le h a n t si x taske d a nd w h i te
,
-
,

L ord f
o a h e rd ei
gh t t h ou sa n d st ro ng

Wh ose t u sks a re li ke t o c h a r i ot
p o le s,

A nd wi n d-
sw i
f t t h e
y t o g u a rd o r st r i ke !
If th ey sh ou l d se e a ch i ld o f man
Th e i r a ng e r sh ou ld de st roy h i m u tt e rly ,
 Buddh a 89 2
t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
and S he behel d i n her heart the very spot where he was
t aki ng his plea sure h o w ,

F re sh f rom h i s ha th a nd lot u s w rea th e d

-
,

H e m ov es a long t h e h om e wa rd t r a ck .

Va st i s h i s hra ke a n d li l
y whi t e ,

A nd th ere hef ore h i m wa lk s a de a r love d

q u een -
.

Of all the hun t smen one by name So nu t t a ra wh o was a

, ,

hid e o u s lout and big and stro ng und e rt o o k t he ta sk and , ,

b e i ng furni shed wi th all needful i mpleme nt s he se t fo rth ,

o n his way I t nee ded seven years of weary go i ng t o

.

re ach Ch addant a s haun t s ; but no sooner c o m e th e re ,

than So nu t t ara dug a pi t and c o vered it with l o g s and

gras s and d o n ning the yell o w ro be s o f a m an o f re ligi o n
, ,

and t aking hi s bow and p o ison e d arrow he h id him se l f ,

and la i n wai t Pre se ntly C h addant a pa sse d by and

y .
,

So nu tt a ra w o u nded hi m with t he p o i so ne d a rr o w But .

the e l e phant s ubduing hi s fe e l i ng s of re se ntme nt a sk e d ,

t h e hu nter
Why have you wou nded m e ? is it fo r y o ur
,

o wn end s or to s ati s fy t h e will of an o ther ? Th e hu nt e r

an swered th a t Su b h adda the c o ns o rt o f the K i ng o f

,

B e n a re s h ad sent h i m to secure the tu sk s Ch addant a

, .

re e cte d I t i s no t that she wi shes for the tusk s but sh e

, ,

de si res my death ; and h e said :

Come now , t h o u h u n te r , and hef or e I di e
S a w th roug h my i v ory t u sk s;

A nd hi d t h e jea lou s qu e e n rejoi ce

H e re a re t h e t u sks, t h e ph
e le a nt i s de a d .

So bowed h i s head and So nu t t ara b e ga n t o

C h addant a ,

saw the tu sks ; and when he could no t cut th e m the ,

great elephant took the saw in h i s trunk and m o ved i t t o

and fro till the tu sks were severed Then h e gave up .

2 92
 C haddanta J a tak a

the t u sk s
and said I do
no t give you t he se t u sk s my
, ,

frie nd because I thi nk them of l ittle value nor to wi n t he

, ,

statu s of a god but becau se the tus ks of o mniscience are

,

a thousand time s dearer to me than these ; and may thi s

worthy gift be the cause of my a ttaining Omniscience .

Then the hunter depart ed wi t h the tusk s ; and before the

o ther elepha nt s reached C h addant a he had died .

The hun t er came then before t h e queen and said

H e re a re h i s t a sks th e heast i s de ad
, .

Do

you t e l l me that he i s dead ? she cried ; and he
an swered Rest assured that he i s dead here are the
, ,

tu sks Then sh e received the s i x rayed tu sks and l aying

.

-
,

them acro ss her lap and thi nki ng The se are the tu sks
, ,

O f hi m who wa s once my lord she was lled wi t h sorrow
,

s o gre at that sh e c o uld not bear i t but there and then her ,

h e art broke and sh e died the s ame day .

To make the st o ry clear the Ma st er said : ,

S h e wh om you u se d to se e ,

A S i st e r i n t h e ye llow ro e ,h
Was once a q u ee n , a n dI
p
Th e ki ng of ele h a n ts wh o di ea ,

.

B u t h e t h at t ookth e sh i n i ng t u sks

M a t ch less on e a rt h , o f p u re wh i t e ,

A n d hroug h t t h e m t o B e n a re s t own ,

H as n owf t h e na me o D e v a da t ta .

Thi s sto ry of the p ast the Ma ster t old o u t of hi s o wn

k no wledg e but for all i ts sorrow yet he hi msel f was fre e
, ,

fr o m p a in and grief .

And o n hearing thi s d iscourse a multitud e entered the

Fi rst Path and the Sister novice not lo ng af terwards
,

a t tained to A rah at t a .

2 93
 Buddh a 9 t h e G o sp e l 2
o f Buddhi sm

S u mma ry f t h
o e Ve ssa n t a ra
f at a ka

A so n was b o rn to Ph u sati the Q ueen consort of the ,

-

K i ng o f Sivi h e was named Ve ssant ara and the fo rtune ,

teller s pre dicted that he would be devote d t o al m sgiving ,

n e ve r satised wi th giving He was married t o h i s cousin

.

M add i and they had a so n and a daughter Ve ssant ara

, .

p o sses sed al s o a magic a l white elephant tha t bro ught ,

r a in wh e re ver he we nt At t ha t ti me there was a drough t

.

a nd famin e i n K al i nga and t he men of that count ry

, ,

k no wing of the e lephant and of Ve ssant ara s genero sity

,

,

s e nt an embassy o f Brahman s to ask for the elephant ,

A s the Prince was ri ding through the city on t he eleph a nt ,

to visit one o f h i s al ms hall s the Brahmans m e t hi m by

-
,

the way and craved a boon nor would he re fu se t h e ,

elephant hi ms e lf He d e scend e d from h i s back and

.
,

be st o wed hi m on t h e Brahma ns together with all hi s ,

pri cel e ss jewels a nd hundreds of attendan t s .

Th e n was a m igh ty t error f e lt t h e n hri st li ng

, of
th e h a i r
Wh e n t h e g re a t ele ph a nt w a s
g i v e n t h e , ea rt h

di d qu ake f or f e a r,

and t h e pe o ple of the city repro ach e d t h e B o dhi sattva for

his t o o great g e nero si ty I n o rder to avo i d thei r anger
.
,

h e was b ani shed Ve ssant ara spent a day i n b e stowi ng

.

gi ft s o f e l e phant s horse s w o m e n j e wel s and fo o d ; th e n

, , , ,

h e w e nt f o rth i nt o e xile accompanied by M a dd i a nd b o th

,

t h e childr e n setti ng o u t i n a g o rg e o u s carri age draw n by

,

f o ur horse s O n the way he give s the h o rses and chariot

.

i n a l m s ; nally th e y re a ch a b e auti ful f o re st retreat and ,

th e re take up th e i r abode i n a hermit age .

Whil e there a Brahman visits Ve ssant ara and begs for ,

2 94
 O t h e r B o o k s o f t he C ano n
the children to b e h i s servants and they are freely give n ; ,

they are subsequently brough t by the same Brahman to

the city from which V e ssant ara had been exiled and they ,

are th e re ransomed by h i s p a rents N e xt Sakka appears .

,

t o Ve ssant ara i n the shape of another Brah man and a sks ,

fo r h i s wife .

The Bodhisattva bes t ows h is wife upon t h e seeming

Brahma n saying : ,

Wea ry am I, n or h i de I t h a t :
y i n m y o wn de s i t e
et p ,

I g i ve , an d sh r i n k n ot : f or i n g if ts my h e a rt doth t ake

B ot h j ali a nd K a nh aji na I le t a noth e r t ake,

A nd M a ddi my de v ot e d w ife , a nd a ll f or w i sdom

s sa ke .

N ot h a tef ul i s my f a i t hf u l wif e y , n or et my c hi ldre n a re ,

But p e r e ct f knowle dg e , to my m i nd i s , some th i ng de a re r

f ar .

Sakka t hen reveals hi mself and res t ores Madd i and , ,

be stows ten bo o ns ; as t he re sult of which Ve ssant a ra

and M a dd i are brough t back to t hei r p aternal ci ty ,

re stored to favour and reunited with thei r child ren and

, ,

nally Ve ssant ara receive s the assurance that he S hal l be

born only once again .

Ot h e r B ooks f
o t h e Ca non
The B u ddh a va msa i s a somewhat jeju ne reci t al o f t h e
hi storie s o f t h e twe nty f o ur pre vi o u s Buddha s and the
-
,

l ife of Gaut a ma represe nted t o have bee n re lat e d by

,

h i m se l f The last b o ok o f t h e K h u dda ka N i haya is the

.

Ca riyap i ta ka a coll e cti o n of thi rty v e J ataka s

,
- .

Th e third d ivi s i o n of t h e P al i c ano n the A hhi dh a mma ,

P i ta ka need not be considered here a t any length for i t

, ,

2
95
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
d i ffers from t h e Su t ta litera t ure al ready discussed o nly i n
bei ng m o re dry more i nv o lved and m o re schola sti c
, ,

origin al ity and depth are comparati v e ly lacking and our ,

kn o wl e dge of Buddhi st ph il o s o phy would be lit t le le ss i f

the A hh i da mma P i ta ka were alt o gether ignored .

U nc a noni c a l P ali L i t e ra t u re
'

I f we pro ceed no w t o speak o f the uncan o nical P al i

Buddhi st litera t ure we meet in the rst plac e the w e ll
,

kn o wn b o o k of the Qu est i ons of K i ng M i li nda whi ch ,

might very w e ll indeed have been includ e d i n the cano n ,

and is so included in Si am The mo s t o ften qu o te d and .

,

ve ry characteristic passage of the M i li n da P a nh a is t he

chari o t d i scourse on a n at ta :
N agasena e nqui re s of the king : Pray did yo u come

,

afo o t o r riding ?
, and there ensue s the following
dial o gue :

Bh ant e I do no t go afoot : I came i n a chari o t
, .

Y o ur m aje sty i f you came i n a ch a ri ot d e clare to m e

, ,

the chariot Pray your majes t y is the pole the chariot ?
.
, ,

Nay verily Bhant e , .

I s the axle t he chario t ?
Nay v e rily Bh ant e , .

And so for the hee l s the body the banner s t a ff t he yoke

, ,
-
, ,

the reins and t he goad : the king admit s that n o ne o f

,

th e se no r a lt o gether c o nstitute a chari o t no r i s th e re any

, ,

o th e r thing b e s ide the se which c o nstitute s a chari o t .

Th e n N agase na c o nti nu e s :

Y o ur majesty th o ugh I que stion you v e ry cl o s e ly I fail

, ,

t o d i sc o ver any ch a ri o t V e rily no w your maj e sty the

.
, ,

w o rd chari o t i s a mere e mpty sound What chari o t is .

there here ?
A nd the king i s convinced that the word chari ot
is but a
2 96
 U n c ano ni c a l P al i L i t e rat u re
way of coun t ing term appellation convenient desig nati o n
, , , ,

and name for pole axle wheel s chario t body and banner
, , ,
-
,

sta ff .

N ag ase na draws the parallel

I n ex actly the sa me way your maj es t y ( my name of) , ,

N ag ase na i s but a way o f cou nting t erm appellation c o n , , ,

v e ni e nt de s ignation mere name ,
for the seve ral parts of

t h e m ind and body collectively regarded while i n the ,

absolute sense no Eg o i s h e re t o be found .

The whole o f the canonical P al i Buddhis t l iter a t ure ,

t o gether with the Qu est i ons of M i li nda are o f I ndian ,

origi n notwith standi ng they are pre served only i n the

,

P al i text s o f Ceylon and Burma and Siam The re .

m a i nde r of the uncanonical P al i l iterature o n the other ,

hand i s al most enti rely t h e w o rk of the Si nhalese

,

B re thren o r of I ndian authors l ike Bu ddh agh o sh a wh o

,

to o k up thei r re si d e nce i n Ceylon Thi s learned monk .

came fro m a Brah man family of Bodh Gay a a nd bei ng ,

c o nverted by the monk R e v at a to Buddhism he cam e t o ,

Ce ylon to study the Buddhi st commen t aries There he .

re sided at t h e Great Mo na stery at Anuradh apura and as ,

the rs t fruit of hi s s t udies compo sed the Vi su ddh i M agg a

or Way of Puri ty a lengthy compend ium of Buddhi s t

,

lore For t he most part Bu ddhagh o sh a adheres to the

.

setting forth of the O ld A ra h at i deal as fo r example , , ,

when he tell s of a monk wh o i s so far rem o ved fr o m the

w o rld that h e tak e s hi s daily meal s fo r three mo nths a t
t h e h o u se o f h i s m o ther with o ut o nce s ayi ng
I am thy

s o n th o u a rt my mother ; notwith s tandi ng sh e d e s i re d
,

ne w s o f her l o s t so n v e ry gre a tly So g o o d a layw o m a n .

was sh e howe ver th a t when an o ther o f the Brethren

, ,

i nformed her that he had thu s vi s ited the h o use unk nown ,

sh e s peak s o f her son s b e havi o ur as al tog e ther praise

w o rthy F o r t he most part t h e re i s no i mpor tant c o n

.

2 97
 Buddh a 89
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
t ri b u t i o n t o
Buddhi st d o ctri ne but on the o th e r hand
,

many legend s a nd tal e s o f w o nder are pre served here and

n o wh e re el se there i s considerable stre ss l a id o n miracle s
perfo rmed by the saint s Bu ddh ag h o sh a al so compiled
.

a comm e ntary o n t h e whole o f the canonical l iterature ;

th o ugh i t i s d o ubtful i f the J ataka and Dhamm ap ada
c o mmentarie s are really hi s work I n an y ca se Buddha .
,

g h o sh a i s t h e Buddhi s t co mmen t ator before all others ; ,

hi s m e th o d i s clear and pene t ra t ing and the illu strative ,

l e ge nd s serve to lighten the m o re tedi ou s su mmari e s .

Two Buddhi st Pal i work s of very great i mportanc e the ,

va msa and M a h ava msa are verse chro nicl e s o f

,

C e yl o n history N otwith standing t hat no di stincti o n i s

.

here made betwee n saga l e ge nd and de f act o hi story a

, , ,

c o nsiderabl e part and e spe ci ally t h e later p a rt o f th e se

,

works h as a great hi st ori cal value

, We nd for .
,

example a striki ng co n rmation of the ge nera l accuracy

,

of the t radition i n t h e fac t that t h e ch ro nicle s m e nti o n

,

am o ngs t the name s of Asoka s m i ssionari e s th o se o f

Kas sapa gotta and Majjh i m a as having been sent with

-

three others to the H i m alayas whil e arch ae o l o gical ,

expl o ra t ion h as unearthed from a stpa near Sanch i a

funeral urn bearing the i nscri ption i n s cript of the thi rd
century B C Of the good man K a s sapa go t t a teach e r o f
. .
-
,

all the H i m alaya re gio n wh ile the i nsi de of the urn i s
,

inscribed Of t he go o d man Majjh i m a , .

I ndian practice how e ver deal s with hi story as art rather

, ,

than science ; and perh a p s t h e chief i ntere st of the C e yl o n

chr o nicle s a pp e ars i n th e i r epic charact e r The D ip a va msa
pro bably o f t h e fourth c e ntury A D
.
,

ju st before Buddh a
o sh a
. .

g h i s c o mp o se d i n very poor P a li and i s alt o geth e r ,

a n i nartisti c pr o ducti o n ; i t h as o nly bee n pre serv e d in

Burma while in Ceyl o n i t s plac e has b e en t ake n by the

,

2 98
 U n c ano ni c a l P al i L i t e rat u re
much ner bo o k o f the M a h ava msa composed b yMah anam a ,

toward the end of the fth cen t u ry .

We are here able says Pro fe sso r Geiger i n a way

,

,

that e ls e where i s not easy to follow the development of ,

the epi c i n i t s l itera ry evolutio n We are able to picture .

to ourselves the contents and form of the chronicle wh ich

f o rms t h e basis of the epi c s ong and of the various e lements ,

o f wh ich i t i s compo sed The D ip a va msa repre se nt s

.

the rst unaided s t ruggle t o create an epi c out o f t h e

al ready exi sting material I t i s a document that x e s o u r
.

atte ntion j us t because o f the i m c o m ple t e ne ss O f the c o m

position and i ts want of style The M a h ava msa i s .

already worthy of the name of a true e pi c I t i s the .

rec o gnized work o f a p o et And we are able to watch this .

p o et in a certain mea sure at hi s work in his w o rk sh o p .

Alth o ugh he i s quit e depe ndent on his materi als which he ,

i s bou nd t o f o llow as closely as p o ssible he deal s with ,

th e m criti cally perceives thei r S hortcomings and i rre g u

,

lari t i e s and seeks to i mprove and to e li mina t e

,
1
.

The hero of this epi c i s D u t t h agam ani a natio nal hero ,

king of the second ce ntu ry B C whose renown in Southern . .

,

Buddhist annal s i s seco nd only t o that o f A so ka h ims e lf .

The king s vi c t ory over the Tamil leader i s related as

foll o ws :

K i ng Du tt h agamani pro clai med with h e at of dru m :
N o n e but myself sh all s lay El ara When h e hi m sel f .

,

arm e d had m o unted the armed el e phant K a ndu la he

, ,

purs u e d E l ara and cam e t o the so uth gate ( o f A nu rad

hapura ) Ne a r the s outh gate of the ci ty t he t wo ki ng s
.

f o ught : El ara hurled h i s d a rt G ama ni evaded i t ; he ,

mad e hi s own elephant pierce ( El ara s) e lepha nt with h i s

tu sks a nd he hurled h i s d ar t at El ara ; and the latter

,

1
G ig
e e r,
s a vamsa u nd M ahavamsa i ntro d tiuc on .

2 99
 Buddh a @3 f Buddhi sm
3
2
t he G o sp e l o

fe ll there with h i s e lephant On t he sp o t where his .

( )

El a ra s body had falle n he burned i t with the catafalqu e ,

and there did he build a m o nument and ordain worsh ip .

And even to this day the prince s o f L a nk a when they d ra w ,

ne a r to thi s place are won t to silence thei r mu si c b e cau se

,

of th i s worship .

With true Buddhi st feeling the king i s represe nt ed t o h ave

fel t no jo y in his great vi cto ry and t h e slaughter o f t he

invader s ho sts :

L o o king back upon hi s glori ous vi c t o ry great though ,

i t was he knew no jo y rememberi ng that there by was

, ,

wrought the destruc t i o n of mill ions of beings .

On thi s the chroni cle comment s :

Should a man think on the hosts o f hu man beings mu r

dered for greed in c o untle ss myri ad s and S h o uld he care ,

fully keep i n mind t h e ( cons e quent) e vi l and s hould he ,

al so ve ry c a refully keep i n mind that m o rtali ty i s t h e

a ll of them then wi ll he i n thi s way
( real ) murderer of , ,

s peedily wi n t o freedom from sorrow and t o a happy

s t ate.

One of hi s warriors t ook the robes of a mon k and th e ,

name o f Th e rapu t t ab h aya saying : ,

I will do battle with the rebel passions where vic t ory i s ,

hard to wi n ; wha t other war remains where all t h e real m

is united ?
The death bed scenes are related wi th deep feeling : the
-

king h as hi s couch br o ugh t where he can gaz e up o n hi s

t wo gre at buildi ng s t h e Braz e n Palace m o nast e ry and
, ,

the Gre at Th ap a the latter no t ye t complete He i s

, .

surrounded by thou sand s o f the Bre thren but l o oking ,

ab o ut he d oe s not se e The rapu ttab h aya his old com

, ,

pani o n i n arm s and he think s

- -
,

Th e Th e rapu t t ab h aya comes no t no w t o ai d me now ,

3 00
 Th e S an k
s r i t Te xt s
that the dea t h struggle i s begun for m e thi nks he foresees
-
,

my d e feat But The rapu t t ab h aya appears and the king

.

,

i s gladd e ned by h is word s :

O great king and ruler o f men fear not Save S i n be , .

c o nquered de ath i s unconquer able All that h a s co me t o

, .

be mu st al so pass away and all that i s is peri sh able ; thu s

,

t h e Ma ster taught Even t h e Buddha s never touched by

.
,

s hame or fear are subject to mortal ity

, therefore bethink
thee all that i s i s peri shable full o f s o rro w and unreal
, , , .

O th o u that art ri ch i n meri t think upon all th o se ,

works of merit done by the e up to thi s very day and ,

s traightway shall all be well with thee !

The book of meritori ou s deed s i s accordi ngly read a l o ud

and we are given the l o ng l ist of the ki ng s go o d works :

amongst o thers he has maintained eight e en h o spital s for

,

the si ck .

But all t hi s giving while that I reigned rejoices not my ,

h e a rt ; o nly the two gift s that I gave wi thout care fo r my ,

li fe the while I was in advers ity these gladd e n my heart

, , .

Twenty fou r y e ars have I be e n a patro n o f the

-

Brethren and my body sh all al so be a patron of the

,

Brethren I n a place where the gre a t Th ap a may b e see n

.

do ye burn the b o dy of me the servan t of t h e ,

Breth ren .

Continuators o f the M a h ava msa have brought the

chro nicle s up to m o dern times the wh o le w o rk c o n sti ,

tuting a remarkabl e hi st o ry o f Buddhist culture i n

Ceylon .

Th e S a nskri t Te x t s
The remai ni ng b o o k s o f P ali Buddhi s t l i te rature we shal l
no t di s cu ss but turn to c o n s id e r t h e San skri t books of the
,

hhah ayana .

30 1
 Bu ddh a $ 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
A con s iderable part o f these corresponds to the books of
t h e P al i canon al ready described but th e y are not tran s
lat i o ns from P al i but rath e r parallel t e xt s derived fr o m
,

the same Indian s ources the lo st M agadhi can o n o n whi ch

,

the Pal i book s are ba sed On this account alth o ugh few
.
,

of the Mah ayana texts can be shown t o be o ld e r i n rec e n

sion th an the thi rd or fourth century A D we can under . .
,

st a nd that they embody older material s together with the ,

ne w add ition s .

