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'J'he terras of suffering in them vary ' This may be the Samvatta Sutra ; concerning this term, vide Lotux, 7.30. • - I\icou-sah-l(). SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 65 according to their depth ; each of them has belonging to it 100,000 small Narakas." ON THE THREE FRONTIER NARAKAS. 14. The San-fah-to Siltra says : ''The frontier hells are situ- ated— (1.) Among the mountains; (2.) In the sea; (3.) In the wilderness : they all have different degrees of punishment." The inscription of Ch'wang Tsun says : "The solitary hells are all places in Jambudwipa, either in the deserts, or the moun- tains, or the whorls of the sea. There are 84,000 receptacles (seats), each arranged according to demerit, whether grave or light. ON EMERGING FROM THE NARAEAS. 1 5. The Buddha Samadhi Sutra (or the Buddhauusmriti Samadhi Siitra) says: "Being released from Avitchi, one must be born in the cold hells : being delivered from these, we must be born in pitchy-black places, where for 8,000,000 years the eye sees nothing, and where, being born under the form of some great crawling creature which gropes along on its belly, the " hu-long"i preys on one continually. The next birth is as a human creature; either deaf, or blind, or leprous, during five hundred generations ever diseased and miser- able. Then one is born as a Preta, in which condition, having learned wisdom, and repeating the invocation "Namo- Foe,"^ and persevering to the end in the way of piety ; one is bom in one of the heavens of the Four Kings, and after- wards, going on in the same path of self-improvement, per- fect Bliss (the heart of Knowledge) is at length attained. ON THE ABODE OF KING JEMMA. 16. The Hi-shai Sutra says: "South of Jambudwipa, out- 1 The " hu-long" is the name of some fabulous animal. 2 Glory to Buddha. 66 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST side the two iron mountain circles, is the palace of King Jemmara^in length and breadth, 6,000 yojanas, surrounded by seven walls, seven decorated rails, seven golden, net-work trellises, seven avenues of trees, provided with parks, flower- irardens, and tanks, enriched with every kind of fruit and per- fected by songs of birds. The King, on account of his evil karma, during six hours of the day and six of the night, endures frightful suSerings; vessels full of boiling metal appear before him; his Palace is changed into an iron prison; the delights (the five delights) in which he indulged disappear; and he himself is filled with horror and dismay. Then come the in- fernal lictors, and seizing the King, they lay him on the o-round and pour down his throat the molten metal ; then the wretched King thinks : ' This is all the consequence of my former sin. Oh ! would that I could escape from this condition and be born as a man, that I might become a disciple of Tathagata.' This good confession over, the Palace with its seven adornments again appears, the five sources of delight again surround him, and all his great ministers resume their functions.'' The Sutras say that King Jemra, when monarch of the country Pi-sha, went to war with Wei-to-chi (Vidasi) Rajah, and, being worsted, he swore a great oath, and registered it, that he would be Lord of Hell, and eighteen of his chief ministers and a milhon of his subjects partook of his vow, and said: ''May we also form part of his government." So, then, he who was King of Pi-sha is now King Jemra, and his eighteen ministers are eighteen minor Kings, and his million subjects are his chief supporters. The Saddharma prakasa-sasana SCitra says : " Jemra is a twofold ruler; the brother rules the Hell of men ; the sister the PIoll of women."^ ON THE PRETAS. 1 7. The Saddharma prakasa-sasana Sutra says : "there are ? 