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" Ananda replied : If my heart and nature are thus liable to intermittent action, then it seems to me that the mysterious and efi'ulgent heart of which Tathagata just now spoke, is liable to the same — or at any rate explain to me, I humbly pray, in what manner we may avoid this conclusion. 22. " Buddha addressed Ananda : As to the inward faculty. 316 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST which both you and I possess, of seeing external phaenomena, which power is constant and unchangeable, although this power is not the same as the perfectly constituted heart, of which you last spoke, yet it is as the shadow of the moon in the water, easily mistaken for the reality. You ought, therefore, to listen attentively Avhilst I endeavour to show you how the perfectly en- riched heai't is incapable of any cessation in the exercise of its nature. 23. " Ananda, this great preaching hall, opening out to the full East, when the sun rises and ascends the heavens, is fully en- lightened by his rays ; but in the midnight of the moonless por- tion of the month, when the dark mists envelope the ground, then again all is dark within this chamber. Again, when the windows are ajar you can then look out and behold the space in- cluded within the surrounding walls which bound your view ; and if you proceed to distinguish objects, then there are the various associations of. sight — in the empty void there is the nature of space — the appearance of the dusty bushes reminds you of the dirty dust ; and then again, when the mists clear away, and the pure sky shews out its depth, you are reminded of that which is pure and calm. 24. " Ananda, when you behold these various changeable phasnomena, let me ask you to what source or original cause may you refer them all — tell me what is the particular ground on which each of these phaenomena rests ? Ananda said : All the phenomena which relate to the presence of light may be referred to the sun's disc. If there were no sun, there would be no light. Light is but the effulgence of the sun. I refer this therefore to the sun. Darkness, on the other hand, I refer to the moonless night. Looking through, I refer to the windows ; the impediment in the way of my view, I refer to the stone wall which surrounds the garden ; the various impressions (un) I re- ceive I refer to my power of distinguishing objects- — the emptiness I refer to space — the dusty bushes,^to dust ; and the bright pure sky I refer to the rain stopping. So it is all the phasuomena in the world may be referred to their various connections. 25. " Buddlia replied : Now, then, you regard the observation of these eight distinct phaenomena as the result of the exercise of the active power of the faculty of sight; you should ask yourself v-lio is it refers tlicm to tlicir several liniils. Wliat is it then ? SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 317 If the several references depend on the light around you ; then when there is no light, you ought not to be able to see darkness. But now consider that, although light and darkness differ, your power of sight differs not — what then can be the meaning of distinct references of sight ? But do you say that these individual references are self-generated, and do not depend on you ? Then how can you speak of your distingaish- ing this from that — if you are not concerned — and if not you, then who is it ? Know, then, that your own original and essen- tially bright mind, has become deceived and entangled so that you have lost your original fixity, and become involved in the circle of births and deaths, and thus ever immersed in conse- quent misery ; it is for this reason Tathagata speaks of commi- serating and pitying you. 26. " Ananda said : Although I understand that this original sight-Nature cannot be intermittent in its action, tell me how I am to know that this is my true Nature ? 27. " Buddha addressed Ananda as follows : I ask you, now, at the present moment, although you have not attained complete emancipation (or complete spiritual power), yet exercising the spiritual power you possess, you are able to obtain a sight of the first Dhyani 'Heavens, without hindrance. Aniruddha, on the other hand, is able to see the whole of Jambudwipa as an Amra fruit (mango) in his hand ; whilst the various Bodhisatwas are able to see the Great Chiliocosm ; and the Tathagatas of the ten regions are able to see the infinite dust-like worlds (pure lands, Kshetras) scattered through space, compared with whose power of vision men can but see an inch before them. 28. " Ananda, supposing you and I are looking at the palaces occupied by the four kings ;— on every side we see the sea and land, as we pass through space; — although we but dimly re- cognise, in the distant gloom, the various appearances of objects, yet there is nothing indistinguishable, so that you can clearly separate this from that. Now, I select a particular object for you to look at, and I ask you. What is this power of sight (personal substance),^ and what is it makes these figures of objects which you see ? Ananda, exert your utmost power of 1 Or, what is the (or, who is the) real person that sees, and what is the character of the thing seen. [The whole of this translation is un- satisfactory.] 818 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST sight, let your observation reach to the palaces of the Sun and Moon, these external objects are not your personal substance ; look at the seven golden mounts (that encircle the earth), observe well their whole circuit, although here you see every- thing clearly, still these external objects are not your personal substance ; and now gradually behold the clouds, the birds, the moving: winds and the clouds of dust, the trees and mounts and valleys, the herbs and shrubs, men and beasts, all these are not your personal substance. 29. " Ananda! the nature of all these things which are scattered far and near around you is different, yet the power of sight which you possess, and by which you distinguish these several diifei-ences, remains the same. This power, excellent and bright, is clearly then your sight-nature. 30. " But if the seeing resides in the things, then you by your sight can see my sight ; but if you say that we both see, or that our sight is the same, then, when the things which I see are re- moved from my sight, you ought to see the place of my not- seeing; but if you can really see the place of my not-seeing, this is but a contradiction of terms, for then the phrase not- seeing is applied unjustly to a place that can be seen; but if you cannot see the place where my not-seeing is, then there is a spontaneous annihilation of that which did exist, and why not an annihilation of you yourself. 31. " Once more, if you still suppose that your sight, when you have once beheld an object, is identified with that object, then that object ought to be able to see you, and thus matter and spirit (Nature) are blended ; and so both you and I, and all material substances are one and the same ; but this makes all argument impossible. 32. "Ananda! if, when you see me, this power of sight which you have is your own and not mine [and if, when I see you, my power of sight is mine and not yours], and yet this sight-nature is everywhere diffused, let me ask what is that which you speak of as " not yours." 34. " Ananda addressed Buddha and said : World-honoured one ! if my sight be the same as the sight-nature of Tathagata, everywhere diffused, how is it that now, as I sit in this hall, I see but this alone ? Is it possible that this power can be changeable, sometimes great and sometimes small ? or can SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 310 tlie impediment of a wall confine that which is so vast in its nature? I am unable to explain in what the just solution of this difficulty is found. Would that your compassionate love would exercise itself in explaining this matter on my account, 35. " Buddha replied : The mode of expression which refers all worldly things to some one of the descriptions, of great, small, within, without (square, round), and other modifications, results from the shifting nature of the phasnomenal world, and in no way can it justly be attributed to the contraction or expan- sion of the seeing power. 36. " Just as though you had a square vessel — in this vessel you .