The M a h avastu indeed The Book of Grea t

,

i s s til l nominally a H i nayana w o rk th o ugh i t bel o ng s to

,

the hereti cal sect of the Lo ko t t arav adi ns wh o re ga rd t h e

Buddha as a supernatural being ; the biography i s a
h i story of m i racles I t i s a compilati on without any
.

attempt at system I t con t ains also much that is

.

pr o perly M ah ay ani st su ch as an enumerati o n of the

,

Ten S t ation s o f a Bodhi sattva Hym ns to Buddha the , ,

d o ctrine that w o rship o f Bud dha su fce s to achi e ve

N i rvana and so forth ; b u t there i s no characteri sti cally
,

M a h ayana mythology .

A more famou s and a more i mportant work i s the

L a li ta vi st a ra The H i story of the Pl ay ( of the Buddh a)

a title sugges t ive of the H indu conception of Li l a or

,

Play the W o nderful Work s of the L ord This is a .

,

Buddha biography wi th elabora t e mythology and st res s ,

i s l a i d o n faith as an e ssenti a l el e ment of rel igi o n .

The general t rend of the L a li ta vi sta ra i s wel l known

to We st ern re aders for i t has formed the basis o f
,

S i r E dwin Arnold s beautiful poem

Th e L igh t of ,

A si a . I ts content s have al so been closely fo l l o wed

i n t h e famous s culpture s o f Bo ro b o du r ; and fro m the
s ubject m a tter o f Ga ndh ara art we can i nfer with
c e rt a i nty that the L a li ta vi st a ra or some very si milar
3 0 2
 A svagho sha
text mu st have al re ady be e n k now n i n the rst a nd
s ec o nd ce nt u ry A D I n i tself h o weve r t h e work i s no t
. .
, ,

yet a true Buddha epi c but contains the germ of a n

-
,

epi c .

A svag h osh a

I t i s fr o m s uch ballads and anecdo t es as are preserved

i n t he L a li ta vi st a ra that A sv ag h o sh a the greate st ,

Buddhist poet has composed his ma sterly B u ddh a ca ri t a

,
-
,

t he
Course of the Buddha A sv ag h o sh a i s i ndeed
.

no t m e rely a Buddhis t poet but o ne o f t h e gr e a te st of

,

San skrit poets and the ch ief fo rerunner of K al id asa

, .

We h ave no certain kn o wledge of his dat e but i t i s mo st ,

pr o bable that he ouri shed during the rst ce ntu ry A D . .

,

and i n a n case he mu s t be regard e d as a Father o f the

y
Mah ayana H e mu st have been br o ught up as a Brahman
.

b e f o re beco mi ng a Buddh i st The Tibetan bi o graphy.

i nform s u s that there was no probl e m he c o uld no t
solve n o argument he coul d no t r e fute ; he ov e rcame h i s
,

advers a ry a s ea s ily as the storm wind break s a rott e n

tree . The same au t hori ty tell s us that he was a great
mu s i cian wh o h imsel f composed and we nt abou t the
,

vil lage s wi th a troupe of s ingers and s ong stre sse s The .

S o ng s he s a ng S p o ke o f the emptine ss o f phen o mena a nd ,

the cro wd s wh o h e a rd hi s b e autiful mu s i c s tood and

l i s te ne d in rapt S il e nce The Ch i ne se pilgri m I t s ing
.
-
,

wh o vi s ited I nd ia in the seventh century S peak s o f h i s ,

l ite rary s tyl e as follows :

H e i s re ad far and wi de thr o ughout the ve I nd ie s and
the la nd s o f the s outhern sea s He cl o the s i n but a few
.

w o rd s many and many thought s a nd idea s wh ich so ,

rej o ic e the reader s h e art that he never wearie s of readi ng
t h e poem .Very protabl e al so i t i s to re ad this p o em ,

303
 Bu ddh a 9 t h e Go sp e l 2
of Buddhi sm
for here the noble doc t rines are se t forth wi th conven ient

brevity .

The w o rk as we have i t i s but a fragment compl e ted by ,

other hand s ; yet i t is a true Buddha epic and the work o f -

a true po e t wh o has cre ated a w o rk o f a rt informed w ith

, ,

h i s o wn deep l ove of the Buddha and bel i e f i n the d o ctri n e ;

i t is a court e pic i n t h e techni ca l se nse i n a s tyl e s omewhat ,

m o re el ab o rate than that o f the M a h ava msa but no t yet ,

at all i m m o derately articial The B u ddh a ca ri ta i s no t .

-

only an i mportant monumen t of s pe cically Buddhi st

li t erature but exerci sed an unmi s tak able inuence on
,

the devel o pm e nt of Brahma ni cal cla ssi c San skri t .

When t h e d ivi ne ch il d i s born it i s prophesi e d .

The ch ild i s no w born wh o kn o ws that my st e ry hard t o

attain the mean s o f de stro ying bi rth F o rs aki ng h i s
, .

ki ngdom ind i ffe rent to all w o rldly object s and attaini ng

, ,

t h e high e s t truth by stre nuous e ffo rt s h e will S hin e f o rth ,

a s a su n of knowledge t o d e stroy t h e d a rknes s o f illu s i o n

i n the w o rld H e wi ll pro clai m the way o f delive ra nce

.

t o th o se a fict e d with s orrow enta ngl e d i n obj e cts o f s en se

, ,

and l o st i n the fore st path s of worldly exi ste nce as to

-
,

t ravellers wh o have lo s t their way He will bre ak .

open for the escape of l iving bei ng s tha t d o or who se bolt

is desire and wh o se t wo leave s are ign o rance and delu s i o n
, ,

with that excellent bl o w o f t h e g o od L aw that i s s o hard

t o nd . And s ince I have no t heard h i s L aw but ,

my ti me has come t o d e part ( says the pro phet) my

li fe i s only a failure I count even dwelling in the highest

,

heaven a m i sfo rtune .

The y o ung prince as he grew up was surrounded by

, ,

e very pl e a sur e whereby to hind e r hi m from seeki ng the

,

Wa nderers l i fe ; hi s father arra nged fo r hi s so n all

ki nd s o f w o rldly enjoymen t s prayi ng Would tha t he ,

30 4
 A svagh o sha
may not be able t o forsake u s even though he be hindered
,

by mere unrest o f t h e sens e s .

Th e pri nce i s tempted by beautiful women s killed i n t h e ,

a rt s o f seduction :

Come and l isten to the note s of thi s in t oxi ca t ed cucko o

a s h e s ings while another cuck o o s i ng s as i f co nsenting
, ,

wh o lly without care Would that thin e was the i nt o x i

.

cation o f the bi rd s which the spri ng produce s rather than ,

t h e dr e ams of a man of thought ever pondering how wi se

,

he i s !

So they S ing voicing the spring songs of the f o lk and

,
-
,

the re sentm e nt of women again s t a man s ab stracti o n ;

but the Bodhisa t tva remains unm o ved preoccupied with ,

t h e th o ught that death i s the ulti mate fate of al l .

What i s i t th a t the se women lack he asks t hat they ,

,

perceive not that youth i s ckle ? for thi s old age will
destroy wha tever h as beau t y Evidently they know
.

nothing of death which carries all away they are j oyou s ,

i n a worl d wh ich i s al l pain and so at ease and with o ut

,

d i s tre ss th e y can sport and laugh What rational bei ng

.
,

wh o kn o w s of o ld age death and s i ckne ss c o uld stand o r

, ,

s i t at his c a se or sleep fa r les s laugh ?

, , I f d e s ire
ari ses i n the heart of the m an wh o k no w s that death
,

i s c e rtai n I think that his s oul mu st be made of i r o n

, ,

who re strai ns i t in thi s great terror and d o e s not weep , .

Th e f o ll o wing i s fro m Y aso dh ara s lame nt when i t i s

di sc o ve red that Pri nc e Siddh artha h as bec o me a Wanderer

I f he wishe s to ab and o n h i s lawful wife as a wid o w and ,

t o b e c o m e a re ligi ous then where i s hi s religion wi shing

, ,

t o pr a cti se a rule without his l a wful wi fe to s hare i t ! It

mu st b e th a t h e h as neve r heard of the monarch s o f o ld ,

h i s o wn fore fathers Mah asu darsa and others h o w they

, ,

w e nt with thei r wives into the fo rest since he thus wishes ,

U 0
3 5
 B u ddh a @3
9
2
t he Go sp e l o f Buddhi sm
to adopt the religi o u s li fe apart from me 1 He does no t se e
that hu sband and wi fe are alike con secrated by sacrice s ,

puried by t h e perfo rm ance of Vedic rites and de st in e d ,

to e nj o y the sam e frui t s hereafter I have no such

.

longing for the joys of heave n nor are the se hard fo r ,

common folk t o attain if they be re solute ; but my o ne

,

d e s ire i s that my darling may never leave me either i n th i s

w o rld o r the next .

I t i s i ntere sting to n o te the arguments adduc e d by the

ki ng s Brahman family priest a nd by a tru sted c o un se ll o r
, ,

wh o are sent t o p e rsuade the Bodhi sattv a t o return ,

o ffe ring hi m the kingdom it self in h i s father s place Th e

.

former poin ts out :

Religi o n i s not wrough t out o nly in t h e fore st s ; the
salvati o n o f a scet ics can b e accompl i shed even i n a city ;
thought and e ffo rt are the true mean s ; the f o res t an d the

badge a re o nly a coward s S igns
.

a nd he cites t h e case o f Janaka and others ; at the s ame

ti me he appeal s t o the prince t o take pity o n h i s u nhappy

pare nt s The c o u nsell o r with more worldly wi sd o m
.
, ,

argu e s that i f there be a fu t ure li fe i t will be ti me en o ugh

,

to c o n si d e r it when we come to i t and i f no t then there , ,

is lib e ra tion attained withou t any e ffo rt at all ; and more

over the nature O f the w o rld cannot be altered i t i s su i
, ,

e neri s subject t o mortal ity and it therefore cannot be

g ,

overcome by exti nguishi ng desi re :

Wh o cause s the sh a rpne ss o f the thorn ? he a sk s or

the vari o u s nature s o f beasts and birds ? All thi s h as

ari se n sp o ntaneously ; there i s no ac t ing from desi re h o w ,

th e n can there be such a thing as wi ll

At the sa me time he remind s the pri nce of hi s s o cial
duti e s h i s d e bt t o the a ncest o rs t o b e re p a i d o nly by
, ,

b e ge tti ng childre n by study and by sacrice to the G o d s

, , ,

3 0 6
 A svagh o sh a
an d uggest s that he sh o ul d full these social dutie s
s

b e fo re reti ri ng to the fore st To th e se s ubtl e a dvi sers .

the prince replie s by o ffering the u sual c o n so lation to

s o rro wi ng parents :

Since parting i s i nevi tably xed i n the course o f ti me
fo r all bei ng s j ust as for travellers wh o have j o ined
,

c o mpany on a ro ad wh a t wi se m an w o uld cheri sh s orro w

, ,

wh e n he l o se s h i s kindred eve n th o ugh he love s them ? ,

H e add s th a t h i s dep a rture to the fore s t cann o t be

c o ns idered i ll ti med for liberation can neve r b e i ll
-
,

ti med That t he ki ng should wish t o surre nder to hi m

.

the ki ngdom he say s i s a n o ble th ought but

, , ,

Ho w can i t be right for the wi s e man to e nter roy alty ,

the home of i llusi o n where a re found anxiety p assi o n

, , ,

and wearines s and the violati o n of all right through

,

an o ther s servi ce ( exploitation )

To the metaphy si cal objec t ion s he replies :

Th is d o ubt whe t her anything exists o r not is no t to b e ,

so lved for me by another s w o rd s ; having determined t h e

truth by d i scipline or by Y oga I will gra sp fo r my sel f ,

whatever i s kn o wn of i t what wi se man would g o

by a nother s bel ief ? M ankind are like the blind d i rect e d

i n t h e d a rk ness by the bl ind Even t h e su n therefore .

, ,

may fall to the earth even the m ou nt H im alaya may lo se

,

i t s rmness ; but I will never return to my h o m e as a

w o rldl i ng lacking the knowledge of the truth and with
, ,

se n se only a lert for external O bject s : I w o uld e nt e r the

bl azi ng re b u t not my house with m y purpose u nfu l

,

lled .

I n such a fa sh ion A sv agh o sh a represents tho se stati o n s i n

t h e l ife o f ev e ry S a vi o ur which are f a miliar t o Chri stian s
,

i n t h e re ply o f Chri s t t o h i s pare nts : Wi st ye no t th a t

I must be ab o ut my Father s busine ss ? and in hi s refu sal o f

30 7
 Buddh a 59 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
an earthly kingdom and the status of a Dh arma raja when ,

th e se a re l a id befo re hi m by the Devil .

Th e pa ssage s so far quoted a re pri marily edifyi ng : and

notwithsta nding the skill with wh ich Buddhi st th o ught i s

th e re e xpre ssed there a re oth e rs that will better ex e mpli fy

,

A sv ag h o sh a s e pi c diction and perso nal int e ns ity o f i m agi

nati o n . Of the t wo foll o wing extracts the rst d e scribe s an ,

e arly m e ditation of t h e B o dhisattva bene a th a ro se appl e ,

-

tree and t h e second the gift o f fo o d which he accept s wh e n

, ,

afte r ve years of m o rt i c at i o n o f the e sh he nd s th a t ,

m o rt ic at i o n o f the esh wi ll not l e ad hi m t o h i s g o al ,

a nd re v e rt s t o that rst process o f in sight which cam e t o

him as he sat bene ath the rose apple H e re A sv agh o sh a -

.

pro ve s hi m self a true poet ; he has a saga t e ller s pow e r O f -

calling up a vivid picture in a fe w word s he und e rs t a nd s ,

t h e heavy toil o f the p e a san t and of the bea s ts o f burd e n ,

and he repres e n t s the pu re d igni ty of un soph i sti cate d

gi rlho o d i n the person of the herdsman s d aught e r with
,

,

t h e same si mpl icity t hat H o mer u se s when he s peak s o f

N au si c aa .

The prince went fo rth o ne day with a party o f hi s fri e nd s ,

with a desi re t o see t h e glade s of the f o rest and l o ngi ng ,

fo r peace :
L ured by l o ve of t he w o od s and longing for the beautie s
of the earth h e repai red t o a place near at hand on the
,

out skirt s o f a fore st ; and there he saw a piece o f land

being ploughed with the path of t he plough br o ke n l ik e
,

wave s o n t h e water And regarding the men as they

.

pl o ughed th e i r faces s oiled by t h e dust s c o rched by the

, ,

su n a nd chafed by the wind and thei r cattl e b e wild e red

,

by t he burden o f drawing the all nobl e o ne felt the utte r

,
-

m o st compas s i o n ; and a lighting fr o m the back of h i s

h o rse h e pas sed S l o wly o ver t h e earth overcome with
, ,

30 8
 A svagho sh a
so rrow p o nderi ng the bi rth and the des t ructio n p ro
c e e di ng i n the w o rld he gri e ved a nd he exclai med , Thi s , ,

i s pitiful i nde e d l The n becau se h e would be l o nely i n

h i s th o ught s he hindered th o se friends wh o were f o ll o w

,

ing h i m and went t o the r o o t o f a ro se appl e tree i n a

,
-

s o l it a ry place o f which t h e l e ave s were all a tremble

,
-
.

There he sat upon the l e afy ground and the emeral d ,

gra ss ; and medit ati ng o n the origi n and d e structio n o f

the w o rld he lai d hold upon the path t hat le a d s to
,

constancy of mind .

L o ng years after having vai nly mor t ied the e sh t he

, ,

B o dhi sattva re ec ted :

This is not the r o ad tha t lead s t o passionless nes s o r t o ,

l ib e ra ti o n ; that was verily the true path which I fo und b e

ne ath the ro se apple tre e But that i s no t to be achi e v e d by
-
.

o ne wh o h a s l o st his s tre ngth a nd m a king up h i s mind ,

Thi s me ans i nvolve s the taking of fo o d The n at .

,

that v e ry ti me N andab ala the daughter of t h e chi e f of the

, ,

herd s me n i mpell e d by t h e g o ds ( i e following a spon

, . .

t ane o u s a nd inexpl ic able impul se ) and with a s udden j oy

upri sing in her heart came nigh ; her arm wa s decked ,

with a wh ite sh e ll bra cel e t and sh e w o re a d a rk blue ,

w o o ll e n cl o th like t h e river Jamun a with i t s d a rk blue

, ,

w a t e r a nd i t s wreath o f f o a m ; and with jo y incre ased by

fa ith a nd wid e ly O pe ne d l o tus eye s sh e bowed before the
,
-
,

se e r a nd p e rs uad e d hi m to t ak e so me milk
, .

A sv ag h o sh a s o th e r w o rk s i nclude the S a u nda rana nda

K avya which al so d e al s with the li fe of Buddha and e x

, ,

h i b i t s so m e M a h ay ana t e nd e nci e s which a re no t appare nt

i n the B u ddh a ca ri ta The S u t rala mk
-
ara is a c o llecti o n o f
.

pious l e g e nd s i n pro se a nd v e rse i n t h e ma nner of the ,

J at ak as a nd A v adanas A n A la mkara sastra i s al so .

a scribed to hi m More doubtful i s the authorship of the

.

309
 Buddh a 863 2
th e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Vajra su c i , or D iam o nd
ne e dle a pol e mi c ag a i nst the
-
,

Brah m anic a l c aste s ys t e m supported mai nly by cit ati o ns

,

fro m Brahm anical source s such as t he Ved as t he M ah a

, ,

bh arata and t h e L aws of Ma nu Finally there re m a in s to

, .

b e nam e d the very i mp o rta nt M a h ayana sra ddh a u ip a da - -

,

o r Aw a k e ning o f Faith in t h e Mah ay an a a phil o so phic al

,

and my stical work de a l ing wi th the doctrines o f the

Ta th aga ta g arb h a and Al aya v ijana a fter t h e mann e r o f
- -

t h e Y o g av arac aras and A sa nga but there are g o o d r e a so ns

t o thi nk that thi s t e xt may be o f c o n s iderably later dat e ;
i t was rs t tran slate d i nt o Ch inese o nly i n the s ixth century ,

and i s not kn o wn in the San skri t o riginal .

A rya sara
A p o et o f A sv ag h o sh a s s chool i s A ryasra t h e auth o r O f a

,

fam o u s J at akam ala o r G a rl a nd o f J at ak as t o b e a ss ig ne d ,

,

m o st pro b ably t o the f o urth century A D J at aka m alas o f

, . .

thi s type a re sel e cti o ns of t h e o ld s t o ri e s retol d as hom ili e s

i n a rti s tic pro se and verse fo r the u se o f m o nki sh t e a ch e rs
,

train e d i n the traditi o n o f San skrit c o urt pr o se a nd p o etry .

Of A ryasra s w o rk i t h as b e e n w e ll said :

I t i s p e rh ap s the m o st pe rfect writi ng o f i t s ki nd I t i s .

di sti ngui sh e d no l e ss by t he s uperi o rity o f i t s styl e th an

by the l o fti ne ss o f i t s th o ught s I t s verse s and a rtful .

pro se a re written i n t h e pure st S a n skrit a nd c h a rm t h e ,

re ad e r by t h e e l e g ance o f th e i r form a nd the skill di spl ayed

i n t h e h andling o f a gre a t variety o f m e t re s Ab o ve .

a ll I a dmire h i s m o derati o n U nl ike so m any o th e r

, .

I ndian ma st e rs i n t h e art o f l iterary comp o siti o n h e d o e s ,

no t a ll o w hi m se lf t h e u se o f embelli shing a pp a re l a nd t h e

wh o l e luxuri ant mi se e n sce ne o f Sa nskrit a la mkara b e y o nd
wh at i s ne c e ssary fo r h i s s ubj e ct ( Sp e ye r) .

I t si ng pra i se s thef at ak a mala as amo ng the work s S pecially

'

3 10
 A ryasu ra
a dmi re d i n hi s ti me But m o re i mpor t ant i s the fact th a t
.

i t i s the se versio ns o f t he J at aka s which are i llu strat e d i n

t h e w a ll pai nting s o f Ajant a and indeed in some case s the
-
, ,

picture s are i nscribed with verse from Aryasra s w o rk ;

the painti ng and the l iterary w o rk are i n close harm o ny of

se ntime nt .

The rst story relate s the Bodhisattva s gift of h is o wn
b o dy for t h e n o urishment of a hungry tigres s that ,

sh e might no t eat her o wn y o ung a nd it begi ns as ,

fo llow s
Even i n former bi rths t h e L ord S howed h is inna t e di si n ,

t e re st e d and i mmen se love t o ward all cr e ature s and

, ,

identied h ims e lf wi th all bei ngs F o r this re ason we .

o ught t o have the utm o st f a ith i n Buddha the L o rd , .

Thi s will be sh o wn in the f o llowing gre at d e e d of the L o rd

in a former bi rth Following each s tory i s an i njuncti on
.

poi nti ng out the moral Many of the s torie s inculcate

.

the duty of ge ntlene ss and mercy by mean s o f the r e l ati o n,

of some anecd o te regarding some helpful ani mal and an

ungrateful man The Ruru deer for example :
.
-
,

Wi th hi s large blue eyes of i ncomparable m ildnes s and

brightne ss with hi s h o rn s and hoofs end o wed with a
,

ge ntle rad iance as i f they were made of preciou s st o ne s

, ,

th at ruru de e r o f surpa ssi ng b e auty seemed a moving

-

trea sury of gem s Then knowing his body to be a very

.
,

de s irable thi ng and aware of the pitiles s hear t s of men

, ,

he woul d frequent s uch forest ways as were free fro m

human comp any and becau se of his keen intelligence he
,

was careful to a void such place s as were made un safe by

devic e s of huntsme n h e warned als o the a nimals
wh o f o ll o w e d aft e r h i m to avoid them H e exercised his .

rule o ve r th e m l ike a teacher l ike a f ather , .

