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In this way he is called Sakyamuni, ‘the Wise” of the tribe of the Sakyas; the “Holy,” because he is free from the will to live, from all passions and desires; the “Victorious,” because he has won perfec- tion after a long and continuous struggle with error and earthly concupiscence; the “Enlightened,” because the full light of truth rose within him under the Bodhi- tree; the “Conqueror,” because he has overcome Mara 84 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM the tempter and prince of this world, of sensual love, of death and darkness; and finally, the “Light of the World,” because, instead of passing away out of existence after having gained Nirvana, he preached the saving truth, and made its light to shine over all the world. Note 18.— Buddhists even now, though there has not been any active missionary labour for a space of 1500 years, far outnumber the supporters of all Christian Churches collectively, for they amount to 450 millions — that is, a full third part of the whole of mankind. A century before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Buddhist apostles had already pushed their way as far west as the Caucasus, and many brothers and lay adherents were living at Alexandria. There can therefore be hardly any doubt that Jesus of Nazareth, whose doctrines in their most essential parts are identical with those of the Buddha, must have been a disciple of Buddhist mendicants from the age of twelve to thirty, a space of time totally unaccounted for by the Gospels, and that under their guidance he must have attained Arahatship. Later on he returned to his native country to preach the doctrine to his people. In course of time his doctrine became distorted and mixed up with many errors from the Old Testament of the Jews. The fundamental tenets, however, and the personal character of the founder of Christianity are of Buddhist origin. Jesus was an Arahat who had attained Nirvana, and his name will always be revered by every Buddhist. But now that: the European descendants of the Aryans have reached the age of maturity, and are able to comprehend the pure un- adulterated truth of the Buddha, his doctrine will be- come the religion of the future, and effect in Europe a total change of views and ideas, such as has not been A BUDDHIST CATECHISM 85 witnessed since the time of the introduction of Chris- tianity. ' Note 19.— Ananda was the personal attendant of the Buddha from the time of his joining the Brother- hood. He was the disciple beloved best by his master, because of his childlike simplicity and the affectionate gentleness of his disposition. Notes 20.— Tathagata means one who, like his pre- decessors, has come into the world to bring the true doctrine again to light. The term is used by the Buddha whenever he is speaking of himself. Nore 21. — Transfiguration is one of the character- istics of Buddhaship, and may sometimes take place with Arahats and saints. Similar instances are on record of Jesus of Nazareth, of St. Francis of Assisi, and other saints of the Western Church. Norte 22. — It is our ignorance of the true nature of man; of the universe, and of the moral order of the world, which involves us over and over again in error and wrong, for which we have to suffer in succeeding re-incarnations. It is our earthly blindness that makes us desirous of things useless in themselves, and often productive of pain rather than pleasure; makes us prize highly what is intrinsically worthless, grieve for what is not deserving our interest, and delight in what is injurious, nay, even fatal to us. It is our want of true insight which makes us set our affections on things that are perishable, gets us entangled in quarrels and difficulties in the fierce struggle for existence, and makes us lose sight altogether of our true felicity. Thus our whole existence becomes an endless chain of desires unrealized, of deceptions and disappointments, of passions and longings ungratified, or which, if gratified for a short time, return with renewed violence, 86 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM destroying our bodily and mental strength, and keep- ing us in a continual state of discomfort and suffering. Nore 23. — The term “will to live,” in the Buddhist sense of the word, does not merely imply what a European understands by “conscious will,” but rather that instinctive life-love which, partly consciously, partly unconsciously to themselves, is inherent in all living beings, animals, and plants, as well as man. In this term, “will to live,” or craving for existence, are summed up all those functions, powers, desires, In- clinations and disinclinations which tend to the pres- ervation of life, and the acquisition of comfort and enjoyment. The Europen reader, desirous of entering into the true spirit of the doctrine, ought carefully to bear in mind the exact meaning of the term. Nort 24.