English
Would that you would distinguish and ex- plain this paradox, and cause me thoroughly to understand the character of this cause and effect. Buddha said : Brah- matchari, the cause (of phgenomenal existence) is to be found in the five constituents of the body (panchaskandhas), and the effect or result (fruit) is to be sought in the same constituents. Illustrious youth ! If, in the case of sentient creatures, there were no kindling of the fire, then, I say, there would be no smoke. The Brahmatchari said : World- honour'd one ! I have acquired knowledge ! I have gained light ! Buddha said : Illustrious youth ! Say ! what is it you know? what is it you see ? World-honour'd one! the fire is the same as the existence of sorrow, which leads to birth in the five ways : the smoke, also, is the consequence of this sorrow — impermanence and impurity (anatman) — offensive to the sight and smell, mischievous and hurtful, and therefore called ' smoke.^ But cutting away the root of sorrow, then all sentient creatures will escape the results of which I speak ; and this is just what Tathagata says : ' Kindle not the fire, and there will be no offensive smoke.' World-honour'd one ! as I have thus obtained true sight, would that your love would receive me as a disciple, etc. " Again, among the heretics was a Brahmatchari called Purna, who spoke thus : Gotama ! according to your view, is the world itself permanent, so that it can be spoken of as such : is it true or empty ; constant or mutable, or both, or neither; boundless or terminable; or not terminable and yet not boundless; body and hfe; the same or different. Tathagata, after his Nirvana, is he completely gone or not ? or both? or neither? Buddha replied: Pourna, I do not say the world is constant, or empty, or true, or in any other way you have indicated. Pourna replied : But on what account do you refuse to adopt these expressions? Buddha said : Pourna, if there is a man who says the world is con- stant, who considers this to be the truth, and rejects the SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 18o assertions of others as ftilse — all this is mere speculation which leads from one step to another, till the man utterly forgets the one great task of getting rid of old age, and birth, and disease, and death ; lie remains involved in the six con- ditions of transmigration, participating iu every kind of sorrow ; and just so with regard to the other questions you have proposed, they are all speculative, and therefore un- profitable. This is the fault, Purna, I see in these queries, and so I will have nothing to do with them. Gotama, if you thus regard these questions, and refuse to consider them, may I ask what it is that you declare to be worth consideration ? Pourna, what I consider worth considering is the question of Life and Death. And it is because Tathagata has put away and freed himself from Life and Death, therefore he entangles himself with no such questions as those you have proposed ; but such things as Tathagata deals with are not these mere entanglements. Gotama, what then do you deal with and speak upon ? Illustrious youth ! what I deal with are the questions of sorrow, accu- mulation, extinction, the way (or the accumulation of sorrow and the plan of extinction). I explain and analyse these truths : here is my field of speculation ; therefore I exclude and ignore all other questions, all preferences, or questions about transmigration, or idle and vain questions. I devote myself wholly to moral culture, so as to arrive at the highest condition of Moral Rest (the highest Nirvana), aiming solely to obtain the unchangeable body, which has no bounds or limits (neither East, West, South, or North). Pourna said : Gotama, by what series of cause and effect is this constant and unchangeable body thus without limits and bounds produced ? Buddha said : Illustrious youth ! I will ask you, and do you reply honestly. What is your opinion, illustrious youth, when a great fire is kindled in your sight, at the time of its being thus kindled, do you know of its being so or not ? Certainly, Gotama, I do. And at the time of the fire going out, are you aware of it or not ? Certainly, Gotama, I am. Pourna, if a man were to ISt A CA'lENA 01-' BUDDHIST ask you where the fire was brought from that burns before you, and where it goes to when it is put out, what wouUl you answer? Gotama, in reply to such a question, I should say, at the time when the fire was first produced, that it depended on various concurrent circumstances, and that wdien these circumstances were in abeyance and the fuel ex- pended, that then the fire went out. But if any one asked you where the fire went to when it died out, what would you say ? Gotama, I should reply, that the circumstances which led to its origin operating no longei', the fire had gone out, and had really gone nowhere. "Illustrious youth! Tathagata speaks exactly so as to the impermanence of the various constituents of body (viz., the skandhas) : he says, the cause of all is attachment, this is the occasion of the fire ; but when once the fire has been kindled, and the sensible world (the twenty-five bhuvanas) originated, it cannot be said that the origin is from the North or South, or East or West; and just so with the destruction and extinction of the fire. Illustrious youth ! because Tathagata has entirely got rid of the subjects of impermanence composing the body, therefore his body is permanent, and therefore boundless. Pourna said : I have a comparison to propose : may I state it ? Buddha said : Good ! good ! speak as you please. World-honour'd one ! as if outside a village there was a gi'ove of Sala trees, in the midst of which is one tree, older by a hundred years than any in the grove, about which the owner of the property is pecvdiarly anxious; he waters it and uses every timely pre- caution to preserve it ; so that, although the tree is out- wardly rotten, its bark and branches and leaves all gone, there is a strong principle of vitality in it yet. Thus, also, I regard Tathagata ; all outward appearances gone, there is left only that one true principle of life, which exists inde- pendently of all external phasnomena. World-honoui"'d one ! I now rejoice to become thy disciple, etc. "Again, there was a Brahmatchari called Tsing-tsing,^ • Viiiiala (V) SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 185 wlio said: Gotama, in ignorance of what Law is it that men speculate concerning' permanence and non-permanence, etc. ? Buddha replied : Illustrious youth ! because men do not understand the character of the five skandhas, they use such speculations. The Brahmatchari replied : And the knowledge of what Law is it that puts an end to such ques- tions? Buddha replied: The knowledge of the five skandhas. The Brahmatchari replied : Would that the world-honoui-'d one would explain and discriminate on my account this question of permanence and non-perraanence. Buddha said : Illustrious youth ! if a man let go his hold on the world, so as to store up no further works (karma), this man wilU understand the character of permanence and non-perraa- nence. The Brahmatchari replied: World-honour'd one! I have gained knowledge ! I have received sight ! Buddha replied : Wliat is it you know and see ? He rejoined : I see that from what is called ignorance (avidya) and attachment (trishna) are produced the results of efi:brt (upadana) and condition (bhava). If men would but reject and put away the attachment and the ignorance, then there would be neither effort nor condition of merit nor demerit, and then men would know the true meaning of permanence and non- permanence. Thus have I gained true knowledge and light, and adore the three precious gems, etc. " Again, there was a Brahmatchari called Vatsa putra (tuh tse), who spoke thus : Gotama, I desire to ask you some questions : will you hear me ? Tathagata remained silent; and so a second and third time. Then Vatsa putra continued : Gotama, I have for a long time ha^. a close friendship with you,^ and our opinions are in general alike. Why, then, do you refuse to answer me, desiring to inter- rogate you ? Then the woi-ld-honour'd one reflected, and at last replied : Vatsa putra, it is well ! it is well !