One day h o wever he heard the cries of a d rowning man

, , ,

3 1 1
 Buddh a 89
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
and entering t h e stre a m he saved hi s life and brought hi m
to the sh o re At the s am e ti me t h e ruru d e e r prayed the
.
-

man to say nothing of hi s adve nture for he fe a red the ,

cru e lty o f men The queen o f that c o untry h o wev e r

.
, ,

h appened at that ti me to dream of ju st such a d e e r ;

a nd the king o ffered a reward fo r t h e captur e of such a

creature The man who se l ife had been saved being

.
,

poor was tempted by the o ffer o f a ferti le village and

,

ten beautiful women and revealed t o the king the se cre t

,

o f the beauti ful deer The ki ng is about t o le t y his

.

arrow when the deer ask s hi m to stay h i s h and and t o

, ,

tell wh o has re vealed the secret o f his fore st home .

Wh e n the wretched man i s pointed o u t the deer e xcl ai m s : ,

Fie up o n hi m ! I t i s veri ly a true word th a t b e tt e r i t ,

i s to take a lo g fro m the water than t o sav e an ungrat e ful

man from dr o wning Thu s it i s that he requites t h e
.

exerti o n s undertaken on h i s behalf l

The ki ng i nqui res why t h e deer spe ak s s o bitt e rly and ,

the B o dhi sattva ( for such of course i s t h e d e er) re pl i e s :

, ,

N o d e s i re to pas s censure mov e d me t o these w o rd s 0 ,

ki ng but kn o wi ng hi s blameworthy deed I sp o ke sh a rp

, ,

w o rds t o hinder h i m from d o ing s uch a deed ag a in For .

wh o w o uld willingly u se harsh speech t o tho se wh o h ave

d o ne a s i nful deed st rewi ng salt as i t were up o n t h e
, , ,

wou nd o f th e i r fault ? But eve n to h i s bel o ved so n a

phy s ician must a pply such medicine as h i s s ick ne ss
requi re s He wh o h as put me in thi s d ange r 0 b e st of
.
,

men it i s wh o m I rescu e d fro m the curre nt b e i ng m o ved

, ,

by pity Ve rily int e rcourse wi th evi l c o mpany d o e s no t

.
,

l e ad t o happi ness .

Th e n t h e king w o uld hav e slain the man ; but the B o dhi

sa ttva plead s fo r h i s l i fe and th a t h e may re c e ive t he
,

promi se d reward Then the Bodhisattva preache s the

.

3 1 2
 A ryasu ra
d o ctrine to t h e ki ng and h i s wi ves and the o fcers of t h e
c o urt as f o ll o ws :

Of the L aw with the m ani f o l d dutie s d e pendent on i t
and i t s d ivi s ion s : t o ab st a in from i njuri ng oth e rs from ,

theft and the like of thi s I hold the sh o rte st s ummary i s

, , ,

Mercy toward every cre ature F o r c o n sider thou

.

,

i llustri o u s princ e : I f mercy to every cre ature s hould l e a d

men to l o ok on th e se as like to them selve s or t o the
members of their o wn family wh o se heart woul d ev e r
,

ch e ri sh the b al e ful wish for wickednes s ? F o r thi s

rea son the wise rmly bel ieve that i n Mercy the whole
O f Right e o u sne s s i s co mpri sed Wh a t vi rtue inde e d
. , ,

cheri shed by the pi o us i s not the con se que nce of Mercy ?

H avi ng this i n m ind be i nte nt ever t o fortify thy m e rcy
,

t o all pe o ple holding them as like thy so n or l ike thy se lf ;

,

a nd wi nni ng by thy pious deeds thy people s hearts may s t ,

th o u glorify thy roy al t y l

Then the ki ng prai sed the words o f the ruru d e er and -

,

wi th h i s la ndh o ld e rs and burgh e rs he b e c a me i nte nt o n

f o ll o wi ng t h e L aw of Righte o usne ss And h e gra nt e d .

s ecurity to a ll f o urfoot e d creature s a nd to bi rd s .

( s tory i s al s o

This to be t o ld wh e n d i sc o u r s i ng o n

c o mpa ssi o n and m ay b e adduced wh e n tre a ting o f t h e

,

high mi nded ne ss o f the vi rtu o u s and al s o whe n c e nsuring

-
,

t h e mi s chi e v o u s )

M any o f t h e Buddhi st stories a re thu s in perfect acc o rd

with the w o rd s o f the We ste rn p o et wh o s ay s :
e p ra
y e t hhe st wh o lov e t h he st
A ll t h i ng s hot /i g re a t a nd s m a ll ,

a nd i nd e e d the A nci ent M a ri ner i s j ust such a tal e as the

,

Buddhi s t Brethren o f l iterary ta ste s w o uld have mad e

i nto a J ataka .

1
3 3
 Buddh a 863 2
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
Scarce ly disti ngui shabl e fr o m the J at akas are the v a ri o u s
A v a danas wh ich c o n s i s t i n ge neral o f B o dhi sattva
,

l e ge nd s Am o ng s t the se there s h o uld b e n o tic e d t he

.

A so ka cy c le wh ich fo rm s a part o f t he D i vyava dana o r

H e ave nly A v adanas .

The ne st o f th e se lege nd s i s the
p a thetic st o ry o f K un al a t h e so n o f A so ka wh o se e ye s
, ,

are put o u t by hi s wicked s tepmoth e r with o ut awak e ni ng ,

i n hi s h e a rt any f e e l i ng s of a nger o r hatre d I qu o te t h e .

s ummary o f thi s s tory fr o m t h e w o rk o f Old e nb e rg

Ku nal a thi s nam e was gi ve n to hi m o n accou nt o f hi s

wo nd e rfully b e autiful eye s wh ich are a s b e autiful as the

,

e y e s of the bird Kun la a l iv e s far fr o m the bu s tl e o f t h e

c o urt dev o t e d to m e d itati o n o n i m pe rm ane nce O ne o f
, .

the qu e en s i s burni ng with l o ve fo r the beautiful y o uth ,

but h e r s o li c itati o n and t h e m e n a ce s o f di sd a ined be auty

a re a lik e i n v a in . Th irs ti ng fo r reve ng e she c o ntrive s ,

t o h av e hi m s e nt t o a di st a nt pr o vince a nd th e n i ssu e s ,

a n o rd e r t o th a t quarter se al e d with t h e s lyly s t o l e n iv o ry

,

se a l o f t h e ki ng fo r t h e pri nce s e y e s t o b e t o rn o u t

, .

Whe n the o rder arrive s no o ne can b e preva il e d up o n t o

,

lay hand s o n the no bl e e yes o f the pri nce The prince .

hi m se l f o ffe rs reward s to any o ne wh o sh o uld b e prepare d

t o e xecut e t h e ki ng s ord e r At last a m an a ppe a rs

.
,

re pul s ive t o l o o k o n wh o und e rt ak e s the perfo rm anc e

, .

Wh e n a mid t h e cri e s o f the weepi ng multitud e t h e rst

, ,

e e i s t o rn o u t Ku nal a take s i t i n hi s h a nd a nd s ay s :
y ,

Why se e st thou no lo nger th o se f o rm s o n which th o u

w ast j u st no w l o o ki ng th o u c o a rse b all of e sh ? H o w
,

th e y d e ce ive them se lv e s h o w bl a m able are th o se f o o l s

, ,

A nd whe n h i s

wh o c l i ng t o th e e and say Thi s i s I , .

se c o n d e ye i s t o rn o u t he s ay s :
, Th e e ye o f e sh which ,

i s h a rd t o get h as b e e n t o rn fr o m m e but I have

, ,

w o n t h e perfect faultl e s s eye o f wi sd o m Th e ki ng h as .

3 14
 A ryasu ra
f o rsak e n m e but I a m the so n o f t h e highly ex a l ted ki ng
,

o f truth : wh o se child I am c a ll e d H e i s i nformed th a t .

i t i s the qu e e n by wh o m t h e c o mm and c o ncerni ng hi m

,

was i ssu e d Th e n he say s L ong may sh e e njoy h appi

.

ne ss l i fe and p o wer wh o h a s brought me so much

, , ,

wel fare A nd h e goe s f o rth a beggar with h i s wi fe ;

.

a nd when h e c o me s t o h i s father s city he s i ng s to the

,

l ut e before the palace The ki ng hear s K u nala s v o ic e ; .

h e h as hi m c a ll e d i n t o h i m but wh e n he s ee s t h e bli nd ,

man b e fore him he cannot recog niz e hi s so n At l ast t h e

, .

truth c o m e s t o l ight The ki ng i n the exce ss o f r age a nd

.

gri e f is about t o torture and kill the gu ilty qu e e n But .

K un al a s ays : I t w o uld no t become thee t o kill h e r .

D o as h o no ur d e m ands and d o not kill a w o man Th e re , .

i s no high e r rew a rd th an that fo r ben e v o le nce p a ti e nc e ,

s ire h as bee n c o mma nd e d by the P e rfect O ne A nd he

.
,

fall s a t the ki ng s feet saying : O ki ng I fe e l n o p a in

, , ,

no twi th sta ndi ng t h e inhum anity whi c h h a s be e n practi se d

o n me I do no t feel the re of a nger

,
My heart h as .

no ne but a kindly feel i ng for my m o ther wh o h as give n ,

the o rd e r t o have my eye s t o rn o u t A s sure a s th e se .

w o rd s a re tru e may my e ye s ag a in become as th e y w e re ;

,

a nd h i s eyes s h o ne in th e i r old s pl e nd o ur as bef o re .

Buddhi st p oe try h as n o where gl o ri e d i n m o re b e autiful

f ashi o n f o rgive ne ss and the l o ve o f enemi e s th an i n the
, ,

narra tiv e o f Kun al a But eve n here we fe e l that c o o l a i r

.

wh ich o at s rou nd all pi cture s o f Bu ddhi s t m o ral ity .

Th e wi se m an s tand s upon a h e ight t o wh ich no a c t o f

man c an a ppro ach He r e se nt s no wrong whi ch S i nful
.

p ass i o n m ay w o rk hi m but he e ve n fe e l s no pain u nd e r ,

thi s wr o ng Th e b o dy ove r wh ich h i s e ne mie s have

.
,

p o w e r i s no t h i m se lf Ungri e ve d by t he acti o ns o f oth e r

. .

men he permit s h is benev o l e nce t o ow o ver all o ver the

, ,

3 15
 Buddh a 89 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
e vi l as well as t h e g o od .

Thos e wh o cau se me pai n and
th o se wh o cau se me jo y t o all I a m a l ik e ; a ffe cti o n ,

a nd hatred I kn o w not I n joy and so rr o w I re m a i n

.

u nm o v e d i n ho nour a nd d ishon o ur ; th r o ughout I am

,

a lik e . Th at i s t h e perfecti o n o f my equani mi t y .

The wh o le o f t h e Buddhi st San skrit work s so fa r de scrib e d

s t a nd i n a hal f way po s iti o n betw e en the H in ay ana a nd
-

M ah ayana the Awak e ni ng of Faith ascribed t o A sva

,

g h o sh a O f cou rse exc e pted though lea ni ng more and more

, , ,

t o the M a h ay ana S ide a tendency which nd s expre ss i o n

,

i n an i ncre as ing emphasis on devoti on to the Buddha

up o n the Bodhisattva ideal .

M a h ayana sut ras -

With t h e M a h ayana st ras we reach a seri e s o f w o rks

-

that a re e ntire ly and wholly Mah ay ani st There i s o f .

c o ur se no M a h ay an a c a no n but at the s ame ti m e there a re ,

n i ne b o o k s which are still highly h o n o ured by all se ct s o f

t h e M a h ay ana a l ik e Am o ngst the se are the L a li ta v i st a ra

.

a l re ady mentio ne d the A sh ta sa h asrzka prajnap ara mi ta

,
-
,

a nd t h e S a ddh armap u n da rz k

a .

a

Th e l as t menti o ned the L otu s o f the Go o d L aw i s
,

,

p e rh ap s t h e mo st i mportant o f th e s e and certainly o f t h e ,

chief l ite rary i nterest I t m ay be dated a bout the e nd o f

.

the sec o nd c e ntu ry A D H e re n o thi ng re main s o f t h e

. .

hum an Buddh a : t h e Buddha i s a God ab o v e all oth e r

g o d s an e ve rl asti ng b e ing wh o ever was and fo r e ve r
, ,

s h a ll b e ; t h e Buddhi s t re ligi on i s h e re c o mpl e tely fre e d

fro m a d e pe ndence up o n hist o ry The L o tu s of t he .

G o o d L aw i s rath e r a d ra ma th an a narrative ; i t i s

A n u nd e ve l o ped my stery play i n which the chi e f i nte r ,

l o cut o r no t t h e o nly o ne i s Sakya mu ni the L o rd I t

, , , .

c o nsi s t s o f a se rie s of di a l o gue s bright e ned by the magi c ,

3 6 1
 M h aya n a a s u t ras
e ffec ts a would b e supernatura l sce nery The ph ant as
of - .

m ag o ri c al arts of t h e wh o le a re a s cle a rly i nte nd e d to i m

pre ss u s with t he idea of the might and glory of the Buddh a ,

a s hi s s peeche s are to set forth h i s all s urp assing wisd o m

-
.

Of l it e rary intere st are the numerou s d ramati c parabl e s ,

s uch as that in which the Buddha i s l ike ned t o a physici a n ,

who se many s ons are struck d ow n by an e pi demic He .

prep a res for them a m e di cine which some take a nd are , ,

cured ; the remainder are perve rse and place no faith i n ,

the pre parati o n Th e n the father departs to a far c o u ntry

.

the i ndividual Buddh a that i s pa sse s awayand the n i t i s

, ,

that the f o rs aken and s till ailing s o ns turn to the re m e dy

that h as be e n left for them knowi ng that they have no ,

oth e r resource Th e narrat o r unders t and s very wel l that

.

trai t o f hum an nature whereby t h e man of geniu s i s seldom

appreciated u ntil after his death !
The K a ra nda vyu h a which was transla ted into Chinese
,

al ready i n the thi rd ce ntu ry A D i s concern e d with the . .

prai se of the Bodhi sattva Avaloki t e svara The S u kh a .

va t i v u h a prai se s the Buddha Amit abha and t h e Ble ssed

y ,

L and o r We stern P a ra di se A more phil o so phical st ra

.
,

and one wi d e ly read i n Japa n at the prese nt day i s the ,

Vajra cch edi k a o r D iamond cutter

, and thi s text wil l be
-
,

familiar at le ast by name to many readers o f the w o rks of

L afcadio Hearn .

Th e f o llowing passage will illu strate i ts metaphy s ical

ch aracter a nd remi nd s o ne o f t h e sayi ng of Behm e n
, ,

i n an swer t o the di sciple s i nqui ry Wh ith e r g o eth the

S o ul when the Body d i e th ?

There i s no nec e ss ity fo r

i t t o g o a nywhith e r .

And agai n ? O Su b h u t i i f anybody were t o say that t h e

,

T a th agata goe s or c o me s or s t ands o r s it s o r l ies d o w n

1
, , , , ,

1
In t hi b k g
s oo e ne ra l ly t l d
rans at e

H e wh o - -
h as t -
h u s atta ne
-
i d .

3 7
1
 Buddh a @ 9
the G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
he O Su b h u t i d o e s no t u nderst and t h e mea ni ng O f my
, ,

pre a c hi ng A nd why ? Bec a u se t h e w o rd T ath aga ta

.

mean s o ne wh o d o e s no t g o t o a nywher e and d o e s no t ,

c o m e fro m a nywh e re ; a nd th e refo re h e i s call e d t h e

'

Tath ag at a ( truly c o m e ) h o ly a nd fully enlight e ned

, .

Th e ve ry much m o r e e xt e nded w o rk s k no wn as the

P raj nap ara mi t as are ll e d with s i milar t e xt s up o n the
'

E mptin e ss ( S u nya t a ) o f thi ngs W o rk s o f thi s cl a ss are

.

k no wn h avi ng in v a ri o u s rec e nsion s

, 2 800 0 ,

and so m e sm all e r numbers o f c o uplet s ; t h e P rajnap ara mi ta

o f 8 0 0 0 c o upl e t s i s the m o st comm o nly met with They .

d e a l i n part with t h e Six Perfe cti o n s of a B o dhi sattv a

( P aram i t as
) and ,
e sp e cially with the highest o f the se ,

Prajn a Tra nscendent Wi sdom Thi s wi sd o m co nsi st s i n

, .

perfe ct real iz a ti o n o f t h e Void the N o thi ng t h e S u nyat a ;

,
-
,

all i s mere na m e I n th e se work s t h e r e p e titi o n s and the

.

l o ng li st s o f parti cular i llu stratio ns of the ge n e ral truth s

are carri e d t o incre dible l e ngth s far b e yond anythi ng t o
,

b e f o u nd in the H i nay ana Sutt a s But le t us rem e mber

.

that the s i ngl e truth o f t he Emptine ss o f things thu s ,

i nc ul c ate d by repetiti o n a r e p e tition s i milar t o that o f

t h e e ndl e ss se ri e s o f p a i nted and s culptured gure s of the
e x cavated chur c h e s a nd t e mple w a ll s i s no e a sy t hi ng to

b e re a liz e d ; a nd the pi o u s a uth o rs o f these w o rk s were

no t c o ncerned fo r a n arti sti c se nse o f propor t i o n but ,

wi th t h e di sse mi nati o n o f the sa vi ng truth Th e y d id .

no t believ e that thi s truth could be t o o o fte n re p e a t e d ;

a nd i f fo r exampl e as th e y c l a i m in the Vajra cch edi k

, ,
a ,

i t was k no w n e ve n t o children and ig no ra nt perso ns

that m att e r i t self c o uld be nei th e r a thi ng no r no thi ng ,

perh ap s e ve n the m o d e rn w o rl d might do w e ll t o

c o nsider t h e valu e o f re pe tition a s an e ducati o nal pri n
c i le F i n Eur pe i t i n t alway s re m e mbered
p . o r o s o ,

318
 Nagarju na an d O t h e rs
even i n scientic ci rcles tha t M a tter exist s o nly
,
as a

concept .

N ag arju na a nd Ot h e rs
We have a lre ady m e nti o n e d the great Mah ay ana m a ste r
N ag arju na who o uri she d i n t h e latter part o f t h e sec o nd
,

ce ntu ry a l ittle a fter A sv ag h o sh a L ike the latter h e was

, .

rs t a Brahman a nd Brahma nic a l phil o so phy i s evide nt

,

i n h i s w o rk .I f no t the fo u nder o f the Mah ay an a h e i s ,

t h e m o ulder o f o ne o f i t s ch ief dev e l o pme nt s the M ad ,

h yam i k a s ch o ol o f whi ch the chief scripture s are h i s o w n

,

M adhya mi k a sut ra I n th e s e he i s c hi e y c o nc e r ne d
.

t o demo nstrate the i nde nab i li t y of the Such ne ss ( Bh fi t a

thut a) and h e e xpre sse s thi s very plainly i n several
,

p as sage s of the s e st ra s as foll o w s : ,

Af t e r h i s pa ssi ng dee m , n ot th u s :
Th e B u ddh a st i ll i s h e re

.

H e is a houe a ll con t rasts,

To he a n d n ot to he .

Wh i le li v i ng , dee m n ot th u s :
Th e B u ddh a i s n ow h e re

.

H e i s a hove a ll cont rasts ,

To he a nd not t o he .

and
To t h i nk I t i s i s ete rna li sm
'

To th i nk I t i s n ot i s n i h i li sm

, ,

B e i ng a n d n on -
he i ng ,

Th e wi se c li ng n ot to e i th e r .

The w o rk of K u maraji v a
co ns i st s i n h i s bi o gra ph i e s o f
A sv ag h o sh a a nd Nag arju na and a certai n l e ge nd a ry De va
,

o r Ar ade v a th e se bi o graph ie s were tran sl ated into

y
Chi ne se e arly i n t he fth c e ntury A D . .

3 9 1
 Buddh a @ t h e G o sp e l2
f Bu ddhi sm o

Th e w o rk s o f A sa nga the great ma ster o f the Y o g ac ara

,

sect were tra nslated i nt o Chine se i n the s ixth cen t u ry

, .

S h ant i D ev a
M o s t e mi ne nt amongst the la ter Mah ayana po e t s i s the
s ai nted Sh anti D eva wh o i s probably to b e as s igned
,

t o the seven t h century H is Sh i ksh asa mu ccaya o r.

,

Stude nt s C o mpendiu m i s a work o f i nnite learning

,

each verse being provi ded with an exten sive comm e nta ry
and ex e ge s is : t h e work i t self ne ither i s nor i s mea nt t o ,

be origin a l o r personal The t wo rst of its tw e nty seve n

, . -

verse s run as follows :

S i nce to my n e igh hou rs as t o myse lf
A re f e a r a nd sorrow h a t ef u l each ,

Wh a t th e n di st i ng u i sh e s my se lf,
Th a t I sh ou ld ch e ri sh i t

a hove a noth e r s

Wou ldst t h ou t o E v i l p u t a n e nd,

A nd re a ch th e B le sse d Goa l,
Th e n le t you r F a i t h he root e d de e p ,

A nd a ll
y our t h oug h t up on E n ligh t e n me nt .

Far more p o etical and i n Buddhi st l it e rature very

,

n o ticeable for i t s burden of pers onal emotion i s the ,

B odh i ca i yava t ara or Way of Enlightenment where

, ,

t h e loftie s t note of religiou s art i s again and agai n touched .

Thi s i s perhap s the mo st beautiful of all p o etic expre ssi o ns

o f the Bodhi s attva i deal of self dedicati on to the w o rk o f
,
-

s alvati o n and t h e eternal activity o f love

1
, .

N o thi ng ne w will be t o ld here s ay s Sh ant i D e va nor

,

,

h ave I skill in the writing o f b o o k s ; therefo re I have

1
T hi w k h b
s or as een co mp d are to th e I mi ta ti on f
o Ch ri st of

T h m a K mp i ; b t h
o as e s o are w k o r s o f t ru e d v ti
e o o n and t ru e art, but
th e Way of E nlig h te nme nt i s no t an

I mi t t i a on

of Bu ddh a, b ut
t e ac h es h o w a man may b ec o m e a Bu ddh a.

