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, must be equally distri-* buted, but not be given to an individual only ; thus church property should be guarded by them more carefully than their own possessions. If there be several contributions, the church should give away in charity "the greater and keep the smaller. This is in accordance with the noble teaching of the Buddha, for he expressly said: ‘If you use things properly, there will not be any fault found in you. You will be able to maintain yourselves sufficiently, and be free from the trouble and cost of arduously seeking a /velihood. It is unseemly for a monastery to have great wealth, granaries full of rotten corn, many servants, male and female, money and treasures hoarded in the treasury, without using any of these things, while all the “ members are suffering from poverty. The wise should always act according to the proper judgement of what is right or wrong. There are some monasteries which do not supply food for the resi- dents, but divide everything among them, and make them provide their THE BURNING OF THE BODY IS UNLAWFUL. 195 own food, and such monasteries do not admit a stranger to reside there. Thus those who come from any quarter are induced by these monas- teries themselves to lead an unlawful life (or, ‘the authorities of such a house would be responsible for the unlawful manner of life of all the priests coming in contact with them *). Evil retribution would inevitably overtake those who cause such an unlawful practice, and no one but they themselves would suffer future consequences. CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE BURNING OF THE BODY IS UNLAWFUL. ’ For the Buddhist mendicants there is but one method of study to pursue, Those who are but beginners in the study are intent on becom- ing .brave and bright, while ignorant of their Sacred Books, They follow in the steps of those who considered the burning of fingers as a devout deed, and the destroying of their body by fire as a blessed action. They follow their own inclination, thinking in their heart such actions to be right. True, there are some references to such deeds in the Sdtras, but they are meant for laymen, for it is right for them to offer, not only any treasures in their Possession, but even their own life, when needed. Therefore it is often said in the Sdtra: ‘If a person incline his heart to the Law,’ &c., and thus it does not refer to the mendicants themselves. Why? The homeless mendicants should strictly confine themselves to the rules of the Vinaya. If they are not guilty of transgressing them, they are acting in conformity with the Stra. If there be any transgression of the precepts, their obedience is at fault. As priests, they should not even destroy one stalk of grass, though the temple be covered with it. They should not steal even a grain of tice, though they be starving in a lonely field. But it is right for a lay- man, such as he who is known by the name of ‘ Lovely-to-see-for-All- * Beings ', to offer food by roasting his own arm. The Bodhisattva * In Sanskrit, Sarvasattvapriyadarsana, who is constantly addressed as ‘young man of good family” The story of burning his body, &c., is told in Saddharma- pudartka XXII, in which Prof. Kern Tecognises a Buddhist version of the myth of the phoenix, see S. B. E., vol. xxi, p. 378 seq. Cc2 196 A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. XXXVIIILL gave away his male and female offspring*, but a mendicant need not look for a male and female in order to give away. The Mahé- sattva offered his own eyes and body*, but a Bhikshu need not do so. Hsien Yi (Azshi-nandita ?)! surrendered his life, but this is not a precedent to be followed by a Vinaya student. King Maitribala sacrificed himself, but the mendicant ought not to follow his example. I hear of late that the youths (of China or India, probably the former) bravely devoting themselves to the practice of the Law, consider the burning of the body a means of attaining Buddhahood, and abandon their lives one after another. This should not be. Why? It is difficult to obtain the state of human life after a long period of transmigration. Though born in a human form a thousand times, one may yet not have wisdom, nor hear the seven Bodhyatigas*, nor meet the Three Honourable Ones (Ratnatraya). Now we are lodged in an excellent place, and have embraced an admirable teaching. It is but vain to give up our insignificant body. after having studied but a few slokas of the Stra. How can we think much of such a worthless offer, so soon after we have begun to meditate on ‘ impermanence?’ We ought strictly to observe the precepts, requiting the four kinds of benefits * conferred upon us, and engage ourselves in meditation in order to save the three classes of beings*. We must feel how great a danger lies even in a small fault, just as if one were holding an air-tight bag (in) swimming across a bottomless sea. We must be strictly on our guard while practising to gain wisdom, just as in putting the spurs into a running horse on thin ice. : Thus conducting ourselves and helped by good friends, our mind will be stable till the last moment of our life. With resolutions rightly formed, we should look forward to meeting the coming Buddha Maitreya. If _ ) According to Kasyapa this was an epithet of Maitribala, whose Gataka is found in the GatakamAla (8th). See Kern’s edition, p. 41. 2 See Childers, s. v. Bogghango. 8 The benefits conferred by the Buddha (r), king (2), parents (3), and bene- factors (4). * The world of passion (Kamaloka) ; that of form (Rfipaloka); that without form (Arfipaloka), i.e. Tribhava. THE BYSTANDERS BECOME < GUILTY. 197 we wish to gain the ‘lesser fruition’ (of the Hibayana), we may proceed | to pursue it through the eight grades of sanctification!. But if we learn to follow the course of the ‘ greater fruition ’ (of the Mahayana), we must try to accomplish our work through the three Asankhya Kalpas. I have never heard any reason why we should rashly give up our life. The guilt of suicide is next to the breach of the prohibitions in the first class*. If we carefully examine the Vinaya texts, we never sce any passage allowing suicide. We learn from the Buddha’s own words the important method of controlling our sensations. What use is it to burn our body in destroying our passions? The Buddha did not allow even castration, but on the other hand he himself encouraged the releasing of fishes in a pond. The Buddha’s word forbids us to transgress a weighty precept and follow our own will. We are disregarding his noble teaching if we take refuge in such a practice as burning our bodies. But we are not discussing concerning those who wish to follow the practice of a Bodhisattva without receiving the Vinaya rules at all, and to sacrifice themselves for the good of others, CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BYSTANDERS’ BECOME GUILTY. AN action such as burning the body is regarded usually as the mode of showing inward sincerity. Two or three intimate friends combine and make an agreement among themselves to instigate the young students to destroy their lives. Those who first perish in this way are guilty of the Sthdla-offence%, and those who later follow their example are liable to the Paragika-offence‘, for they wish to obtain a reward whilst disobeying the law (prohibiting suicide), and firmly adhere to their ill-formed resolution, seeking death by transgressing the precepts. Such men have never studied the Buddha’s doctrine. If fellow-students en- courage this practice they incur the guilt (that cannot be atoned for), ” See Childers, Ariyapuggalo. ” ® The first are the Paragika-offences, see Childers, s. v. ®* The grave offences, see Childers, s. v. Thilo; p. 187 above. 4 The first and worst group of offences, see Childers. s. v. 198 A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. XL, just as when the eye of a needle is knocked off (it can never be restored). Those who say to one : ‘Oh, why do you not throw yourself into the fire ?’ commit the sin (which cannot be undone), just as a broken stone cannot be united. One has to be careful of thisspoint. The proverb says: ‘It is better to requite the favours of others than to destroy one’s own life, and it is better to build up character than to defame one’s name,’ It was the Bodhisattva’s work of salvation to offer his body to a hungry tiger’. It is not seemly for a Sramava to cut the flesh from his body in order to give it away instead of a living pigeon}. It is not in our power to imitate a Bodhisattva. I have roughly stated what is right or wrong according to the Tripisaka. The wise should be fully aware of what is the proper practice to follow. In the River Ganges many men drown themselves every day. On the hill of BuddhagayA too there are not unfrequently cases of suicide. Some starve themselves and eat nothing. Others ein up trees and throw themselves down. The World-honoured One judged these misled men to be heretics. Some intentionally destroy their manhood and become eunuchs. These actions are entirely out of harmony with the Vinaya Canon. Even those who consider such practices to be wrong are afraid of sinning if they prevent such actions. But if one destroy life in such a way, the great object of one’s existence is lost. That is why the Buddha prohibited it. The superior priests and wise teachers never acted in any such harmful way as the above-mentioned. I will now state in the following chapter the traditions handed down by the virtuous men of old. CHAPTER XL. SUCH ACTIONS WERE NOT PRACTISED BY THE VIRTUOUS OF OLD. Now as to my teachers, my Upddhydya (i-e. teacher in reading) was the venerable Shan-yii? (a Chinese priest), and my Karma#arya (i.e. teacher in discipline) was Hui-hsi*, Master of Dhyana (i.e. medi- tation). After the seventh - anes of my age I had the opportunity of + See notes at the end.