English
HH, tliur'o has (sropl, in Iind. vvliiidi is ol' ilM nal. nre periHindile iiinl (iliiui^'in^ ? luid liow is il, Mlill more llial iJiose lierel.ies, Maivliidi and oUiers, Hiiy llial. al'Lor llie dealli iil'llie l)ody Uiero hIimII he a. clea.ii end of a,ll life-. 'I'lie Kin;i; hearing' lins, lie^ii.n lo lelie\e I lial al'ler deal li lliei'o mi;.i;lil. perliapH Ite I'nilliei' \'\\\^ ; and, Iherel'ori^ willi all {\\i^ as- Hcinhly a,<'eepl-ed joy I'lilly Hin-li a, dodrine, and looked lor I'urllier insl.ru(;l.!on. II. "Tlu'n Anntida, I'lHinf^' from liis Hea.1, willi elaspod liands and proHTral.e I'orni, a.ddi'eHS(ul IJinldha iliiis: Worlildiononriul one I iC lliis Tacnlly oC Hi;^'hl, and hearing'' is oC ilsell' iniperislialihi and ineapalile of liirlli or deaJli, wha.l. I hen does yonr doctrine mean llial I andolliers lia,V(i losl. onr Iriie nalnre, and all onr aclions niH', as il, were, inv(M'led from I heir ri^hl piirposo? Would lluii willi yonr <^reai eonipassion yiui would W'l'r nie Iroin I lie polini ion of I lu^se donlils. I'J. " Ininiedialidy, 'I'ailiai^ala ,sl releliinj^'' I'orlli liis i,o)lden- <'oloiired ai'in, pointed down liis heaiiliriil lin^'ers lo I lie ground, nnd spoke lliiis: Aiianda, as yon heliold my iMudia. hand, lei me ask yon, is it poinlni,"; up or down. " Aiianda, I'epiied : World honoured, men f^(>ucrally iTgard llu' ' Vide llie exlnitl Ireiii llie Hhiigaviid-^iitu. Banerjea, 'JIO. SCRIPTUUICS FROM 'rilK CHINKSK. 81 3 poHiiioii wliicli yoiif luiiid now M.ssiiiiics, !ih dowiiwiird ; hiil, ;im for iiic, I know not. wliiili io cjiII il.— vv1h;I her up or down. ]>ii(I(1Ii;l iiddi'ossod An;iii(l!i, : iC, I lien, men goiioridly r/,i\\ (IiIk poHition downward, wlmi vvoidd llicy cnW 'iijiwiird'? Aii;iiiil;i, ro- pliod: TidJifi^ala has but to raiso liis .■inn, juid loi. liiH koIIjukI silken liiuid iKiinl. a,l)ovo into spacd, and iliaJ, will ho wliiiJ, men cjill 'u[)war(ks.' l;{. "JJnddlia immodiatcily lificul np liis jii'iii, and addrosHod Aniuidn,, siiyin^', IC (Ihh \h wlial. men cidl liirnin^' iipsido down — or lic;ul to tail — ilicn undorslniid (liis, IliJit your l)ody, conipiired with tho myHtcrious body ol' ISuddliii, TUiiy Iw. likewise; ilhisl.rahid by thiH simihtudc — for tho body of Tathagata may ho Kpokoii of as upn'glit in respect of its Nature — hut yours !i,h of a,n in- verted or in isdi rooted nature' 14. " Now, tfien, consider, I pray you, your body and Buddlia'w body — which you sp(;:dc of as so related. TIioso names sig- nll'y sometliing, bid, wlicro is iJu; locidlon of iJuiSo I, wo Ihings thus reUilcd to one another F At this time Annndii,, wilh :dl Iho great congregation, looked ai Ihiddha in bliud< perplexily not knowing whore th(!S0 two bodi(;s locally resid(!d. 15. " Uudilha then, exercising his conipassionate love — for the purpose of instructing Aiianda aiul tho gn^at asKond)ly — raised liis voice;, !uid iJius addressed llu; whole assembly: Illustrious disci{)les, my (constant words aro these — all the thousand con- nections of mind !i,nd body (matter), and tho olfspring of mind, to wit, the various modilications of ideas, all these are but what the heart originates ; your mind and your body themselves aro but things made manifest in the midst of this mysteriously glori- ous and true essenco called the perfect heart. What, then, can be the meaning of losing this poi'f(;ct heart, iind this mysterious nature — is there not some dccc[)tion in these words ? (or, aro they not owing to the deceptive in(Iuenc(;s which exist in tho midst of iho heart ?) IG. " Dark aiul obscure is tho space around us ! In the midst of this sombre, gloomy space, by the ciijiricious intertwinings of i Tho aim of tills argument seems to bo to prove that IIk; difference between the i)ure Nature of Jhiddlia and the Nature of Man is one of r(;lation only, as "upright" and " |)ervertcd" are difi'erent relations of the same Uiing. 