Paul Carus - Amitabha, A Story of Buddhist Theology, 1906 by gnosisclassics

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MAY 22

1969

AMTTABHA

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MAY 22 *-^«;c/5L

A STORY OF

BUDDHIST THEOLOGY BY

PAUL CARUS

MANIFESTING HIMSELF EVERYWHERE THE BUDDHA IS INFINITE, BOUNDLESS, LIMITLESS, UNCEASING, AND OF A SPIRITUAL NATURE.

OF BLISS

AgVAGHOSHA IN HIS "DISCOURSE ON THE

AWAKENING OF FAITH."

CHICAGO THE OPEN COURT PUBLISHING COMPANY LONDON AGENTS Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & 1906

Co., Ltd.

198^^

Siii^^-^

The Open Court Publishing 1906.

Co.

THE ORDINATION/

SOON

after the time of Agoka, the great

Buddhist emperor of the third century before Christ, India

became the theater of proVigorous

tracted invasions and wars.

tribes

from the North conquered the region of the upper

and founded

Panjab

among which

the

Kingdom

came most powerful. ics,

and famines

several

states,

Gandhara

be-

DespoHations, epidem-

visited the valley of the

Gan-

ges, but all these tribulations passed over the

religious institutions without doing

harm. Kings their

lost their

riches,

but

the

hymns

in the selfsame

breaks

down mighty

them any

crowns and the wealthy

monks chanted way.

trees,

Thus

their

the storm

but only bends the

yielding reed.

the virtues,

especially

the equanimity

and thoughtfulness, of the Buddhist

priests,

the conquerors in their turn were spiritually

AMITABHA.

conquered by the conquered, and they embraced the rehgion of enlightenment.

They recog-

nised the four noble truths taught by the Tat-

hagata is

the prevalence of suffering which

( i )

always in evidence in

this

world; (2) the

origin of suffering as rising from the desire of selfishness; (3)

the possibility of emanci-

pation from suffering by abandoning clinging; evil

and (4) the way

by walking

all selfish

of salvation

in the noble eightfold

moral conduct, consisting

in right

from

path of

comprehen-

sion, right aspiration, right speech, right con-

duct, right living, right endeavor, right discipline,

and the attainment of the right

When

the

kingdom

firmly established, to thrive

bliss.

Gandhara had been

commerce and trade began

more than

ever, while the viharas,

or Buddhist monasteries, continued to be the

home

of religious exercises, offering an asylum

to those

who sought

retirement from the tur-

moil of the world for the sake of finding peace of soul. It

was

one of these viharas in the moun-

tains near Purushaputra, the present Pesha-

wur, that Charaka, a descendant of the North-

THE ORDINATION.

ern invaders, had decided to join the brother-

He was

hood.^

as yet

acquainted with

little

and purpose of the

the spirit

institution; but

being very serious and devoutly religious, the

youth had decided, for the sake of attaining perfect enlightenment, to give up everything

dear to him, his parents, his home, his brilliant prospect of a promising future, and the love that

was

budding

secretly

in his heart.

The vihara which Charaka entered was cavated in the solid rock of an

idyllic

ex-

gorge.

streamlet gurgled by, affording to the her-

mits abundance of fresh water, and the

monks

could easily sustain their lives by the gifts of the villagers

who

lived near by, to

added the harvest of

grew near

fruit

and vegetables which

their cave dwellings.

of their small cells

was

which they

In the midst

a large chaitya, a hall

or church, in which they assembled for daily services, for sermons, meditations,

and other

pious exercises.

The

chaitya, like the cells,

the living rock; a

row

was hewn out

of massive columns on

either side divided the hall into a central

and two

aisles.

nave

AMITABHA.

The ornaments

that covered the faces of the

home

talent,

being made by the untrained hands of

monk

rocky walls, though the product of

artists,

did not lack a certain refinement and

The

loftiness.

the

life

pictures exhibited scenes

Buddha,

his birth, his deeds, his mir-

acles, illustrations of his parables, his

and

his final entry into

sermons,

Nirvana.

A procession of monks, who swung

from

preceded by a leader

a censer, filed in through the large

Two

portal of the chaitya.

by two they moved

and solemnly circumambulated the dagoba, standing at the end of the nave in the apse of the hall, just in the place where idol

along the

aisles

worshipers would erect an altar to their gods It

was

ceive

in imitation of a

some

relic of the

tumulus destined to

re-

revered teacher, and the

genius of the architect had artfully designed the construction of the cave so that the rays of the sun its

fell

upon the dagoba and surrounded

mysterious presence with a halo of

The monks intoned long-drawn cadences

light.

a solemn chant, and

filled

its

the hall with a spirit

of sanctity, impressing the hearers as

Buddha himself had descended on

though

its

notes

;

THE ORDINATION. from

his blissful rest in

to convert,

and

Nirvana

5 to instruct,

gladden his faithful

dis-

ciples.

The monks chanted

a hymn, of which the

novice could catch some of the lines as they

were sung and these were the words that rang ;

in his ears:

"In the mountain hall

are taking our seats,

In solitude calming the mind Still

When

are our souls, and in silence prepared

degrees the truth to find."

they had circumambulated

goba, they halted in front of ice

now

the attitude of teaching,

the da-

where the nov-

Buddha and the monks

discovered an image of the

spoke in chorus:

am anxious to lead a life of purity to the of my earthly career when my life will re-

end

turn to the precious trinity of the Buddha, the

Truth and the Brotherhood.''

Then

the chanting began again: "Vast as the sea

Our

And

heart shall be, full

of compassion and love.

Our thoughts

shall soar

AMITABHA.

Forevermore High,

"We

Who

the Master to learn,

found the path of salvation.

follow His lead

Who

taught us to read

The problem

mountain dove.

anxiously yearn

From

like the

of origination.^"

monk who performed the now stepped forth and asked

venerable old

duties of abbot

the assembled brethren whether any one

had

make

that deserved the

attention of the assemblage,

and after the ques-

a communication to

tion

had been repeated three times Subhuti,

one of the older monks, said:

'There left

young man with us who, having

the world, stayed with

the sake of instruction

and

me some

time for

discipline.

here and desires to be admitted to the brother-

hood."

The abbot replied "Let him come forward." It was Charaka; and when he stepped into :

the midst of the brethren, the abbot viewed his tall

figure with a kindly, searching glance

and

THE ORDINATION. asked:

"What

your name and what your

desire?''

Charaka knelt down and said with clasped hands:

"My name

Brotherhood for

Charaka.

initiation.

May

entreat the

the Brother-

hood receive me and raise me up height of spiritual perfection. sion on me, reverend sirs,

their

Have compas-

and grant

re-

quest.''

The abbot then asked

the supplicant a series

of questions as prescribed in the regulations of the brotherhood

whether he was free from

human own mas-

contagious disease, whether he was a being, a ter

man, and of age, whether

and not a slave nor

his

in the king's service;

whether unencumbered with debts and whose disciple

he was.

When

all

the questions had been answered

satisfactorily, the abbot submitted the case to

the brotherhood, saying: "Reverend

Brotherhood

may

hear me.

This

sirs,

the

man Cha-

raka, a disciple of the venerable Subhuti, desires

receive the ordination.

from

all

obstacles to ordination.

He He

free

has an

alms-bowl and a yellow robe, and entreats the

AMITABHA.

Brotherhood for ordination, with the reverent Let those brother Subhuti as his teacher.

among

who

the venerable brethren

are in favor

Let those

of granting the ordination be silent.

who

are opposed to

step forth

and speak."

These words were three times repeated, and

was no dissenting voice, the abbot declared with solemnity: "The Brotherhood indicates by its silence that it grants to Charaka as there

the ordination, with the reverend brother Subhuti as his teacher."

Having completed

the ceremony and having

recited the rules of the order including the

four great prohibitions,

monk must from

that an ordained

viz.,

abstain from carnal indulgence,

theft of

any kind, from

killing

even the

meanest creature, and from boasts of miraculous powers, the abbot requested the novice to

pronounce the refuge formula, which Cha-

raka repeated three times in a clear and ringing voice.

Then

the congregation again intoned

a chant, and, having circumambulated the da-

goba,

emn

left

the assembly hall,

marching

in sol-

procession along the aisles, each brother

thereupon betaking himself to his

cell.

THE NOVICE.

