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Think of where you have come from ; what you were before you were born into the world as aman, Think until you see your original face (pen- lai-ti mien-mu, # 26 85 fi 8). Then think of what you may attain to if all the illusions of the world, all the worldly and carnal desires, are annihilated. (Here drastic directions are given of how to see through the emptiness and ugliness of everything connected with the body and the senses.) Think of being delivered from all this! Think what it means to get behind all feelings of pleasure and displeasure, to be raised above the vicissitudes of life, to see clearly, to see ‘‘emptily,” and face the future as one who has already conquered it. At this stage one may begin thinking of Buddha, not the historical Buddha, but the Buddha idea. And from this elevation he is seen in a new light: Buddha is not a distant personality, he is myself in my final redemption, which I now perceive from the midst of the white mist in which I am sitting. The few elect who attain to this feel as if their seats have been changed into a flowery bed of the most brilliant and fragrant lotus. Personally, I have met such persons. They long for the hour of meditation, and even continue their meditation in their own chambers until late at night. [281]. TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM From this it will be understood why the Buddhists call meditating “tso kung-fu”? (f& I %), or “yung- kung” (Jj 3); namely, work. They often measure the spiritual worth and character of a monk by the extent to which he finds his enjoyment in meditation. We have said before that there are many of the T“ien- t‘ai School who are not very enthusiastic over this intense meditation. This attitude is shared, to a large extent, by Buddhists of the “Pure Land.” They say this kind of meditation forces the whole question of salvation back to the Hinayana stage, and only a small minority attain their goal, while the rest become ~ machines—or lunatics.!. It is much better, they say, to read the’ great inspiring scriptures (T‘ien-t‘ai), or surrender oneself in prayer and faith to the great father’s name, Amitabha (the “‘Pure Land’’). The latter is the road open to all, learned and unlearned — and to the majority it is the only road. Many of the leading men of the “‘ Pure Land” say: *“*We men are so permeated by sin, and our reason is so obscured, that it is impossible for us to attain salvation either by reading or meditation. There is only one universal road left, that of faith and surrender.” Just because there are these many ways of salvation (fa-mén, #4: FY), an acute and wide-spread tension is felt among the Buddhists of the East. During recent years particularly it is said: “All these roads are 1From this one can understand why the relationship between the Legalistic School (Lii-tsung, # 2) and the Meditation School (Ch‘an Tsung, ith Se) is so good. They both rely to some extent on what is the original idea in Buddhism — Sakyamuni’s way of salvation. [282] MONASTIC LIFE probably necessary, because we human beings are so different and by the special grace of Amitabha they have been united in one great religion: Mahayana, the ship of salvation for all living beings.” [283] CHAPTER IX PILGRIMAGES Pilgrimages play an important part in oriental Buddhism, not least in China. Indeed, it can be said that this practice first reached to the heights which it now has attained, through the influence of Buddhism. Certain mountains in China were, indeed, looked upon as especially holy, even in the most ancient times. Notable amongst these are the five famous old sacred places (wu-yii, Fz #): (1) T‘ai Shan (# 11), in Shantung province; (2) Hua Shan (3# il!), in Shensi; (3) Héng Shan (/% tl), in Shansi; (4) Nan-yii Shan (4 #& jl), or Héng Shan (4 jl), in Hunan; and (5) Sung Shan (¥ 1), in Honan. The Buddhist monks were fortunate enough to secure a foothold in several of these places, and although they were not the sole proprietors every- where, but had to share with the Taoist priests, it was they who drew up the rules for worship and gave the framework for those special festivals which later have worked so like a charm upon the religious masses of the East. The Taoists felt that if they were going to hold on to any part of the field, they must to some extent pattern their arrangements after those the Buddhists had adopted. Besides the above-named mountains, the Buddhists very soon succeeded in creating certain great new centres for pilgrimages. Wonderful legends of great Buddhas and bodhisattvas began to circulate. It was [284] . PILGRIMAGES told that this one had settled down here, that one there. Powerful rays of light had manifested them- selves, great miracles had taken place on this or that mountain. ‘The religious spirit was greatly stirred and thousands determined