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-*^ The Karma^ Vibhaga Sutra says : "Buddha declared there were ten kinds of works which led to birth in human form : 1, Not to kill ; 2, not to steal ; 3, not to commit adultery ; 4, not to use immoral language ; 5, not to equivocate ; 6, not to slander ; 7, not to he ; 8, not to covet ; 9, not to indulge 1 Nieh-po-cha-pih-kiiig. SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 41 anger; 10, not to envy (or indulge partiality). Any one who may fail in the higher precepts of the Shaman, and yet ob- serves these ten rules shall be boi'n again as a man (and ac- cording to the completeness of his obedience, the degree of happiness he shall enjoy during his life).^^ The Avatamsaka Sutra says ; ''With regard to Karma, or the result of works, there are three distinctions : 1, The pre- sent and immediate result ; 2, the consequent result, in de- ciding the character of the next birth ; 3, the remote result in distant generations )} ON CERTAIN SIGNS AT THE TIME OP DEATH. 3. When a man comes to die, the bodily functions and the mind are clouded and dark. As in a dreamless sleep there is a complete suspension of all active thought. There being no active exercise of mind, there is no consciousness or reflection; and so there is neither sensation nor passion.^ But still there is a clinging to existence,^ and this is called the principle (heart) of birth and death (ashta vijnyana) . At this time, according to a man's good works, or bad works, this occult principle ascends or descends, and the body gradually becomes icy cold to the touch. Hence it is the verse (Gatha) says : " If from the summit of the head — a Saint ;' If from the eyes the flame departs — a God ;^ A man, if from the heart ; a Preta from the groin ; A dubious birth from out the knee-pan goes. And from the bottom of the feet a birth in Hell."* ' Vijnyana or sanscara, Colebrooke, 254. ^ Upadana. 3 That is " Buddha." * Tliat is a Deva, inferior to the former. 5 When the eye can no longer see, nor the ear hear, then the other senses cease to act. When the power of thought is gone, then the six sources of knowledge are completely extinct. W^hilst the body is warm, however, there yet remains the principle known as "ashta vijnyana"; but when that goes, the body becomes completely cold. Now, if we carefully examine what part of the body remains warm the longest, we may divine what the character of the next birth will be ; if the region about the heart remains warm longest, then the person will be born as a man, and so on according to the system of the Gatha given above. Now men of the world (i.e., those who are not Buddhists) say, that when the body corrupts and the vital spirits are dispersed, what is there 42 A CATENA OF CUDDHIST On a certain occasion Buddha spoke thus :^ " If a man at the end of life, knowing that his hour has come, have clear and distinct thoughts on religious subjects, and with his body washed and his garments properly arranged, thus departs ; then if on his person appear any of the distinguishing marks peculiar to Buddha, those present may know assuredly that he has gone at once to be born in Paradise (pure-land) . But if a man who reverences Buddha, and has observed the pre- cepts, yet with less thorough purpose, die without any marks either good or bad on his person, but lies as it were in a sleep, and, awaking for a moment, thus de- parts, this man, not yet wholly freed from the influ- ences of unbelief, shall be born for five hundred years in an external paradise," and afterwards enter on his perfect reward. Again, if a man have encouraged in him- self a compassionate and benevolent disposition, and his re- ligious ideas are pure, if his mind hanker not after wealth, or worldly relationship, if his eyes be clear and his face com- posed, if he be possessed with a desire of heaven, and look forward at some future time to behold me, if his eyes al- ready seem to see the heavenly hosts, and his ears to hear heavenly melody, then shufl&ing ofiP his body ho shall cer- tainly be born as a Deva. Again, if a man be of a bland and amiable disposition, and have striven to acquire some religious merit, his body undiseased and unblemished, his thoughts directed to the well-being of his parents, or wife, or children, his principles unconfused and clear as to right and wrong. And in this mind, having fairly divided his worldly goods, he die, this man shall be born again in human shape. If again there be a man who stares wildly at his friends, clutches at the air with his hand, continu- ally defiles himself and yet knows it not, his eyes blood- shot, lying with his face downward, sleeping with his body left that can be born again. They know nothing about this secret principle or power called "ashta vijuyana." (Ch. Ed.) ^ Viz., in the Shau-hou-kwo-kai-chu Sutra, but I cauuot give the Sanscrit title of this work. '^ City of doubt, a region bordeiing on the true Paradise of Aiuithaba. SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 43 doubled up, seeing- frightful visions which cannot be told, his senses and mind gone, raving- in delirium, this man after death will be boi-n in hell. If, again, there is a man who is continually wetting his lips with his tongue through fever, vexing himself about eating and drinking, talking incoher- ently about hunger and thirst, and at last opens his eyes suddenly and dies, this man shall be born as a Preta. Again, if there be a man whose body is affected by an accumulation of diseases,his spirits darkened and paralysed by overhang- ing clouds, dreading to hear the name of Buddha, ravenous after the taste of flesh, not listening to any words of exhor- tation, wrapped up in worldly thoughts, sweating from his hands and feet, and every part of his body, jabbering and dribbling, this man when he dies will be born as a beast." The Suraiigama Sutra says : " Buddha thus addressed Ananda : — All sentient creatures are mutually involved in the necessity of birth and death — being born according to the accustomed method, and dying according to the laws of perpetual change. At the end of life, before losing- all ani- mal heat, the good and evil deeds of the whole life are sum- moned up, as it were, in a moment. Those possessed of the best indication of conscience (sanjnya), are immediately pro- vided with wings and fly away to be born in a region above the heavens ; as they fly, in the heart arises joy and wisdom , with every holy desire, and already they behold the Buddhas of the ten regions of space, and according to their prayer they find themselves born in one of the pure lands belong- ing to these Buddhas. If the conscience bo less pure, but yet greater in pi-oportion than the passion-Nature, then the flight cannot be sustained long, and the subject of it becomes like one of the winged Rishis. If the two portions of one's nature be equally developed {i.e., the good and the bad) then a person is born again as a man. If the passion-nature prevail, then the person is born in one of the equivocal forms of life, the worst being- as a hairy creature like a caterpillar, the best like a bird. If the passion-nature, as compared with the pure conscience, be as seven to three, then the person is born below the water-circle, and acquires within the limits 44 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST of the Fire-world an inflamed nature, his body ever burning- like a Preta, no water to allay his pain, no food or drink — so he must pass a hundred thousand kalpas. If the passion- nature be as nine to one, then he must sink down to the very bottom of the fire circle, and, as a lenient punishment, be burned in a hell in which there is some intermission of pain ; but if he be extremely wicked then he is born in the hell where there is no intermission. A man purely sensual, without any portion of a good conscience, sinks down to Avitchi (0-pi) and if he still continues to revile the priest- hood, and mock at the law, and abuse the faithful, etc., he shall suffer over and over again in all the bottomless pits of the ten regions of space." The Avatamsaka Sutra says : " So it is a man at the last moment of his life sees indications of his future destiny; if he possess a bad karma he beholds all the miseries attending a birth in Hell,. or as a beast, or as a Preta. He sees the Infernal lictors, brandishing their cruel maces, scowling at him, accusing him ! Handcuffed they lead him away !