CHARAKA the novice lived with his brethren in peace, and his senior, the venerable Subhuti,

was proud

he was patient, intelligent,

of his learned disciple, for

modest, earnest, and

docile,

and proved

all

these

good

by an abnormally rapid progress.

qualities

learned

the Sutras perfectly

and soon knew them better

than his teacher.

He had

and

was a pleasure

a sonorous voice,

to hear

him

recite the

sacred formulas or chant the verses proclaim-

ing the glorious doctrine of the Blessed One.

all

appearances the Brotherhood had made

a good acquisition; but

the venerable Sub-

huti could have looked into the heart of Cha-

raka he would have beheld a different state of things, for

the soul of

the novice

was

full

of impatience, dissatisfaction, and excitement.

The

life

of a

monk was

so different

from what

;

AMITABHA.

he had expected and his dearest hopes found

fulfilment.

Charaka had learned many beautiful sentiments from the mouth of his teacher some of ;

them fascinated him by the melodious intonation of their rhythm, some by the philosophical depth of their meaning, some by their

How

truth and lofty morality.

he with the

was

delighted

lines:

"Earnestness leads to the State Immortal

Thoughtlessness

dreary Yama's portal.

Those who earnest are

never

will

die,

While the thoughtless in death's clutches

How

lie.'**

powerfully was he affected by the

fol-

lowing stanza: "With goodness meet an

evil deed,

With lovingkindness conquer wrath, With generosity quench

And

lies,

by walking

But sometimes he was

greed.

in truth's path."^

startled

culty in understanding the sense.

peace, not tranquilisation its bliss,

and

its

yet sometimes

;

and had

wanted

he wanted Nirvana,

fulness, not extinction.

seemed as

literation of his activity

diffi-

And

the absolute ob-

were expected of him

THE NOVICE. "Only

Thou Then

if like

a broken gong

no sound

utterest

hast thou reached Nirvana,

And

the end of strife hast found."^

Yet Charaka said

to himself: "It is only the

boisterous noise that

work; only

must be suppressed, not not

evil intention,

For

weeds, not the wheat."

it is

said:

"What should be done, ye do Nor let pass by the day With vigor do your

And

Not

life,

and

but error and vice, must be

fields are 'tis

And So

but vanity, an-

damaged by a bane,

are burned by

fire,

perish in their

ire.

as strong iron

fools are

gnawed by

wrecked through

rust.

sloth

and

lust."'

ambition was beaming in the eyes of

Charaka! is

is evil,

at-

conceit destroys the vain.

As palaces The angry

there

duty,

sloth

"As

What

it,

while you may."^

Not existence

tacked. ger,

itself; the

life

The venerable Subhuti

thought,

but one danger for this noble novice:

this,

that the brethren

may

discover his

brightness and spoil him by flattery.

Instead

;

AMITABHA.

12 of

freeing himself

world, he

may

from the

fetters

more its

the

be entangled in the meshes of

a spiritual vanity, which, being is

subtle,

perilous than the lust of the world and

Then he

possessions.

recited to

Cha-

raka the lines:

"No

path anywhere

Leadeth through the

The multitude In sacrificial

air.

delights

rites.

Throughout the world Ambition

But from

all

unfurled vanity

Tathagatas are free."ÂŽ

Charaka knew that there were

men

considered saints,

through the

when

who

He was

air.

fools

among

claimed to walk

not credulous, but

told that to attempt the

performance of

supernatural deeds was vanity, his ambition revolted against the idea of setting limits to

human

invention.

through the

Man

might

air as well as over

find

paths

water; and he

submitted to the sentiment only because he

regarded

as a

he would learn to

form of

discipline

rise higher.

by which

So he suppressed

THE NOVICE. his ambition, thinking that his time he

would

he only abode

find himself richly

by the acquisition of

rewarded

powers which

spiritual

would be a blessing forever, an imperishable treasure that could not be lost by the accidents of life

and would not share the doom of com-

pounds which again.

He was

due time must be dissolved

yearning for

for a fulness of

its

stillness of the

seen the world and he

phases.

broken gong.

knew

life in all

disdained loud noise and coarse

enjoyments but he had not

wandered

not for death,

melody and a wealth of har-

mony, not for the

He had

life,

left his

home and

into homelessness to find the silence

of the tomb.

chill

came over him, and he

shrank from the ideal of sainthood as though it

,were the path to mental suicide.

he groaned, "I Either

not

to be a

too sinful for a holy

holiness of the cloister

vation."

made

"No, no

life,

!''

monk. or the

not the path of sal-

THE GOD PROBLEM.

BUDDHISM

had gained ascendency

India without exterminating the ancient creeds, and there were religious people

many

devoutly

who had

only a vague notion

which

stood to other forms

of the contrast in

of faith.

The spiritual atmosphere in which Charaka had grown up consisted of a mixture of all the thoughts, influences, and opinions then entertained in India; but while the northern gods that

had been worshiped by the ancestors of

the invaders in their former

homes had faded

from the mental vision of the present generation, the ancient deities of full

recognition.

India had not gained

Vishnu, Shiva, and Indra

appeared to them as the patrons of conquered races and were therefore

power.

Among

deemed

the better

of inferior

educated Hindu

people philosophical ideas were spreading and

THE GOD PROBLEM. Brahma was revered

as the

Supreme Being,

the Great, the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent,

and All-Perfection,

as the All-Consciousness

the Creator, the Fashioner, the Ruler of the

Universe, and the All-Father of

With

all

beings.

God-idea of an all-embracing per-

this

sonal deity

Charaka had become familiar

al-

most from childhood and he was greatly astonished not to hear a

Brahma,

word about God,

the Lord,

in his religious instructions.

Buddha was spoken of as the teacher of gods and men; he was worshiped with a reverence which was peculiar to him; but the belief in the ancient gods was not disturbed. Their existence was neither denied nor affirmed.

So long as he was unacquainted with

new surroundings, Charaka did ask questions, but when he began

his

not dare to to

know

his

kind-hearted elder Subhuti and some others of the monks, he

grew more

assured, and one day

while several brothers were seated at the portico of the

assembly

hall,

he ventured to

in-

quire as to the doctrine concerning God.

Life

taken seriously in a Buddhist mon-

AMITABHA.

astery and the tone of conversation religious

and considerate.

always

Nevertheless there

were never missing among the brethren men of a lighter temper, things,

who

who saw

the

humor

could smile and, smiling, point out

the comical features of

life

so as to

make

their

fellow brethren smile too, for real laughter

was seldom, or never, heard of the cloister.

humor

in the precincts

We find frequent traces of this

in the wall paintings as well as the

legends of saints, part of which are preserved

Now when

even to-day.

Charaka spoke of

God, one of the brethren, Kevaddha by name, a healthy looking

man

medium

radiant face, drew near and asked,

you mean,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Indra,

size

and of

"What do

the thunderer, the soma-

intoxicated braggart-hero and ruler of the sec-

ond heaven,

Vasava and

whom

the people call Sakra or

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;or do you mean Shiva, the powerful

terrible

skulls, the

One, decked with a necklace of

god

full of

awe and majesty? Per-

haps you mean Vishnu, in any of his avatars, as a fish or a wild boar or a white horse

Charaka shook tinued

his head,

?''

and Kevaddha con-

''May be you mean Krishna, the avatar

the!god problem. of love, he

who danced with

esses at once, finding

17 the shepherd-

all

an appropriate incarna-

tion in their favorite swains, while each girl

imagined that she alone held the god

arms

in her

question refers to no one of the gods,"

and the em-

replied the novice, "but to God,"

phasis with which he

showed that he

felt

marked the

difference

not like joking on a prob-

lem which was of grave importance to him.

"Ah,

see!" exclaimed

His

Kevaddha.

lip

was a twinkle

curled with sarcasm and there

of triumph in his eye, for the topic under dis-

cussion reminded

him

of a contest

had had with a Brahman

priest in

which he which

his

antagonist had been completely worsted by his superior

skill in

pointing out the

the proposition and holding

"Ah,

weak

see!" he exclaimed, "you do not

any one of the several gods, but god eral.

side of

to ridicule.

You

are like the

man who

ant to market to buy fruit and

mean

in gen-

sent his serv-

when

the latter

returned with bananas, mangoes, grapes, and

an assortment of other saying:

fruit,

he upbraided him,

do not want bananas, nor mangoes,

AMITABHA.

nor grapes, nor pears, nor prunes, nor apples,

nor pomegranates,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

want

fruit

Fruit

want

pure and undefiled, not a particular

fruit

fruit,

but fruit in general

Said Charaka "Are you a wrangler, famous :

and you know not the

in the art of dialectics

difference between

God but "Is

God and

hate the gods

possible," cried

castic chuckle,

the gods?