3 2o
 S h a nt i D e va

done thi s work to hall ow my own thoughts not de signing ,

i t for the welfare of o thers By i t the holy i mpul se .

within me t o frame righteou snes s i s stre ngth e ned ; but i f

a fell o w creature s hould se e i t my book wil l full anoth e r
,

e nd likewise

.

The f o ll o wi ng is a part of Sh anti D eva s self dedi cati o n

-

( Pra n i dh ana ) t o the work of salvation :

I rejoi ce e xceedi ngly in al l creatures good work s that

e nd t h e sorrows o f thei r evi l lot ; may the so rrowful nd

happine ss ! I n reward for thi s righte o u sne ss t h at I

have w o n by my work s I would fain b e come a so o th e r o f
all t he sorro ws of all creat ures The Still ne ss ( N i rv ana )
.

l ie s i n s urre nder of all things and my spi rit i s fain for ,

the Still ne ss ; i f I mu st surrender all it i s best t o give it ,

fo r fe ll o w creature s
- I yiel d my self t o all l iving cre a ture s
.

to d e a l wi th me as they l i st ; they may smite o r re vil e m e

fo r eve r be stre w m e with du st play with my body laugh
, , ,

and want o n ; I have give n them my b o dy why shall I ,

care ? L et them make m e do what e ve r work s bri ng th e m

pl e asure ; but may m i sh ap never befa ll any of them by
re aso n o f me May all wh o slander me or do me
.
,

hurt o r jeer at me g a in a sh a re i n Enl ighte nm e nt I

, , .

w o uld b e a protector of the u nprot e cted a guid e of way ,

f a rers a S h ip a dyke and a bridge fo r them wh o see k the

, , ,

furth e r Sh o r e ; a lamp fo r them wh o ne e d a l a mp a b e d ,

for th e m who need a bed a sl ave fo r all being s wh o need

,

a S lave . I summon t o day the w o rld t o t h e e s t a te o f

-

E nl ightenme nt and mea nwh il e t o happi ne ss ; may g o d s

, ,

d e m o n s and other bei ng s rej oice i n the presence of all

,

t h e S avi o ur s l
I t i s true that the old Buddh i st love of loneli ne ss and
s corn o f the e sh nd expre ss i o n again i n Sh anti D eva ;

but there i s a se ns itive i nti macy i n his g e ntle w o rd s th a t

x 2
3 1
 Buddh a t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
overcome s the coldne ss of the early Buddhi st a sc e tici sm ,

and engages o u r sympathy without prov o ki ng di sgu st :

Tre e s are no t d i sdai nful and askfo r no t o il so me w o o ing ; ,

fain would I co nsort with those sweet compani o ns ! F a i n

woul d I dwell in so me de sert ed sanc t uary b e neath a tree ,

or in cave s th at I might walk wi th o ut heed l o o ki ng n e ver

, ,

behind Fain would I abide in nature s o wn sp aciou s and

lordl e ss la nd s a homele ss wa nderer free of wi ll my sol e

, , ,

wealth a clay bowl my cloak p ro t le ss to robbers fearle ss , ,

and carel e ss of m y body Fain would I g o t o my home .

t h e graveyard and c o mpare with other s keletons my

,

own frai l body ! fo r this my body wi ll become so foul

that the very j ackal s will no t approach i t becau se of i t s
s te nch The bony members born with thi s corp o real
.

frame will fall a sunder from i t much more so my friend s , .

Al o ne man is b o rn al o ne he dies no other h as a share i n ,

h is sorrows What av a i l friends but t o bar h i s way? A s

.
,

a wayfarer takes a brief lodging so he th at i s travelli ng ,

through the way of exis t ence nds in each birth but a

passi ng re st .

E nough t hen of worldly ways ! I follow i n the p a th of

the wi se rememberi ng the D iscourse up o n Heedfulne ss
, ,

and putting away S loth To overcome the power of dark .

ne ss I concentre my thought drawing the S pirit away from ,

vain p ath s and xing i t straightly upon its s tay .

We deem that there are two veri tie s the V e iled Truth ,

a nd the Tran s cendent real ity The Reality i s b e yo nd t h e .

range of the understanding ; the u nderstandi ng i s c all e d

Vei l e d Truth 1
Thus there is never either cessati on
.

1
V i l d T th
e e ru ,
i . e . sa mvri tti sa tya , -
th e g
sa u n a o r a p ara v id ya of th e
V da e n ta, an d t h e R ea t li y i e p a ra marth a -
sa tya th e n i rgu na or p ara

, .
,
.

v id ya of th eV dant e a, th e fo r m er a di stin c t i o n of m if l d thi g

an o n s,

th e

l
t h w hi h i i ty ( T l
i n the )

att e r t ru c s un au e r .

3 2 2
FI GURE S O F A Y A K K H I O R D R YA D A ND O F A
3 2 2

N AGA R AJ A O R S ER P E N T K I N G
,

G d pi
u a r i an s f h G
n ts o t Th p B h h (3 d d
e re a t a a at ar u t r 2n
c e nt u r y B C
.
 S ulptu c re an d P ai nt i ng
or existe nce ; t h e unive rse ne ither c o me s t o be no r h alts
i n bei ng L i fe s c o u rse s i f th o u re gard e st th e m are l ike
1
.
, ,

dre a m s a nd as the plant a i n s branch e s ; i n re al ity th e re i s

no di stinction betwee n th o se that are at re st and tho se that

a re no t a t rest Since th e n the form s o f being are empty
. ,

what c an be gained and what lo st ? Who c an be ho no ure d

,

o r de spi sed and by wh o m

,
2
Whe nce sh o uld c o me jo y o r
so rr o w ? What i s s weet wh a t bitter ? What i s d e si re , ,

a nd where sh all thi s de s ire i n verity be s ought ? I f th o u

c o n siderest the world o f l ivi ng thing s wh o shall d ie ,

th e re in ? who shall be born who i s born ? wh o i s a kin s ,

m an and wh o a fri e nd and to whom ? Would that my ,

fellow creature s sh o uld unders t and th a t al l i s as the v o id !

-

righteous nes s i s gathered by l ooking bey o nd the

V e iled Truth .

II . S C UL P TUR E A N D P A I N TI N G
As little as E a rly Buddh i s m dream e d o f an expre ss ion of
i t s characteri s tic i deas through poetry drama o r musi c , , ,

s o littl e wa s i t i magined that the arts of sculpture and

pai nti ng coul d be a nythi ng o ther than worldly i n th e i r

purp o se and e ffect The hed o ni sti c prepo s se ssi o n s are
.

t o o str o ng and thi s i s a ls o tru e o f other c o ntemp o r a ry

I nd i a n th o ughtfo r any but a puritanical attitud e t o ward

t h e art s t o h av e bee n p o ss ible to t h e phil o so pher Th e .

art s were reg a rd e d as a s o rt o f luxury Thu s we nd .

s uch t e xt s as t h e f o ll o wi ng

1
How l ik e Be r g so n th e t ouh gh t th at th e un iv e rse ne v h lt
er a s in
bi ge n
2
H e wh o d m Th i t
ee s s o be a s a ly e r, a nd h e wh o t hi kn s Th i s to be
li
s a n , a re a l ik w i t h t di
e ou sc e rn m e nt ; Th i s l y
sa s n o t, n e i th er is it s a n li .

B haga va d Gi ta ii ,9 ,
1 .

3 3 2
 Buddh a 89
t he Go sp e l o f Buddh i sm
Beauty i s n o th i ng t o m e neither the b e auty o f t h e body , ,

no r that that c o m e s o f dre ss 1

.

I f a Br o th e r o r S i s te r s ee s various c o l o urs such a s ,

wre a th s d re sse d i m age s d o ll s cl o th e s w o o dw o rk pl as te r

, , , , ,

i ng painti ng s j e w e llery i v o ry w o rk s tring s l e a f cutti ng

, , ,
-
, ,
-
,

th e y s h o uld no t fo r the s ake o f ple a sing the eye g o wh e re

, ,

they wi ll se e th e se c o l o urs and form s 2

.

Si st e rs were fo rbidden t o l o o k on conversat i o n picture s

or love s ce nes ; whil e t he Breth re n were o nly p e rm itte d
t o have pai nted on t h e monastery wall s o r t h e w a l l s O f

th e i r cave re trea ts the re pre se nt a ti o n of wre ath s and

cre epers never o f m e n and women The h e d o ni s ti c
, .

f o u nd ati on of the se i njuncti o ns i s ve ry clearly re v e a l e d i n

a e o
a pa g f the later Vi su ddh i M agg a for the H i nayana
ss

mai ntai ns the purit anical traditio n t o t h e e nd with o nly ,

s light conce ss i o n i n a d mi tti ng the gu re o f t h e Budd ha

h i m selfi n a pa ssage where p a int e rs and mu s i ci a ns a re

cla sse d wi th p e rfum e rs c o o k s elixi r pr o duci ng phy s ici ans , ,
-

a nd o ther l ike pers o n s who fur nish u s with o bj e ct s o f

se nse f

E a rly B u ddh i st A

rt

It nly i n the thi rd and se c o nd ce nturi e s B C that we

is o . .

nd the Buddhi s t s p atr o niz i ng craft s m e n a nd e mpl o yi ng

art fo r ed ifying e nd s Fro m what h as a lre ady be e n sa id . ,

h o w e ver i t wil l be we ll u nd e rs t o o d th a t th e re h ad no t
,

ye t c o me int o b e i ng an
y truly Buddhi st o r i d e a li sti c

Brahmanical re ligi o u s a rt and thu s i t i s th a t E a rly ,

Buddhi st art i s re ally the popul a r I ndi an a rt o f t h e ti m e

1
i t ly m t f m m d
In n e re o e ro a o e rn v i w w hi h
e , c wa s l
a so c u rre n t in
M di v l I di t h t th
e a
e

a t n a, a e se c re o f all a rt li es in th e f
ac u l ty of

S l f bl i v i R i i tt C d
e -
o on .

c o o an u o, [M usi c as a R eligi on f
o t h e F u tu re .

2
D a sa D h a mmi ka S u tt a .

324
 F I GU RE OF YA K K H I ,
A D R YAD
F ro m de c o ra t e d ga t e w a y of t h e sanc h i St p a (z u d y
c e nt u r B c .
)
 E arly Buddhi st A rt
adapted t o Buddhi st end s while o ne spe cial pha se o f ,

art re pre se nted by the c api tal s o f the As o ka columns

,

( Plate P ) and other architectural moti fs i s actually o f

extra I ndian o rigin

- .

Such no n Buddhist art a s we have evide nce of i n the

-

ti me o f A soka i s co nc e rned wi th the cult s o f the N ature

spirit st h e Earth G o dde ss the N aga s or Serpent K i ng s
,

of the Wat e rs and the Y akkha kings wh o rule the F o ur

,

Q uarters The Early Buddhi st art o f Bharhut and

.

S anch i wh ich i s A so kan o r a l i t tle later than A so kan

, ,

re e ct s the pred o mi na nce of the se cul t s i n the low reli e f -

gure s of the Y akkh a Guard ian s of the Q u a rters wh ich

t h e entranc e ga t ew ay s ( Plate O ) of the ambulatory are

pr o t e cted Th e vi ctory of Budd hism over the ani mi sti c

.

cult s o f c o urse o nly a partial vi ctory for the se cults

, ,

ouri sh eve n t o day i s sugge sted by the pre s e nce o f

-

the se Nature s piri t s ( Pl a t e W ) acting a s the gu a rd i ans

of Buddhi st s hrine s just as i n the s tory o f Buddha s l i fe
, ,

by t h e epi sode of the N aga M u c ali nda wh o become s the

Buddha s prote ctor and S h e lter during t he week o f storm s

( Plate A 6 ) The N ature

. s pi ri t s s e em to b e al so re re
p
se nt e d wi th a purely dec o rative or perhap s reverential
,

i nt e nti o n in t h e ca se o f the dryad gure s ( Plate X ) as so

,

c i at e d with tree s on the upper part of the S anch i gate s .

The se be auti ful and sen su o u s gure s a re of high aestheti c

ra nk p o werful and expre ssive : but in thei r vivi d pagan
,

utt e r anc e o f t h e l o ve of li fe h o w li ttle can we c a ll th e m

,

E a rly Buddhi st art !

Apart fr o m the gure s of Nature s pi rit s and the re pre
se nt a t i o ns O f ani mal s dec o rati ve or protective the art
, ,

o f the S anch i gat e w a y s i s dev o ted t o the illu stration of

edifyi ng l e ge nd s the stories of t h e Buddha s former l ive s

,

( J ataka s) and 0 f t he las t i n c arna t i on I n t h ese delicately

.

325
 Buddh a 89 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
e xecuted s culpture s i n low rel ief we have a remarkable -

re c o rd o f I ndia n l ife with its charact e ri sti c envi ronm e nt ,

m anner and cult s se t o u t with convi ncing reali s m and a

, ,

wealth o f circu m st antial det a il But though they t e ll u s .

i n wh a t m anne r t h e holy l e ge nd was vi s ualized withi n a

fe w c e nturi e s o f t h e Buddh a s death they a re fu nd a m e ntally ,

i llu strati o n s of e d ifyi ng epi so de s a nd o nly t o a ve ry ,

li mit e d e xte nt far l e ss fo r e x a mpl e tha n at Bo ro b o du r , ,

c a n be s aid t o e xpres s di rectly the Buddhi s t c o nc e pti o ns

o f li fe and death .

There i s however one respect in which that view i s

pe rfe ctly re e ct e d and this i s in the fa ctstrange a s i t
, ,

m ay a t rs t appe arth a t the gure of t h e M aster h i m sel f

,

i s n o wh e re repre sented Even in the s ce n e which illu s .

trate s S i ddh at t h a s dep a rture fro m h i s h o m e K ant haka s

1
,

ba c k i s bare and we se e o nly the h o rse with t h e gure s

, ,

o f Channa and o f the a ttendant De va s wh o lift up hi s

,

fe e t so that t h e s ou nd o f h i s tre a d may not be h e ard and ,

wh o b e a r the para so l of dominion a t h i s side The .

Buddha h o wever m ay be symbol i zed in vari ou s w ay s

, , ,

a s by the Wi s d o m Tree t h e U mbrella o f D o minion o r , , ,

mo st typically by c o nve ntionally repre sented F o o tprint s

, .

I t will b e seen that the abse nce of t h e Buddha gure from

the w o rl d of l i vi ng men wh e re yet rem a in t he trac e s o f
h i s m i ni stry i s a true arti stic re nderi ng of t h e Ma s t e r s

gu a rd e d s il e nce re specting t h e a fter d e ath s tate o f th o se -

wh o h ave att a i ne d N i b b ana t h e Perfect O ne i s r e l e a se d

fr o m thi s th at hi s b e i ng sh o uld b e ga uge d by the m e as ure
,

o f the c o rp o real w o rld h e i s re le ased from nam e and,

f o rm I n t h e o mi s si o n o f the Buddha gure th e n thi s
.
, ,

E arly Buddhist a rt i s truly Buddhi s t but i n nearly all ,

1
D pi t d
e c e on th e c e nt ra l h i o r z on ta lb ea m o f th e e ast S a hi
nc at e
g
( P l t O)
a e .

3 6 2
P L A TE Y

S TA ND I N G I MA GE OF T H E B U DDH A 326
 Th e Buddhi st P ri m i t i v e s
el se i t i s an art abou t Buddh ism rather t han Buddhis t ,

art .

Th e B u ddh i st P ri mi t i ves
We have e xplained above under the heading Beginni ng s
o f t h e Mah ay ana i n what manner the Buddha cam e

,

t o be re gard e d as a pers o nal god and how t h e Early ,

Buddhi st int e llectual d iscipl in e i s gradually modied by

t h e growth o f a S pi ri t o f devotion whi ch nds e xpre ss i o n

i n worsh ip and the creation of a cult Thi s m ay to a .

large ex t e nt reect the growing i nuence of the lay com

munity and i t i s p a rall e led by s i mi lar tende ncies i n the
,

d e velopmen t of other con te mporary pha se s o f b e l ief .

With what pa ss i o nate abando n even t h e symbol s o f the

e
F et o f the L ord were a d o red will appear i n the

i llustra tion ( Plate Q ) from the sculpt ure s of Amaravati ,

a Buddhi st s hrine in southern I ndi a lavi shly decorated ,

with carving s in lo w rel ief mostly of the sec o nd c e ntury

,

A D
. . Fe e l i ng such a s th i s could not b u t demand an
obj e ct of worship more personal and more accessible
than the ab stra ct conception of one who se being lay

bey o nd the gra sp o f thought for e xceeding hard i n
,

the word s o f the B h ag a va d Gu a i s t h e un shown ,

way Thu s the Buddha and together with h i m rst o ne
.
,

a nd then an o ther of the B o dhi s attva saviours origi nally ,

ideal izations of p a rticular virtue s came t o be regard e d

,

as perso nal gods resp o nsive to the prayers of th e i r

wor shippers and extending the ves sel of thei r d ivin e
,

benev o le nce and in ni te compa ssion to al l wh o se e k thei r

aid Th i s was the hum an need wh ich al ike i n Buddhist
.

and H indu churches de t ermi ned the devel o pment o f

i c o nography
The form of the Buddha i mage t he gure of t he seated
.

3 7 2
 Buddh a t h e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm

yogi was determined in ano ther w y We hav e lready a . a

u nder the h e ading s

of Y o ga
and Spiritu al Exerci se ,

expl a i ned the l a rge part tha t i s played e ve n in Early ,

Buddhi sm by t h e practice of co ntemplation At a very

, .

early date probably already in fact in the ti me of Buddh a

, , , ,

t h e s e a t e d y o gi practi s i ng a mental discipline or attaining

,

t h e highe s t stati o n of Sam adhi must h ave repre sented to ,

the I ndian m i nd the ulti mate achievement o f spiri tu al

e ffo rt and t he at t ainm e n t of the Great Que st A nd so
, . ,

wh e n i t was d e s i red t o re pre sent by a visible i co n the

gure of H i m wh o had thus attain e d the appr o priate- - - -
,

fo rm wa s re a dy t o hand I t i s m o st likely that i m age s .

of the se ated Buddh a w e re already in l o cal and privat e

use as cult obj e cts but i t is no t until the b e gin ning o f the
,

Chri sti an era that they begin t o play a rec o g nized p a rt in

o fcial Buddhi st art and the Buddha gure i s i ntr o duced
1
,

in narrative sculpture .

I t i s ve ry pro bable tha t examples o f these earl ie st

Buddh i st pri mitive s a re no lo nger extant but e v e n ,

i f th a t be s o t h e s plendi d and monum e ntal gure s

,

o f Anuradhapur a a nd Amaravat i of perhap s the se c o nd

century A D still reect almo st the full force of pri mitive

. .
,

i n spirati o n Of the se gures there i s n o ne ne r

.

and p e rhaps n o thing ner in the wh o le range of Buddhi st

art th an the c o l o ssa l gure at Anuradh a pura illu s
t rat e d i n Plat e K With thi s gure are to be a ssoci a ted
.

a s tand i ng i m age o f Buddha ( Pl ate E ) and o ne o f

a B o dhi sattva and the se a gain are closely relate d t o
,

1
As p i tdby M F h th i m g
o n e th K
ou t i hk liq y . ouc e r, e a e on e an s a re u ar

i di t
n l d y t typ d t
c a e s an d t hi v t i v d
a re a m t s e re o e ar an s o e oc u en

suf t th
ces w b k by t l t
o t y th
ro ti f t h pl t i t yp
ac a eas a c en ur e c re a on o e as c e

of th B l e dO d th t t k
e sse b k t th t t y b f
n e , an us o a e us ac o e rs c en ur e o re
L O gi g q d l I m g d B ddh P i 9 3 p 3
o u r e ra .

rz ne rec u e e

a e a ou a, ar s, 1 1 , . 1 .

328
 G rae c o -
B u ddhi st S u l p t u re
c

the st a nding Buddha gures of Amarav ati I n th e se .

austere i mage s the moral grandeu r o f the N ibb ana ideal

nd s its o wn d i rect expre ssi on in m o numental f o rm s ,

free of all i rreleva nt s tatement or striving fo r e ffect and ,

th e se are prototypes tha t are repeated i n all subsequen t

hierati c Buddhist art .

Gra m B u ddh i st S cu lp t u re
-

Fr o m the se works we mu st return to a con siderati o n o f t h e

s lightly e arl ier bett e r k no wn and fa r m o re abunda nt art o f
,

Gandh ara ge nerally called G rmc o Buddhi st

,
Thi s a rt
- .

i s s o call e d b e cau se apart fr o m the s e ated Buddha f o rm

, ,

wh ich must of course be wh o lly I ndia n the leading type s

Buddhi st pantheonviz the standing Buddha
,

o f the .

gure t h e recl i ning t ype t he gures of Bodhi sattva s and

, ,

of other Buddhi st d ivinitie s as wel l as the types O f com

,

positi o n O f s ome o f the scenes of the Buddha s l ife and

,

l ik e wi se certai n detail s o f arch itectural o rnament are either ,

di re ctly based upo n o r stro ngly inuenced by G rae c o Rom an -

pr o totype s Gandh ara art i s in fact a pha se o f provi ncial

.

R o m a n a rt mixed with I ndian element s and ad a pted t o

, ,

t h e illu stration o f Buddhi s t l e gend s The i nuence of the.

we stern f o rms on all later I nd ia n and Chines e Buddhi s t

a rt i s cl e arly tra ceable : but the actual art of Gandh ara

give s the i mpre ss i o n of profound insincerity fo r the com ,

pl a cent e xpre ssi o n and somewh a t fo ppi sh co stume of the

B o dhi sattvas a nd t h e e ffe minat e and li stl e s s g e sture o f
,

t h e Buddh a gure s ( Plate AA ) but faintly expre ss t h e

s piri tual e nergy o f Buddhi st thought Fro m the we stern .

p o i nt o f vi e w al so the a rt mu st be re gard e d as even more

d e c adent than that o f R o ma n art within t h e R o m an Empire

fo r truly , i n the long sa nd s and at s o f R o man reali s m
t h e stream of Gre e k i ns piration was lost for ever

a nd ,

2
3 9
 Buddh a 863 2
th e G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
th e re i s no better evi de nce o f thi s than the art o f G andh ara .

