English
The sense of Jin-Ch'au^s " Fah-kai/' then, is just this: "the natural world"; the remaining portion, "on lih,^' means " an orderly arrangement ;" and I regard this whole phrase, "an orderly arrangement of the woi'lds of nature," to be equivalent to our term, the "Kosmos," Adding to this the last symbol " to," signifying " illustrated," we have the whole title — " The Buddhist Kosmos Illustrated."^ The treatise written by Wang-Puh is entitled, " Shing Tau ki," that is, " Memorials of the complete inspiration of Tathagata. The expression, " Shing Tau," is the common one used to denote the attainment of perfection, viz., that of Bodhi, or Reason, by a Buddha. In this case it is the perfection of Sakya Buddha, which occurred under the Sacred Tree at Gaya, that is recorded. The work is written in the style common in India at an early date ; it consists of sutras or aphorisms,^ couched in the most enigmatical language, which would be wholly inexplicable without the commentary appended. From the character of the work it is highly probable that Wang Puh selected his sentences from the earliest version of the Life of Buddha, known in China, viz., that of the Lalita Vistara, entitled " Fang- teng-pen-ki-king," made about the year 65 of our era.^ His 1 I am thus particular in stating the sense of these words, as I find that Prof. C. F. Neumann, in his Catechism of the Shamans^ has more than once alluded to the work under consideration, and translated its title by '■'■Tables of the Religioji.'''' I am persuaded that until we arrive at a more correct estimate of Buddhist phraseology, we shall fail to exhibit the religion in its true aspect. ^ I observe that this Life of Sakya is sometimes spoken of as being composed in dithyrambic metre. The aphorisms are however distinctly prose. 3 The classification of this work under the head " ki" or " Memorials" may indicate, however, that it was a Vyakarana, or narrative work, containing the traditions of Buddha's life, derived immediately from India. 14 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST commentators evidently lived at a late date, probably in the reign of Wan-leih, 1573 a.d. A word more may be said to explain the marked differ- ences which occur between these Avorks and the Singhalese expositions of Buddhist doctrine. And yet, in the Chinese, constant reference is made to works derived from Ceylon, and of the highest authority there; such as the four Agamas, the Brahmajala, and many others. The doctrine of a uni- versally diffused and self-existing essence of which matter is only a form, seems to be unknown in the Southern schools. It would appear, therefore, that there has been no advance in the Southern philosophical code since the date of Naga- sena, who was a strenuous opponent of the Swabhava theory.^ The rulingf thought in his mind was that called " scholastic nihilism '' — a hard logical conclusion against all moral in- stinct, that nothingness is the only reality. To this he was driven by stern necessity from the premisses he adopted; and to this theory, which is necessarily atheistic, the Singhalese and their neighbours seem still to adhere. Northern Bud- dhism, therefore, whilst it rests on precisely the same reli- gious or moral basis as that known in the South, is distinct from it in its philosophy or scholastic theories, and there- fore requires distinct consideration. > At least, so it appears from the "Sutra of oue Sloka" written by him. SCRIPTURES PROM THE CHINESE. 15 Part I.— THE BUDDHIST KOSMOS. 1. The whole range of Buddhist speculation is included in the seven divisions of the present treatise.^ The method adopted in it, is to advance from the teaching of the schools to the teaching of inspiration — from the tangible to the spiritual, and so to present the whole subject under one scheme. In this way, like a man who advances gradually into the ocean, finds the depth constantly increasing, so we shall find by this method that there is no bound to the universe, no limit to the forms of life, no possibility of ex- hausting the varied manifestations of Supreme mind in ex- ternal phenomena. Thus we arrive at the conviction that substantial existence and the various forms of life we see around us, are not fundamentally difierent — that the latter are but modes (uses) of the existence of the former — and so, in fine, that there is only one great concurrent origin of all that exists. Hence the Scripture says : " To conclude that there are, independent of Supreme mind, objects of know- ledge, which are able, in connection with mind, to act as concurrent occasions for the production of thought ; all this is but the exercise of mind itself, and may be considered as one manifestation of its substantial existence. When we speak of varieties of Form, we do but postulate the varieties of knowledge (Prajna) ; when we speak of the absence of phjenomena, it is but that Reason (Prajna) is at Rest [i.e., undeveloped or not hypostatised) ." 2. Now, with regard to the cause of the manifestation of Buddha in the form of man, we say this, the remote cause is to be found in the wretched condition of mankind, and of all sentient existence ; but the immediate concurrent cause in the force of his exceeding love. 3. When Buddha undertook the task of saving the Avorld ' This of course will be understood to be a translation from the Chinese of Jin Ch'au. 16 A CATENA OF BUDPHTRT (benefiting the world) the period was called Bhadra Kalpa. Now, what does this expression signify ? It denotes the period of the approaching perfection of the great system of worlds. The overspreading ocean then produced a thou- sand-leafed Lotus, golden-coloured and resplendent. The Devas of the Pure Abodes CSuddhavasa Devas), beholding it, exclaimed, " Oh, wonderful portent ! now will there be manifested a thousand successive Buddhas." For this rea- son the Kalpa or age is called Bhadra Kalpa. Now Sakya Muni Tathagata is the fourth Buddha of this Kalpa. This is our great Teacher. He is the instructor of this Sahalo- kadhatu {i.e., collection of worlds known as a great Chilio- cosm). 4. The territory ruled over by Buddha is called, as we have just stated, the Sahalokadhatu.^ The old Sutras, how- ever, call this Sarvalokadhatu. It is what is called in the sacred writings the territory of Patient Beings.- This name is given it because the men who inhabit it are able to bear sorrow by the exercise of reflection, and to derive pleasure from the powers of their reason. Buddha, for this cause, presides over it. Around this domain there is an en- circling range of iron mountains, beyond which is the un- fathomable void of space. Below the mountain range is the earth circle, below the earth' is gold, below the gold is water, below the water is wind. This wind has a mysterious consistency, which renders it harder than diamond. It is like the imperishable power of Karma (woi'ks), which go- verns the destiny of men. It holds the world so that it can never be moved. Beyond this region of wind is aather. With regard to the measurement of this system, the highest point of all, where Form no longer exists, is called "the limit of that which Is" (Bhavagra. Lotus, 309). Laterally, no numbers will adequately express its dimensions. Accord- ing to the Djiiana Prasthana Shaster,^ " a great rock thrown ' Introd. to Indian Bud., p. 594. 2 Compare Dhammapada, vii, 95. " Tolerant like the earth." ■* Chi-liin. A work by Katyayana, in fnll, Abidharma djnana pras- thana Shfistra. SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 17 down from the Eupa Loka, after 18382 years, would ap- proach the earth in which we live/' But speaking in brief, this entire region, from the earth upwards, is that over which one Buddha rules. Within the encircling mountains there are a thousand myriad sets of four empires (i.e., worlds) . With regard to the one in which we live, the chief continent of this earth is called Jambudwipa, which is di- vided into two parts, viz., China on the East, and India on the West.i 5. India, which derives its name from being like the moon among the stars, is bounded on the north by the Snowy Mountains, and on three sides is washed by the Ocean. It is narrow towards the south, like the moon in its first quarter. Its circuit about 90,000 li. It has more than 7000 great cities, and within the limits of the sea it is all governed by one king. 6. The entire continent of Jambudwipa may be generally classed under five divisions.