I love

Kevaddha with a

sar-

"you hate the gods and you love

God ? Can you hate

all

the single men,

monks

and laymen, traders, warriors, kings, noblemen, Brahmans, Kshatryas, and Shudras, and love

man

in general?

How

hate the gods and love

is it

God?

that you can

Does not the

general include the particular?"

"Be novice,

the

so good, reverend sir,"

who began brisk

to chafe

answered the

under the attacks

monk, "to understand what

The world in which we live is a world of order, and we know that there are laws to which we must submit. When I speak of God I mean him who made us, the Omnipotent Cremean.

ator of the Universe, the Father of

all

Beings,

THE GOD the Standard of

Law

PROBI^KM.

Perfection, the Eternal

all

of Life."

Kevaddha,who though

"Well, well," replied boisterous

was

natured.

"I do not

bottom of his heart good-

at the

mean

drive a truth

home

The

serious,

truth

pression

may

I try to

to offend.

you

in the guise 9f fun.

my mode

though

be humorous.

of ex-

understand

now

that you are devoted to the great All-God,

Brahma, as the Brahmans

call

him, the Lord,

But did

Creator and Ruler of the Universe.

you ever consider two things,

first

that such

an All-God conceived as a being that has name

and form tion as

the product of our

much

as are

people; and secondly,

other deities of the

all if

own imagina-

Brahma were

as real

as you are and I am, he would be of no avail ?

Every one must self,

and Brahma's wisdom

not your wis-

Nor can Brahma who resides Brahma heaven teach you anything."

dom.

Charaka did not conceal mere idea that there

He may

the

his dissatisfaction

God and is a God

with Kevaddha's notion of

strength.

him-

find the path of salvation

said

"The

gives

be directly unapproachable

AMITABHA.

20 or

may surround

us as the air or as the ether

He may

which penetrates our bodies. ferent

from what we surmise him

he must exist as the cause of

and wise, and

true,

and

all

good,

How

shall

endeavors to seek the truth, succeed

there be no eternal standard of truth?"

"Yes,

dif-

to be; but

that

beautiful.

know," replied Kevaddha with un-

disguised condescension; "It will help a youth

who

pursues an ideal to think of

as a being,

as a god, as the great god, as the greatest of

all.

god

Children need toys and the immature

need gods.

which was

Your told

case reminds

me when

went out not unlike you

I in

of a story

my younger years

in search of truth."

"Tell us the story!" exclaimed one of the

younger brethren, and Kevaddha said: "If

were sure not

to hurt the feelings of our

young

friend, the novice, I should be glad to tell the story.

But seeing that he

Brahma,

had better

let

Charaka answered: "I of

a worshiper of

the matter drop

not a worshiper

Brahma, unless you understand by Brahma

the First Cause of the All, the ultimate reason of existence, the

Supreme Being,

the Perceiver

THK GOD PROBLEM, of

all

things, the Controller, the

Lord, the

Maker, the Fashioner, the Chief, the Victor, the Ruler, the Father of

all

have been and are to be! instructive I

though

beings If

anxious to hear

should criticise

ever

your story be it

myself, even

belief."

All further discussion ceased

dha showed

who

when Kevad-

his readiness to tell the story.

KEVADDHA'S STORY. 44^

"HERE

J-

Brahman

wisdom

ious

priest in Benares, a

man

caste, learned in all the

common

of the Vedas, not of the

of priests but

was a

an honest searcher after

type

truth.

longed for peace of heart and was anxto

reach

understand

how

Nirvana; it

was

yet

could

not

possible in the flesh

to attain perfect tranquillity, for life is restless

and

none of the four

states of

aggregation

can that calmness be found which dition of the blissful

progress,

must

the con-

So, this priest

state.

thought to himself: 'Before

can make any

solve the question,

the four states of aggregation

Where do

the solid state,

the watery state, the fiery state, and the state of air, utterly cease?'

"Having prepared

his mind, the priest en-

tered into a trance in which the path to the

gods became revealed

to him,

and he drew

KEVADDHA^S STORY.

near to where the four great kings of the gods

And having drawn

were.

near, he addressed

the four great kings as follows:

where do the four and the

friends,

states of aggregation: the

watery

solid state, the

'My

state,

the fiery state,

state of air, utterly cease?'

When

had thus spoken, the four great kings answered

and

'We

said:

gods,

where the four

priest,

states of

However,

cease.

do not know

aggregation utterly

priest, there are the

of the higher heavens,

who

are

gods

glorious

and more excellent than we. They would know

where the four

states of aggregation utterly

cease.'

"When

the four great kings had thus spoken

the priest visited the gods of the higher heav-

ens and approached their ruler, Ishvara.

propounded the same question and received the

same answer. priest to

Ishvara, the Lord, advised the

Yama.

'He

powerful and has

charge over the souls of the dead. to be versed in

;

apt

problems that are profound

and recondite and abstruse and

Yama

may know where

^gg^^g^tion utterly cease.'

occult.

the four states of

AMITABHA.

"The went

priest acted

upon Ishvara's

Yama, but

advice,

and

was the same.

the result

Yama

sent the priest to the satisfied gods,

whose

chief ruler

who

'They are the gods ever

They are

is.

contentment.

the Great Satisfied One.

are pleased with what-

the gods of serenity and

there

any one who can

answer your question, they

you where the four

will

states

be able to

tell

aggregation

utterly cease.'

"The fied

priest

went

to the

heaven of the

gods, but here too he

was

satis-

disappointed.

Their ruler, the Great Satisfied One, said: T,

do not know where these four states

priest,

of aggregation, state,

the

fiery

utterly cease.

the solid state, state,

and the

However,

the watery state

of air,

priest, there are

Brahma, who are more glorious and more excellent than I. They would know where these four states of aggrethe gods of the retinue of

gation utterly cease.'

"Then,

this

same

priest entered again

upon

a state of trance, in which his thoughts found the

way

priest

the

drew near

Brahma to

world.

There the

where the gods of the

ret-

k^vaddha's story.

Brahma

inue of

were, and having

drawn

he spake to the gods of the retinue of

'My

as follows: of

states

watery

Brahma

where do these four

friends,

aggregation,

near,

the

solid

and the

state, the fiery state,

the

state,

state of

air, utterly cease?'

"When retinue of

We, O

he had thus spoken, the gods of the

Brahma answering spake

priest,

However, there

cannot answer your question. is

Brahma, the great Brahma,

Supreme Be-

the First Cause of the All, the ing,

the All

as follows

Perfection, the All

One, theController, the Lord of

Perceiving

All, the Cre-

ator, the Fashioner, the Chief, the Victor, the

Ruler, the All-Father, he

who

glorious,

excellent, than all celestial beings,

know where

will

the four states of aggregation,

the solid state, the watery state, the fiery state,

and the

state of air,

do utterly

cease.'

"Said the priest: 'But where, the great

And

Brahma

inasmuch,

is,

Brahma can be

priest, as

moment?'

We do not

where the great Brahma

direction the great

friends,

at the present

the gods answered:

priest,

know,

or in

what

found. But

omnipresent, you

AMITABHA.

2(i

and notice a radiance and the

will see signs

appearance of an effulgence, and then Brahma This

will appear.

the previous sign of the

appearance of Brahma, that a radiance

no-

an effulgence appears/

ticed, or

"The

having invoked Brahma's ap-

priest,

pearance with due reverence and according to

Brahma

the rules of the Vedas, in a short time

Then

appeared.

the priest

drew near

where

Brahma was, and having drawn near, he spake to Brahma as follows: 'My friend, where do the four states of aggregation, the solid state, the watery state, the fiery state, and the state of air, utterly cease?'