I t i s o f i nte re s t t o observe al so the ma nne r in whi ch cert a in

I ndian symb o l s are awkwardly and i mperfe ctly i nt e rprete d ,

fo r thi s a ffo rd s pro o f i f that were needed that the t yp e s i n

, ,

que sti o n a re o f O ld e r and I ndi a n o rigin A clear ca se is

, .

th a t o f t h e l o tu s s e a t which i s t h e symb o l of t h e Buddh a s

s piri tu a l purity o r divi n ity Th e seate d Buddha o f G and .

h ara i s i nsecurely a nd uncomfo rt ably b a l ance d o n the

pri c kly p e t a l s o f a di sprOpo rt i o nat e ly s mall lotu s and thi s ,

d e fect at o nce de stro ys the se n se of re p o se whi ch i s ab o ve

all e ss e nti a l t o t h e gure o f t h e yogi wh o i s like ne d in
I ndi an b o o k s t o the ame i n a windle ss Sp o t that d o e s no t
i ck e ra nd i n i mm e diat e c o ni ct with the Y o ga texts

which d e cl a re th a t the seat o f med itati o n mu st b e rm

and easy ( sth i ra su kh a ) We se e before u s the w o rk o f
- .

f o re ign cra ft sm e n i m itating I ndi an f o rmul ae whi ch th e y

d id no t u nd e rst a nd We c ann o t thi nk o f thi s a s an o rigi na l
.

and aut o chthon o u s art d e spite i t s hi st o ric al i nte re st and

, ,

i t i s ce rtai nly no t p ri mitive in the se nse i n which thi s

w o rd i s u se d by artists 1
.

I c onog raphy
We may d igre ss h e re t o describe the ch ief types of Buddha
i mage Th e seated gure h as thre e main f o rm s t h e rst
. ,

r e pre se nti ng pure Sam adhi t h e high e s t stati o n o f e c s t asy

,

h e re t h e hand s are cro ssed i n t h e lap i n what i s k no wn

(

seal o f med itati o n
a s dh ana mu dra the
y , Plate K );
t h e se c o nd i n wh ich the right h and i s mov e d f o rward
,

a cr o s s t h e right k ne e t o touch t h e earth i n what i s k no wn ,

as t h e hh u mi sp a rsa mu dra t h e seal of c alli ng t h e e arth

,

t o wi t ne ss Pl a te s Ta Z b ) ; t h e third with t h e h a nd s
(

,

1
In p i m i t i v t y w i ll d
r e ar ou n a b f p
se n c e o re i
re se n ta t o n , a b se n c e

o f te c h i l w gg
n ca s a b l i m ly i mp
e r, su e iv f m
re ss e orCl i v
.

e Be ll , A rt, p . 2 2 .

33 0
P LA T E A A
3 30
TH E F I R S T S ER MO N (T U R N I N G TH E W H EE L
O F TH E L A W )
G a n d h ara , I st z nd y
ce nt u r A D

ii
.

Br t sh M useu m
 I c o no grap h y
ra i se d before the ch e st i n the po s ition known as dh a rma
ca k ra m u dra the seal o f turni ng the wh e el o f t h e
,

l aw ( Pl ates B C AA ) I n a f o urth type the right

, ,
.

h a nd i s rai sed and t h e pal m turned outward maki ng ,

t h e ge s ture known as a hh aya mu dra t h e

seal of : di s ,

p e ll i ng fe a r The la st p o se is chara cteri sti c fo r s ta nding

.

gure s where the l e ft hand grasps the end o f t h e

,

r o b e ( Plate s E Y ) I n B o dhi sa ttva gure s t h e right

, .

h and i s v e ry often exte nded i n the va ra mu dra o r

'

seal O f charity Plate R while t h e ; left h and h o ld s

( )

,

an attribute s uch as the l otu s o f Aval okit e svara

,

o dhi sa ttva s i s
( Pl a te s R Z a
)
,
But t h e variety
. of B
great An o ther characte risti c po se i s k now n a s v i ta rka
.

mu dra the seal o f a rgume nt i ndi c a ti ng the act o f

, ,

te a ch ing ( Plat e Z c ) Other form s a re ge ne r ally s elf

.

e xpl a na to ry l ike t h e sword o f wi sd o m which i s held

,

a l o ft by M anj u sri ( Plate DD) t o cleave the dark ne ss

o f ign o ranc e I t will al so be noticed that t h e Buddh a
.

i mage s have certain phy sical pecul iarities o f which the ,

m o st con spi cuou s i s t h e u sh n i sh a o r protubera nce o n t h e

t o p of the s kull Tech nic ally thi s appe a rs t o b e derive d
.

fr o m a we stern f o rm of h e addre ss but i n s ignica nc e ,

i t i s to be classed with t h e phy sical character s attributed

by Indi a n phys i o gn o mist s t o the Sup e rman t h e Mah a ,

puru sha Thi s u sh n i sh a serve s to d isti ngui sh t h e Buddha

.

gure fr o m that o f a mere Brother fo r t h e he ad s o f t h e ,

Bh i k kh u ( Pl ate L) i s alway s shave d b a re and with o ut

t h e Buddh a s bump o f wisdom The Buddha type ( e g . . .

Pl a t e E ) i s di sti ngui shed on the o th e r h a nd fr o m th a t

,

o f t h e B o dhi s attv a i n wh o m the u sh ni sh a i s al s o e vid e nt

, ,

by t h e di fference o f c o stum e : that of t h e Buddha i s

m o na sti c whil e th a t of the Bodhi sattva i s the full and
,

j ew e ll e d garb of a king or god I n all t h re e case s the .

33 1
 Buddh a 89
the G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm
ears are pierced and el o ngated but t h e B o dhi sattva ,

al o ne w e ars e a rri ng s The mo nastic c o stume of the

.

Buddh a a nd t he Brethren consi sts o f thre e strips o f '

cl o th f o rming an undergarment (a n ta ra vasaka) w o rn

,

ab o ut the loins l ike a ski rt and fa st e ne d by a ,

gi rdle an uppe r garmen t (u tta ra sa nga ) c o vering the

,

breast and sh o ulders and falling bel o w the k ne e s

and a cloak (sa ng h a t i ) worn o ve r the t wo o th e r
garm e n t s I t i s this o uter cl o ak wh ich i s natura lly
.

m o st con spicu o u s in the s culptured i mage s I n stand i ng .

gure s the d rapery is treated with elab o ra t ion and the ,

m o re so t he stro nger the we stern i nu e nc e bei ng ba sed

o n t he dra pery of the well known L ateran S o phocl e s and
-
,

am o u nting to absolute i d e nti ty of d e s ign b e twe e n t h e

C rasc o Chri stian Chri st and the Grac c o Buddhi s t Buddh a :
- -

but in a m ajority o f typi cally Indi a n gure the drape ry i s

al m o st tra nsp a re nt and i nd icated by a mere line I n
, .

Gupta i m ages e specially the wh o le gure i s plai nly

r e ve al e d ( Plat e s B The upper r o bes are w o rn i n t wo
,

di fferent w ays in the o ne ca se c o veri ng both should e r s

, ,

i n the o th e r leaving th e right sh o ulder b are Anoth e r .

c o n spicu o u s feature o f Buddha i m age s i s the ni mbu s o r

glory which assume s vari ous f o rm s the early typ e s bei ng
, ,

pl a in tho se of the Gupta peri o d e lab o rately decora t e d ;

,

th i s ag a in appears t o be a moti f that i s technic a lly

we stern at the s ame ti me that i t reect s the tra diti o ns
,

re g a rd ing t h e Buddha ray s a nd t h e t ransg u rat i o n a nd ,

fro m a vi s i o nary s tandpoint may be cal led re al i stic .

Cla ssi c B u ddh i st A rt

Th e vari ou s t ype s o f Buddhi st art to which we h av e
s o far refe rred fro m th is ti me o nward draw clo ser and
,

close r t o e ther to cons t i t u t e one na t i onal art and sty le

g ,

332
P LA TE B B

T H E B U DDH A
Ca m b i
od a , 1 3 th
1 4 t h y
c e nt u r

Co ll i
ect on o f M r V i ctor Golo nbew
 Cl assi c Bu dd hi st Art
"

w h ich extend th roughout Indi a n i n the Gupta peri od and ,

f o rm the mai n fou ndation o f the colonial and m issiona ry

pha ses o f Buddhist art i n Sia m and Camb o d ia Burma , ,

Java Chi na and Japan O ne o f the m o s t marked charact e rs

, , .

of Gupta art i s the fullne ss a nd s uavi ty o f al l i t s f o rm s w e l l ,

exemplied i n the t wo gure s illustrated o n Plate s B E ,

t h e latt e r o f the se i s a s tandi ng gure from M athura t h e ,

o ther a se a ted i mage from the s ite o f t h e ol d mona stery

of the De er Park at Benare s where the rs t sermon

,

wa s pre a ched I t will b e seen that by this ti me t h e

.

foreign element s intro duced by way o f Gandh ara are

c o mpl e tely ab so rbed a nd I nd ianized and in t he words of
,

Pro fe ssor O s car Milnst e rb e rg develop e d u nd e r nati o nal

,

and Buddhist in spi ration i nt o a new and ge nui ne art .

Fro m Indian Gupta art there i s an i mp e rceptibl e tra nsi

ti o n to I ndian cla ssi c which i s more mou veme n te and
,

d i stingui shed by more slender form s and gre ater del icacy
a nd ma stery o f technique I t i s i n the lat e Gupta and
.

E arly Cla ss ic painting of Aj ant a th a t Indian Buddhi st

art whi c h beg an with the creati on of the seated gure ,

attain s i ts nal perfectio n and completes i ts cycle Th e se .

p a i nti ng s l ik e the lo w re l iefs o f S anchi and Bh arhut

, ,

ch i e y i llu stra te the st o ries o f t h e Buddha s fo rm e r bi rth

a nd last i ncarnati o n Th e re i s i ndic a t e d h o we ve r a l o ng

.
, ,

d e vel o pm e nt in doctri ne and i n tech nique Th e Buddha .

gure i s fre ely repre se nted but t h e h i e ratic typ e i s

,

ge ne rally s ub o rdi na t e to that o f the B o dhi sattva a s t h e

l ivi ng and m o vi ng h e ro i n t h e s t o ri e s o f huma n and
a ni m a l l ife, wh e re he exhibit s e ve ry p o ssibl e p e rfe cti o n o f
ch a racter Wh a t i s e ven m o re no t e w o rthy i s t h e fa ct
.

th a t Ajant a p a inting d o e s no t e ch o t he di sparag e me nt o f

l i fe which i s so con spicu o u s in the P al i Sutta swhere the

w o rld o f l ivi ng b e ing s i s so bitte rly den o u nc e d as unclea n
333
 Buddh a the G o sp e l
f Buddhi sm o

b u t repre sen t s th i s l ife wi th pa ss i o nate sympathy fo r all

i t s se nsu o u s pe rfecti o n . Pra i se o f t h e b e auty of wome n
c o uld no t b e m o re pl a i nly sp o k e n and t h e s o u nd o f mu s i c
,

i s e v e rywhere : no refe rence i s m ad e t o age a nd th e re ,

i s no i ns i stence up o n death o r s u fferi ng for huma n and ,

a nim al li fe a l ik e are alway s re pre se nte d at the highe st l e ve l s

o f e xp e rie nce . I t i s i n quit e an o ther way th a t Buddhi st i d e al s
are here e xpre s s e
d b y t he e ve r pre se nt se n se o f trage dy :
fo r t h e very empha si s on y o uth a nd b e auty i s the re v e l a ti o n
o f th e i r tra n s cience . The l i fe o f t h e w o rld i s d e pi cte d
with such tra nspare ncy a s i f in a m o u nt a in fa stne ss

th e re w e re a p o o l o f water clear translucent and seren e

tha t i t a ppe a rs l ike the s ub stance of a d ream t o o frail
, , ,

t o gr a sp , however he aven li ke i t s form s And th e re

-
.

m o ve s through these ench anted s cenes t h e gure o f o ne

wh o se h e art i s se t on a m o re d i sta nt goal and fe el s an ,

i n nite c o mp ass io n for all b o rn bei ng s who se sw e et

d e l ight s are s ubject t o mortality ( Plate CC ) It is .

j u s t becau se the medi ae val Buddhi st c o n sciou snes s h as

le a r nt so well t o understand the v alue o f the w o rld that
t h e gure o f One wh o seek s to sav e all creatures fr o m
th i s radiant phenom e nal li fe appe ars so tragi c .

I t i s no t that I do no t value th e se my tu sk s says the ,

B o dhi sattva e leph a nt i n t h e Ch a dda n t a f at aka no r

,

th a t I de si re t h e statu s o f a g o d but b e c a u se t h e tu sk s o f
,

I n nite Wi s d o m a re de a rer to m e a th o u sand ti m e s th an

th e se that I yi e ld yo u th e se g o od hunter
, , .

I t i s t o be o b se rve d t o o that t h e spiritu a l Sup e rm an i s

, ,

ne v e r p o or and de spi sed but always freely end o w e d with

,

t h e l o rd shi p a nd t h e w e a lth o f the world h e d o e s no t ,

s c o r n t h e c o mp any o f b e a utiful w o men D h a rma a rth a

.
, ,

a nd k ama s oci a l vi rtu e wealth and the pl e a sure s o f the

, , ,

se n se s are h i s and yet the Bodhi sattva s th o ughts are

,

3 34
P LA T E C C
BO DH I S A TT VA P ER H A P S
, A VA L O K I T E S VA RA 334
 C l assi c Buddhi st A rt
no t diver t ed from the fourth
end o f moksh a
hum an
,

s alvati o n SO far from the rich man re pres e nting t h e

.

type o f hi m wh o ca nn o t e nter the ki ngd o m o f heav e n ,

riches and power are represented as the natural evi dence

of good ne ss ; and wi thout such ri ches and such pow e r
h o w could the Bodhi sa t tva s supernatural gener o sity be

s u fcie ntly d isplayed ?

U p t o thi s p o int of course we h ave spoke n rather o f

, ,

e thi c s th a n o f art I t i s no t h o wever the l itera lly Buddhi st

.
, ,

s ubj e ct matt e r of Aj a nt a a rt that makes i t s o pr o foundly

-

movi ng we do no t need t o know wh a t the p a i nting s we re

about b e f o re we are able t o feel thei r S ignic ance Arti st s .

p a i nted thu s not because they were Buddhists but because

, ,

th e y were a rtist s The i ntellectual and l o gi cal c o nte nt

.
,

the narrative element i s so enti rely s ubordi nate to d i rect

em o tion that it i s s ome t i me s di fcul t to re a liz e th a t t h e
s ubject o f all the Ajant a painting s i s really Buddhi s t .

I t i s alway s ea sy for the arti san to illustrate a cre ed or a

l e ge nd but only when he i s an artist i s he able at the
,

s ame ti me to expre ss the deeper a nd fundame ntal re a l ity

upon wh ich all creed and ritual are ba sed Certai nly the .

,

E a rly Buddhi st s wh o hated conversation picture s that ,

i s t o say l o ve s cene s s uch as we often see at Aj a nt a and

, ,

all who adh e re t o hed o nisti c views o f art might utterly ,

c o ndemn the wh o le work a s worldly o r eve n e shly , .

We have al ready see n however that d o gm ati c c o nt e nt

, ,

h as no nece ssa ry connexi o n wi th the s piritual signi c anc e

of a work of art fo r nothi ng c o ul d well be le ss spiritual
,

than the c o nspicu o u sly Buddhi st art o f G andh ara .

Aft e r t he seve nth centu ry Buddhi s m d e cl i ne d i n I ndi a

pro p e r a nd c o nti nu e d to ou ri sh o nly in B e ng al N e p a l
, ,

a nd Ceylon a nd i n the ea st e r n c o lo nie s

, Th e wid e ly.

di stribut e d and spl e ndid monum e nt s o f I ndian clas si c

335
 Buddh a 865 t h e Go sp e l o f Buddhi sm
9

s culpture a re thu sas at Elephanta Ellor a and M amal , ,

lap u ra m al m o st entire ly H i ndu i n s ubj e ct I t i s only .

h e re and th e re that th e re s urvi ve a few preci o u s re l ic s of

pure ly Indian Buddhi st s culpture o f t he cl assic age .

Pr o bably the b e s t o f the se i s t h e l ittle Si nh ale se br o nze

o f Av a l o kite s vara repr o duced on Plate Z c while t h e ,

rath e r les s i mpre ss ive but very gra ci o u s Si nh ales e gure

,

o f Maitr e ya re pr o duc e d o n Pl a t e S may b e a littl e lat e r .

Th e Nepal e se gure s of Buddha and Av al o kite sv a ra ,

illu s trated o n Plate s C R are cl o se ly rel a te d to Aj a nt a

, ,

type s and range from t he eigh t h to the e l e ve nth ce ntury

, ,

and from t h e eleve nth to t h e th irteenth century there

are pre se rve d sev e ral example s of b e auti fully illu strated
Buddh ist pal m leaf manu script s i n the s ame styl e Sub
-
.

s e quent t o thi s the Buddhi st art of Nepal i s mod i e d

by Tibetan Chi ne se and p e rhap s al so P e rs ian inuen c e s
, , .

Buddhi st art pe rs i sted i n M ag adh a a nd B e ngal o nly u ntil

t h e n a l vict o ri e s o f Isl a m i nv o lved the de s truc t i o n o f the

m o na sterie s in the twelfth centu ry .

Colon i a l I ndi a n A rt

I nd ia h as b e en the source of a colonial art of great i m

portance d eve lope d fr o m the sixth century o nward i n
,

Burma Siam Camb o dia L aos and parti cul a rly i n J ava :
, , , ,

and t h e gre at part of thi s c o l o nial art i s Buddhi s t The .

mo st i mport ant s chool i s the Javan e se Java was c o l o niz e d.

by Brahma ni cal H i ndu s i n the early centuri e s o f t h e Chri s

tian era a nd l a rgely c o nv e rt e d to Buddhi s m a little l at e r ;
the t wo form s o f bel ief exi sted s id e by S id e u ntil the Mu h am
madan c o nqu e sts of the fteenth century The l a rge st and .

ne s t Buddhi st monument i s the st pa of Bo ro b o du r ;

here t h e pro c e s s i o n gall e rie s are adorned by a serie s of
s o m e 2 0 0 0 h as rel i e f s illu strati ng the l ife o f t he Buddh a
-

33 6
P L A N; D D

MA NJ US R I BO DH I S ATT VA 335

J ava ( 1 4 t h y
c e nt u r AD )
B er nli
 C o l o ni al I ndi an A rt
according to the L a li t va i sta ra as well as vari o us legends ,

from the D i vyava dana a nd the j atakas The rel iefs are

so extensiv e th a t i f lai d end to e nd they woul d cover a

space of more than two m iles We have here a third .

great illu strated Bible s imilar i n range b u t more ex , ,

te ns ive tha n t he reli e fs of S anch i and the pai nti ngs of

Aj a nt a Thi s i s a supremely dev o ut and sponta neous
.

art na t urally l a cki ng the au st e rity and the abstraction of

,

the early Buddhi st pri mitive s but marvell o usly graciou s , ,

decorative and s i ncere The episodes repre sented are

, .

by no means so e xclu s iv e ly courtly as is the case at

Aj ant a but cover t h e wh o le ci rcle of I ndian l ife al ike i n
,

city and village The narrative elem e nt i s more con.

s i c u o u s than at Aj a nt a t h e craft s men a dhering closely to

p ,

t h e bo o k But every gr o up and every gure are ab so

.

lu t e ly true and sincere i n expression of fa c e gesture and , ,

po se of body ; and t he action s wh ich l ink the vari ous

gro ups and s ingl e feature s together are s t ro ngly and
s i mply t o ld without e ffo rt or striving for e ffec ti t was
,

so because so i t c o uld only be l Buddhi st art in Java

,
1

conti nued to ourish fo r many ce nturies and ma ny works ,

of gre at beauty are still pre served both stone reliefs and ,

sculptures i n t h e round and s maller and very del i cate ,

bro nzes Amo ngst the later works n o ne are more i m

pressive th a n the M anju e the Bodhi sattva who holds
.

al o ft the sword of wisdom reproduced here on Plate

DD but I ca nnot agree t hat the well known Praja
,
-

para mit a though s till beautiful i s one of the mo st S pi ritual

, ,

creati o ns of any art but much rath e r as a no t her criti c
, ,

h as suggested think of thi s comf o r t able and bejewelled

,

graciou s gure as al l too human .

1
H v l]
a e , I ndi a n Scu lp tu re a nd P a i nt i ng , p . 1 1 8 . Man y g oo d p
re ro

du ct i o ns w i ll b f e ou n d i n th e sa m v l m
e o u e .

V 337
 Buddh a 863 2
t he G o sp e l o f B u ddhi sm

Th e F a r E a st
The Buddhi st art of China i s on ano t her foo t ing for no t ,

with standi ng i t repeat s the form s of I ndian a rt China had ,

alre ady an o ld and from a t ech ni cal st andp o in t exceed

, , ,

i ng ly a ccompl i shed a rt and a profound philosophy of h e r

,

own before the Budd h ist pilgri ms and mis s ionaries carri e d
,

acro ss the wastes of Central A s ia the i mpul se t o a ne w

development of th o ught and of plasti c art ; thus although ,

there were at one ti me many thou sand s of Indian s in Chi na ,

and s ome o f these were Buddhist arti st s yet Chine se ,

Buddh i st art is no t l ike Javane se enti rely I ndian but

, , ,

e ssentially a new thing al most as much Chinese as ,

I ndian .

