English
“Travelling westward from China for three years, covering a distance of ninety-seven thousand li, one arrives at the western border of the ‘Land of the Western Tribes’ (4 5€ 3#). From that land has been handed_down an account of a virgin named Maria, who, during the time of the right (first) Han in the year ‘Hsin Yu yiian shih yiian nien’ (3: & 3t #4 5t 4p), reverently received the following message from the Heavenly Spirit (XK i), Chia-pei-o-érh (% { Bai #), ‘God _ (KK +) has in a special way selected thee to become a mother.’ She instantly conceived and later gave birth to a child which she most reverently and [56] INNER DEVELOPMENT joyfully wrapped in ordinary clothes and placed in a manger. All the heavenly spirits (angels) filled the air with music. After forty days the mother brought the child with her up to the holy master, Pa-té-lei. (#8 48 Nth), who gave him the name Jesus (3K ff). When twelve years old he followed his mother up to the holy temple. When returning, they were separated, and the mother suffered pain and sorrow in her heart for three days and three nights. After that time she went back to the temple, and there she found Jesus sitting in one of the upper seats discussing God’s work and plans with old, wise and venerable masters. When he saw his mother, he became very happy. He followed her back to their home, and fulfilled his filial duties, honouring and serving her. ¢ When thirty years old, he left his mother and his master, and travelled around in Judea (4 fi HB), preaching religion and purifying the people (M# & w& A). He also performed numerous miracles. “Tn the meantime, many of the higher families and some of the leading men, led by their evil and proud hearts, began to envy and hate him because they saw the heart of the people turning to him. Consequently they began to think out a way by which they could put him to death. Among the twelve disciples_of Jesus there was a man named J udas (#1 2 #), already for a long time given over to covetousness. He cleverly apprehended the trend of thinking then prevailing in his native country. In order to attain an insignificant gain, he led a crowd of men at midnight, who took hold of Jesus, bound him with [57] TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM ropes, and brought him to the courts of Caiaphas (8 #4 39 42) and Pilate (1b #] 4%). There they stripped him, fixed him to the stone pillars, and flogged him, giving him more than five thousand lashes, so that his whole body was scourged. During this whole proceed- ing he was quiet, not uttering a single word in self- defence—just like a lamb. The evil crowd took thorn-bushes, and made a crown of thorns which was pressed down round his temples. They also threw a scarlet robe over his body, and kneeling down and feigning reverence adored him as a, king. Then they made a huge cross which he was compelled to carry. Pressed under this heavy burden, he fainted on the way most pitiably. His hands and feet were fixed to the cross with nails. When thirsting they gave him gall to drink. As he passed away the heavens darkened, the earth trembled, and stones tumbled down one against the other. At that time he was thirty- three years old. On the third day after his death he rose from the dead, and his body appeared in radiant splendour. He showed himself first to the mother, whose grief in this way was assuaged. After forty days he decided to ascend to heaven. At that time he stood face to face with his disciples, numbering one hundred and twenty men, giving them the command to scatter through the world and complete the work of preaching. According to this, whosoever received holy baptism was cleansed from gin and could enter his church. Having laid down these principles, a host of saints from the old times gathered round him and. escorted him up to the heavenly kingdom. [58] INNER DEVELOPMENT “After ten days the heavenly spirits (angels) descended to earth and received the mother. They brought her with them up to heaven, where she was placed over the ninth ‘p‘in’ (f j$ Ju im Z £) (the supreme rank according to the ‘Pure Land’ doctrine. It is shown in the picture of the opening of the lotus. The ninth ‘p‘in’ shows us a person sitting on a purple- gold terrace, like a great lotus which has opened during one night. After seven days such a person attains to that supreme wisdom which can never again be lost). In this way she was made the Heavenly Mother Empress who rules the whole world. She especially defends the disciples, so that they may go into all the world in their great mission of proclaiming the doctrine.” The account given above is found in the great Taoist-Buddhist work “Shén-hsien Kang-chien”’ (ji {il #4 9), as well known among the Buddhists as among ‘Taoists. The work as we have it in this institute is composed of twenty-two volumes, the eighteenth volume being bound as two separate books. There is also a special volume attached giving the pictures of the most important saints and deities. Here interesting pictures of Maria, and Jesus blessing a young worshipper, are found. The scope of the book is very broad, aiming at a some- what full presentation of the saints and gods known to the Chinese and included_in_ the Taoist and Buddhist pantheon as worthy of worship. [59] TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM The text translated above occurs in the ninth volume.’ It is followed by a very interesting account of Mohammedanism. It is clearly stated in the preface that the Taoist monk, Hsii Yu-ch‘i (¢ # #4) or Hsii-tao (# 34), is the real author. He lived on Pao Shan (@ i), at the present time known as Fu-yu Shan in Kiangsi province. There he stayed in the temple Ling Wu Fu Leo, A man, probably belonging to the Moslem community, helped MHsii-tao complete the work, which took three years to finish, The name of the helper is given as Li Li (4 mf), and he is said to come from Junan (% Mi). He is styled a man of Ch‘ing-chén (## 48), which probably indicates some connection with Mohammedanism. Hesii-tao kept the manuscript secret for a time, but later, when his nephew, Chang Chi-tsung (#8 @ #), was appointed chief priest of Lung-hu Shan (## J& |i), in Kiangsi, the stronghold of Taoism, the manuscript was published at that place, and is now found in many Taoist libraries. A learned hermit by the name of Huang Chang-lun (3% 2f 4) assisted Hsii-tao with the publica- tion, and two of the best-known Buddhist monks of that time, Ping-hsiieh (Uk 3) and Hsin-ming (.% Ba), wrote brilliant prefaces to the book. The date of the publication of the book is given as “Kang Hsi Kéng Ch‘én Ch‘ang-chih Jih” (HE BB BS f& Je # A), that is to say, in the thirty-ninth year of K‘ang Hsi’s reign, corresponding to the year A.D. 1701. 1Vol. IX, pp. 26-28, [60] INNER DEVELOPMENT The traditions and written or printed materials on which tho various descriptions of the saints and deities are based must, of course, be of a far earlier date. Especially does this seem to be the case with the tradi- tions in connection with the story of Jesus and Mary. The whole chapter, which contains many other legends, has as its heading, ‘“‘'The Virgin Maria Gives Birth to Jesus,’ and is stamped with the perfect heavenly trigram (# 3). The importance of this chapter is consequently obvious. The author introduces the record of Jesus in con- nection with the mighty men taking part in the strifes and struggles under the Emperor Kuang Wu Ti (4.D. 25-58) in this way: ‘‘During the winter-time the western tribes rushed in, but Ma Yiian (}§ #%) (one of the great generals of Kuang Wu Ti) dispersed them and drove them away. People from those western coun- tries give the following account.” Here follows the text given above. The author therefore manifestly means that the story about the wonderful birth and life of Jesus was brought to China by those invading western tribes in the first century after Christ. A glimpse at the text given above will soon tell us that certain influences from Buddhism can also be traced. As was to be expected, the style and wording of the record correspond to the Roman Catholic mode of thought and expressions in vogue during the time of K‘ang Hsi (T‘ien-chu, % +, is used for God; Tien-shén, K jw, for angels, etc.); but this does not contradict the assumption that we really have here an old Christian tradition. [61] TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM As will be seen, the text gives a fairly accurate and very touching presentation of the life and death of our Saviour. It is, however, significant that any reference to Joseph is completely omitted. A new, strange personality, Pa-té-lei, takes his place as the master. The characters for Pa-té-lei are most probably a transliteration of the Latin word pater. Of great interest is the closing part, dealing with the ascension of the holy mother. The text here is very clear, so that there is no doubt as to Maria a taking the high place of the Buddhist _ Madonna, Ki Kuan-yin, sitting on the purple-gold lotus lotus, and from the heavenly places reigning over the world with boundless wisdom and mercy. Whoever has studied the scriptures of the “‘Pure Land” School (Chingt‘u) will at once apprehend what it means that Maria ‘“‘was placed over the ninth pin” (3¢ #8 AU im 2 ). After the discovery of this document, the assumption that the Buddhist. Kuan- Naat Fan Se seca Sen yin idea was essentially influenced bythe Roman _ Catholic thought of the merciful Madonna i is very much strengthened, [62] CHAPTER III “THE JOURNEY TO THE WEST” Among the many literary treasures of China of special interest to us, is the book “Hsi Yu Chi” (04 34 #2) (‘An Account of the Journey to the West”’), dating from the late Middle Ages.