"When

had thus

Brahma opened lows:

his

priest,

spoken,

mouth and spake

am Brahma,

great

the

as fol-

the

great

Brahma, the Supreme Being, the All-Perfection, the

the

All-Perceiving One, the Controller,

Lord of Chief,

All, the Creator, the Fashioner,

the

Victor,

the

Ruler,

the

All-

Father.'

second time the priest asked his question,

and the great Brahma gave him the same answer, saying:

'I,

priest,

am Brahma,

the

kevaddha's story.

great Brahma, the Supreme Being, the AllPerfection;'

and he did not cease

enumerated

all

"Having

the

until

he had

applied to him.

titles

patiently listened to

Brahma, the and

priest repeated his question a third time,

added:

not asking you,

Are

friend.

you Brahma, the great Brahma, the Supreme Being, the All-Perfection, the All-Perceiver, the All-Father,

complishments you this,

friend,

and

ac-

in addition;

but

and whatever

may have

what

titles

ask you

Where

the four states of aggregation, the solid state, the watery state, the fiery state,

and the

state

air, utterly cease?'

"The great Brahma remained unmoved, and answered a third time, saying:

am Brahma,

the great

'I,

priest,

Brahma, the Supreme

Being, the All-Perfection, the All-Perceiver,*

enumerating again

"Now

all

the titles applied to him.

the priest rose

and

said:

'Are you

an automaton, that you

truly a living being, or

can do nothing but repeat a string of words?'

"And now

the great

Brahma

seat

and approached the

him

aside to a place

priest,

rose from his

and leading

where he could not be

AMITABHA.

overheard by any of the gods, spake to him as follows: 'The gods of

suite

and

worshipers of the world that honor sacrifice

all

knows

all

with

things, has pene-

things; therefore,

swered you as

But

you,

the

and adoration, believe that Brahma

sees all things,

trated

all

I will tell

priest,

an-

did in the presence of the gods.

priest, in confidence, that

do not know where the four states of aggre-

gation, the solid state, the watery state, the fiery state,

and the

was a mistake,

state of air, utterly cease.

priest, that

you

left

the

earth where the Blessed

One

an answer which can-

heaven

in quest 6i

not be given you here.

and having drawn near

resides,

Turn

back,

priest,

to the Blessed

One^

him your ques-

the Enlightened Buddha, ask tion,

and came

and as the Blessed One

shall explain

to you, so believe/

"Thereupon the strong

man might

priest,

quickly

stretch out his bent arm,

Brahma heaven and appeared before the Blessed One and he greeted the Blessed One and sat down respectfully at one side, and spake to the Blessed One as disappeared from the

;

kkvaddha's story. 'Reverend

follows: states

watery

Sir,

aggregation,

where do the four the

solid

state, the fiery state,

the

state,

and the

state of

air, utterly cease?'

"When

he had thus spoken the Blessed One

answered as follows: 'Once upon a time, priest,

some sea-faring traders had a land-

when they sailed out into the and when the ship was in mid-ocean they

sighting bird sea; set

free that land-sighting bird. in

flies

an easterly

direction,

This bird

direction, in a southerly

a westerly direction, and

in a

northerly direction, and to the intermediate quarters, and thither, but

sees land

if it it

to the the ship.

anywhere

does not see land

flies

returns

In exactly the same way,

when you had searched as far as the Brahma world and found no answer to your

priest,

question you returned to the place whence you

came.

The

question,

priest,

ought never to

have been put thus Where do these four :

of aggregation cease?

The

question ought to

be as follows:

"Oh Where can water, where can wind, Where fire and earth no footing find? !

states

;

AMITABHA.

Where

disappear

Good, bad, long,

all

mine and

short,

thine,

and coarse and

And where do name and form both To find in nothingness release?" a

The answer, however,

fine,

cease

this:

"'Tis in the realm of radiance bright. Invisible, eternal light,

And

infinite,

a state of mind,

There water,

And

earth,

and

fire,

and wind,

elements of any kind,

Will nevermore a footing find

There disappear Good, bad, long,

There too

will

mine and

short,

thine.

and coarse, and

name and form both

fine.

cease,

find in nothingness release."

"Then of matter

the priest understood that the world restless

peace of heart

and remains

Brahma

but

mind which

self-discipline,

The gods cannot

by devotion.

restless,

a condition of

must be acquired by can

all

by wisdom,

help; nor even

himself, the Great

Brahma, the

Supreme Being, the Lord and Creator. Sacrifice is useless and prayer and worship are of no avail.

But

state of bliss,

desire to attain the highest

which

Nirvana,

we must

fol-

khvaddha's story.

low the Blessed One, the Teacher of gods and

men; and

him we must by our own

become lamps unto ourselves and

effort

resolutely

walk upon the noble eightfold path."^^

THE CONFESSION. young THE and

novice spent his days in study

his nights in doubt.

followed

with interest the recitations of his instructor

on the philosophy of the Enlightened One; he enjoyed the birthstories of Bodhisattva and the parables of the master with their moral applications, but

when he

ing or was otherwise

retired in the even-

left to his

own

thoughts

he began to ponder on the uselessness of the hermit's

with

its

life

and longed

to return to the

temptations and struggles,

victories

its

and

defeats,

and

fears.

est,

but he began to think that the restlessness

its

pleasures and pains,

world

When with

all

hopes

enjoyed the solitude of the for-

of the world could offer

mind than the

its

him more peace

inactivity of a

monkish

life.

Charaka had familiarised himself the Sutras and wise sayings which

were known

to the brethren of the monastery,

THE CONFESSION. hang heavy on

the time began to

his hands,

that the rehgious discourses

felt

coming

and

were be-

tedious.

Weeks either

elapsed,

and Charaka despaired of

becoming accustomed

of understanding the deeper

monkish

meaning

life

of their

renunciation of the world, and his conscience

began

him; for the more the elder

to trouble

brethren respected him for his knowledge and gentleness, less

and the more they praised him, the

worthy he deemed himself of

their recog-

nition.

The day

He had

of confession approached again.

spent the hours in fasting and self-

discipline,

but

weary and

all this

felt

He was

availed nothing.

a sadness of heart beyond de-

scription.

In the evening

all

the brethren were gath-

ered together in the chaitya, the large hall

where they held

The

aisles lay in

their

devotional

meetings.

mystic darkness, and the pic-

tures on the heavy columns

were half concealed.

and on the

ceiling

They appeared and

appeared from time to time

dis-

in the flicker of the

torches that were employed to light the room.

AMITABHA.

The monks

sat in silent expectation, their faces

showing a quietude and calmness which proved that they were unconcerned about their

ready to

fate,

might

live or to die,

be, only bent

as their

own doom

on the aim of reaching

Nirvana.

The

senior

assembly.

monk

arose and addressed the

''Reverend

sirs,''

To-day

order hear me.

is full

day of the unburdening of our order

day our

ready,

let

said, "let the

moon, and the hearts.

the order consecrate this

to the recital of the confession. first

duty,

If the

and so

let

This

us listen to the decla-

ration of purity."

The brethren responded, saying: ''We are here to listen and will consider the questions punctiliously.''

The speaker continued "Whoever has committed a transgression, let him speak, those :

who let

are free from the consciousness of guilt,

them be

this

silent."

moment

hesitatingly

end of the

tall

figure rose slowly

from the ground hall.

and

at the further

did not speak but stood

there quietly, towering for some time in the

THE CONFESSION. dusky recess between two

35 as though

pillars

he were the apparition of a guilty conscience.

The

presiding brother at last broke the silence

and addressed the brethren, saying: "A monk who has committed a fault, and remembers it, if

he endeavors to be pure, should confess his

When

fault.

lightly

a fault

confessed

will lie

upon him."

shadowy

the

Still

which seemed

"One

figure stood motionless,

to increase the

gloom

in the hall.

of the brethren has risen, indicating

thereby that he desires to speak," continued

"A monk who

the abbot.

does not confess a

fault after the question has been put three

times

Blessed a

man

guilty of an intentional

One

off

lie,

and the

teaches that an intentional

from

The gloomy

lie

cuts

sanctification."

figure

now

lifted his

head and

with suppressed emotion began to speak. "Venerable father," he said, "and ye, reverend

may The

speak out and unburden

voice

was

that of the novice,

sirs,

heart?"

and a

slight

commotion passed through the assemblage.

Having been encouraged to speak without reserve, Charaka began:

freely

and

AMITABHA.

'^Venerable father, and ye, reverend sirs:

having infringed on one of the

I feel guilty of

great prohibitions.

palm

as a

tree, the

am broken I am anxious spirit and full of contrition. be a disciple of the Shakya-Muni, but I am

top of which has been destroyed. in

not worthy to be a monk,

and

never shall be."

and he sobbed

never have been

Here

his voice faltered,

like a child.