The r st in t roduction of Buddhism to o k place in the rst

ce ntury A D I n the sec o nd century a golden sta t ue perhaps
. .
,

o f the Buddha was brought i nto China from the west ; in the
,

s ame century a Buddhi st mission reached China from

Parthia Buddhi s m did not h o wever i mmediate ly Obtai n a
.

rm hold and t h e Chine se were then as no w partly C o nfu

,

c i a ni st p a rtly T a o i st and partly Buddhi st

, N aturally as the .

early Buddhi st i nuence s came thro ugh we stern Asia early ,

Chi ne se Buddhist a rt exhibi t s some relation t o the Grae c o

Buddhi st art o f Ga ndh ara ; but fe w tra ces o f any work
o l der tha n t h e fth ce ntu ry no w remai n and by that ti me ,

t h e Grac c o Roma n el e m e nt s were al mo st negl igible

- or ,

trac e able o nly in minor d e tail s of ornam e nt and tech nique .

U nder the North e rn Wei dy nasty o f the early fth cen

tu ry h o wever th e re i s an i mmense artisti c activity and
, , ,

t h e m o untain s and cave s o f Tatong are carved wi th

c o untl e ss im age s o f Buddhas and B o dhisattva s of all

s i ze s fr o m mini a ture to c o lo ssal a nd thes e work s are t h e
, ,

typi cal Chin e se Buddhist pri mitives One colos sal gure .

33 8
P L AT E E E
3 38
BO DH I S A TT VA
Ch me se , sc h o o l of L o ng m e n-
(8 th y)
centu r
Co l ogne
 Th e Far E ast
is some nine ty feet in height and here t h e form is full and
ro u nd but some of the s maller gure s are very del icate
,

and slender O ne of t he feature s o f i mmediate Ind i a n

.

origin is to be re c o g ni zed i n the giga nti c gure s of door

guardians repre se nte d as muscular giants pro tec t ing the
entrances to the Buddhist cave s Whil e i n these gures .

the muscle s are conspicuou sly devel o ped and the body
bare the Buddha and Bodhi sattva gure s are always
,

cl o thed and the details o f the ana t omy s uppre ssed and
ge neral ized Si milar decorated cave s are found at L ong
.

men near t h e t o wn of Honan a la t er N o rth Wei capital ;

,

these excavatio ns and sculptures belong to the sixth

ce ntu ry The i nscripti o ns recordi ng the variou s donati o n s
.

sh o w tha t the se works were commi ssioned by the ki ng ,

the queen the noble s and even by individuals of the lower

, ,

cl asses A great development of Buddh i st sculpture al s o

.

to o k place i n K orea These gure s l ike t hose al ready

.

described are h ewn o u t of t h e l ivi ng rock i n an envi ron ,

m e n t of great natural beauty far from the haunts o f men

, .

Buddhist art i n I nd ia as at Aj a n ta and still more i n the

, ,

Far E ast i s c o n stantly thu s a sso ciated with naturally i m

,

pres sive scenes : and were i t not fo r th is love of N ature

a nd for the in sti tuti o n of pilgri m a ge to sacred and far

away s ites i t w o ul d b e d i fcult to accoun t for the great

,

part which i s played i n Chinese and Japanese art by land

scape painting somewhat later .

I t i s from K orea that Buddhist though t and art were

i ntroduced t o Japan in the s ixth centu ry The new faith .

met with considerable oppositio n The hero o f the period .

of the rst i ntroducti o n o f Buddhism to Japa n is the

re no w ned Pri nce Wu mayado who prepared t h e seventeen
,

articles o f the Japane se consti tution and wrote some ,

remarkable commentaries on t he Buddhist St ras se t ti ng ,

3 39
 Buddh a 9 t h e G o sp e l 2
o f Buddhi sm
forth the te a ching s o f Nag arju na : he is still w o r shipped
by cra ft sm e n and arti san s as P a tr o n of the Art s The .

only remai ns o f thi s peri o d h o we ver are the c o l o ssa l , ,

bro nze Buddha o f A nko i n whi ch h as su ffe red many ,

vi ci ssitude s and i s t o o much re s t o red t o affo rd a v e ry

d e nite idea o f the earl i e st Japane se Buddhi s t art : and
t h e f a m o u s temple o f H o ri uji near N a r a which i s ri c h ,

alik e i n c o ntemp o rary s culpture a nd painti ng s

We .

nd i n the se w o rk s s ay s Ok akur a , a spirit of i nte nse ,

re ne m e nt and purity such as o nly gre a t re ligi o u s fe el i ng

,

could have pr o duc e d F o r divi nity i n th i s e a rly ph ase.

,

o f nati o nal r e al iz a ti o n see m e d like an ab stract id e al, ,

un appro achable and my s t e ri o u s and eve n i t s di stan c e ,

from the naturale sque giv e s t o art an a wful charm We .

a re r e mi nded here that all the e arly Buddhi st art o f t h e

F a r E ast i s m o re purely h ierati c and ab str a ct tha n i s t h e

c ase fo r e x a mple at Ajant a t o which the p a inti ng a t
, , ,

H o ri uji i s o therwi se so cl o se ly rel a t e d ; and the expl ana

ti o n i s no t far t o se ek F o r when t h e a rti st s o f t h e F a r
.

E a st t o geth e r with t h e new re ligi o n adopte d t h e I ndi an

, ,

f o rmul as and symb o l s th e y k e pt the se se parate fro m the ,

ord inary practic e o f th e i r art a nd s o devel o p e d a sp e ci a l ,

i z e d hierati c qual i t y t h e rare st and m o st re m o t e pe rhap s

,

the art o f the paint e r h as e ver expre ssed Where as to .
,

the I ndi an m i nd Buddh a and hi s di scipl e s w e re more

actual gure s with p o sitive re la t i o ns t o th e ir o wn soci al
,

world Th e pl ac e s wh e re th e y l ived and t aught were t o

.

them de nite place s t o whi c h th e y th e m selv e s c o uld at

,

any m o me nt m ake pilgri mage s 1
and thus there was no t ,

i n I ndi a th a t s epara ti o n o f s o ci a l a nd r e l igi o u s tradi

ti o n s which i s apparent in Ch i nese art as i t i s l ikewi se ,

evident i n Eur o pean rel igi o u s sculpt ure and painting Of .

1
W . R ot h i
e nste n, i n Aja nta F rescoes ( I n di S i ty)
a oc e , d
Lon o n, 1 91 5 .

34 0
P LAT E F F

T H E B U DDH A
34 0

Ce n t ra l gu re of a t i pty h
r h T f kj
c 1n t e o u u 1 tem p l Ky t
e, o o,

J a p an, a sc r ib ed to W u Tao -
tz u ( C h 1 n e se 8th t y)
cen u r

l
,

F ro m Ta ytm a , S e e c te d R t ll CS

o f J a pa n es e A rt, Vo l I
 Th e Far E ast
t wo early J apane se p a i nting s of Sam ant ab h adra and of
M anju sri M r Bi nyon rem a rk s :
,

Th e uid l i nes o f f o rm and d rapery a re of an i nde sc ri b
a bl e sweetn e ss a nd h a rm o ny as i f sen si tive them se lv e s
,

with life ; t h e colour al so d i scl o se s it self a s part o f t h e

c almly gl o wing l ife wi thin v e i ned with ne l ine s of g o ld
no t as s o m e thing a ppl i e d fro m
, ,

with o u t S uch i mage s as .

,

th e se of which thi s e a rly Buddhi s t a rt h as cre at e d no t a

,

fe w i mage s o f the i n nite o f wi sdo m and o f t e nderness

, ,

no t o nly expre ss the serenity o f the spirit but have in a ,

degree unre ached in any o ther art the power of includi ng

the spectator in thei r spiritual sp e ll to con t emplate them

i s t o be strangely mov e d yet stra ngely tra nquillized
,
1
.

We mu st h o wever return fo r a ti me t o Chi na t o consider ,

the cl as si c art of t h e T a ng epoch ( A D 6 1 8 fo r thi s

. .

i s t h e gre at creativ e age of t h e F a r E as t by which the ,

wh o le future development both o f Chi ne se and J ap ane se

art i s mainly determin e d : the part that Greece has pl ayed
fo r Europ e was pl ayed for Jap an by China .

Th e T a ng e ra s t and s i n hi st o ry for t he peri od o f China s

e a s e e a o
gr te t xt rn l p w e r t h e pe ri o d o f her greate st poetry
a nd o f h e r gra ndest a nd m o s t vig o rou s i f no t perh a p s , , ,

her m o st pe rfe ct a rt Buddhi s m no w t o o k h o ld o n the

, .

n atio n a s i t neve r di d bef o re and i t s ide al s perva d e d the

,

i m agi nati o n o f the ti m e Chi na wa s ne v e r in such cl o se

.

c o nt a ct with I ndi a ; numbers of I nd ia ns i ncludi ng three ,

hu ndre d Buddhi s t m o nk s actively pre ach i ng the faith

, ,

were to b e f o u nd i n the T a ng c apital o f L oyang A nd

.

Buddhi st idea s pe rme a te T a ng p a i nti ng 2

.

Th e T ang s culpture i s b e s t d i spl ay e d i n t h e s culptured

cave s o f L o ngm e n near H on an s i m il a r in method to the

, ,

1
B i y
n o n, P a i nti ng i n th e F ar E ast, ed . 2 ,
p . 1 0
5 .

2
I hi d .

34 I
 Buddh a 89 2
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
rlier e xcavatio ns at Tat o ng ; fr o m these we re produce h e re
ea

the ce ntral gure of a c o l o ssal Buddha ( Plate F ) and o f ,

t h e s am e s ch o o l but unk no w n prove nance t h e graci o u s and

al mo st coqu e tti sh gure o f a B o dhi sattva ( Plate E E) no w i n ,

t h e mu seu m at Cologne Many o ther detached ex ample s o f

.

T a ng Buddhi st s culpture m ay be seen i n the Euro p e an and

Am e rican mu se um s I ntermediate i n date betwee n the We i

.

and T ang p e ri ods is the m o numental st e le in bl a ck marble

,

i n t h e c o l l e cti o n o f M G o lo u b e w repro duced o n Plate G

.
, .

What l ittle we kn o w o f the pai nti ng o f the T a ng period

i s d o minated by the great name of Wu Tao tzu of wh o m -

,

a fe w m o re or les s authenti c w o rks are pre se rved i n Japa n .

One o f th e se wh ich i f not actually the work o f Wu Tao tzu

,
-
,

i s at any rate a ma sterwork of T ang i s the beauti ful Buddha

,

gure o f the To fu kuji t e mple in Ky o t o reproduced on ,

Pl a te D Another painti ng by a s o mewhat lat e r arti s t

.
,

but th o ught to be afte r Wu Ta o t z u i s the Bodhi sattva -

,

K wanyi n the I ndi a n Aval o kitesvara reproduc e d on

, ,

Pl ate H H At an early dat e the m a l e Av a l o kite svara was

.

i nte rpre ted i n Chi na as a femi nine d ivinity and savi o ures s ,

and th e re i s a long and charm i ng Chine se l e gend which

rec o unt s her l i fe as an earthly princess Since K wanyi n .

i s a gra ci o us s avi o ure ss who hears all crie s and a nswers

all pr aye rs i t will re a dily be underst o od that sh e becam e
,

o ne o f t h e m o s t popular of all Chine se and Japane se Budd

hist d ivi niti e s a nd the subject o f innum e rable painting s

, .

I t will b e noticed i n our ex a mple ( fro m the c o llecti o n o f

M r C L Freer and re produced by h i s kindn e ss) th a t the
. .
,

g o dde ss h o lds a basket wi th a sh i n her o utstretch e d

ha nd where a s in a maj o rity o f re pre se ntati o ns she carri e s
,

a willow S pray or a phi a l o f the water o f l ife A m o re

1
.

1
Th e lt cu of K wanyi n an d ig i
th e s n c anc e o f th e sh are di sc u sse d by
R . F J h
. o nst on, B u ddhi st Ch i na, h xi
c . .

34 2
P LAT EGG 34 2
KWA N Y I N
Gi l b
t ro nz e , m di v l J p
e e a a a ne se

Co ll i
ect o n o f Mr H . Ge tty
 Th e Far E ast
fam o us wo rk by Wu Tao t z u was t h e Dea t h of Buddha -
,

painted i n A D 7 4 2 of whi ch We k now at leas t the c o m

.

.
,

p o siti on for Wu Tao t z u s design was repeated by more
,
-

tha n o ne early mas t er of Japan and the original is de scribed ,

i n Chinese books I n the Briti sh Museum i s a l a rge

.

pai nti ng of this subjec t by t h e hand of a great arti s t ,

e nti rely modelled on the art of T a ng Magnice nt ind e ed

.

i s the conception The whole O f creation i s wailing and

.

lam e nti ng around t h e b o dy of t h e Buddha wh o lie s p e ace ,

ful i n the m id st havi ng en t ered into N i rvana under a great

, ,

tree the leaves of whi ch are withered where they do no t

,

c o ver hi m Sai nt s and d isciple s kings queen s prie st s and

.
, , ,

warri ors weep and beat th e i r brea st s ; angel s are grievi ng

,

in the ai r ; eve n the beasts of the eld and t h e forest t h e ,

tiger t he p anther the h o rse t h e elephant show s o rrow i n

, , , ,

all thei r l i mb s r o lling with m o an s upon the ground and

,

the bi rd s cry An ecsta sy of lament ation i mpas sio ns the

.

whole work What mus t h ave bee n the e ffec t of the

.

origi nal 1

Thre e hundred other pai nters names of the T a ng period

a re know n but not thei r works

, The greate st o f these i s .

Wa ng Wei wh o i s a painter of landscape a nd probably

, ,

s upre me in Chi na as the Ch inese are supreme i n thi s a rt ,

i n the world I t sh o uld b e remarked that the Chin e s e

.

la ndsc ape pai nter s i nte rest s are far from top o gra ph ical ;

he u se s the famil iar sc e nes o r lonely mou ntain s and fore st s

to i nt e rpret and commu nicate a mo o d o r e xpre ss a phil o ,

s o ph ic c o ncept I t i s i n thi s way th at landscape art th o ugh

.
,

i t i s not specically Buddhi st lend s i t se l f to re ligi o us ,

se nti me nt Th e re i s a Su ng pai nti ng o f t h e th irte e nth

.

centu ry called the E ve n i ng Ch i me of t h e D i st a nt Temp le .

A ra nge of m o untains li fts i t s rugged outline i n t h e
1
B i y n o n, P a i nti ng i n th e F a r E ast .

34 3
 Buddh a 823
t he G o sp e l o f Buddhi sm
t wilight t h e summi t s acce ntuated and di sti nct aga ins t
,

the p ale sky the l o w e r p art s l o st i n mi st a mo ng whi ch

, ,

wood s emerge o r melt al o ng t h e u ne ve n sl o p e s Som e .

wh e re am o ng those w o o d s o u high gro und the curve d , ,

roof o f a temple i s vi s ible I t i s ju st th a t s il e nt h o ur

.

when travellers say t o them selv e s Th e day i s d o ne and , ,

t o thei r ear s c o m e from the di s tance the e xpected s o u nd

of the evening b e ll The subj e ct i s e sse n t ially the sam e
.

as that which the p o eti c geniu s o f Je an F rango i s M illet

conce ived i n the twi ligh t o f Barbiz o n at t h e h o ur wh e n ,

the Ange lu s sounds over the plain fr o m the d istant church

o f Chailly .

But as an o ther critic has remarked o n t hi s

Wha t a d i fference i n the tre atm e n t ! M illet place s Man
in the foreground explai ning the c o ntent o f the picture
,

by human ac t io n but the Chine se arti st need s no gure

, ,

nothing but a hint ; the spectat o r m ust c o mplete the

th o ught hi m self .

The world o f Na t ure at this time had come t o m e an fo r

t h e Chin e se artist s o meth i ng o ther than we are a ccu st o m e d
t o think o f i n con nexi o n with Eur o p e an la nd s c a pe In .

one way h e use s Nature s fo rm s as the phr as e s o f a phil o
S ophical la nguage l ikening mountain and mi st drag o n
, ,

and tige r to the Great Extre me s : so that while t h e

,

mod e rn cri t ic c an perh ap s appre ci at e much o f their pure ly

ae s t hetic qual ity i t i s o nly by an e ffort th a t h e re aliz e s
,

t h e depth o f s ugge sti o n and my sti c a l s ig nic ance which

t he se m o nochrome bru sh d rawi ng s hav e fo r the Chi ne se
st ud e n t steeped i n B uddhist na ture l o re and Ta o i st phil o

s o phy Very o fte n a l so even thi s u nderlying phi l o s o phi c al

.

sig nicance i s so t o say u nexpre ssed I n any c ase

, , .
,

The life of nature and of al l no n hum an things i s re -

garded i n it self ; i t s charac t er contem plated and i t s

34 4
P LA T E HH 344
K WA NY I N
Chi ne se p i
ai nt ng , ro t h
1 2 th y
c e nt u r , a ft e r
W u Ta o -
tz u

l
Co lec t i o n f Mr
o C . L . F reer
 Th e Far E ast
beauty cheri shed for i t s o wn sake not fo r i ts u se and ,

s ervi c e i n t h e l if e of m an There i s no i nfu si o n of human

.

se nti me nt i nto t h e picture s o f bi rd s a nd bea s ts o f the ,

tiger r o aring i n the so l itude s o f the hawk and eagle o n

,

the rocky crag ; ra re ly i s there any touch of the sp o rts

ma n s i nteres t wh ich h as inspi red most European pi ctures

o f thi s kind
1
.

Even the smallest o wer the mo st trivi al insec t can thu s

,

be represented with such inten sity of visi o n as to se e m a

w o rl d i n itself : and this w o rl d i s a p a rt of humanity ,

as man i s a part of t h e worl d by nature The worl d .

o f nature i s not merely an object of i nt e rest but a per ,

e t u al e xpressi o n of the one l ife Tho se stra ng e li ne s

p .

o f Blake

Th e ca te rp i lla r on t h e leaf
R e mi nds me of my m oth e r s g ri ef

would have been i m m e di at e lyi nt e lli g i b le to every cul t ivated

reader of medi aev a l Chine se and Japanese epigrams a nd ,

would have i nspi re d mo st lik e ly innumerable p a inti ngs in

, , ,

which the caterpill a r s h o uld be so repre sent e d as to se t

forth to the e ye and s till m o re t o the heart o f the sp e ct at o r
the e sse ntial u nity o f al l exi st e nce s Thi s i s t h e S e rm o n
.

o f the Wild and to b e sensitive t o th e se propheci e s a nd

i ntimations i s chara cteri stic alik e o f p o etry and p a i nti ng in

t h e lat e r d e v e l o pm e nt s o f the M a h ay ana Thu s i n Ch ina.

a s i n I ndia but i n a di ffe r e nt f a shi o n th o ught e xpre ssed i n

, ,

art develope d from an e arly hi e rati c f o rmul at io n t o a

re presentation of t h e pure tra nsparency o f l ife .

1
B i y
n o n, loc
. ci t .

34 S
B I BL I O G R A PH Y O F W O R K S C O NSU L TED
BY TH E A U TH O R
ARN OL D, SI R EDW IN : Th e L igh t of A si a .

B RNA E TT , P R OF . L D . . Th e P a th of L igh t ( B odhi ca ryava tara o] Santi

D eva) , L o n o n, 1 90 9 d .

B EAL , S Th e R oma n ti c I I i story

. o f B u ddh a . Lon d o n, 1 8 75 .

B EA L, S . A . : Ca tena of B u ddh i st Scrip tu res L o n o n, 1 8 7 1 . d .

BIN N YO ,
L . P a i nti ng i n th e F a r E ast ( 2 nd e d ) L o n o n, . . d 1 91 3 .

B RGU ESS, J . : A ma rava t i a ndf agg ayyap eta L o n o n, 1 8 8 7 . d .

C H A VA NN E S, E . : [Mi ssi on A rcha ologi qu e da ns la Chi ne se p te nt ri onale .

1 90 9 .

C OO M AR A SWA M Y, A . A rts a nd Crafts o f I ndi a and Ceylon . Lon d o n,

1 91 3 .

B ronz es f rom Ceylon, ch i e y i n th e Colomho M u seu m . Co l mbo o,

91 4 1 .

B u ddh i st P ri mi ti ves,
Bu r l i gt
n on Ma g i az ne , J an Marc h 1 9 1 6

.
, ,
.

M ah ayana B u ddh i st I mag es f rom Ceylon a nd

j a va

J o u rna l of .

t h e R o a A s at c yl i i S i ty oc e .

1 90 9 .

Medi d va l Si nh a lese A rt Ca
. d e n, 1 90 8 . mp .

COWEL L M A X M U LL E , an d TA K A K A K U SO B u ddhi st M a hayana Sii tras

,
R .

( B u ddh aca ri ta of A svag h osh a , O xf d or 1 8 94 .

CU NN I N G H M A ,
A . : M a h ahodh i . Lon d o n, 1 8 92 .

St up a o f B h a rh u t . L on d o n, 1 8 79 .

F O U CA U X , E . : n a Tch er R ol P a ( L ali ta v i sta ra)

. Par s, i 1 84 8 .

F OUC H R E , A . Etu de su r l i co nog rap hi e hou ddhi qu e de l I nde

. Par s, i
L A rt g reco hou ddh i qu e da Gandhara

-
. Par s, i 1 90 5 .

L a P o rte Ori enta le da Stup a de Sanch i . P i ar s 1 91 0 .

Le Gra nd M i racle da B u ddh a a S rdvasti .

J o u rna l A i tiq sa ue ,

90 9 1 .

L orzgi ne g recqu e de 1 I mag e da B ou ddh a

Par s, . i 1 91 3 .

GR A BE, R : Samk hya a nd Yog a (

.

ru n ri ss de r I n G d d o - ar sc i h en P hi l o

St rass b g
ur I 8 96
G IG R
.
,

E E W . :Th e M a h ava msa L o n on, 1 9 1 2 d .

G MM
, .

E EL, W . T he D i a mond Su tra L o n o n, 1 9 1 2 . d .

G ETT Y, A . The Gods of North e rn B u ddh i sm O x o r . f d ,

1 91 4 .

