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"As far as I can understand the question, it seems that we cannot say that the mind is placed within us, or else there is the difficulty of not seeing that which is within ; and we cannot say that it is situated without us, or else there is the difficulty about the relationship of mind and body, so that we are driven to the con- clusion that there is a medium somewhei'e, so that the mind is neither within the body nor beyond it,^ hut behoeen the two. 38. " You speak of between the two, said Buddha ; take care that this phrase does not deceive you, so that your ' between the • Vide Cudworth, Intellect. Sj/stein, vol. i, p. 10. SCRIPTURES PROM THE CHINESE. 290 two' means 'nowhere'. Let us investigate it. Wlicre is the place of this reiddle point ? Does it reside in the sense which perceives or in the thing perceived ? if in the sense, then it re- sides necessarily in the body, and therefore it cannot be spoken of as a ' middle point'. But if this point be placed in the object perceived, then, as every such object is different, there must either be an index by which its presence can be determiiied or not ; if not, then to all intents and purposes the place of its ex- istence is as if it were no place ; if there be an index to its exist- ence, then this shews the changing chai^acter of this point, just as a man fixing a gnomon of a dial, having ascertained the exact middle point (or mid- day point), then looking due east, he fixes the west point, and looking due south he fixes the north point ; thus the gnomon is no index to one fixed bearing, but to any bearing that is desired. So, then, if the intelligent mind be con- sidered as residing in the middle of the object perceived, there can be no certain guide for ascertaining its particular position, but we may arrive at any conclusion, according to the caprice of each individual.^ 40. " Ananda said : When I spoke of the middle point, I did not allude to these two kinds of explanation ; but to this, that as Tathagata says that when the eye-sense unites with the object of sense, then eye-knowledge results ; but as no knowledge can reside in the mere object — but the eye has the power of distin- guishing one object from another — so I say that the intelligent mind resides in the midst of that eye-knowledge which results from the exercise of this function of sight (or other sense). 41. "Buddha said: If your intelligent mind resides in the middle of the sense and the object of sense, then the substance of this mind is either united with the two, or separated and distinct from the two. 42. " If united with the two, then there is a confusion of sub- stance, so that the mind can no longer be regarded as a substan- tial unit; but there will be a mutaal opposition betwixt the two hypostases, preventing the possibility of the middle entity of which you speak. 43. " But if there be no such union, then this intelligent mind 1 The argument appears to be this : that the mind may reside in the midst of any object perceived, and that therefore it is impossible to fix its locafiiy. 300 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST must partly partake of the character of the sense which you say Las the power of knowiug, and partly of the object of sense which you say has no such power. The mind, therefoi'e, has no distinct character (nature) ; and if so, by what mark may you recognise it as it exists in the middle of these two opposing i^owers ? You may conclude, therefore, that this hypothesis is not capable of proof. 44. " Ananda addressed Buddha, saying : World honoured ! formerly I saw Buddha in the society of Maudgalyayana, Sub- huti, Pourna, Sariputra, four great disciples, discoursing on the law; on this occasion I heard the following assertion, frequently repeated, that the nature of the intelligent and discriminating mind was such, that it could not be said to be within the body, nor without it, nor in the middle -point, but that that was rightly named the mind which, in its very nature was without a local habitation, and without preference or active purpose. I should be glad to know, therefore, whether I may not define the intelli- gent mind as that which is ' indefinite,' and ' without partiality.' 45. " Buddha replied to Ananda : You now say that the nature of this intelligent and discriminating mind is altogether intan- gible and indefinite ; now let me ask, when you speak of space, of water, of land, of flying, of walking, and all the different conditions of existence, which are generally classified under the phrase, ' all forms of being,' you pei'haps regard all these things with indifference and your mind is unattached to them — but do they exist or not ? 46. "If they have no definite existence, then they are like the hair of the tortoise or the horn of the hare (mere phantasies) ; how then can you speak of being indifferent to that which does not exist ; for if there is such a thing as indifference, or such a state of being ' unattached,' then there must exist a real object from which you detach yourself, and therefore it cannot be spoken of as a ' nothing.' For that is ' nothing' which has no 'conditions' or 'qualities'; and where this absence of conditions does not exist, there cannot be an absence of that which is thus 'conditioned.' So long, then, as you speak of the mind being 'unattached,' so long you pre-suppose the true existence of something which is unattached, where then, I again ask, is this something ? Your theory, therefore, will not bear examination. 47. "At this time Ananda, as he remained in the midst of tlic great congregation, rose from his scat, bared his right shoulder, SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 301 bent down upon his right knee, and with closed palms, address- ing Buddha, said : I am indeed the very least of all Buddha's followers, ever grateful for the compassionate love which has brought me into this condition, and although I have left my home, am yet as a child dependent on a nurse, only a hearer and not arrived at any degree of perfection, unable even to destroy the evil influences of the sorceries of the Savara (Savakara, women), and therefore subjected by their enchantments to be led into the abodes of infamy ; and all this from not knowing the precise limits of the Truth which Buddha declares. Oh ! would that the world-honoured one, of his great compassion, would open out to me the way of Samadhi, so as to enable me, when engaged in contemplation, to destroy all blinding influences. Having spoken thus, Ananda prostrated himself on the earth, and all the congregation falling down, remained bent to the earth, anxiously awaiting the signal to arise and stand, as it would indicate the august purpose of Buddha to enter on the desired course of instruction. 48. " At this time the world-honoured one, from between his ®y^s (gates of the face), dispersed a succession of rays of light, brilliant and glorious as a hundred thousand suns. All the various worlds of Buddhas shook six times as with an earth- quake, whilst the infinite lands of the ten regions of space in a moment appeared, whilst the mysterious spiritual power of Buddha caused all these worlds to unite as it were in one, and in the midst of this one world the entire body of Bodhisatwas, all coming to this common centre, with closed hands, attentively listened. 49. " Buddha then spake to Ananda : The whole body of sen- tient creatures, from the first till now, has been (subject to) every kind of false impressions (inverted opinions) ; the consequence has been a spontaneous propagation of error, like the branches of the Gatcha tree;^ so that men who have entered on the religious life have failed to attain to Supreme Wisdom, and have only arrived at the vain distinctions of Sravakas and Pratyeka Buddhas, or to the more imperfect forms of heretical belief. So it is that all the Devas Mara and their followers have come to this state from simple ignorance of the two original root-seeds of error, pursu- ing a confused form of religious discipline, attempting, as it ^ In Chinese "ngo-ch'a"; probably the banian tree (ganjasana). 302 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST were, to make serviceable bread out of hot sand, and from the false opinion that it was possible to do so, remaining for ever without food. 50. " Say, then, what are these i-wo seeds of error ?