The brethren were horror

stricken

they

;

thought at once that the youth was contaminated by some secret crime to be free

;

he was too young

from passion, too beautiful

beyond temptation, too quick-witted not ambitious.

now

to be to be

True, they loved him, but they

that their affection for

and there was no one

in the

felt

him was a danger, assembly

who

did

not feel the youth's self-accusation as partly directed against himself.

came the sentiment

But the abbot over-

that arose so quickly, and

encouraged the penitent brother to make a confession. art still

young;

full

''Do not despair,'' he said, "thou it is

natural that thy heart should

cherish dreams of love, and that alluring

reminiscences should

still

haunt thy mind."

THE CONFESSION.

"I entered the brotherhood with false hopes

and wrong aspirations," repHed the novice. "I

longing for wisdom and supernatural pow-

ers; I

hoped

to acquire a deeper

ambitious to do and to dare, and

knowledge through

am free from any actual transgression, but my holiness is mockery my piety is not genuine I am a hypocrite and I find that I am belying you, venerable and

self-discipline

holiness.

;

father,

;

and

all

But

community.

the it

monks

of this venerable

grieveth

false to myself; I

me most

that I

not worthy to wear

the yellow robe.''

*'Thou art not expected to be perfect,'' re-

walking on the path,

plied the abbot, "thou art

and hast not as yet reached the fault

goal.

Thy

impatience with thyself and not hypoc-

risy."

"Do

not palliate

crite,

and

then

fault,

"There

said Charaka.

my heart

something wrong

mind.

If I

not a hypo-

a heretic; and a heretic walks

on the wrong road

in the

wrong

direction,

and

Do not extenuate, and mitigate my faults, for I

can never reach the goal.

do not qualify

venerable father,"

AMITABHA.

grievousness and

feel their

anxious to be

led out of the darkness into the light.

for life

and the unfoldment of

comprehend the deepest truths and

to taste the highest bliss

;

life. ;

want

long

want

know

accom-

plish the greatest deeds."

"Then thou

art worldly; thou longest for

power, for fame, for honor, for pleasures,'* suggested the abbot inquiringly; "thou art not yet free

from the

illusion of selfhood.

It is

not the truth, then, that thou wantest, but thyto be

self,

an owner of the truth;

self-

enhancement, not service; vanity, not helpfulness." it'

That may

do not

reverend father," replied the

wisdom

novice; "thy I

be,

feel

shall

judge me; though

myself burdened by selfishness.

No,

fice

myself for any noble cause, for truth, for

do not love myself.

justice, for I

procuring

would gladly

bliss for others.

crave for worldly pleasures, but

any need of shirking them. pains are the stuff that

do not hate life

with

life.

all its

life is

sacri-

Nor do

do not

feel

Pleasures like

made

of,

and

enjoy the unfoldment of

aspirations, not for

sake,

THE CONFESSION. but for

life's

That

God.

sake. is

from which grow ocrisies,

and the

do not love myself,

fault,

all

and that

I love

the root

errors, heresies, hyp-

false position in

which

now

am."

The good abbot

did not

know what

to say.

looked at the poor novice and pitied him

for his

Every one pres-

pangs of conscience.

ent felt that the

man

suffered, that there

was

something wrong with him; but no one could exactly say

what

not sinful but noble.

was

His ambition was

was.

And

that he loved

certainly not a crime.

addressed teacher,

Subh{iti,

last the

Charaka's

God

abbot

senior

and

and asked him: "Have you, reverend

brother, noticed in this novice's behavior or

views anything strange or exceptional?" Subhuti replied that he had not.

The abbot continued

to inquire about

Cha-

raka's previous religious relations and the significance of his love of God.

"I do not know, reverend sir,"

monk's answer.

*'He

was the

elder

not a Brahman, but

a descendant of a noble family of the northern

conquerors that came to India and founded

AMITABHA.

kingdom

the

Brahman

writings and

that by

Yet he knows

famiHar with the

the Yavanas^^ of

philosophy of

West.

Gandhara.

the distant

discoursed with him and understand

God he means

good and true

in the

all

that

right and

world and without

whom

there can be no enlightenment."

"Very no

well/' proclaimed the abbot, ''there

sin in loving

God

God, for what you describe as

our Lord Shakyamuni, the Enlightened

One, the Buddha, the Tathagata 'y^ but he added not without a suggestion of reproof:

"You

might dignify the Lord Buddha with a higher title

than God.

Gods,

Buddha's equals. child,

they exist, are not

When

Bodhisattva was a

the gods prostrated themselves before

him, for they recognised the Tathagata's supe-

he had attained to complete

riority even before

Buddhahood.

The

than the noble

life

divinity of the gods

is less

of a Bodhisattva."

Having thus discussed

the case of the novice

Charaka, the abbot addressed himself to the Brotherhood, asking the reverend they would

Was

deem

sirs

what

right in the present case.

the brother at

all

guilty of the fault of

THK CONFESSION. which he accused himself and

41 so

what should

he do to restore his good standing and self

aright in the Brotherhood?

Then Subhuti arose and a

man of

The

the

"Charaka

But there

kingdom

vaghosha.

which he encounters

difficulty

not for us to judge

about.

said:

deep comprehension and of an earnest

temper. is

him-

set

him or

him

to advise

a philosopher living in

Magadha, by

If there is

the

any one

name in the

that can set an erring brother right,

voghosha, whose wisdom

Buddha entered Nirvana

Ag-

world

it is

Aq-

so great that since

there has been no

man on

earth

either in

knowledge or judgment." So Subhuti

who might have

proposed to write a

surpassed him

letter of introduction to

Aqvaghosha commending the brother Charaka to his care

and suggesting

him

to dispel his

doubts and to establish him again firmly in the faith in

which the truth shines forth more

brilliantly

than in any other religion.

The abbot agreed with Subhiiti and the general opinion among the brethren was in favor of sending Charaka to the kingdom of Magadha

to the philosopher

Agvaghosha

have

AMITABHA.

and

his doubts dispelled

his heart established

again in the faith of Buddha, the Blessed One, the teacher of truth.

Before they could carry out their plan the

was interrupted by a messenger from

session

the royal court of Gandhara, for a novice by the

name

who

of Charaka,

inquired

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a man

well versed in medicine and other learned arts.

A dreadful epidemic had spread in the country, and the old king had died while two of

were

afflicted

with the disease and

The

the point of death.

was

to the throne

now

oldest son

in the field

his sons

lay at

and heir

defending his

country against the Parthians, and some mountaineers of the East, nominally subject to the

kingdom

Magadha

but practically

inde-

pendent had utilised the opportunity afiforded

by these circumstances tile

to descend into the fer-

Gandhara and

valleys of

to pillage the

country.

The regard in the

which Charaka had been held

Brotherhood during his novitiate had

not suffered through his confession and was

even heightened. cloister that the

had been known

young novice was

in the

of a noble

THE CONFESSION. family, but he

had made nothing

and so

the intimate connection with the royal family of the country created an

uncommon sensabrethren. Now, a

among his venerable special awe attached to his person since it was known that the young king knew of Charaka, tion

and needing senger to

wisdom, sent a special mes-

his

call

him back

to the capital.

In spite of the interruption the ceremony of confession

was continued and

traditional

way;

all

closed in the

the questions regarding

transgressions that might have been committed

were asked and

tiliously reported

some cases

sins

by those who

unburdening their conscience.

were punc-

felt

a need of

Penances were

imposed which were willingly and submissively assumed. to,

When

everything had been attended

the abbot turned again to

"If you

had concealed your

Charaka saying,

secret longings,

you

would have been guilty of hypocrisy, but now since

you have openly

your mind, there you.

Therefore

laid bare the state of

no longer any falsehood

I find

fault with

your con-

duct; should you find that you cannot remain a monk, you

must know that there

no law

AMITABHA.

that obliges you to remain in the Brotherhood

against your will."

The abbot then granted Charaka permission to obey the King's call, saying, "You are free to leave the order in peace

enjoin you to

make

and goodwill, but

vow

that you will not

leave your doubts unsettled, but that as soon as you have attended to the pressing duties

which

will

engage your attention at the

capital

make a pilgrimage to the philosopher Acvaghosha, who lives in the kingdom of Ma-

you

will

gadha.

will

be a better adviser than

whether or not you are

fit

and he

shall decide

to be a

monk

of our

Lord the Buddha."