GOLOU BEW, V . P ei ntu res B ou ddh i qu es a u x I ndes . Anna l e s du M u se

Gu i me t, Bi b li othqu e de Vu lg i ti
ar sa o n,

T m o e 4 0 , Par s, i 1 91 4 .

34 7
 Bi b li o graph y
G RA Y J : B u ddh aglz osup a lli Lon do n 1 8 92
Ajan ta
. .
. .
,

GR I F F I TH S :
Tne R ai nz i ngs of z lz e B u dd/z i sl Ca ve- lem l
p es f
o .

L o n do n 1 8 96
HA K
.
,

C M A NN as a R lig io n L on d on 9
,
H . : B u dd/z i sm e .
, 1 1 0.

H F
A LL , N l Sou l f a P op l
I E LD I G e o e e .

HAR S
D Y,A M an a l f B dd/ i m L on d on 8 6
. u o u z s .
,
1 0 .

H ARE W L Bu dd/ s! R lig io n 22

'

and Pai n ting L

. . .
,

H E B
A VELL , I n dian S lp l . : eu u re

H E R E S l al m
. .

UB ,
/Ea .
f A gl n Par i s 9 8
u r a ra o sva z os a .
,
1 0 .

IN DIAS E T Ajan a F r sco s O f d 9 5

OC I Y : l e e . x or ,
1 1 .

J N T N R F B dd/ i t Cl i
OH S O L o n d on 9 3
. u l s z na . 1 1

Gru n d ri ss der I n d o ari sc h en

.
, .
,

K ERN H M an u a l f In dian B ddni m

,
. o u s -

S tra ssb ur g 8 96 1

k ( T/ L tu s f l/ G d L w) O f d
.
,

S ddl m P d
'

a za r a un a rz a ze o o ze oo a . x or

1 90 9 .

L E CO Q , A VON : Cnolselz o B e rli n , 1 91 3 .

an d its R ma ins L on d on
. .

E
M A I S Y, F C Sane/i i e 1 8 92
ta O x ford
. .
. .
,

MAX M U LL E R an d F A U SBO LL D l mm p d an d S za a a a u lfa M pa .

1 88 1
ns t E rl ngen 9
.

M NSTER BER G O : C/z i nesi se/z e K u a ,

. .
,
1 1 0 .

NAR A SU , P L ss n . a d ras 9 7
I ne E e ce of B u dd/z i sm M . .
, 1 0 .

NU K AR I YA, K m e R eli gio of t/ze S u r i L

n am a on d on 9 3 1 1

OA A as t
. . .
,

I as
K K U R K A K U Z O : de l of Me E L o n do n 9 4
( 2 nd e d ) . 1 0

E N E H B dd/E ; ki L if l i Doctrin l i Ord r ( E gli h

.
, .

O LD B R G, : u a s e, z s e, z s e n s

i n by W H oe y )
.

v e rs o L on d on 8 8 . .
,
1 2 .

P IN L
OU SS V T
,
B ddl i m . Pa r i s 9 9
DE LA A LL IJ E : ou z s e .
,
1 0 .

m l Bodi s f a B dd/ m J
e reel o f th R oy a l A i ti e o u .

o u rna e sa c

So c i e ty

90 6
1

tur
. .

R H YS D A I V D S, C A F Tn e L ove o f Na e in B u dd/l i st Po ms e

Apri l
. . . .

Q u e st ,
1 91 0 .

B u dd/z i sm .
( H o me U n ive rs i ty L i brar y ) .

B u dd/l i st P syenology . L o n do n ,
1 91 0, 1 91 4 .

Co m n diu m
pe f R ni losop lzy
o ( Anu ru ddh a) . L on d on ,
1 91 0 (w i th
S Z . . A u ng) .

Psalms f Me
o E a rly B u dd ni sls . L on d on ,
1 90 9, 1 91 3 .

R H YS D A I T W B dd/ i m i f H istory an d L i f l
V D S, . . u z s ,
s era u re . L on d on
an d N w Y or k 9 7 e ,
1 0 .

B dd/ i m
u L on d on ( man y e di t i ons )
z s

Indian B ddni m ( H i bber t L ect ur es

. .

u L on d on s .
, ,
1 8 97 .

3 4 8
 B i b l i o gra p h y
a s D A I V D S, W T
tori s (J atak as )
.

B u dd/zi st B i rtlz S e . L on d on , 1 880 .

n dia L on d on 9 3
B u dd/l i st I .
,
1 0 .

D ia log u s f tl Buddl a L on d on 8 99 9
e o ze i .
,
1 ,
1 1 0 .

E a rly B dd/ i m L on d on 9 8 u z s 1 0 .

Qu s tio ns f K ing [Milin da

.
,

l e e 89 8 94 o 1 0, 1

A H isto y ] F in A rt in I n dia an d C yl n O xfo rd

.

SM T V A
I H, . . : r 0 e e o . .

1 91 1

A s k a ( d d ) O xfor d 9 9
.

o . 2n e .
,
1 0 .

S E R J S l f at / M ala f A y u L on d on 8 95
P YE e a a o r as ra . 1

S TE I N S A A n ci n t K l t O xfor d 9 7
.
,
. .
,

IR : e zo an 1 0 .

R uins f D s rt C t/ y
,
. .
,

o L on d on 9 e e a la .
,
1 1 2 .

S TR N M AJ R D M m Udana L on do n 9
O G, O : e 1 02

L a ity ( S gal wad an d

. . .
.
,

SU BA SI N D HA, B ddni t R u l s f tl u s e or ze z a a

I j gg p jj S u ttas )
.

/ /a M a d ras 9 8
a a a 1 0

S K I D T A gh h A wa k n ing f F a ill in ti M l aya

,
. .

UZ U , . . : sva os a s e o i ie a z na .

C hi c ago 9 ,
1 00 .

Ou tlin s f M l aya Bu ddh ism L on d on 9 7

e o a z na . 1 0

E A E olu tio n f tl B dd/ i t Cu lt I m p eri al d A s iat i c

.
,

W ADD LL , . v o ze u z s .

an

Q u arterl y R evie w

9 1 1 2 .

Tl I n dian B dd/Ei t Cult f A l i t an d

,

ze Tara
u s o oa o a

J o u rnal f t h e R oy a l A s i at i c S oc i ety

8 94
o . 1 .

W A RR N H C B dd/ i m in Trans lat io ns C ambr id ge

E u 9 6 z s 1 0

W WA R F L Pictur s f B dd/ i t Ceylo n A dyar 9 4

. . .
,

O OD D, e o u z s 1 1

W R E A C n c pts f M o n ism L on d on
. . . .
,

O SL Y, . o e o . .

34 9
G L O SSA RY

W h ere a wor d i s g i v n i n t wo forms t h e rs t i s P a l i t h e secon d

e , , ,

w i t hi n brac k ets i s Sans kri t E lsew h ere t h e di st i n c t i on i s i n di cat e d by

,

t h e lett e rs P an d S T h e P a l i an d S a ns kri t t e r ms ar e o f co u r se cognate

.

.
, ,

t hr o u g h o u t .

A / mkza S t h e conce i t o f i n di vidu al i ty em pi r i c a l egoi sm

ara , , .

Ak ny ana , S a n o l d l i:ter a r y form v i z t f o l ,

. con e a e .

A l mka S rh etor i c p oet i c orn a ment

ara , : , .

A lay a jn S C osm i c M i n d o r R ea son r ea lm o f t h e P l at on i c I d eas

-

-
oz an a ,
A att P t h e d o c t ri ne t h at t h ere a re n o egos o r so u ls
, .

n- a, , .

A n icca ( i ly ) i m p erm anence transc i ence

an a :

S i nne r a ctor t h e i nne r m an t h e so u l

.
,

A t lk

n a z a ra na , , , .

Ap a r idya S r elat i ve t ru t h esote ri c t ru t h

t? v , ,
.

A / t P one w h o h a s a t ta i ne d t o A h tt
ra l a ,
ra a a .

A l tt
ra za P t h e sta te o f s a vi ng t ru t h t h e st at e o f one w h o h a s atta i ne d
a,

N i bb a n a o r w a l k s i n t h e F o u rt h Pat h o f whi c h t h e fr ui t i s
,

Ni b b ana
u
.

A riy a ( ) noble
arya gentle h :ono r a ble , , .

A iy
r a i
asacc n t h e F o ur N oble Tru t h s m n i t d i n e u c a e

Buddh a s rst sermon

A rup a lo kas S th e F o u r H i gh es t H e ven t r anscen di ng fo r m

.

-
: a s,

A ol j/ ana P me di t a t i on on t h e essent i l u ncle a nness o f t hi ngs

.
,

su za - i a

Atm an S ( ) t a k e by Buddhi st i n t h e sense o f e go o r o u l ;

.
,

1 n s s

( ) i n B r a h man i m t h A bsol u te u ncon di t i one d s pi r i t Br a h m a n ;

, ,

2 s e

also t h e r e e t i on o f t h e A bsol u te i n t h e i n di v id u a l
, , , ,

A tta ( tl ) a i m gai n a d van ta ge p ro t

.

ar za :

A tta ( alman) P sel f so u l p e r son ego a p ermanent u n i ty i n t h e sense

.
, , ,

o f an ete rn a l so u l t h e e xi st ence o f w hi c h i s d en ied i th e p o p os i t i on
, , , ,

n r
a tta A tta tym l gi lly= atm b u t d oes no t conno t e th e
,

an -
e o o ca an,

u ncon di t i one d A tman o f t h e Brah man absol u t i sts

.

A idya S i gno rance t h e contr act i on o f S u c h ness i nt o va ri ety T h e

v , : , .

b s i s o f Tan / a an d t hu s o f t h e w h ole Samsar a

a 2

I gnorance i s t h e t ru e Fi rs t C au seo f I n dian phi los ph y b u t thi s

, .

o :

Fi rst C a u se i s t onl y a s fu n d amenta l not a s tem p oral

rs

I gnorance be over come by th e i n di vid u a l consc i o u sness w hi c h

.
,

can ,

i s t h en set fre e i m tt ,

o u o .

Bl k zati S ,lov i ng d evot i on

: .

3SI
 G l o ss a ry
a ti m arg a S t h e way o f love t h e means o f s a lvat i on by d evot i on
E li n :

g g a ti P S t h e o rdi n ar y u n c onsc i o u s l ife o f t h e bo d y e t c

.
, ,

Bi z aoa n a - .

kn P men di c a n t fr i a r B u ddhi st pri es t
, , ,

B l i /k

z u, , .

Bl ik z kl i P fe m i n i ne o f B ki kl
zu n , : zu .

Bod/ i P w i s d om S u c h ness i n t ui t i on i ll m i n at i on i nne r l i g h t C f

2 , , , , u , . .

P e r s i an I l o
s z

B dni ci tta P h e a r t f w i s d om i nw a rd l i g h t gr a ce
.

o -
:
s h oo t of ever
-
o -

t h e divi ne s p ar k o f t h e B u ddh a nat u re i n t h e h e art

, , , ,

l ti g

as n ne sse , -
.

B dni tt ( B dni tt ) W i s do m be i ng
o sa a o
( ) G a u ta m a be fore att a i n
sa oa : -
. 1

i ng enl i g h tenment ; ( ) an y i n di v idu al sel f d e di c a te t o t h e 2 -

s a lvati on o f ot h ers a n d d es ti ne d t o t h e a t ta i nment o f B u ddh a

hood
B / ma S t h e s u pr eme p e r son a l go d so c a lle d
.

ra z :

S c h a ste l ife es p ec i all y of a B ra h man i cal s tu d en t

.
,

B / ma a y
ra i c r a, ,
.

B al m
r z S a m a n o f t h e Brah mana
a n, : a Bra h man by b ir t h a o arna ,

phi loso ph e r pri es t E thi c ally one w h o fu l ls t h e id ea l o f a tr u e

,

, .
,

B ra h m a n
nm S t h e A bsol u te t h e U ncon di t i one d w hi c h i s N o t
.

P r l ma o i B n, ra a, ,

so t so t h e G r o u n d th U n di v id e d S el f t h e W o rld o f
,

no e ,

I magi nat i on
, , ,

( ) Si ddh tth G a u ta m a a fte r atta i n i g

.

B ddn P S E nl i g h t e ne d
u a, ,
. 1 a a ,
n

enl i g h tenmen t ; ( ) ot h e r i n dividu a ls w h o h ave s i m i l a rly atta i ne d 2

N i bba na 5 ( 3 ) an y s u c h i n di v idu a l c ons ide r ed as a s up reme G o d ,

w h ose att a i nment o f B u ddh a h o od i s t i meless .

Bu dd/ i P S enl i gh tenment i tell i gence

2 : n

, , , .

C ( )
a/ a w h eel S ymb l o f sove r e i gnty h ence t h e W h eel o f
ca ra : .

o

t h e G o od Law o f t he G os p el
,

co u rse t h e s u ccess i on o f l i ves o f a B o dhi s att v a

.
,

C i ya P
ar , ,

.

C t a P w i ll
e an

Ci tta P h e art S u c h ness

, .

, , .

D P S any p ersona l go d ang e l g Br ah m a S a kk a

e va , , : , ,
e . .
, .

D l mmza
( dl m ) N orm gos p el l a w r i g h t eo u sness mo r a l i ty
a za r a : , , , , ,

r el i g i on con di t i on .

D n mm a k l S E ye fo r t h e t ru t h
a ca-
zu, .

D m k
. ar ay a S law bo d y Lo go s t h e s upr eme s tat e o f a B u ddh a 3
a, :

A bsol u te B e i ng t h e G r o u nd abs o l u te k nowle d ge

, ,

, .

Di n a m a m P h e avenly eye omn i sc i en t v i i on o f t h e U n i verse o f

-
, : , s

Fo r m ( R p l k a n d K a m a lo k a) a o a .

D sa P h at re d r esentmen t r evenge ange r

o , , , , .

352
 G l o ss a ry
D ukklz a, P evi l s u ffe ri ng s i n i m p er fect i on O ne o f t h e T hr ee S i gns .

o f E xi stence an d one o f t h e Fo ur A r i yan T ru th s

, , ,

H nayana t h e L i ttl e Vessel a term a pp l i e d by t h e M a h a y a n i s t s to

i : ,

t h e d o c tr i nes o f e a rly Buddhi sm T h e H i nayana i s se t fo r t h i n

t h e Pa l i T/ ad S omet i mes b u t no t a c c u r at ely calle d
.

z e rao a .
, ,

S out h ern Buddhi sm .

I sva ra , S O verlord a S u p reme P erson al G o d G o d i n t h e gene ra l

: , .

C h ri st i an s e nse .

f a ina P S , foll o wer o f M a havi ra t h e J i n a or C onq u e r or

, a ,
.

I ata k a P S a b i rt h st or y t h e hi s t ory o f some e pi so d e i n t h fo r me r l ife

, ,
-

, e

o f t he Buddha .

l/ a
z na m e di ta t i on t h e men t al e x e r c i se so c a lle d i n p art i c u l ar
t h e F o u r E c stas i es
, ,

I t f i am
oa , r
/S t h e S upr eme A tm an a s pa r t i c u lari ze d i n t h e i n di v id u a l
a n, .

f na S
na , w i s do m t he : i ntellect u a l , .

[nana m arg a S t h e i ntellect u a l way means o f salv a t i on by k nowle d g e

, ,
.

K ama P S lo ve l u st
K ama lo k a P S t h e S ix H eavens o f t h e L esser G o d s a n d t h e Fi ve
.
, , ,

-
, ,
: ,

L ow e r W o rl d s .

K amma ( k a rma ) d ee d s c h aracter ca u sa li ty , , .

K a rma m arg a S t h e way f d ee d s t h e me a ns o f s alv at i on by di s

,
: o ,

i nterest ed a c t i v i ty
K a ru n a ( k a rma ) co m p a ss i on t h e bestow i ng v ir t u e t h e le a di ng p a ss i on
.

i n a B o dhi sattva .

Ri l
z a na za

( k dl ) aggregate t h e com p o u n d fa cto r s o f con

s an za : ,

sc i o u sn e ss .

S s i n pr ejudice
K lesa , : ,
.

L l S
i a, play t h e w o n d er fu l wo rk s f t h e L o rd man ifest a t i on
: ,

o ,

.

M d/y mi k S a di v i s i on o f t h e Ma h a ya n a m a i nl y d e p en d ent on
a c a a, , : ,

Nagarju na .

M agga ( arg ) a w ay p at h m :

S t h e G re at Vessel t h e d o c tr i nes o f t h e M a ha y a n i s t s

.
,

M a lz ayana

, , ,
so

c a ll ed b y t h ems e lves T h e M kaya i s s e t fo rt h in t h e S ansk r i t a na

Bud d hi st t ex ts S omet i mes re fe r re d to b u t not acc u rately a s

.

.
, ,

N o rt he rn Buddhi s m
M ana P S p r ide con c e i t a n y i nt ru s i on f th ego
.

, ,
: , , o i e .

M anas P S m i n d s ou l ; e g o
, , : , .

M aya S i ll u s i on t he po wer o f n t i
, : or man ifes ta t i on , c ea on .

M tta ( m i l i ) fr i en dli ness goo d w i ll l ov i ng ki n d ness

'

e a r : , ,
-
.

z 3 53
 B uddh a d) o

the Go sp el o f B uddh i s m
M ol , P :za i n fat u at i n d el u s io n p reju dic e fol l y sent i men ta l i t y
o

dt
, , , , .

Mu i a P sym p a t h y one of t h e F o ur S u bl i me M oo d s
, ,
.

M udra : S seal P os i t i on o f t h e nge r s hi erat i c g e st u r e

, .
,
.

Nag a P S a be i ng h av i ng t h e du al c h ar a cte r o f m an an d ser p ent

:

A lso an el epha nt a w i se man

.
, ,

,
.

Nag i i P S fem i n i ne o f N a g
n , ,
a .

Nam a rup a P S l i t name an d f orm w hi c h a lone const i t u te a n gg

-
a re

gat e i n t o a seem i ng p e sonal i ty or u n i t P s y c h olog ic al ly an

, ,
.
,

r .
,

e mbo di m ent w i t h o u t t h e id ea o f any t hi ng embo di e d m i n d an d

:

bo d y or m i n d an d matt er F or rup a i n o t he senses

,
. r , s v . .

M Ma
'

n i ana) et hi c a lly t h e d y i ng o u t o f l u st resent m ent an d

na rv : , , ,

i ll u s i on p syc h olog i c a lly r ele a se fro m i n di v idu a li ty T h e R ec o g

:

o f Tr u t h A st a te o f s a lv a t i on to b e r eal i ze d h ere an d
.
,

i ti
n on .

i n o w ; t h ose w h o a tt a i n a re release d fr om b e c o m i ng an d a fte r , ,

d e at h ret u rn no m o re I Vioka d oes not i m p ly t he ann ihil a tio n na

o f t h e so u l fo r Buddhi sm te a ch es t h a t no s u ch ent i t y as a so u l h as
.

eve r ex i ste d [Vioka i s one o f m any n a mes f t he s u mm u m na or

m i t m a y be b e s t t r a nsl at e d a s A b y ss S t i llness V o id or
.

o on u , , ,

N o t hi ng ( n o t t hi ng ness ) - -

S u ncon di t i one d u nqu al i e d i n no w i se

.

I Vi gr u na , , ,
.

M ma kay S mag i cal bo d y a pp a ri t i on bo d y o f t r a ns fo r m at i on t he

'

r na a, : , , ,

earthl y a s p ect of a Buddh a .

Ni l kam S di s i nte r este d

sz a, :

Ni mtti m arg a S t h e Pat h o f R et u r n

.

'

Pa cc k a Budd/ a P one w h o at ta i ns enl i g h t enmen t b u t d oes not te ac h

.
,

e 2

, ,

a p r i v ate Buddh a .

Pa ti na P w i s d m re a son i ns i g h t
, : o , , .

Pa nna kkk P E ye o f i ns i g h t or w i s d om
-
ca u, :

Pa ra idya S a bsol u t e tr u t h e sote ric tr u t h

.

ma tl sa tya S a bsol u t e tr u t h
, , .

P a ra r za :

Para m ita S tra nscen d enta l p erfect i on es p ec i a lly t h e p erfec t e d v i rtu e

.
,

o f a B o d hi sattva
, ,

ar a

P i oaj k P a W an d e r er a p er ip at et ic h e r m i t
a,

.
,

P i i ooa
ar n (p i i a ) na fu ll N i b b a ( ) id en t ic a l w i t h M okana
a r n ro na : na,

1
'

A / tt Vi m tti A nna etc ( ) d eat h o f a hu man be i ng w ho h as

ra z a a, u 2

p rev i o u sly r eal i ze d M ooa d eath f a n A l t also s i m p ly

.
, , ,
'

n a, o ra z a :

di sso lu t i on .

P ti
a cca -sa m p ad P d e p en d ent or i g i n at i on c a u s a l i ty
u a, :

Prajna S r e ason u n d e r s ta n di ng
, .

, : , .

3 54
 Gl o ss a ry
Prajn p ram it S s up reme re a son A lso p e r son i e d a s t h e M ot her
a -
a a, .

o f t h e Buddhas T / g t g ol C f P e rs i an A ol R egar ded ,

at z a a a -
ar za . .

.

as t h e way ou t s h e i s t h e p r i nc ip le o f a nalys i s as t h e way i n t h e, ,

p r i nc ip le of s y nt he s i s .

Prak ri ti S N at u re t h e cor p ore a l w o rl d

:

S vow sel f d e dic at i on rm p e r s u a s i on o f a B o dhi s attv a

, , .

P i dl
ra n z an a , ,
-
, ,
.

P i i m rg a S t h e P at h o f P u rs ui t
ra o r tt a , .

Pu l 7a (pu nya) m er i t goo d c h ara c ter

l / : , .

P l
u r us z a ,S M ale a p ers o n i cat io n o f t h e B ra h man o r At man
:

( e da nt a) an i n d ividu al s oul ( Sa m kh y a ) A nt i t h et ic t o P ra kri t i

,

V :

.
,

s pi r i t a s o ppo se d to
m atter .

