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For this purpose he lies down upon a couch, and resolves upon being bom in this world ; when his death takes place, and he receives birth in the place and manner upon which he had previously resolved. This kind of death is called adhimukti; and the power is possessed by none but those who are to become supreme Budhas. 106 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. There are some Bddhisats who practise the p&ramitas during four, and others during eight, or sixteen, asankya-kap-lakshas. There are some who excel in purity, and in them wisdom is less evident ; others who excel in wisdom, and in them purity is less eyident ; and others who excel in determined courage, and in them purity and wisdom are less apparent. The three kinds of Bddhisats are distinguished by the names of ugghatitagnya, or ''he who attains quickly;" wipachitagnya, or ''he who attains less quickly : and gneyya, or " he who attains least quickly." The B<5dhisats who belong to the first division may attain rahat- ship on hearing four stanzas from a supreme Budha, and repeat- ing them; and on the same day they might enter nirwina. Those of the second class must hear four stanzas from a supreme Bndha, and ask their meaning, before they can have the power to attain rahatship ; but on the same day they might enter nirw4na. Those of the third class must hear four stanzas and hear them explained at length, before they can have the power to attain the rahatship ; but on the same day they might enter nirw&na. If there be any Bddhisat, any being looking forward to the reception of the supreme Budhaship, he must make no use of his power to become a rahat, but must continue to exercise the piramitds, that he may impart unto others the happiness of nirwdna. After the assurance of the Budhaship has been re- ceived, were the B6dhisat to give the most valuable alms every day during many ages to hasten its reception, no efPect of this kind would be produced. For this reason. When there is rice that is accustomed to ripen in three, four, or five months, no labour of the husbandman can accelerate the period of the harvest, however often he may water it, or whatever pains he may take ; in like manner, the time for receiving the Budhaship cannot be hastened, whatever alms might be given for the purpose. There are eight qualifications that must be possessed by the being who receives the assurance of becoming a Budha. 1. He must be a man, and not a d6wa. It is therefore requisite that the Bddhisat continually keep the ten precepts, that he may have the merit to be bom as a man. 2. He must be a male, and not a female ; and therefore the Bddhisat must avoid all sins that would cause him to be bom as a woman. 3. He must have the merit that would enable him to becbme a rahat ; all evil desire V. G<5tAMA BdDHISAT: HIS VIRTUES, ETC. 107 must be destroyed. 4. There must be the opportnnitj of ofPering^ to a supreme Budha, in whom also firm faith must be exercised. 5. There must be the abandonment of the world, and the Bddhisat mnst become an ascetic. 6. He must possess the virtue derived from the practice of dhydna and other similar exercises, nor can the assurance be received by one that is un- just or wicked. 7. He must firmly believe that the Budha with whom he communicates is free from sorrow, and that he himself will possess the same power; and he must enquire at what period he will receive the Badhaship. 8. He must exercise a firm determination to become a Budha ; and were he even told that in order to obtain its exalted rank he must endure the pains of hell during four asankya-kap-lakshas, he mnst be willing to suffer all this for its sake. In the time of Dipankara Budha, 06tama Bddhisat might have attained nirwdna, but that he might save countless beings from the woes of repeated birth, he voluntarily chose to continue in existence during the period that would elapse before he could become a Budha, the design he had formed being constantly kept in view, until the whole of the pdramitas were fulfilled. There is nothing in all existence to which the p^ramitas that he accomplished can be compared. When any of these four things are taken, the earth, the ocean, the stars, or M6ru, it is like saying that the king of the garundas is larger than a snipe ; now the king is 150 yojanas in height. There are some persons who, on hearing of the afflictions of the B<5dhisat, might suppose that his sufferings are excessive ; but in reality his enjoyment preponderates. Were a kalpa to be divided into eight parts, to other beings there is enjoyment in seven parts, and in one part suffering ; but to the Bddhisat therjB is enjoyment throughout the whole of the eight parts. The attainment of the Budhaship is like the ascent of a man to the top of a tree, in order that he may gather of its fruit ; the choice of the fruit is before him, and he can take that which is ripest and best. There are thirteen advantages that the B6dhisat enjoys : 1. He is never bom in any of the eight great hells ; all other beings receive this birth, but the Bddhisats never. 2. He is never born in the Ldkantarika hell. 3. He is never bom in the Nijhama- tanh£ preta world. 4. He never receives the Khuppipdsa pr^ta 108 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. birth, though all other beings endure it. 6. He never receives the Kdlahanjanaka pr^ta birth, though all other beings are subject to it. 6. He is never bom as any kind of vermin ; he is never a louse, bug, ant, or worm ; all other beings receive these births, but the Bddhisat is never bom less than a snipe ; nor is he ever bom as a serpent or as any other animal of a similar species. 7. He is never bom blind, dumb, deaf, a cripple, or leprous. 8. He is never born as a female. . 9. He is never bom as one of doubtful sex. 10. He never commits any of the five great sins. 11. He is never bom in an ardpa world, as in those states there is no acquisition of merit. 12. There are other states of existence in which he is not bom, as the prince never defiles his caste by entering the dwelliugs of common men. 13. He is never a sceptic. These advantages are enjoyed by the B6dhisats from the time that they resolve upon the exercise of the pdramit^s. Though the giving of their heads and of their children are in themselves sacrifices most painful, the pain is overpowered by the joy which, is felt when looking forward to the greatness of the reward. From the time when Gdtama Bodhisat received the assurance that he would become a Budha, throughout the whole of his various births, his mind was ever inclined towards merit and averse to demerit. When thoughts of demerit arose, his mind was agitated, like a feather thrown into the fire ; but towards merit his mind was enlarged, like a broad canopy of cloth or like pure sesamum oil spread out on the surface of a placid lake. He was never indolent or fearful, but at all times exercised the most determined resolution; no other being, whether it be Maha Brahma, Vishnu, Iswara, or any other d6wa, had the power to exhibit an equal courage. We will record an instance. At a certain time Gdtama B6dhisat was bom as a squirrel,* on account of some demerit of a former age. In the forest he was attentive to his young ones, providing for them all that was necessary ; but a fearful storm arose, and the rivers overflowed their banks, so that the tree in which he had built * It ie said (Joiim. Bengal As. Soc. 1835), that in the island of Ramhree, near the coast of Arrakan, there are the remains of Budhist temples, in which are relics of GtStama, such as the hair, feathers, bones, &c., of the several creatures whose form he assumed preyious to his becoming a man ; bat according to the Singhalese authors these relics must have perished many hundred of thoasands of years ago. V. GCiTAMA BCJDHISAT: HIS VIRTUES, ETC. 109 his nest was thrown down by the cnrrent, and the little ones were carried along with it far oat to sea. But Bddhisat deter- mined that he wonld release them; and for this pnrpose he dipped his tail in the waves, and sprinkling the water on the land, he thought in this manner to dry np the ocean.* After he had persevered seven days, he was noticed by Sekra, who came to him and asked what he was doing. On being told, he said, '* Good squirrel ! you are only, an ignorant animal, and there- fore yon have commenced this undertaking ; the sea is 84,000 yojanas in depth ; how then can you dry it up ?