GANDHARA. advanced, night was AS messenger allowed far

the

his

rest in the Vihara,

and

the royal

horses a short

set out

with Charaka

an early hour the following morning.

two travelers could

not,

The

however, make rapid

progress, for the atmosphere

was murky, and

the fogs of the rainy season obscured the way.

They passed

a picket of

Gandhara

were on the lookout for the

soldiers

hostile

who

mountain-

The mounted messenger showed them his passport, and the two men reached the capital only when the shades of evening were settling upon the valley. The gates were carefully guarded by armed men. The sentinel led eers.

the

two horsemen

who seemed

to the officer at the gate,

satisfied

with the report that Cha-

raka had nowhere encountered enemies; but

home news was very bad, for one of the princes had died and Chandana (commonly the

AMITABHA.

called Kanishka), the third

of the king,

and youngest son

was thought to be

critically

ill.

The night was darker than usual, and the town made a gloomy impression. The inhabitants

were

restless

and seemed

to be

prepared

for a dire calamity.

Charaka was

palace.

at once conducted to the royal

passed through a line of long

streets

which seemed narrow and dismal.

people

whom

wrapped

they met on

in a veil of mist,

The

way, being

their

resembled even at a

short distance dim dusky specters, like guilty

ghosts condemned for some crime to haunt the scene

their

former

lives.

last

they

reached the palace, and Charaka was ushered into the dimly lighted

nishka.

bedroom

of Prince

Ka-

Charaka stood motionless and watched

the heavy breathing of the patient.

then

put his hand gently upon the feverish forehead

and

low voice demanded water

to cool the

burning temples of the sick man.

Turning

in a

to the attendants, he

of a

tall

met the questioning eye

and beautiful woman, an almost im-

perious figure.

He knew

her well

;

was Prin-

GANDHARA.

and a

cess Kamalavati, the king's daughter

younger

half-sister of the prince.

"His condition

very bad," whispered Cha-

raka in reply to the unuttered question that was written in her face,

"but not yet hopeless.

Where

who

are the nurses

assist

you

min-

istering unto the patient?"

Two

female attendants appeared, and the

physician withdrew with them into an adjoin-

ing room where he listened to their reports.

"The king and same said

disease,

his second son

and the situation

have died of the is

very

critical,"

Charaka "but we may avoid the mistakes ;

made

in the

former cases and adjust the

diet

strictly to the condition of the patient."

Charaka and Kanishka were of the same age.

They had

for

some time been educated

together and were intimate friends. the prince

joined

the royal

But when

army, Charaka

studied the sciences under the direction of Ji-

vaka, the late court physician of Gandhara, and

knowing how highly the young man

had praised the

as his best disciple, the prince

unbounded confidence his

latter

in the

boyhood companion.

medical

He had

had

skill

suggested

AMITABHA.

48 calling

him when

his father, the king, fell sick,

but his advice had remained unheeded, and

being himself

now

he was impatient to have the

ill,

benefit of his friend's assistance.

Charaka gave

his instructions to the princess

and the other attendants and then by the bedside of the

quietly

Kanishka awoke from

down

sat

patient.

When

his restless slumber, he

extended his hand and tried to speak, but the

"Keep

physician hushed him, saying:

and your

life will

quiet,

be saved."

"I will be quiet," whispered Kanishka, not

my life, â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for of my country, not for my own sake." pause he continued: "Tell my sister

without great the sake

After a to call

effort, ''but

save

Matura, our brave and faithful Matura, bedside."

Matura, the scion of a noble Gandhara family,

had served

sions

and was

his country

In this

at present at the capital.

came and waited him permission

on several occa-

patiently

till

Charaka gave

to see the patient.

interview the prince explained

Matura

the politiical situation since his father's

death.

His royal brother, now

in the

field

GANDHARA. against the Parthians,

"During

imate king.

was

at present the legit-

his absence/' said

Ka-

nishka, "the duty devolves on me, as the vice-

gerent of the crown, to keep the mountaineers out of the kingdom, and

call

upon you

serve

tion.

Raise troops to expel the marauders, but

at the

as a chancellor in this critical situa-

same time exhaust diplomatic methods

by appealing

kingdom

tribes are

honor and dignity of the

to the

Magadha

which these robber

nominal subjects."

Thus Matura took charge

of state affairs

and Charaka and Kamalavati united

in attend-

ing to the treatment of the sick prince.

They

had weary nights and hours of deep despondency when they despaired of the recovery of their beloved patient, but the crisis

Kanishka survived

it.

regained strength,

first

slowly, very slowly, then

until

The

felt

was past

all

rapidly,

danger.

rainy season had given the people of

Gandhara a by the

that he

came and

respite

from the suffering caused

hostilities of their enemies.

The

king,

Kanishka's elder brother, continued to wage

war against

the Parthians

and concentrated

AMITABHA.

his forces for striking a decisive blow.

But

while the best troops of the country had thus still

to be

employed against a formidable

foe,

the mountaineers renewed their raids, and the

king of Magadha, too weak to interfere with his stubborn vassals, pleaded their cause de-

claring that they had grievances against the

kingdom

Gandhara and could therefore not

The prince accordingly declared war on the kingdom of Magadha. He raised an army, and the young men of the peasantry, who had suffered much from this state of un-

be restrained.

rest,

gladly allowed themselves to be enlisted.

KING KANISHKA.

DURING the preparations for war against Magadha

there

came

tidings

from the

Parthian frontier that the troops of Gandhara

had gained a decisive victory which, however,

was dearly bought,

for the king himself

who

had been foremost among the combatants, died a glorious death on the

crown now passed

of battle.

The

Kanishka who deemed

overcome the enemies of

his

Leaving the trusted generals of

his

his first duty to

nation.

field

brother in

command

of 'the victorious

army

Parthia, he placed himself at the head of the

troops destined to

march against Magadha.

Charaka was requested the

field,

accompany him

and Matiira remained behind as chan-

cellor of the state.

it.

Charaka loved the princess without knowing She had been kindly disposed toward him

from childhood; but her

interest

was height-

AMITABHA.

ened to admiration since she had observed him at the bedside of her brother.

how

was, the

how

thoughtful,

same time how wise

How

noble he

and

unselfish;

in spite of his youth.

When the two parted she said: "Take care of my brother, be to him as a guardian angel; and," added the princess smiling, yourself,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;for

cheeks flushing, and

did not

All at once he

grown up

in his heart,

as yet undefined relation lished

for

him

sure, however, to accept

had grad-

and a tender and

had become est^-

whether

was

right

and press the beautiful wo-

man's hand that was offered him friendliness

became conscious

between himself and the princess.

was not

his

felt

know wh^t

of the fact that a powerful yearning

ually

good

sake.''

Charaka stood bewildered. think or say.

'*be

in unaffected

and with maidenly innocence.

stood before her like a schoolboy censured for

a serious breach of the school regulations.^

stammered;

his

head drooped; and at

last cov-

ering his eyes with his hand, he began to sob like a child

this

with a guilty conscience.

moment Kanishka approached

to bid

KING KANISHKA. and

his sister good-by;

few words of

after a

mutual good wishes Charaka and Kamalavati parted.

While the king and side

enemy

in front,

your

said

bade

sister

"It

Charaka

is all

farewell,

know

that she reciprocates it is

tation, but I

and

sinful,

eyes.

I will

to tears.

When

fault.

became aware

of a budding love toward her in I feel

their

Kanishka inquired about the

trouble which had stirred

And Charaka

were riding

home behind them,

their

side,

his physician

soul,

and

sentiment.

not yield to temp-

weak, and that brought tears

I feel

*'Do you think

ashamed

of myself.''

love a sin?"

inquired

the

king.

"Is not celibacy the state of holiness," replied

Charaka, "and

not marriage a mere

concession to worldliness, being instituted for the sake of preventing worse confusion?"

"You ought

know more about

than

I,"

continued Kanishka, "for you devoted yourself to religion I

by joining the brotherhood, while

a layman, and

religious notions are

not grounded on deeper knowledge."

AMITABHA.

"Alas!" sighed Charaka, "I

The abbot

a monk.

me and

help

and the problems

allayed

Agvoghosha

opher and saint

Magadha,

who

fit

to be

Vihara could not

of the

advised

not

have

doubts

soul settled

the great

philos-

said to understand the

doctrine of the Blessed One, the Buddha."

"What inquired

the problem that oppresses you?"

King Kanishka.