R ag a P S l u st p ass i on de s i re
, , , , .

R akl S a m an d evo u r i ng d emon

s zasa , -

I n a c ategor i ca l sense q u al i ty S ee also

.

R ap a P S fo r m s h a p e
, , : , .
, .

Nama rp a
a lok as P S t h e S ix teen H e avens con di t i one d by fo r m ne x t
.

R ap -

, , : ,

t h e below A up l k r a~ o as .

S ag u na S con di t io ne d q u al i e d
:

S mad/ i P S t ranq uil l i t y s e l f concentr a t i on cal m r a p t u re A st a te

.
, ,

a z , ,
: ,
-

, , .

a tta i ne d i n J h a an d t h en eq uivalent t o t he transcen di ng f na, o

em pi r i cal consc i o u sn e ss also t h e stat e o f c alm w hich i s alwa ys :

c h aracteri st i c o f t h e A h t ra ra

T h e B u ddh a i s o ften r e fer r e d t o as T h e

,

S a m ana P w a n d er i ng fr i a r :

G re at Samana
.
,

S E njoymen t bo dy t h e h e avenly a s p ect o f a B u ddh a

.

S mol g k

a ay
zo a a, -

, .

Samk ly S z a, S c h o o l o f t h e C o u nt a p B ddh i t phi loso ph y ca lle d ,

re u s , so -

a s re c k on i ng p t h e tw e nt y categor i es -
u

-
ve .

Sams ara P S B ecom i ng con di t i one d e xi stenc e b ir t h a n d d e a t h

, , : , ,
- -

et rnal r ec u r r ence mortal i ty cor p o r ea l e xi stence t h e vege tat i ve

e , , ,

wo r l d .

S m i tli satya S rel a t iv e t ru t h

a or

S g / P S t h e O r d er t he com p any o r congr eg a t i on o f mon k s a n d

.
,

an za , , : ,

nun s

S an k / am ) S ams k ara
c on fo r m at i on i m pr ess i on o f p rev i o u s d ee d s

( 1 : , ,

const i t u ents o f c h ara cter .

Sa una P p erc ep t i on
, : .

S arra g S i n all w i se h av i ng a ll p oss i ble q u al i t i es

una , : .

S a ti P r e c ollecte d ness c ons ci ence

,

.
,

S i l P con d u ct mo r a l i ty
,

o, : , .

355
 B uddh a 89 9
t he Go sp el o f B uddh i s m
Su a P ers ian m yst i c
P S g oo d p l e a s u r e h a ppi ness w e al
.

S u kl i u, :

t he We st e rn P ara di s e o f A m i ta b h a t h e hi g he st h e aven
.
, , , ,

S k la t
'

u z oa z : , ,

t he Buddh a e l d w h ere s ou ls are r ipe n ed for N i rva na

S u t ta ( s utra ) t h rea d A l i t e rary for m i n Bud d hi st s c r ip t u re s
.

.

, ,

w o r d s f t h e Buddh a str u ng t oget he r as a s e r m o n o r dial og ue ;

o

i n H i n du s c r ip t u res a co nn ec te d ser ie s of a ph or i sms , .

S k oa / am S 2 o wn nat u re T he s el f e xi stent t he s ou rce f s po ntan ei ty ;

-

-
o

a t er m analog ou s to I am t h at I a m a pp l i e d t o t h e S up re m e
.
,

,

Buddh a ( A di Bud d h a o f t he lat e r M a h ayana )

,

o wn norm peculi a r du t y f t h e i n di v id u a l or soc i al

.

S m S

oa dl-
zar a, : , o

gro up .

Tan k a ( t i l ) d es i re covet i ng crav i ng a n eager w i s h t o obta i n or

r s zna :

e njo y i ntereste d m ot i v e I n t hi s sens e Bud d hi s m te a ch es t h e

, , ,

ext i n c t i on o f de s i r e ( i n H i n dui sm r e n u n ci at i on o f t h e fr ui ts of
.
,

,

b u t Tan k a doe s n o t co ver a s pi rat i n o r g ood i ntent i on o

,

w hi c h ar e i ncl ud d i n t h e R i g h t D e s i r e of t h e E i g h t fol d Pat h

e .

Tao t he absol u t i st phi los oph y of t he C hi n e se philo oph er L t

: s ao se .

T he ter m Tao h as a connotat io n s i m i la r to t h a t o f N i rvana an d

B ra h m an .

Tap as S b u rn i ng glow to il t or t u re
, : , , , .

Tara t h e fem i n i ne c o u nter p art of a B o dhi sattva a s av iou ress

S T hu s go n e o r T hu s come H w ho has t hu s at tai ne d a
, .

T t/ ag t
a z a a, : - -

, e- - - -
,

ter m u se d b y t h e Buddh a i n s pe a ki ng of hi msel f .

T tkag t g a rok a S
a a a

-
W o m b fT h os e w h o h av e t hu s c o me T h e
: -
o - - - -
.

,

D k m k aya o r S u c h ness as v ie we d fr o m t h e st a n dpoi nt of t h e

ar a -

, ,

r elat ive a n d regar d e d a s t h e or i g i n f all t hi ngs ; m ot her f t h e o o

Buddh as an d all e nt ie nt b ei ngs ; N at u re as p o tent i al matt er s ,

M aya P ra k r i t i P ajapa mi ta r ra

Ta tt a ol ut t tl ta S S u c h n e ss G ro u n d S u bstrate t h e i nev i tab i l i t y

.
,

v i a a za

an d u n i vers al i t y o f t hi ngs t he so u rce f s p ontane i t y T h e q u al i t y

, , , , ,

, o .

o f i n n i t y i n eve r y p art icular of t h e w h o le i n t h e p art , .

Ta t m oa z H e a ven o f t h e T hi rty t h ree G o d s one o f t h e S ix L ower

'

sa : -

H eavens
,

P an el d e r a mongst t he B re t h ren an A r ab at
.

Tkera , ,
.

l era o ad P wor d o f t he e l d e rs B y t hi s t e r m t h e e arly Buddhi sts

a, :

di st i ng ui s h t h e i r bel i e f fr o m t h at f t h e Maha ya n i sts T he

.

o .

l ad te x ts co nst i t u te t h e P a l i can o n
era o
'
a .

l e rz P fem i n i ne of l ra

, : e .

35 6
 G l o ss a ry
t
a m e mo ri a l m o u n d gener a lly ens h r i n i ng r el ic s
( s upa ) : ,
.

T kaya S t he T h ree B o di es o r mo d es o f a Buddh a ( M ah aya n a) v i z

ri ,
: , , ,
.

Dh a rma kaya S mal g kay an d lVi ma kay q a zo a a, r na a, v

Tri ra tna S t h e T h ree J ewels

I n t h e H i nayana t h e B u ddh a t h e
. .
,

-
.
, , , ,

D h a m ma an d t h e S a g h a ; i n t h e M l aya
,
t h e Buddh as t h e n a z na , ,

S ons o f t h e Buddh a s an d t h e Dh ar ma ka ya
Tu s i ta S H e av en of P leas u re one o f t he S ix Lower H e a vens
.
,

: .

Wa d/ i ( padl i ) attr i b u tes s u pe r i m p ose d b y t h e m i n d up on t h e

, ,

2 u z : ,
uh

c o n di t io ne d i n dividu a l i z i ng de term i nat i ons

: .

Up i l d S boo k s f t h e later V ed a p a rt l y p re Budd h i st w h ere a re

an s za ,
: o ,
-

fo u n d t h e le di ng t e xts o f t he V e da nta o r B ra h man ic al absol u t i s t

a

philo s oph y to w hi c h Buddhi s m i s nom i n ally opp ose d .

Up ay P m eans acc o m m odat io n

a, :

i m pa rt i al i t y sa m e s i g h te d ness one o f th e F o u r S u bl i me
.
,

Up k ela P z , : ,
-

M oo d s .

Va p tl
na ras z a , S a fo r est d wel li ng h e r m i t : -
.

Va rna S ,
colo u r c o m p lex i on C omb i n ed w i t h h e r e di ta r y occ upati on
,

.
,

an d t he recogn i t i on o f s pe c i al soc i al for m s colo u r bec o mes
,

c aste w hich w a s i n pr ocess o f d evelo p men t i n t h e t i me of

Ga u t ama
,

V dan a P feel i ng
e

u
.
,

Vi nn a na
( i
j n ) consc
v io sness
a na menta l a ct ivi
: ty
salvat i on re l e a se t h e s u mm u m bon u m
, .

Vi m t ti Vi m k
u l ( m k/ )
,
o za o s za , , .

Vi m tt u saved releas ed
o .

Vinaya P Ru les o f t he Buddhi st O r d e r

,

, : .

I k
/a kl ( ya k s/ a ) a nat u re s pi r i t
za 2

a di v i s i on o f t h e Ma ha ya na m ai nly d e p en d en t on A a nga
.

, s .

3 57
I ND EX
A A n icc a , 91 , 93 98 -
, 10 5 , 1 73 , 1 75
A ki
n o n, 34 0
A K a mp rs HO T MA 3 S, 20 A nom a 2 5
Pitak a 3 6 lake 3
.
, ,

A b h i dka mm a , , 2 95 ,
2 96 A n o t at t a , 1

A c h e las 1 52 A n ta h k a ra n a 89 95 1 1

A n ul a P r i n ce ss 8 5
, , ,

Ad i b u ddh a 2 39 2 49 1

A fgh an i s t an
, , , ,

1 85 A nu p i ya 7 5 2 0

A h m k ara 95 A n u r a d ha pu ra 3 3 3 4
, , ,

a 1 1 1 1 85 2 97
A jan t a 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 3 3 6 3 3 7
, , , , , ,

1 1 3 39
A janta Fr sco s 3 4
, . . . , .

e e , o A nu ru d dh a , 50 , 58 , 60 , 87 , 99 ,

A jat ttasa 64 6 8 7 7 89 u, 1 2 2 66
Aji v i k as 5 A pa dana
, , , , ,

56 86 65
'

58 , 1 2 , 1 , 1 , 1 ,
2

A ksh o b ya 2 4 9 Arah at 39 4 1 7 2 12 1 5 31 73

, , , , , , , , ,

A l H u jwi ri 2 4 4
-
, 8 5 87 1 02
, 103 1 16 1 18 , , , , 1 20

A lakap p a 8 9 , 1 2 2 140 1 78 2 1 2
,
2 2 7 2 30 , , ,

A lam kara 3 0 9 A rah at t a 4 2 4 3 4 5 4 8 5 3 55

l ara Ka l a ma 8 9 3 8 7 9 8
. . .

, . . , .

A ,
2 , 2 , , , 0, 5 6 , 8 3 8 6 1 1 6 1 1 8 , , , 12 3 ,

A l a v i 59 A ri yas 1 65 168

Fou r A r iy an
, , ,

Alay a i i a 5
-
3
v na , 2 2 10 A ri yasa c can i se e

Am ar a v a t i 4 3 73 9 2 2 2
,

2 Tr u t hs ,

Am i d a 4 7 A rn ol d Ed w in
, ,

2 Si r 1 1 30 2
Am i d i s m 4 7 A rt
, , , ,

2 1 40
Am i t ab h a 4 7 4 9 5 3 3 7 of Th atr T
, ,

2 2 2 1 A rt th e e e, he 1 77
A rapa j h a
, , , ,

A m p b ali 7 4 7 5
a 64 85 1 2 na s, 1 1 1
P sa l m 7 4 A rap lo k a
, , , ,

A m p b ali
'
a s ,
a- , 1 1 1 , 1 47
A m gh i ddh
o 49 as a, 2 A rapa raga 1 0 3
nan d a
,

A 4 8 5 54 5 5 6
7 69 1 1 0, A ryade v a 3 1 9

, , , , , , ,

72 7 6 8 7 98 1 04 1 0 8, 12 4 Aryasura 3 1 0 3 1 6
A san g a
, , , , , ,

1 50 1 60 1 6 2 2 69 2 51 2 52 3 10 320
A nan da 4
, , , , ,
_ ,

10 A slz ta sa h a sri ka prajfz apara mz ta

A nan d a P sa l m
,

,
o f, 108 316
A nat h ap i nd i ka 51 5 2 60 6 2 2 63 A sadh a 2 5
A sia 84
, , , , , , ,

2 71 1

A natta A s o k a Ma u r y a
,

91 98 10 5 140, 1 73 1 74 1 54 1 56 1 57
1 8 6
, , , , , , , , , ,

1 82 ,
2 1 6 ,
2 20 ,
2 2 2 ,
2 60 ,

2 96
A n ci nt Marin r
e e Th e 3 1 3 A so k a E d cts i o f 1 30 1 38 1 53
A nga 6
, , , , , , ,

, o

A n gu li m ala 6o , A ssaji 4 4 4 5 . ,

A ngu ttara Ni k aya , 1 00 ,

1 1 9, 1 58 , A sv a gh o sh a ,
1 46 ,
2 43 , 2 45 , 2 70 ,

30 3 3 10 316 319
-
. .

3 59
 B uddh a @3 9
9
t he G o s p e l o f B uddh i s m
A s b h
a bh o- a va n a ,
71 1 44 1 B h a a asa a 3 v v 10

A tma the
, ,

n, 2 8 29 1 8 7 1 89
, , , , 1 92 , B hi kku ni samyu tta ,
2 7o
1 94 1 98 203 205 2 06 2 0 9, B hi kkh u s 6 9 1 5 2 1 54 1 55 33 1
,

2 19
, , ,

B i har 62
, , , , ,

A tta 99 Bi m bis a ra
,

, 1 , 2 7 , 43 , 56 , 57 , 62 , 68 ,

At u m a 8 o 2 65
A u n g S Z 99 4
,

1 0 Bin yon 34 L 34 3
B lack S nak e Kin g w h lpool
. .
, , , ,

A va da n as,
3 9 3 4 0 1 ir of

A v a lo k i t e s v ara 4 7 4 9
, ,

2 2 2 53 3 1 7 th e 32
, , , ,

B l a k e Wm,

2 35 2 45 2 5 5 34 5
B odh i
.
, , , , ,

A vata msaka S i i tra 46

'

2 2 9 2 2 39
A idy a
, , ,

v 2 10 B odh i c a ryava ta ra 2 36 320

B odh i citta
, ,

A ijja 97 3
,

v 10 -
1 4 1

A i jjd as a a
v 3
, ,

v 10 B o d hi d harma ,

2 53
(B o d h i sa tt a )
, ,

A yak l S my tt
v a a a u a, 2 2 3 B o dh i sat t a v 2 2 5
A wak n in g of F aith
, ,

e Th e 2 45
-
2 35 z 37
B o d hi t r ee 1 4 1 80 1 85
i

B ohd a y a G
,

,
2 97
, ,

B B o ro b o du r 3 0 2 32 6 3 36

t r ee
, , ,

Bo 1 85

B rahm a
,

B ALA J A L O NA K AR A 5 8 2 9 5 8 93 1 12 1 1 4 1 51
B al ou r G
f W 108
, , , , , , , ,

Ba m b u gr ove Mo nas t e r y B rahm a lok as

. .
, ,

-
44 62 -
1 1 1

68 a ls o see V e lu v ana
, , ,

B rahm an 2 8
,

2 9 1 87 1 8 7 1 94
B arne tt L D 2 36 1 99
, , , , ,

Beal B r a hm an
. .
, ,

1 56 1 81 89 1 99 2 14 2 78
B eco m in g , ,

L aw o f, 1 10, 1 1 7 1 20, B r a m an i s m
h
, ,

1 12
,

1 98
,

2 2 1

Bra h ma tra
, , , ,

su 2 09

Be hm en 120, 1 2 5 1 46 2 2 6 B raze n Palace ,

m o nas t e r y 30 0
Up an is h a d
, , , , ,

B ri h adara nya ka 1 60
B ell Cl ive
, , 1 40 , 3 3o 1 87 , 1 88 , 1 90 ,
2 00 , 201
,

, 2 03,
,

B e lu v a 7 5
B enar e s ,

3o 38 46 1 86 2 63 B uddh a 6 9 0, 0, 2 1 2

B uddh a c arita
, , , , , , ,

333 1 46 30 3 30 4 30 9
-

B e n gal
, , , ,

335 3 36 B u ddh agh o sh a 86 1 00 101 1 06

B yo n d ood
, . , , , , ,

e G a nd E v il , 1 74
B h ddi
a 5 v a, O B u ddh ava m sa 2 65 2 95
B ha dd a 6 3 1 B u dd hi s m 1 98
,

2 2 1
,

B uddh is m
, ,

B h agava d Gi za 1 04 10 5 1 43 1 49 1 99 2 04 2 37
B uddh ism Tran slatio n s
, , , , , , , ,

in 43 1 63
B h ak ta k lp d m 5 7
, , ,

-
a a ru a, I 1 72
B h a k t i Y oga ,
2 1 2 B uddh ist Ch ina , 1 58 : 2 37 2 54 :

Bh ara d aj 5 9 v a,

B har h u t 6 3 5 3 3 3 2 2 B uddh is t Psych olo y g 1 1 3 2 03

B h a a 97 B uddh ist R i
, , , , ,

v , ev e w, 1 40

3 60
 I nd e x
B uli s 89 C r o m w ell O l i ve r 1 30 1 85
B u rm a , , , ,

, 12 9 , 1 53 , 1 54 . 2 2 2 .
2 97 ,
C u llasu b h adda , 902 ,
2 91
C u lla vagga 90 2 62 2 63
Cu n d a
, , ,

7 8 81
C y r ene
,

, 1 84
C
CA M D I A 3 3 3 3 3 6
BO , ,

C am bridg Maga in 8 e z e, 1 2

C an da k j tdk 4 9
-
z n n ara a a, D asa D h mmi k S u tta 3 a a 2 4
C an d ana 8 4 D av id s C A F Rh y s
,

2 10 1 1 1 3
C an d e U d 3 4
. . .
, , , , ,

a, 1 1 1 9 1 20, 1 27 1 38 1 49 165

C an u d o R i i tt 3 4
, , , , ,

c o o, 2 1 67 1 70 , 1 99 20
3 205 2 2 7

Capala 7 7
, , , , ,

D a vi d s T W Rh y s
,

C i yap t k
ar 65 95 z a a, 2 ,
2 , . .
, 4o 7 7 96
, , ,

C t n a 97
e o 1 00 1 00 , 1 0 9, 1 1 4 1 52 1 67 1 99

Ce y lo n 3 3 3 4 5 3 5 4
, , , , ,

1 1 1 1 1 84
D epe n d e n t O r i g i na t i o n
, , , , , ,

1 85 ,
2 2 2 ,
2 59 , 2 6 1 , 2 97 ,
2 98 , ,
L aw o f, 96
D e u sse n 1 7 9 2 0 1 2 04

Ch addant a 2 90
, , ,

2 93 3 3 4 D e v a da h a I 4
2 8 9 ta k a
, , ,

Ch a dda nta j a 2 93 3 3 4 D e v ada t t a 1 8 3 2 51 68 71 -

1 2 6
C h an 2 52
, , , , , , , ,

2 58

U an ish a d
,

Ch andogya p 1 17 1 87 D ev i 4 4 2 0, 2 1

D h amma 9 94
, , , ,

o, 1 10, 1 2 7 1 30
C h anna 4 9 4 7 3 6
, , , ,

1 1 2 2 2

S w am i 4 D h amma kl h 6 7
, , , ,

Ch i d m b
a a ra 2 1 -
ca z u 2

C hi na 6 6
, ,

53 54
1 333 2 2 2 2 2 D h m m di
a a 63 a nn 1

D h ammapa d 9
, , , , , , ,

a, 2 12 2 12 6 1 78
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, , ,

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.
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.
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4 27 32 6 2

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, , , , , ,

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2 , 34 2
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2

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,

a 1 2 1 L ali ta vi sta ra 1 1 30 2 30 3 316

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th e S le n d e r Madh y am ik a sutras
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,

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, ,

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.
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i , ,

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, , , , , , ,

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, , , , , , ,

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or 89 a s,

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,
2

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3 10 316 3 1 9 34 5 M dita 4 4 3 7 3
u 1 2 1 1

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.
,

1 2 1 2 1 2 36 R lig o of th Fu t ur
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, , , ,

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a 98 a, 2

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a i a, 1 , , 96 1 2 1

66 2 2 4 2 6 5
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-
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, , , , ,

81 84 8 789
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, , ,

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,

1 20, 1 2 1 Nag i t a B ro t he r
, ,

1 58
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2 9
6
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9
t he Go s p el o f B uddh i s m
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99 1 00

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,

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,

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, , ,

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3 59 6 2 2 2 2 1

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, , , , , , , , , ,

53 10 3 1 10, 3
1 1 1 1 5 6 1 1 2 0

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, , , , ,

1 2 5 1 2 7 1 40 1 45 147 1 80
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, , , , , , ,

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2 62
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1 76 1 77 1 79 2 2 1 2 29 26 1 P arani mi tta vasavatti -

1 I I

s aty a
, , , , ,

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-
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rat i
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, ,

,
2 38 ,
2 46 ,
2 49 ,
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P a ri spann a saty a ,
2 52
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, , , , ,

2 39 412 244, 2 48 32 1 se e 338

al s o Pa r v a t i
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,

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,

1 86 ,

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,

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, ,

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, , , ,

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, ,

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l A t d E t m Ori nt L

I 59 r 57 x r e e a, 2

O u tlin s e o i th e Mah ay ana Ph ilo Ph ilosophy of th Upan ish ads Th e

,

e,

s o ph y
,

. 2 33

36 6
 I nd e x
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Ra h ula , 9 , 1 4 , 2 2 , 2 4 , 5O , 54 ,

P i ndo Ia B h arad v aja 56 -

2 63
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,

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, ,

i 20 2 2

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, ,

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, , , , , , , ,

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, , . . . .

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.
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,

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1 1 9, 1 20, R e v a t a 2 97 ,
,

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th e e 1 1 9 1 38 1 49 u 1 81
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316
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, ,

2 97 ,
2 1

1 1 1 , 1 12 ,

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