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As to the invocation of the name of Buddha, the more you can call on him the better. But the most important thing is that under the strain of your daily duties you can reach the higher wisdom and the compassionate state of mind, Although you are busy from morning to evening, still you may find a few moments for your spiritual life. Why not take the time used for tea-drinking for this purpose? In this way busy people, weary people, all may get some time. You have not made an effort. Why, then, say it is impossible? When your last hours come you will certainly find that this effort has not been in vain. = “We find in the scriptures [“‘Mi L‘o Ching”) these — words: ‘People who steadfastly keep on with the — invocation of Amitabha’s name will even in this life - secure ten different blessings: ~~ <(1) Through the day and the night you will be under the special protection of the mighty, heavenly guardians, “<(2) The twenty-five great bodhisattvas, Kuan-yin and all the other bodhisattvas, will accompany and keep you in safety. *¢(3) The heart which by night and day dwells in _ Buddha will be illuminated by the splendour of Amitabha’s grace and made secure and steadfast. 7 “. 14 * _ [168} s yy SS VON ry eD> Se ea EACAY Se xf i é y: Fee ¢ NESS Sy ioe | f i Ch She Rtg hia HAKAN AAV COR he (Pe Vie BuDDHA PREACHING aT LING SHAN THE PURE LAND SCHOOL " ice <(4) All the devils from the yeh-ch‘a (#% %) group i is (masculine), or from the lo-ch‘a (# #1) group # (feminine), will not hurt you, neither will 4 poisonous serpents nor dragons harm you. —_ €*(5) You will be kept from the danger of fire, ee water, thieves, knives and arrows, prison, chains, accidents, and untimely death. <(6) All your former sins will be blotted out and the creatures you may have killed will cease to insist on revenge. “*<(7) During the night you will dream good dreams and see Amitabha in all his boundless splen- dour. Your heart will be filled with joy and this joy will make your face shine, invigorate your physical strength and make you prosper- = ous in all your doings. q “Gee will naturally treat all men honourably ir just as you worship Buddha with reverence and in sincerity. . (9) At death, all fear will disappear and you will * move over, straightforward in mind and . thought. a . (10) Then you will see Amitabha and all the holy ones. He will approach you with the golden platform in his hand and bring you to the - *Pure Land’ in the West. There you will ba enjoy unspeakable bliss and happiness through * . everlasting ages.’ ) i Just ag Buddha himself urges people not to tella — E lie, so be sure he himself is not lying when he gives [169] A eT. Ree TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM these promises. People usually do not lie to gain outward profit; they lie to avoid difficulties. Buddha needs nothing; why should he, then, ask men for something? For him birth and death are empty as air; why should he try to escape difficulties ? Consequently he never depends upon lying. If you believe this to be true, it is your duty to urge people to read carefully through the doctrines given here, and to give sincere attention to the four following chapters containing the description of how to cultivate the ‘Pure Land.’ “Saved to save. This is the great thing, containing boundless merit. “Most urgently I implore you, do not place this book untouched on the book-shelf, and do not think these things to be unimportant. If you do that, you certainly underestimate the motives which lie behind this book. If you feel that you have no affinity to Buddha yourself, I implore you to send the book on to other people who may read it, in this way helping in the work of leading the whole creation to the higher understanding, rescuing all the world from the deep waters of perdition. This is my sincere hope.” The four chapters have the following headings: (1) “Exhortation to Worship Buddha with a Sincere Heart”; (2) “Exhortation to Worship Buddha in Spirit and in Truth’’; (3) “ Exhortation to Strive for the New Birth into the ‘Pure Land’”; (4) “ Exhorta- tion to Cultivate the Two Aspects of the ‘Pure Land? (the Direct and the Indirect Side of the Pure Land’).” In closing the Chingt‘u yiian, the confessions of sin, etc. (given earlier in this chapter), are added. [170] CHAPTER VI THE BUDDHIST PANTHEON IN CHINA We have already in the foregoing chapters mentioned a number of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, but in order to obtain a general survey, we shall now give a summary of the best-known figures that appear in the Buddhist pantheon in China. It is only with the rise of Mahayana that there grew up the idea of representing the Buddhas in sculpture or painting, and it was also in Mahayana that the present large