English
) From internal evidence I should be inclined to think the original work to have been one of the latest of the Maha- yana school.^ It is alluded to by Wong-Puh, a.d. G8i {siqira, .p. 135) ; it must, therefore, have been known in China be- fore that date. Perhaps those who have access to Chinese Buddhist works will find this Sutra in the list of those brought from India by Hionen Thsang. The Imperial preface is to the following effect : — " Formerly, when Sakya delivered the I^aw, the eight classes of Heavenly Dragons flocked as a cloud to hear him preach. The spiritual power of these Dragons is very great ; their merit is boundless ; their influence extends upwards to the heaven of Brahma, and downwards it encircles and pro- tects the world. Their power of doing good to men is also immense. "Now, on the delivery of this Great cloud-wheel rain- asking Siitra, composed of two parts, it is traditionally stated that Buddha was residing within the Dragon Palace of Nan- dopananda, where he occupied the incalculably beautiful Mani chamber, in the middle of the Great cloud-wheel palace, standing in the centre of the precious tower (sur- mounting the Palace), where all the Dragons were assem- bled. Then arose a Naga Rajah called ' Wou-hien-chwong- 1 The study of this Sutra would, I think, reward any one curious in the matter of "Serpent- worship". The statement that the Naga-rajahs were Supreme Rulers of the " chiliocosm" and the " infinite chiliocosms" —but that they were nevertheless subservient to Buddha — is evidence that there had been a struggle between the serpent-worshipping races and the Buddhists ; the final accommodation of which was the compro- mise named above. The various sculptured scenes of the Amravati Tope, appear to me to refer to incidents which occurred during the struggle of Buddhism with Naga-worship in the South of India. Vide, as an ex- ample, the Legend of Samgha-rakchita. Burnouf, Litrod., 313, ss. It would seem, too, as if the worship of Ganesa was but a form of Naga worship. E E 418 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST yan-hai-yun-wai-tai-lun-koi,' i. e., The Dragon King glori- ously encircled witli clouds (vast in extent as) the boundless chwang-yan ocean. This King arose, I say, to inquire of Buddha respecting some religious matters. Now, the Dragon Nanda (? Nandopananda)^ is the most powerful of all the Dragons who occupy this So-ho world [?*. e., the Great Chiliocosm or Sahalokadhatu] ; but the glorious circle- crested Dragon King, of whom we are now speaking, is the most worshipful of all the Dragons who dwell in the vast chiliocosm of systems of which the universe is composed ; his spiritual power can never be measured .... So it was he arose and questioned Buddha first of all how to destroy the calamities to which the Dragons are themselves subject. And then how to excite a loving and grateful disposition in the hearts of living creatures, by affording them rain when it was required to ripen the five sorts of grain. '^Illustrious question indeed! for it is thus (by inquiry) men attain the condition of Buddha himself! " To these questions the world-honoured one answered with his customary skill ' Exercising the quality of " Great Love" is the only method ! For the quality of such love is this, that it admits of no time or place where it may not be exercised. It is the possession of this quality which con- strains the Dragons^ to collect the clouds and disperse the rain, and it is this which removes all opposing influences from amongst men ! . . . and besides this, by the repetition of sacred words (dharani) perfectly uttered, with the most exact precision, it is by these means that august spiritual influences are exercised, for the right government of the universe and the good of all creatures .... Thus the power of Love on the part of the Dragons, causes the exercise of the same quality on the part of Buddha both towards Dragons and men.' ' The original is Nan-to yau-pa ; Spence Hardy (M. B., 302) relates to us tlie story of NandcJpananda and Mugalan. '^ It appears from this tliat the function of the Dragon Rajah corres- ponded in this respect to that of the v{(pe\riyepfrns Zeds, just as the Scan- dinavian Thor or Donan was the TfpntKtpawos Ztvs. SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 