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Buddha said : A wicked man who reproaches a virtuous one, is like one who looks up and spits at Heaven; the spittle soils not the Heaven, but comes back and defiles his dancing parties or theatres ; not to use perfumes or unguents ; not to seek high seats or couches when in company ; not to covet or possess gold or silver or jewels. Vide M. B., 24, and Buddhist Pilgrims, p. 59, n. ' The " sse tang t'se" of the original are the " four elements of bene- volence," and are explained by Burnouf, Lotus, 405. They are enu- merated also in the Lalita Vistara (Foucaux), p. 51. 2 For the use of " Kwai" in this sense, vide Confucian Analects, xvii, 1. i, and xviii, 4. 0 104 A CATENA OF BDDDHIST own person. So again, he is like one who flings dirt at another, when the wind is contrary, the dirt does but return on him who threw it. The virtuous man cannot be hurt, the misery that the other would inflict comes back on himself. 9. Buddha said : A man, in the practice of Religion, who exercises charity from a feeling of necessary obligation, or from a feeling of partiality, does not obtain much merit. But he who is charitable, and at the same time guards his motive in respectful deference to the principles of Religion, this man's merit will be very great. And when one sees a man giving anything in charity, and rejoices at it on the ground that he is thus advancing the cause of Religion, he also shall obtain merit. Not that the merit of the first is less, but on the principle of many men lighting their fires from one torch, they do not diminish the light from which they take their fire, so is it wath this question of merit. 10. Buddha said : To feed crowds by the hundred is not to be compared to the act of feeding one really good man ; to feed good men by the thousand, is not to be compared to the act of feeding one lay-disciple, (or a Samanera, who has taken a vow to observe the five Rules) ; to feed such persons by the myriad is not to be compared to the act of feeding one Srotapanna ; to feed such persons by the million is not like feeding one Sakradagamin ; to feed such by the ten million is not like feeding one Anagamin ; to feed such persons by the ten myriads^ is not like feeding- one Rabat ; to feed such by the hundred myriads is not like feeding one Pratycka Buddha : to feed such by the thousand myriad is not like feeding one Buddha, and learning to pray to him from a desire to save all living creatures. To feed one good man however, is infinitely greater in point of merit, than attending to questions about Heaven and earth, spirits and ■" This shows how loose the number known as one "Yih" is; it ought to be " by the hundred million," according to the natural order of pro- gression. Vide p. 104 of this work. SCEIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 105 demons, such as occupy ordinary men. Those matters are not to be compared to the religious duty we owe to our parents. Our parents are very Divine. 11. Buddha said : There are twenty difficult things in the world — being poor to be charitable ; being rich and great ; to be religious ; to escape destiny^ ; to get sight of the Scriptures f to be born when a Buddha is in the world ; to repress lust and banish desire ; to see an agreeable object and not seek to obtain it ; to be strong without being rash ;'^ to bear insult without anger ; to move in the world (to touch things) without setting the heart on it ; to investigate a matter to the very bottom ; not to contemn the ignorant ; thoroughly to extirpate self-esteem ; to be good and at the same time to be learned and clever ; to see the hidden principle in the profession of Religion j to attain one's end without exultation ; to exhibit in a right way the doctrine of expediency ;''' to save men by converting them ; to be the same in heart and life ; to avoid controversy. 12. There was a Shaman who asked Buddha^ by what influences does a man acquire reason, (or^ become en- hghtened), and by doing what may a man know his pre- vious modes of existence ?^ Buddha said : Reason has no form or characteristics by which it may bo known ; there is no profit in such inquiries. The man who wishes to acquire this knowledge should guard his powers of will, and his conduct. — You may compai^e it to the act of rubbing a mirror, and removing the dust ; the lustre of the mirror is thus preserved, and you see at once its self-included ' Literally, sentenced by deetiny, not to die. 2 Siitras of Buddha. ' Or, it may be, " having power, not to be proud." *■ The expression "fang-pien" is explained by Julien (ii, xvi, n.) as equivalent to the "doctrine of Buddha," in which sense the passage in the text would signify " to exhibit by a virtuous life the doctrine of Buddha." But the phrase has a very wide meaning ; it is translated from the Sanscrit by Burnouf '-habilite dans I'emploi des moyens'' {Lotii,s^ cap. ii), .'" Or, it may be, "know (how long) he shall sojourn in life." o2 196 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST character.^ So if you banish lust and keep yourself free (empty) (from pollution), you will at once obtain enlighten- ment, and straightway know your ultimate (or previous) destiny. 13. Buddha said: Who is the good man? The religious man only is good. And what is goodness? First and foremost it is the agreement of the will with the conscience (Reason). Who is the great man? He who is strongest in the exercise of patience. He who patiently endures injury, and maintains a blameless life — he is a man indeed ! And who is a worshipful man {i. e., a man deserving reverence or worship (or, a Buddha) ? A man whose heart has arrived at the highest degree of enlightenment. All dust removed, all wicked actions uprooted, all within calm and pure, without any blemish, who is acquainted with all things from first to last — and even with those things that have not yet transpired — who knows and sees and hears all things — such universal wisdom is rightly called " illumina- tion." 14. Buddha said : A man who cherishes lust and desire, and does not aim after (see) supreme knowledge, is like a vase of dirty water, in which all sorts of beautiful objects are placed — the water being shaken up men can see nothing of the objects therein placed; so it is lust and desire, causing confusion and disorder in the heart, are like the mud in the water ; they prevent our seeing the beauty of supreme reason (Religion). But if a man, by the gradual process of confession and penance, comes near to the acquirement of knowledge, then the mud in the water being removed, all is clear and pure — remove the pollution and immediately of itself comes forth the substantial form. So also when a fire is placed under a pot, and the water within it made to boil, then whoever looks down upon it will see no shadow of himself. So the three poisons which rage within the heart^, and the five obscurities^ which embrace it, ' This is probably the meaning of the text. 2 The three poisons are covetousness, anger, delusion. ^ The five obscnrities ai'e envy, passion, sloth, vacillation, unbelief. SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 197 effectually prevent one attaining (seeing) supreme reason. But once get rid of the pollution of the wicked heart, and th'eu we perceive the spiritual portion of ourselves which we have had from the first, although involved in the net of life and death — gladly then we mount to the Paradise (lands) of all the Buddhas, where reason and \artue continually abide. 15. Buddha said : A man who devotes himself to Eeligion is like a man who takes a lighted torch into a dark house ; the darkness is at once dissipated, and there is light ! Once persevere in the search after wisdom, and obtain knowledge of truth — eri-or and delusion entirely rooted out — oh ! what perfect illumination will there be ! ] 6. Buddha said : In reflection, in life, in conversation, in study, I never for a moment forget the supreme end, Rehgion (Reason). 17. Buddha said: Let one behold heaven and earth, and think, " these are impermanent'' — and so the mountains and rivers, all impermanent ! the varied forms of life and the productions of nature, all destined to terminate and perish ! Attaining to this condition of mind, in a moment there will be illumination (Reason) . 18.