to have a part in building monasteries and temples in honour of these Buddhas. There is scarcely a monastery that has not some such miraculous account to point back to. The number grew with the centuries, and larger and larger became the guest halls where pilgrims could be received. Certain mountain ranges were, so to speak, overcrowded with temples and monasteries, as, for example, Lii Shan (4 i) in Kiangsi and Tien-t‘ai Shan (K @ il) in Chekiang. The Taiping rebellion laid waste a great many of these, but even now the many heaps of ruins witness to this golden age of Buddhism. There were, in particular, four mountains which, in a special sense, became sacred places of Buddhism, for on these mountains the greatest bodhisattvas had revealed themselves. Volumes might be written about each of these places. We must here confine ourselves to giving a very brief description of each. The names of these mountains, as has already been mentioned, are: (1) P‘ut‘o Shan (# fe jl), an island on the coast near Ningpo (Chou-shan, jit jl) archi- pelago; (2) Chiu-hua Shan (Ju 3 1), in Anhwei province; (3) Wu-t‘ai Shan (#% & jl) in Shansi province, and (4) O-mei Shan (i Wi 11), in Szechwan province. As might be expected, one will see in these places some of Buddhism’s most impressive manifestations, so far as material structure is concerned. There are [285] os ne ee ie a TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM colossal temple halls, provided with a magnificent equipment for worship to attract the pilgrims. There are whole towns which have sprung up round the sanctuary, and are entirely supported by the sale of objects needed in the worship. There are inns and guest halls, restaurants and fine hotels, all over- crowded during the pilgrim season. There are art treasures and historic documents of great worth, about which special books have been written by Chinese and Japanese, as well as by Western writers. There are deeply affecting instances of the highest religious ecstasy, of penitence and longing for renewal to be seen in these places. But there are quite as often very offensive scenes where the grossest bartering of “‘gods”’ for the attainment of riches and material gain is carried on quite openly. Here one finds a choice band of serious and religious monks, and also an unpleasantly large group of profit seekers, while out along the roads, and outside the large temples, is a horde of “wild monks,” sinister creatures who use the worst methods for getting hold of the valuable possessions of the pilgrims. Round about in caves and holes in the ground sit hermits who, in fanatical ecstasy, spend most of their days in reciting the holy writings. One can also find pious and learned monks living their quiet, retired lives in some solitary temple, situated on the holy site. Only one who is well acquainted with the conditions will be able to find his way to these “still ones in the land,” in the midst of the great whirlpool, where [286] Painted by Wu Tao-tzu te PILGRIMAGES everything seems to be poisoned by the cold deadly breath of commercialism. The most beautiful and splendid sanctuary is certainly P‘ut‘o Shan. Access to it is comparatively easy, as there is always steamship connection with Ningpo. In the summer, extra lines with tourist boats run from Shanghai; and besides these, pilgrims come in great numbers in large and small boats from the whole coast. The fishing population, especially from the coasts of Fukien and Kwangtung, are tireless in coming with their thank-offerings to the merciful Kuan-yin, who “blesses their trade and protects them in storm and danger on the deep waters.” The island is sacred to Kuan-yin, for which reason her statue, in enormous dimensions, is enthroned in the most beautiful way in the temples, nearly a hundred in all, with which the island is strewn. The legend relates how she revealed herself for the first time in a cave which the waves have worn in the side of the island near the sea. This was the cave, afterwards so famous, called ‘‘Ch‘ao-yin Tung” (jy iJ), the “Cave of the Roar of Billows.” This event happened in the year 847 a.D., while an Indian monk was carrying on his worship in the cave. Immense crowds have stood and looked down into the cave of the billows from that day on. Many have stood there from ebb-tide, when the cave lay dry, until the waves came rushing in, filling the air with their deep powerful roar, and flooding the cave again in their engulfing waters. Sometimes an impelling force has seized them [287] TRUTH AND TRADITION IN BUDDHISM so that they have cast themselves into the deep, and have either been killed on the stone bottom or have at once ‘been borne in upon Kuan-yin’s billows to the ‘Western Paradise.’’’ Others, feeling an irresistible longing to give some outward sign of their inward consecration, have cut off an ear or a finger and cast it into the sea.