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Then looking outside, I see the varied trees of the garden. " Ananda, as you behold the trees outside the hall, what is the medium through which you gaze on them ? " World-honoured one ! the windows of this great preaching- hall being opened— therefore, as I sit here, I am able to obtain the extensive view which meets my eye beyond the hall ! " At this time the world-honoured one, located in the midst of the great congregation, slowly unbaring his golden-coloured arm, placed his hand on the head of Ananda, and explained to him and the rest of the great assembly that there was a Samadhi called Ta-fuh-teng-shau-leng-yan-wang,i which admits of the exercise of countless active virtues, by means of which the Tatha- gatas of the ten regions as it were through this as a sole means of salvation having emerged, have quickly arrived at the state of infinite perfection. Do you therefore attentively listen whilst I explain the character of this condition. Ananda, bomng down to the ground, humbly accepted the merciful intimation. " Buddha then addressed Ananda : According to your state- ment, whilst your body is located in the Preaching Hall, the windows being open, you are enabled to gaze at the garden trees; tell me, then, if it is likewise possible for any person within this Hall not to be able to see Tathagata and yet to behold the objects without the precincts ? "Ananda replied, saying: World-honoured one, it is clearly im- possible to suppose that any one within the Hall, not being able to see Tathagata, could yet behold the trees and the rivulets without the place. "Ananda ! apply the same reasoning to your assex'tion with re- spect to the mind. The spiritual character of your mind, bi'ing- ing all things under its perception ; if, according to your former statement, the groundwork of this perceptive faculty is within your body, then its first exercise would be to inake itself ac- quainted with the inner parts of the body itself ; so that all men should first be sensible of this priority of perception, embracing all that is within them, and afterwai'ds extending to those things which are without. But how is it, then, in fact that we never meet with a man who is really able to see his own internal organs, ^ Maha Buddha surafigama Ilajah, or, perhaps, the Samadhi Rajah. SCRIPTURES PROM THE CHINESE. 293 e. gr., the heart, or liver, or kidneys, or stomach — or who can see the root-growth of his nails or hair — or who can trace the course of his nerves or the windings of his veins. I say, how is it at the time of the exercise of this power of perception (which you say resides within) a man cannot thus perceive what is within himself? or will it not follow on your own admission, that not be- ing able to see that which is within, he cannot know what is without ? You must admit, therefore, that this hypothesis re- garding the seat of the knowing faculty, viz., that it is within the body, cannot be maintained. "Ananda, bowing his head to the ground, again addressed Buddha : From what I gather, as I listen to the words of Tatha- gata, it is plain that I must understand the truth to be that my understanding faculty (heart) is really located luWwut the body. For, to use a comparison, as the light of a lamp, when lit within a house, must necessarily, first of all, illu- minate the space within, and then afterwards extending to the doors, and the portions of the vestibule and neighbouring parts, illuminate them also (so should it be with the mind) ; but now, as men are unable to see that which is within themselves, but can only take knowledge of what is without, it seems to follow that the intelligent mind (or perceptive faculty) must be like a lamp placed outside a house, which cannot illuminate that which is within ; this I take to be the true solution, agreeable to the system of Buddha and in- capable of being refuted. " Buddha addressed Ananda, and said : All these Bikshus who surround me, have just come with me from the city of Sravasti ; each one having collected food by begging, sufficient for his need, has come back to this Jetavana — now, tell me ! if you watch one of these disciples as he eats, do you or all the rest derive nourishment and appease your appetites thereby ? " Ananda answered : Certainly not ! world-honoured one; for, although these Bikshus may have arrived at the condition of Rahats, yet their bodily life is not the same, — how, then, can the fact of one of them eating his meal, satisfy the appetite of all the rest ? " Buddha replied : Well, then ! take your assertion about the intelligent mind dwelling without the body ; there must, there- fore, be an external connection between your body and this mind. 294 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST and when this pei'soiial connection is not in action, then what the external mind perceives you yourself cannot know, and since (as far as you are concerned) the knowledge of a thing is the per- sonal knowledge you possess of it, the heart or intelligent mind (apart from this) knows nothing. For instance, I now shew you my hand, soft as the matei'ial of the Talas tree ; at the moment when your eyes perceive it, does not the intelligent mind also discriminate as to the properties of the hand ? " Ananda replied : Yes, certainly, woi'ld-honoured one. " Buddha continued : If, then, your heai*t or intelligent faculty immediately discriminates as to the character of that which is presented to your eyes, how can you say that this faculty resides without the body (and is so disconnected fi-om it) ? You may be satisfied, therefore, that this hypothesis is also untenable. " Ananda again replied : World-honoured one, according to what you say — viz., that because the intelligent mind does not apprehend inner truths, therefore it does not reside within ; and, because of the necessary connection of mind and body, the former cannot be located without the body (and, therefore, independent of it), I now consider further, and conclude that the power of (of seeing and) knowing is fixed in one place. " But what is that place ? asked Buddha. *' Ananda said : It appears to me that this intelligent faculty, which has been proved to be incapable of knowing that which is within, and yet sees that which is without, lies hid as it were within the sense itself. Just as if there was a man who took a glass dish (lens), and held it up before both his eyes ; this, although exterior to the eye, yet being joined to it, prevents not the eye from exercising its faculty of sight, and of distin- guishing one object from another. So my intelligent faculty, not seeing that which is within, because it dweUs in (or is joined with) the organ of sense, is yet no impediment in the clear per- ception of that which is without, because, as I suppose, it is secreted in the organ itself. " Buddha replied : That which you now say is, that the intelli- gent faculty is secreted within an organ ; as, for instance, the faculty of sight may be said to lie secreted in (or, united with) the glass (which is held before the eyes), so that (for convenience sake) the glass dish (or lens), through which a man looks, may be regarded as the prison of the eye; bitt in this case tell me, when SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 295 a mail looks through the glass and beholds the distant mountains and rivers, does he not at the same time see the glass through which he looks ? " Yes, certainly, world-honoured one, he does. " Then, Buddha continued, if your intelligent faculty corre- sponds to (a power hid within, or behind) this glass lens of which you speak, how is it, when you behold the distant hills and i-ivers, that you do not perceive the eye itself; and if you could see the eye, then the oi'gan of sight and the object of sight would be the same thing, and there would be no completion of the relationship between object and subject ; but if you do not see the eye, then how can you say that the intelligent faculty lies secreted within the organ, as glass united to the eye. You must be content, therefore, to give up this hypothesis also. " Ananda resumed : World- honoured one, I venture to propose another theory. Within the bodies of all creatures there are the six viscera^ and the five organs, whilst without there are the seven passages and the nine cavities. Now with regard to the vessels of the body, all is dark ; whereas regarding the cavities, all is light. I propose, therefore, to Buddha this idea.