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A Manual of Budhism, In Its Modern Development, K. Spence Hardy, 1880 - Complete Book

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In like manner, he who seeks nirwana, by smirti distinguishes the four satipattMnas, the four samyak- pradhdnas (the whole series being repeated as before) ; he does i^t which it is proper for him to do, and leaves undone that which it is proper for him to avoid ; he sees that this will be a hindrance to him, and avoids it, and that that will be a help to him, and seeks it. The prime minister of the chakrawartti knows who are on the side of the king, and encourages them. IX. THE ONTOLOGY OF BUDfflSM. 429 "whilst all others are banished from the court ; in like manner, by smirti the good is distinguished from the evil. The teaching of Budha is to the same effect, -who says, ' I declare that by smirti all meanings, or tendencies, are discovered.' " 16. Hiri, shame, that which deters from the performance of -what is improper to be done, through the influence of shame. 17. Ottappa, fear, that which deters from the performance of what is improper to be done, through alarm for its consequences. 18. Aldbha, indi£ference, that which causes him who sees or hears to be as though he heard not, or saw not, like the water that floats upon the surface of the water lily (without in any way afiecting it, or entering its pores). 19. Adwesa, affection, that which bears no enmity, and is free ^m anger, like a faithful friend. 20. Pragnyilwa, wisdom, that which dispels ignorance, rereal- ing what is good and what is not good, like the burning lamp that brings to view the figures that would otherwise be hid by the darkness. Its opposite is awidya, ignorance. The locality of pragnydwa cannot be pointed out. It is like the wind ; it has an existence, bat no one can tell where it is. To have pragnyiLwa is to possess a mind inclined towards the practice of merit, with an understanding of its propei'ties. It is the result of understood meanings; when the meaning of a matter is understood, wisdom is produced. It is difficult to acquire, as well as to explain. It is extensive, multiform, and scattered in various places ; brings fatigue to him who would find it ; and requires perseverance in the search. It is the principal power by which the Budhaship is obtained ; without it, all else is but like a sword put into its scabbard. One of the causes or sources of pragny&wa is the voice ; but dharmma-pragnyilwa is the result of the exercise called widarsana, which is itself produced by the practice of sdmAdhi. Pragny&wa is the body of the five wisudhi, as s^la-wisndhi, drishti-wisudhi, chitta- wisudhi, &c. It is so called, because it is that of which they are composed, their substance, as the body is the support of the different members. The power of the wisudhi is increased or decreased according to the strength of the prag- ny&wa. *'-Pragny&wa," said N^as^na, "is equivalent to light; it dispels the darkness of ignorance ; produces the ashta-widyd, or eight 430 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. kinds of knowledge possessed by the rahats ; declares the fonr great truths ; and perceives that the five khandas are impermanent, associated with sorrow, and unreal. The man who lights a lamp in a hoQse where there is darkness, thereby dispels that darkness and produces light, by which the form of the different articles in it is revealed ; and it is in the same way that wisdom prodnoes the effects that have already been declared. Again, wherever wifidom is produced, in that place m6ha, ignorance or deception, is destroyed ; as when a man takes a lamp into a dark place, the darkness is destroyed, and light is diffused. . " When any one has gny4na, knowledge, he had alsopragnyawa; the one is similar to the other. He who possesses them is ignorant concerning some things ; and concerning others his ignorance has passed away. He is ignorant of the precepts that he has not yet learnt, of the paths in which he has not yet walked, and of the institutes that he has not yet heard ; but ho is not ignorant that all things are impermanent, subject to sorrow, and unreal.*' This question was asked of Nagas6na by the king of Sagal, " Where is pragny^wa ? or, In what place does wisdom appear ?" and this is the substance of the reply that he received. '* When wisdom has effected that for which it has been called into exist- ence, it passes away, or is destroyed; but that which it has revealed still remains ; as when it imparts the knowledge of im- permanency, <fec., this knowledge abides, though the wisdom that produced it has passed away. This may be illustrated by a figure. A respectable man wishes to write a letter in the night beason ; he calls for his secretary, commands a lamp to be lighted, and causes the letter to be written ; after this, the lamp is extin- guished, but the writing remains. In like manner, pragnydwa passes away, but the knowledge that it has imparted, still abides. Again, a village is on fire, to each house five vessels of water are brought and their contents poured upon the flames, by which the fire is extinguished ; after this, there is no further necessity for any water ; the vessels are useless. Now the water vessels are the five indrayas ; the man who throws the water is he who is seeking nirwdna ; the fire is evil desire ; the water is sardhdwa and the other powers that destroy evil desire ; the evil desire, when once destroyed does not again exist ; even so wisdom passes away, but that which it has produced still abides. Again, a medical man takes five kinds of roots, earths, and other drugs, IX. THE ONTOLOGY OF BUDHISM. 431 with which he compounds a medicine ; it is given to the patient for whom it was prepared, and by this means he recovers ; the medicine is then of no farther use, though the recovery is perma- nent ; and it is the same with wisdom." There is a difference between manask&ra and pragny&wa. The former is possessed by sheep, cattle, and camels ; but the latter is not. Again, the property of the former is lihana, combination ; that of the latter is ch6dana, separation or excision. The man who reaps barley takes the stalks in his left hand, and a sickle in his right hand, and thus severs or cuts the stalks ; so the man who seeks nirwdna lays hold of his hita, mind, by mannskilra, and cuts off evil desire by the sickle-resembling pragnydwa. The difference between sannyd, winy&na, and pragnydwa may thus be known. By the first is learnt the difference in the colours of things, but it is insufficient to discover their impermanency. By the second is learnt the difference in the colours of things and their imj>ermanency, bat it is insufficient to discover the paths. By the third may be learnt the whole of these things ; colour, impermanency, and the paths. There is another method by which this difference may be understood. When a heap of gold coin is seen alike by a child, a peasant, and a citizen, the child will perceive the beauty of the colour ; but he does not know what kind of articles it will purchase. The peasant perceiyes the beauty of the colour, and knows that he can purchase with it such and such articles ; but he does not know the name or the value of each particular coin. The citizen, however, .perceives all these things ; he knows each coin by its colour, taste, and sound, and by its weight when held in the hand ; he knows also in what city, province, or kingdom it was struck, or at what rock or forest, or on the bank of what river ; and he knows the name of the artist by whom it was made. Sannyd is like the knowledge of the child, derived from what he saw ; winydna is like that of the peasant, who knows the uses to which the coin may be put but pragnydwa is like the knowledge of the citizen, who under- stands the whole, and understands it well. Thera is a kind of wisdom called chint4-pra|;^ydwa, which is received by intuitive perception, and not from information com- municated by another. It is possessed in an eminent degree by the Bddhisats ; but the wisdom that discovers the four great truths is reoeived only by the Pas^-Budhas and the supreme 432 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. Bndhas in tbeir last birth. With this ezceptioD, all other kinds of wisdom may be gained by any being who will pi*actiBe the paramitas. There are eight causes of the increase of pragnydwa : — age, the company of the wise, investigation, association with the good, reflection, conversation, the friendship of the kind, and the aid of the three gems. 21.