and motley collection of gods was developed. This characteristic has always been Ma- hayana’s weakness, since it is polytheism which has in various ways drawn this doctrinal system, otherwise on so high a plane, into the sombre shadows of animism. Originally only the great Buddhas were painted or modelled of wood, clay, iron, bronze, etc., and after- wards, if means allowed, overlaid with gold. The finest sculpture in the East has been developed in this group of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This is true of Buddhism’s homeland, India, as well as of China, Japan, Korea, and Tibet. Through the influence of Greco-Scythian culture, forms quite Grecian were introduced into Mahayana. Therefore, as is well known, the ordinary images of Buddha have many characteristics of the statues of Apollo, but along with these, much of Buddhism’s deepest mysticism is portrayed in the figures. The attentive observer, who [171] TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM has studied the inner life of Buddhism, will certainly trace his way through these characteristic features to a deeper comprehension of the Buddha concept, — the face with its fine lineaments, the half-closed eyes, the firm and yet wonderfully mild lines of the mouth, all speak strongly of harmony and peace of soul, of all- ruling understanding and deep sympathy with those who suffer, Other figures from the various orders of the cycle were added later: guardian spirits, warriors with grim faces, frightful types of the damned who were saved by Buddha’s grace, creatures on whom the Searing marks of sin still showed, clear and living, avenging devil-hangmen, with peculiarly diabolical faces and forms, tortured victims from the gloomy dungeons of the underworld, monsters who in form and appearance are neither animal nor human. The sinister phe- nomena connected with spirit-worship break crudely in upon the higher religious sensibilities, It is for this reason that, when one wanders about in one of the larger, well-equipped temples in China, one experiences such a mixture of emotions, feelings of solemnity mingled with horror and pain. How over- whelming the religious atmosphere can be in a fine temple hall, where the trinity is represented in noble and high art, or in a hall of meditation filled with smoke of fine incense, with its symbols and altars! And at the same time how hideous and distracting, indeed repellent, it is to come out into the hell-section, where the most frightful faces grin at one from among the good and noble figures! [172] THE BUDDHIST PANTHEON IN CHINA A great deal of the grotesque has been imported especially from Tibet. Abstract ideas, like swiftness and attentiveness, are represented by putting many faces, many arms, many legs, and many. eyes on the Buddha statues. Indeed, the idea of reproduction is sometimes portrayed in such a way that one must hang a curtain before the image. In China proper, such statues seldom stand open to the gaze. It is different when one gets up toward Mongolia and Tibet, where Lamaism begins to have power. Thus with Buddhism’s entrance into China, began the “‘ manufacture of gods”’ (tiao hsiang, A #®) and the Chinese developed this art to an altogether extraor- dinarydegree. The first act of consecration of an image takes place while it is being made, when the pupils of the eyes are opened. This is called “opening the light” (k‘ai kuang, bi 36) and is accompanied by an. act of homage to the great spirit who, it is thought, will take up his abode in the statue. Occasionally it is done in a more drastic way, by putting a snake or some other reptile into the figure through an opening in the back, or by smearing the blood of a cock on the breast of the statue. This, however, takes place only in the case of the lesser local gods and the Taoist gods, who, according to the Buddhist custom, have been chosen from among the people. The great images of the Fu or p‘u-sa would never be treated in this way, but a heart or a gall-bladder of silver or gold or some mixture prepared of bitter herbs may be poured into the opening. [173] TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM One will understand from this that the Asiatics, just like occidentals, look upon the images principally as visible symbols of invisible spiritual power. On the other hand, it happens among them, as so often elsewhere in the world, that the image, little by little, becomes identified with the spiritual power in question. This transition takes place the more easily in the East, since, as has been mentioned, the spirit of the god in question is thought to have been drawn into the image by a special religious ceremony. It would, however, be a great injustice to the enlightened and spiritual Buddhists to say that they believe the image is the god.