419 " Now I, the Emperor, had from the first, with the greatest exactness both morning and evening performed my rehgious duties with a view to propitiate the Heavenly powers to grant rain for my people during the dry weather. It hap- pened that during several spring seasons there had been an interniption (fault) in the midst of the falling rain. Where- upon, all my subjects had recourse to the usual sacrifices for the purpose of securing a greater rain-fall, but alas ! with- out effect. '' Then, after deliberation in the ' Mow-seuV year of my reign (1778 a.d.), the President, Kin-Kan, respectfully in- formed me that the priests of the Nim-fa Temple had made a reasonable communication to him to the effect that they possessed a volume of the Pitakas called the ' Great Cloud- wheel rain-asking Sutra^, translated by a Doctor of the three Pitakas called Nalanda Yasa, and that if this Sutra were recited and prayer made for rain, doubtless its virtue would be made apparent. " On this, I ordered the Secretary of the Sutra Library to get this volume carved and printed in the square charac- ter, like the Yadjrachhedika Sutra. In the preparation of it all the faults of the old Siitra were carefully corrected by an accurate comparison with the ' right use' (original ?) ; and, moreover, prayer and worship were ordered to be made, with a view that the old forms which had been so beneficial during former ages, might still be blessed for the desired end. 'H7th year of Kien Lung, 4th month, 1783 a.d." Abstract of the Sutra. " Thus have I heard : once on a time Buddha was dwell- ing in the Palace of Nandopananda, the Naga Eajah ; he was located in the chamber of the beautiful Mani Gem (or, in the Mahatejas Mani Hall), in the midst of the precious Tower that surmounted the Great Cloud circle pavilion, with the Great Bikshus and all the Bodhisatwas gathered round him in a circle. And there were also present an endless ee2 420 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST number of the great Nao-a Eajahs, to wit — Nanda Naga Rajali, Upananda Naga Rajah, Sagara Naga Rajah, Anava- tapta Naga Rajah, Manasvin Naga Rajah, Varouna Naga Rajah, Takchaka Naga Rajah, Ditarakcha Naga Rajah, Vasuki Naga Rajah, Moutchihnda Naga Rajah, Elapatra (Elapana) Naga Rajah, Pindara Naga Rajah, Tejasvin Naga Rajah, and 171 others. " Such were the chief Nagas assembled on this occasion. But there were also an infinite number^ of Lesser Nao^a Rajahs, who came together and joined that assembly. Then the whole of these Dragon Kinafs risings from their seats, each one arranged his dress in the orthodox way, and then with the right knee bent to the ground and their hands clasped in supplication, with their faces towards Bud- dha,- they offered to him every kind of Flower and in- cense, innumerable as to quantity, most excellent as to quality : this done, they presented also every kind of precious vestment, banners and canopies, with every de- scription of jewelled diadem, and pearl necklace, gem- embroidered silk and jewelled net -like waistband, and scattering above him jets of delicious perfumes, they per- formed every kind of joyous dance, and with their hands beating in unison they^ sang his praises — till, possessed of one invincible purpose to honour him in the highest degree, • Eighty-four uinnaliutas ; 1 ninnahuta = 100000 Bahutas. The ex- pression in the text is literally 84 lacs of nahutas, and a nahuta is 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ; therefore the number represented would be 84 X 100,000 x 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. Vide Burnouf, In- trod., \). 854. ' 2 The phrase "yih-mia" literally means "one face," but it also signifies "one while," "one time"; but the meaning of this phrase (which is of very frequent occurrence) is best illustrated by the practice alluded to by Prof. Banerjea, Hindu Philosophi/, p. 427. "The prince entered the room, prostrated himself before his father, and then remained standing for several minutest " Observe that the word here used for " singing praises" corresponds to the Sanscrit "ark," from which the Kig or Kich Veda takes its name. With regard to the expression "beating their hands in unison," com- pare fig, 1, plate Ixxiii, Tree and Serpent Worship. SCRIPTURES PROM THE CHINESE.