"Is your soul burd-

ened with sin?" "I

that

am my

heart

not guilty of a sinful deed, but soul

sinful in its aspirations.

and

of passion,

is full

mind.

I feel

have an ambitious

would perform great deeds, noble and

miraculous, and would solve the problem of life;

would fathom the mysteries of being

and comprehend the law of source and

its

yearning in

purpose.

There

existence, is

its

an undefined

breast, a desire to

do and to

dare, to be useful to others, to live to the ut-

most of

faculties,

and

to be rooted in the

mysterious ground from which springs life

that unfolds itself in the world.

into being, I

and

I shall

all

the

came

pass out of existence.

believe that I existed before I

was born, and

;

KING KANISHKA.

that I shall exist after

But these

death.

other incarnations of mine are after

than myself, other at least than istence.

present ex-

understand very well that

reproduction of the

me, and that

I shall

productions of

life

other

all

impulses that preceded

continue in subsequent re-

my karma.

But

I feel

pres-

ent self to be the

form

pass away, and

yearn for a union with that

eternal substratum of

which

of this life

all life

which

will

never

pass away."

Kanishka said "While :

was

ill

had occa-

sion to meditate on the problem of life life's

and

relation to death.

in the

dream

Once

and

was dreaming

was not Prince Kanishka,

but a king, not King of Gandhara, but of some

unknown

country, and

in battle

and

;

brother, that

was leading my men

happened, as in the case of

was

victorious,

and the

hostile

army before me turned in wild flight, but in the moment of victory a dying enemy shot an arrow

me which

pierced

heart,

knew my end was come. There was death, but it was not an unpleasant for

last

and

pang

sensation,

thought was: 'Death in battle

AMITABHA.

better than to live defeated/^^

gentle perspiration covered

though

I felt as

which

had the impression that

that surrounded

forehead, and

lease of

when

so vivid that

me had

and

all

crisis

awoke

the visions

been annihilated; yet

when my mind was again

adjusted, the

dream appeared empty

similar,

our

at the

Will

illusion.

moment

entrance into

final

life.

after a while,

mere phantasma and

awoke.

had passed through a

had gained a new

dream had been

of death

Nirvana?

me, a

to it

fully

not be

we make Nirvana

appears to us in our present existence as a negative state, but our present existence

phenomenal,

Nirvana

while

the

abiding

state."

Charaka

much

replied:

"I should think there

teaches that by attaining enlightenment, shall enter

and

Nirvana even

we do

advantage

transiency of

manence

so,

lies

all

in this present life;

seems to

in the

But the Tathagata

truth in your words.

that our

main

comprehension of the

bodily existence and the per-

of our spiritual nature.

lost its terrors to

him who

Death has

sees the immortal

KING KANISHKA.

He knows

state.

that in death he sloughs off

But here

the mortal.

difficulty begins.

long for Nirvana only as a means to enrich this present

life.

'The Tathagata teaches and he

ing,

right.

that life

do not doubt

has further discovered the tion,

which

and

life-giving,

Oh,

ring!

love

of emancipa-

life in spite

am charmed

its

courage-inspi-

love love, real worldly love!

admire heroism, the wild heroism of the field!

suf-

Love

with love.

heart-gladdening, I

it.

the eightfold noble path of right-

Now,

eousness. fering,

way

suffer-

battle-

long for wisdom, not the wisdom of

the monks, but practical science which teaches

us the

why and wherefore

and im-

of things

parts to us the wizard's power over nature.

Now, with

all this I

love righteousness

;

I feel

the superiority of religious calmness, and the blissfulness of Nirvana.

do not cling

but desire to apply myself: activity.

and

want a

field of

All these conflicting thoughts pro-

me the longing for a solution there it before me as an ideal which I cannot grasp,

duce lies

to self,

I call it

God.

Oh, that

could speak to the

AMITABHA.

Tathagata face

to face

;

that I could

him

for enlightenment, that I could learn the truth

so as to

walk on the right path and

of soul in the tribulations of

Lord Buddha

who can

help

Since the

life.

no longer walking with us

the flesh, there

find peace

only one

man

distress,

in the

and that

world is

the

great disciple of the Blessed Master, the phi-

Magadha."

losopher and saint Agvaghosha of

"Aqvaghosha king.

"Very well

the king of

Magadha!"

of !

Magadha.

are

replied

the

waging war with

Let the prize of combat

be the possession of Agvaghosha!"

MAGADHA.

WAR it

always deplorable, but sometimes

And

cannot be avoided.

the case, far

from shunning

that be

a ruler, re-

it,

sponsible for the welfare of his people, should

carry

on resolutely and courageously with

the one aim in view of bringing

speedily to

a happy conclusion.

Such was Kanishka's maxim, and he acted accordingly.

army

Having gathered

as strong an

as he could muster, he surprised the

mountaineers by coming upon them suddenly with superior forces from both

made

sides.

They

a desperate resistance, but he overthrew

them and, leaving garrisons

some places of

strategic importance, carried the into the heart of the

kingdom

war

farther

Magadha. He

descended into the valley of the Ganges, and

hurrying by forced marches through the vassal

kingdoms of Delhi and Sravasti, the Gandhara

AMITABHA.

army marched ital

in four

columns toward the cap-

of the country.

Subahu, king of Magadha, met his adversary in the that

field

near Pataliputra with an army

had been rapidly assembled, but he could

not stay the invader's victorious progress. several

engagements

his troops

were scattered

to the four winds, his elephants captured,

and

he was obliged to retire to the fortress of Pa-

There he was besieged, and when

taliputra.

he saw that no hope of escape was cided to

make no

left

he de-

further resistance and sent

a messenger to king Kanishka, asking

him

for

terms of peace.

The

victor

demanded an indemnity

hundred million gold

pieces, a

of three

sum which

the

whole kingdom could not produce.

When

the besieged king asked for less se-

vere terms, Kanishka replied ious to procure peace,

and

I will listen to

"If you are anx-

come out

your proposition.

person I

wish

Let us meet face to face, and

to see you. will consider

our

difficulties.''

Subahu, knowing the uselessness of further resistance,

came out with

his minister

and

ac-

MAGADHA. companied by

his retinue.

He was

conducted

who

requested

into the presence of Kanishka,

him

to be seated.

The king

Magadha complied with

the re-

quest of his victorious rival with the air of a

Ka-

high-minded man, the guest of his equal. nishka frowned upon him. self-possession of

observed the

conquered foe with a

his

feeling of resentment, which, however,

was

somewhat alloyed with admiration. After a pause he addressed the royal petitioner as follows justice to

"My

"Why

me when

intentions

wanted

didst thou not render

asked for it?"

were good," replied Subahu,

to preserve peace.

The mountain-

eers are restless, but they are religious

of faith. ple

Their chieftains assured

had only

retaliated

just to

of war,

and

vassals, in

full

the peo-

wrongs that they had

Trying

suffered themselves.

and

to be fair

and

roused the worse

evil

preserving the peace at

home

conjured up the specter of hostility from

abroad.

He who would

avoid trouble some-

times breeds greater misfortune."

*Tn other words," interrupted King Ka-

AMITABHA.

nishka sternly, "your weakness prevented you

from punishing the evil-doers under your diction,

juris-

and being incapable of governing your

kingdom, you

lost

your power and the right to

rule."

humiliated monarch with

"Sir,'' replied the

calm composure, "thou art the victor and thou

canst deal with

at thy pleasure, but

the

fortunes of the day had turned against thee,

degraded position

But the difference science; I

me in the same which thou now seest me.

now

thou mightest stand in

before

have a clean con-

this: I

have proved peaceful;

war

never gave

country.

Thou hast Thou art

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;consciously.

offence to anybody,

carried the

into

the offender; and shouldst thou

condemn me

to die, I shall die innocent to be reborn in a

happier state under more auspicious conditions.

The Lord Buddha be

Kanishka was astonished

praised!"

at the boldness of

the king's speech, but he mastered his anger

and replied calmly: "Art thou so ignorant as

know that a ruler's first duty is and to me justice thou hast refused!"

not to

"Man's

first

duty

justice,

to seek salvation," re-

;

MAGADHA.

Magadha, "and

plied the king of

salvation

not obtained by harshness but by piety."

The king

art fitted for

"Thou a monk, not a monarch. Thou Gandhara rose

to his feet

hadst better retire to the cloistered

cell

of a Vi-

hara than occupy the throne of a great empire.