'i'liis fal)le evidently refei"S to Yama and Yaini. SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 67 two kinds of Pretas — (1.) Those who live amongst men; (2.) Those who Hve in the worlds of the Pretas. Those who live amongst men are such as men sometimes see when they go out at night-time. The others dwell five hundred yojanas below Jambudwipa^ their place of abode extending over 36^000 yojanas. There are innumerable kinds of Pretas. Those who dwell in Jambudwipa maj^ be briefly classed under thirty-six heads : — • 1. Flat-bodied; 2, Needle-mouth'd; 3. Vomit eaters; 4. Filth eaters; 5. Mist eaters; 6. Water feeders ; 7. Scarcely seen; 8. Spittle feeders ; 9. Hair eaters ; 10. Bloodsuckers; 11. Notion feeders ;^ 12. Flesh eaters ; 13. Incense feeders ; 14. Fever makers; 15. Secret pryers ; 16. Earth lurkers ; 17. Spirit rappers; 18. Flame burners; 19. Baby snatchers; 20. Lust longers ; 21. Sea dwellers; 22. King Jemma's club-holders ; 23. Starvelings ; 24. Baby eaters ; 25. Vital eaters; 26. Rakshas; 27. Smoke eaters; 28. Marsh dwellers; 29. Wind eaters; 30. Ash feeders; 31. Poison eaters ; 32. Desert livers ; 33. Spark feeders ; 34. Tree dwellers ; 35. Road dwellers (?) ; 36. Body killers. Such_, in brief, are thirty-six kinds of these creatures ; the list might be ex- tended indefinitely. All persons who have acquired an evil karma by their covetous^ niggard disposition are born as Pretas. ON BIRTH AS A BRUTE. 18. There are 3,400,000 difi'ereut kinds of animals. So that this mode of birth admits of the greatest variet}'^. Every sort of creature has its own peculiar appearance, mode of locomotion, manner of feeding. Of winged creatures each has its own character and pre- ferences. Some go singly, others in pairs, others in flocks. There are birds that feed on flesh like beasts, such as the ' Literally "Law-feeders"; but if "fab" have tbe sense sometimes attributed to it, it may signify that which the intelligent mind aj^pre- hends. .f2 68 A CATENA OF BODDIirST magpie, liawk, etc. — these are of solitary habits ; others which devour their own species, as the owl, which eats small birds, etc. So, then, according to the peculiar disposition of each person whose fate it is to be born in this " way," will be the character of his birth j and so also with respect to birth in the other ways, whether from moisture, or by transformation; the character of the new body to be assumed is determined by the disposition acquired in the previous life, and this determines the case in all the infinite varieties of creatm^e- births to which men are exposed. § 2.— ON THE PALACE OF THE SUN. 1. The Hi-shai Sutra says: "The Palace of the Sun Deva (Surya Deva) is ornamented (perfected) with gold and crystal. The length and breadth of the city walls, fifty-one yojanas. It is a perfect square, although, when seen at a distance, it has the appearance of a circle. There are five difierent winds which continually revolve round it as it moves. The chariot of the Sun Deva is made of gold and sandal-wood ; it is sixteen yojanas high and eight yojanas square. It is in this that the Sun Deva and all his followers dwell, enjoying heavenly delights. The year is equal to 500 of ours ; and their period of existence is a medium Kalpa. The glory of the Sun Deva^s person lights up his abode and the entire Palace. His chariot is ever on the move ; for six months going north, and for six months south." THE PALACE OF THE MOON. 2. The walls of the city of the Moon DC'va (Chandra Deva) are fifty yojanas square. His Palace is made of silver and lapis-lazuli, and is sixteen yojanas high and eight yojanas square; pleasant bi'eezes surround it as it goes. SCEIPTUEES FKOM THE CHINESE. 69 The Moon Dcva with the Devis occupy this palace and en- joy therein heavenly delights. Their years the same as those of the Sun Deva. ON THE VARIABLE SPLENDOUR OF SUN AND MOON. 3. The Hi-shai Sutra says: '^How can we account for the gradual appearance and disappearance of the Moon? There are three reasons. 1. On account of its revolution, by which the hinder parts are exhibited. 2. The different blue-clad Devas/ ever and anon intervening between the Earth and Moon, cause the disc of the latter to be obscured. 3. Because the bright rays of the Sun (sixty bright rays) obscure the disc of the Moon. As the Sun and Moon separate the latter gradually appears. to sight. Again, how can we account for its arriving at perfect ful- ness ? In three ways. 1 . The face gradually turns round. 2. In fifteen days the Moon's brightness is able to overpower the Nilambara de vas^ (or the blue-garments) . 3 . The Moon being at its furthest distance from the Sun, appears full.