— The non-Buddhistic European reader will not easily discover the rich mine of knowledge and religio-philosophic truth underlying these few sen- tences, and it is of the utmost necessity that they should be the subject of the deepest reflection. No one can expect to arrive at a thorough knowledge about the true nature of existence and the doctrine of the Buddha unless he has fully entered into the spirit and meaning of the four “Grand Truths,” and has made them quite his own. Nore 25.— Most Europeans, not excepting many learned men, have very incorrect notions about Nir- vana. Nirvana literally means, “being extinct,” “gone out,” like the flame of a lamp blown out by the wind, or gone out for want of oil. This led to the erroneous idea that Nirvana is the same as annihila- tion. Nirvana signifies, on the contrary, a state of supreme moral perfection impossible to be conceived A BUDDHIST CATECHISM 87 by any one who still wears the fetters of earthly desires. What then is extinct — “blown out” — in Nirvana? Extinct is the lust of life, the craving for existence and enjoyment; extinct are the delusions and allure- ments of life and its sensations and desires; blown out is the flickering light of self, of individuality (soul). True, the Arahat, the perfect saint, though he has reached Nirvana, still continues living in the body, because the body with all its powers is the natural consequence of his former errors, the result of his do- ings in a former life, and these, having begun to take effect, cannot be arrested. But as soon as the Karma of his former life is exhausted the Arahat dies, and nothing being left to bring about a new birth (neither Tanha nor Karma), the Arahat passes away into eternal rest and peace, into Parinirvana. Parinirvana, in the sense of other religions and of scientific materialism, does certainly mean “annihila- tion,” for nothing whatever remains of the constituents of human life. But from the point of view taken by the Arahat, it is the world with all its appearances — that is nought, is illusion, error; whilst Parinirvana is the entering into eternity, the everlasting the ever- true existence where all suffering, individuality. separate being, and transmigration are at an end. Notre 26.— The European student of Buddhism must be repeatedly reminded not to confound “the will to live” — that is, the desire for life, the cleaving to existence — with the “conscious will” or so-called “free-will.” Conscious will is but a fraction of the whole ‘‘will to live’ — namely, such portion as passes through the organ of the brain, which is the vehicle of consciousness; but the greater portion of this “will to live” never reaches consciousness in plants and ani- mals, and but imperfectly in men. It shows itself as 88 A BUDDHIST CATECHISM a mere blind instinct, an inveterate cleaving to existence, an effort to grasp at everything that makes life pleasant and to avoid whatever hurts and en- dangers it. Many so-called pessimists, for instance, who pretend to despise existence, and whose conscious will actually turns away from life, are frequently under the delusion of having overcome the “will to live.’ But such is not the case; their selfishness, attachment to pleasure and enjoyment, their want of self-abnegation, gives evidence that the “unconscious lust of life’ is still alive within them, and will lead them to a fresh incarnation. The real extinction of the will shows itself in perfect unselfishness and self-denial, in patience under suffering, in the absence of all passions (anger, hatred, envy, ill-will, covetousness, sensuality, pride, avarice, vanity); in true equanimity, sincere charity to all living beings, and in the renunciation of reward for good deeds either in this world or any other (Heaven or Paradise). Norte 27. — All that we are is the result of what we have done; it is founded on our doing; it is made up of our doing. If a man acts with evil mind (will, pur- pose), pain follows him as the wheel follows the foot of the horse that draws the cart. But if a man acts with a pure mind, happiness follows him like his shadow. (Dhammapada.) Nors 28. — It is most difficult to put in few words to the European student, grown up in totally different ideas, what is meant by Karma. Oral instruction is indispensable to a full explanation. Nore 29. — By “creation” the Buddhist only under- stands the renewal of a world which has undergone destruction. Such destruction is brought about either by water or fire, or similar elementary forces, and is A BUDDHIST CATECHISM 89 always localized and confined to an inconsiderable part of the universe. Its real and original cause, how- ever, is the accumulated guilt or demerit of living beings, their unfavourable Karma, whilst the renewal of these perished worlds is owing to favourable Karma. Decay and renewal of heavenly bodies are of constant recurrence in the immensity of space.