English
, how these appearances, and this sight-power, existing in the original state of things, could do so without clashing or opposition. 50. " Buddha addressed Manjusri and all the congregation : The Tatbfigatas of the ten regions, and all the great Bodhisatwas, dwelling in their own self-contained state of Samadhi, to them sight and the associations of sight and all the attributes of thought are but as an empty flower of space (aurora), in their real character being unsubstantial ; so then, sight and its associa- tions being thus unreal when considered in connection with the excellent and glorious and pure state of True Knowledge (Bodhi), how can you refer to that condition the question of there being SCEIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 323 such things as seeing and not-seeing, or there not being such things. 51. " Manjusri ! I now ask you, are you really Manjusri, or is there, in addition to this one, another Manjusri, or is this Manjusri whom I see before me the only Manjusri ? " Just so ! world-honoui'ed one ! I am the true Masjusri, there is no other but me ! for why ? if there was another, then, as I am certain that I am myself, there cannot be room in the conscious- ness of this truth for any question of ' is there,' or ' is there not,' another. 52. " Buddha said : So do all the false appearances of the world (space), and this very excellent power of sight itself appear in the mind of the excellently bright and insurpassable glorious Bodhi; 'seeing' and 'not seeing' are confused terms ('.£!, terms of no meaning in the supreme consciotisness), and all the asso- ciations of seeing and hearing, just as the second moon which appears in the water ; what is the moon ? and again, what is the absence of this moon ? Manjusri ! there is but one moon, and (in its supposed consciousness) there can be no question of whether this one is itself, or whether there be another self. 53. " Wherefore, when you consider these various phoenomenal appearances and the sight itself, you should consider them only as names which give rise to empty speculations; and from such elements you can never arrive at any firm conclusion of 'being' or 'not being.' It is only from this true essence, which I call the ' glorious nature of mysterious wisdom,' that we can ever safely conclude as to any explanations of truth or falsehood. 54. " Ananda addressed Buddha saying : World-honoured one ! as I consider what you, our Supreme Lawgiver, say, that the associations (operations) of supreme wisdom are not confined to any spot ; but that they are deep and ever fixed and self-contained, that the true nature is incapable of birth or death, it appears to me that this agrees generally with the discursive and incon- clusive speculations of the old Brahmachari Savakara, and also inclines to the opinions of the Nirgranthas and other heretics, who say ' that there is a true personal I diffused throughout the whole universe.'^ I pray you how does your opinion differ from theirs ? ' Vide supra, p. 175. y2 324 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST 55. " World-honoured one ! Moreover, in the assembly at Lankagiri, where, on the ground of your great compassion, yon also exhibited your doctrine ;^ those heretics there always repeated their opinion about spontaneous phasnomena, in contradistinction to your theory of connected causes ; but now it seems to me that this nature of which yon speak, universally diffused, must exist spontaneously, as it neither suffers life nor death ; for the removal of all the nnreal and deceptive associations of sense, neces- sitates a contradiction to the theory of connected causes, and makes us revert to the 'spontaneous' theory of these heretics, — pray explain this to me, lest I should fall into a false way of thinking, and so that T may hold intact the truth of a real and essential mind, and an excellent and ever-glorious nature. 56. "Buddha said: Ananda ! notwithstanding the clear manner in which I have exhibited my doctrine, asking you plainly and clearly for your opinions, I yet perceive that you understand nothing, and so you are misled about this question of spon- taneous existence. Ananda ! if you must needs lay hold of this opinion about self-caused or spontaneous existence, then the 'self ought to be clearly discerned, the substance and basis of this self-caused and self supporting existence. 57. " Suppose, then, in the exercise of this mysterious and ex- cellently glorious vision, you are observing things around you, tell me in what does the 'self of this power consist — is it due to the bright light of the sun ? or is it attributable to the presence of darkness ? is it the existence .of space which constitutes the ground-work of this 'self? or is it the presence of obstacles that constitutes this self? Ananda! if the bright presence of light is the groundwork, then, as this presence is the substantial basis of vision, what can be the meaning of seeing 'darkness.' If space is the basis of this ' self-caused' power, then, how can there be such a thing as an interruption of sight by any obstacle ; or, if any of the various accidents of darkness be considered 'as the substantial basis of the ' self,' then, in the daylight the power of seeing light ought to disappear — what, then, is the meaning of the expression ' seeing light.' 58. " Ananda said : Of necessity I allow that this mysterious ' This seems to refer to the subjects of discussion found in the Laukavatura Sutra. SCRIPTURES FROM THE CHINESE. 325 (bright) power of sight, its nature being opposed to that which is 'self-acting' or 'self-caused,' must depend on connected causes for its origin, but I would further inquire of Tathagata how the doctrine which he has enunciated to-day, can agree with this theory of connection of cause and effect. 69. " Buddha said : You now speak of ' cause and effect,' let me ask you — Is the cause of your seeing (of which sight is the effect) in the light or darkness, or is it because of space, or of obstacles in space ? Ananda ! if this seeing nature depend for its existence (as an efi'ect) on the light (as a cause), then, when it thus exists, it cannot be able to appi'eciate darkness (for then it would cease to be), and so on for the rest. 60. " You should be satisfied, therefore, that this subtle power of sight, essentially glorious, depends not for its existence, either on cause or connection, it is not what is termed self-caused, nor yet the opposite of this. In its origin it admits not of negation or the absence of negation ; it agrees not with positive assertion or the absence of it ; it is independent of all conditions and also of all phcenomena (laws). 61. " jSTow then, perhaps, 3'ou will say how can we apprehend or lay hold of this heart (self) which exists in the midst of all these phsenomena, especially in considei^ation of the infinite number of foolish theories which men have started about conditions of being and divisions of terms ; you might as well, Avith the palm of the hand moving through space in a thousand fantastic ways, expect the space to lay hold of your hand (or to lay hold of space). 62. " Ananda addressed Buddha, saying : World-honoured one ! if it is necessary to disconnect this sight-nature from all causes or concatenations, tell me what it is you mean by saying that the sight-natui^e is influenced by or dependent on four associations, viz., by space, light, mind, and the eye.^ What is this theory? Buddha said: Ananda! this doctrine of mine con- cerning the conditional connections of things is not my highest flio^ht of doctrine. 63. " Ananda ! I again ask you — Men say ' I am able to see. ' What is this thing they call seeing ? and what is ' not see- ing '? Ananda said : Men, by means of sun or moon or lamp- light, behold every kind of phjenomenon ; they say then ' I see ;' in the absence of these they say ' I see not.' ' Vide supia, p. 178. 326 A CATENA OF BUDDHIST 64. " Ananda ! if, in the absence of tbese three kinds of light, thei'e is no ' seeing,' then a man certainly ought not to see the dark ; if he is obliged to see the darkness, this darkness being only the absence of light, how can you say he does not see in the dark ? Ananda !