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At first, indeed, these joys, on account of their long duration, may appear everlasting, but when the time comes for their termination, then the Devas begin to com- plain of their imperfect character ; so it is whilst in the net of transmigration there can be no real peace, and no lasting The Tchi-to Shaster says : '' Bodhisatwa, by means of his great spiritual power, could see that even the Devas of the Arupa World, for the present absoi'bed in ecstacy, after their incomplete life be past, will again be born in question- able shape of bird or beast ; and so likewise the Devas of the Rupa Worlds, after leaving their pure abodes, will again become subject to desii'e, and eventually return to birth in heir' (just as Udalhambha having arrived at the Asangis- attva Heaven of mental absorption, afterwards was born as a flying fox) . The Book of Comments- says : " With respect to the various distinctions of the three worlds, and the differences of life in the six paths, as to their origin, this may be found in the intermixture of ideas with respect to matter and > Obs. "yihloli" and compare ^' yih sin," signifying tlie unchanging state of existence. '•= This may perhaps be the large work known "Nan mei ling shu.' Neumann, Cat. of Shamans, p. 44. SClilPTUKES FROM THE CHINESE. 99 spirit (rupa aud atmau), if these were only let go, and re- course liad to the method of " return/^ provided by our religious system, there would be no more talk of life or death, and there would be an end to that impermanency which is identical with the circle of transmigration through life and death. The ground cause of all sorrow (dukha) is this shadowy confusion of matter and spirit, — hence the Nir- vana Sutra speaks of it as a great river, and the Saddharma- pundarika as a house in flames, from which the truly wise, by various methods, escape, and at once overleap the boundaries of the three worlds. And with respect to the rewards proposed by worldly philosophers in the different heavens, they are utterly short of the pei'fection desired by all really good men, for excellent though they be to a certain extent, they are all terminable, so that the denizen of even the Asangisattva Heaven may hereafter be born as a beast ; we should, therefore, above all things, desire to find that which is permanent.^ ON THE WAY THE HEART GENERATES THE SIX MODES OP BIRTH. 20. Men all possess a thinking mind (or conscious exist- ence), and so there must be pure or impure thoughts con- stantly rising. Impure is spoken of, as that which cleaves" to sensible objects f pure is that which has no such attachment. Now the case being with men as it is, that there cannot but be connection with sensible objects, if owing to that connection and the attachment which follows, there is generated either covetous desire, aversion, lust, or murder, then this is called '^ crime," or "^^ evil/' but if, despite such connection with sensible objects, neither of these dispositions be generated, this is called " virtue," or " good." Again, if in the midst of the world a man practise charity, or obey the precepts, or illustrate patience* • This is an abstract from the original. -' " Tsu" in the sense of upadana. ^ The six dusts or objects of sense. * Practise the paramitas of dana, sihi, or Kchanti. H 2 100 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST in himself, this, again, is virtue. And as evil or good pro- duces in this woi'ld a corresponding Karma, so there will be in the next world, sorrow or joy. Now, there are three degrees of virtue, and also three degrees of wickedness, each of which has a corresponding degree of happiness or misery attached to it. The first degree of happiness is that called the birth as a Deva, the second, birth as a man, the third, birth as an Asura. Then there is birth in the lowest degree, in hell : then, as a preta, and then, as a beast. And according to the character of the fresh Karma acquired in either of these conditions, will be again the consequent kind of birth. This is the constant revolution of the wheel of transmigration. Seeing, then, that the origin of all this is in the thinking power of the heart, Buddha therefore said : " The three Worlds," — what is this, but the '' heart ? " — the infinite varieties of phenome- nal existence, what are these but the " mind ? " Wherefore, we have here the key of the whole matter ; sedulously watch against the first thought or association, restrain this power of corrupt or impure reflection, and the task is done ; for if in the midst of life there is no cleaving to things, then there can be no Karma, and if there is no Karma there can be no re- ward or punishment, so that by suppressing the first thought, the six ways of birth come to an end, and the wheel of transmigration is for ever at rest. This is the doctrine of the two^'yanas"^ or " vehicles " by which we escape the possibility of birth ; and if over and above this method, the various excellencies of the six paramitas be pi-actised, then we arrive at the great vehicle of the Bodhisatwa, Other methods for attaining this great object of emancipation, are advocated by those who have not yet attained right reason. These are the heretical schools. With us, however, alone is found the true method; and it is this, — that we must first cast off the trammels of the heart (conscious existence) . — ^ Concerning the three " yanas" or methods of salvation, vide Lotus, p. ."lo. The two "yanas" are those of ihe Sravakas and Pratyi'ka lUiddhas. The tliird " yilna" is tliat of a Bodhisatwa. SCRIPTUKES FROM THE CHIIvESE, 101 3. THE GREAT CHILIOCOSM. The Avatamsaka Sutra says : '' The three thousand great Chiliocosms owe their perfection to countless influences (or, to numberless causes) . The great earth rests on a water- circle, the water rests on wind, the wind rests on space ; space is unsupported, the combined Karma of all sentient existence is the ground on which the Kosmical system depends for its maintenance. The Bodhisatwa-Pitaka Sutra says : " All the Buddhas, by their insurpassable wisdom, are able to determine the re- lationships (or qualities) of all the winds and rains. They know that there is a great wind belonging to the world, called Urupaka -^ it is the influence of the intelligent prin- ciple acting" in (the minds) of all creatures possessing an intelligent nature, that causes this wind to be moved. The height of this wind-circle is three krosas (a krosa is as far as a drum can be heard, or as others say, five li). Above this wind in the midst of space is another wind-circle called Jambuka f this wind-circle is ten yojanas high. And so in succession, there are eight thousand wind- circles, the quali- ties and relationships of which are perfectly known to them. The highest circle of all, which is called the ' all-embracing,^ is that on which the water-circle rests ; this water-circle is 8,000,000 yojanas high, and supports the great earth ; the earth is G8,000 yojanas high ; beyond the earth there is the system called the three^ thousand great thousand worlds." The Dirghagama says : " One sun and moon revolving round the four continents, illumine with their brightness one world. So in the midst of a thousand worlds, there are a thousand suns and moons, a thousand Sumeru Eajah moun- tains, four thousand continents, four thousand great seas^ ' Ou-lou-po-ka. The derivation seems to be " uru," " wide or vast," and "paka," " commotion or ebullition." The similarity of the name of this word with the Greek Euroclydon is singular. - Chen-po-ka. ^ Trisahasra Mahasahasrolokadhatu. Jul. iii, iOi. 102 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST four thousand evil ways (narakas), a thousand Jemma Rajahs, a thousand Chatur-maha Rajahs, a thousand Trayas- trinshas Heavens, and so on, up to a thousand Brahma Heavens. All these are called, collectively, " a small Chilio- cosm ;" a thousand small Chiliocosms compose a "medium Chiliocosm," and a thousand medium Chihocosms, compose a '' great Chihocosm/' So that in a great Chihocosra there are a thousand milHon Sumeru Rajahs, and the same number of continents, suns, and moons, and so on, up to a thousand million Brahma Heavens. The general name for such a collection of worlds, is a single Buddha-ktcheti-a.