314 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST the darkness, forms are evoked. These capricious forms generate false reflections (in the Heart), and from these spring the ideas of Body. So the thousand connections which are aroused within the mind, pursuing still further the vanishing and capricious forms without, there arises an endless confusion — and so those ideas about the nature of the mind are caused, which is the first great deception ; it is concluded as a certainty that all these thoughts are fixed within the material body, in ignorance that this body, and all external phsenomena, rivers, mountains, space itself, and earth, are but things which exist in the midst of this ever true and mysterious Heart — just as if one should overlook the existence of the vast and innumerable oceans which are scattered through the universe, and centre one's thoughts and investiga- tions on a single bubble (or drop), regarding it as the true sea, and overlooking the countless real oceans. So is it when a man centres his thoughts on this deceitful idea, that his individual mind is the true basis of all which exists, and so is led to multi- ply such existences indefinitely. This is the inversion which T wished to explain by raising my arm after holding it down- wards. 17. " Ananda, following the deep and loving words of Bud- dha's argument, with tears coursing down his face, and his fingers clasped in anxious expression, spoke thus to Buddha : Althoue-h I have followed thus far the excellent sound of Bud- dha's voice, grasping the idea of the basis afforded by the per- fectly enlightened and ever fixed and unchangeable Heart ; and although I understand what Buddha says that this individual mind is but the result of connections with external phantasma- goi-ia, yet I do not thoroughly understand what is the real sub- stantive basis of this true heart— would that Buddha, with his pitiful sympatliy with my doubts, would enter on and explain this subject more thoroughly. 18. " Buddha replied : " Ananda, if you and the others still listen to my words with your mind bent on capricious distinctions, the arguments which 1 propound being thus regarded through the medium of a false atmosphere, will no longer have for you the nature of a true law. 10. " Just as if one man pointed with his finger to the moon to shew it to another, and that other man thought that the finger was necessary in order to >sec the moon; or, if again looknig at SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 315 tlie finger he were to regard it as a part of the moon, how could this man help thinking that when the crescent of the moon dis- appeared, then the finger of the man who pointed at it would also disappear. What then ! because he considered the finger to be the same as the bright moon, supposing he lost sight of the finger, how could he help confounding the nature of dai'kncss and light ; and from this what could prevent him from affirming that the two distinct natures of darkness and light wei-e not realities, but inventions ? 20. " And so it is in your case — if you regard your discriminat- ing mind as depending on the distinctive utterances of my law, then this discinminating mind of yours, in the absence of my distinctive utterances, should have no distinctive nature. Just as, by way of comparison, a traveller who comes to an inn lodges there for a time and rests, after which he departs, proving that he is not the owner and proprietor of the place — for this name is applied to him who resides and rests for ever in the house — so it is in the matter under consideration ; if the discri- minative faculty which comprehends my distinctive utterances be your own true heart, then it ought never to depart from its place, in what way, then, I should wish to know, does it retain its nature in the absence of the sounds of my voice ? Well, then, if it does not do so, how is it that your discriminating faculty, even in the absence of my voice, is able to distinguish the beauties of my face ? — or, at any rate, what is to prevent this conclusion that in the absence of all distinguishing qualities, then the distinguish- ing nature must cease to exist ; and therefore there can in such a case be no distinctions between opposites — neither matter nor space — which is just the foolish argument of Gosala, and the others. But if there be really no such distinguishing power in the absence of material association, then your mind and your nature (spirit) is of this character, that they both depend on ex- ternal accidents for their very existence ; — where, then, in this case, is the " Master of the House"? 21.