What

the use of piety

if it

does not help thee

to attend to the duties of thy

leads thee into misery

throne. ciples

high

and has

office?

cost thee thy

The world cannot prosper on

the prin-

which thou followest."

Subahu seemed imperturbable, and without deigning to look at the incensed face of his vituperator he exclaimed: if

but gain salvation?

on earth be

lost

"What Let

the world

the thrones

all

and whole nations perish

only emancipation can be obtained

want

escape, not secular enhancement."

Kanishka stared to

comprehend

his

at the speaker as

unable

frame of mind, and Subahu

without showing any concern quoted a stanza

from the Dhammapada, saying: "The

And

king's mighty chariots of iron will rust, also our bodies resolve into dust

;

AMITABHA.

But deeds,

sure,

'tis

For aye endure."^* Filled with admiration of Subahu's forti-

tude,

Kanishka

But thy

pious man. kind.

said: "I see thou art truly a

Thy way

piety

not of the right

of escape leads into emptiness,

and thy salvation

hollow.

This world

this life is the

to attain

Nirvana.

time in which

But

I will

thee for thy errors; I will dignified position in

me and

our duty

it is

not

now upbraid

raise thee to a

first

which thou canst answer

give thy arguments.

understand

that thou art a faithful disciple of the

and meanest

do that which

spect thy sincerity

Therefore

and

title,

I will

but

the

must be made

place in which the test of truth

and

Buddha

right.

I re-

and greet thee as a brother.

not deprive thee of thy crown

I insist

hundred million gold

on the penalty of three

Thou

pieces.

shalt re-

main king with the understanding that henceforth thou takest council with

me on

all

ques-

tions of political importance, for I see clearly

that thou standest in need of advice.

But

place of the three hundred million gold pieces I will

accept substitutes which

deem worth

MAGADHA. that amount.

First,

thou shalt deliver into

hands the bowl which the Tathagata, the Blessed Buddha, carried in his hand

when he was

walking on earth, and, secondly, as a ransom for thy royal person

which

in Pataliputra I request

hold here besieged

from thee the

philos-

opher Agvaghosha whose fame has spread

through

all

the countries

enlightenment

where the

preached.

religion of

The vanquished king said: "Truly, the bowl of Buddha and the philosopher Agvaghosha are amply worth three hundred million gold pieces,

and yet

must confess that thou art

generous and thy conditions of peace are fair."

"Do

not

call

generous," said Kanishka,

embracing the king of Magadha, "I worldly wise; and

have learned the

only

my own wisdom. I maxims of my politics from it is

not

the Blessed One, the great Buddha."

ACVAGHOSHA.

BUDDHA'S

birthday was celebrated with

greater rejoicing than usual in the year following

Kanishka's

king

took place in the

fifth

invasion,

which

century after the Nir-

The formidable invaders had become

vana. friends

and the people were joyful that the

war clouds had dispersed so rapidly. He was Kanishka was in good spirits. elated by his success, but it had not made him overbearing, and he was affable to

proached him.

all

who

ap-

In a short time he had become

the most powerful

monarch

of India, his

sway

extending far beyond the boundaries of his

own kingdom.

His generals had been

vic-

torious over the Parthians in the far west, and his alliance with the king of

him

Magadha made

practically ruler over the valley of the

Ganges.

But more

and the might of

effective than his strategy

his armies

was

the kindness

ACVAGHOSHA. which he showed Princes

smaller

vanquished enemies.

dominions willingly ac-

and submitted

their difficulties because they cherished

knowledged

him

to his

his superiority

unreserved confidence in his fairness and love of justice.

Thus was

laid the foundation of a

great empire upon whose civilisation the

gion of the Enlightened

One

reli-

exercised a de-

cided influence.

Peace was established, com-

merce and trade

flourished,

tors flocked to

sculp-

Gandhara, transplanting the art

home to the soil was the beginning

of India.

of their It

and Greek

of India's golden age

which lasted as long as the Dharma, the doctrine of the Tathagata, defiled.

was kept pure and un-

holy enthusiasm seized the hearts

of the people and there

were many who

felt

an anxiety to spread the blessings of religion over the whole world.

Missionaries went out

who reached Thibet and China and even off

far-

Japan where they sowed the seeds of truth

and spread the blessings of lovingkindness and charity.

Kanishka and the king of Magadha enjoyed each other's company.

The two

allied

mon-

AMITABHA.

archs started on a peaceful pilgrimage to the various sacred spots of visited

They

the country.

Lumbini, the birthplace of the Bodhi-

Thence passing over the

sattva.

lavastu, the residence of

site of

Kapi-

Shuddhodana, Bud-

dha's father in the flesh and the haunt of Prince

Siddhartha in his youth, they went to the Bodhi tree at ital

the

Buddhagaya and returned

to the cap-

Benares, to celebrate the birth festival of

Buddha

in the

Deer Park, on the very spot

where the revered Teacher had of truth in motion to roll of mankind,

set the

onward

wheel

for the best

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the wheel of truth which no god,

no demon, nor any other power, be

human,

divine or infernal, should ever be able to turn back.

A procession

went out

to the holy place

and

circumambulated the stupa, erected on the sacred spot in commemoration of the memorable event,

and the two monarchs, who had but a

short time before met as foes on the battlefield,

walked together

like brothers,

preceded

by white-robed virgins bearing flowers, and followed

priests chanting

blessings of the

gathas of the

good law and swinging cen-

ACVAGHOSHA.

sers.

display of

arms was made but multi-

tudes of peaceful citizens hailed the two rulers

and blessed the magnanimity of the hero of Gandhara.

When

the procession halted, Kanishka and

his brother

king stood in front of a statue of

Buddha and watched

the

positing flowers. that

"Who is

the process of de-

the beautiful maiden

leading the flower carriers ?" asked Ka-

nishka of the king of

and the

Magadha

latter replied:

"It

in a whisper;

Bhadragri,

only daughter."

Kanishka followed with

his eye the graceful

movements of the princess and breathed a prayer: "Adoration to the Buddha!" he said to himself in the silent recesses of his heart.

"The Buddha has guided my

could that

the princess will accept

her as queen to

I shall

shall be

Gandhara

to come.

the Tathagata's blessing be on us

people

lead

and she

capital

the mother of the kings of

and induced

make peace before the demons of war do more mischief. I now vow to myself

May

steps

and

the stupa of the

first

sermon of the Bud-

AMITABHA.

was

dha, peace

Magadha

definitely concluded.

The king

delivered to his powerful ally the

sacred bowl, a treasure which, though small

was esteemed worth more than

in size,

the

half

Magadha; and Aqvaghosha, philosopher, was bidden to appear at

kingdom

the old

court and be ready to accompany the ruler of

Gandhara

to his

home

in the

northwest of In-

dia.

Agvaghosha arrived

at the

Deer Park

in a

drawn by white horses, and there he was presented to King Kanishka. He bowed reverently and said: "Praised be the Lord Buddha for his blessed teachings Gladroyal carriage

ness

fills

esty treats

how your majyour vanquished foe. The victoheart

when

think

enemy has become a friend and brother, making an end of all hostility forever."

rious

"Good, there for

friend," replied Kanishka; "if

any merit

my karma

action

to the Tathagata.

owe thanks

teacher and I bless the happy day on which

became is

his disciple.

imperfect and even

raka

is full

knowledge, however, learned friend Cha-

of doubts on subjects of grave im-

ACVAGHOSHA. portance.

pany me

Therefore to

invite

Gandhara, where

you

accom-

people and

myself are sorely in need of your wisdom and experience."

"Your

invitation

losopher, "and

but I

it is

flattering," said the phi-

tendered in kindly words;

pray you, noble

leave

sir,

am an aged man and

home.

could scarcely stand

But

the exertion of the journey.

know

worthy scholar, Jfianayaga, who' is well versed in the doctrine of

than I

our Lord and

He may go

grow stronger

I shall

much younger and should

place;

be glad to

you

visit

Gandhara."

"Charaka!" said the king, "have a room fitted

up for Agvaghosha

Benares, and so long as shall pass the time in

our residence at

we remain

our company.

be present at our meals, and when

here he

Let him

rest in

the evening from the labors of the day listen to the

let

words of the philosopher who

regarded as the best interpreter of the cance of Buddha's teachings."

us is

signifi-

AMITABHA.

ONE

evening

when King Kanishka

to-

gether with his friend Charaka enjoyed the

company

Gandhara turned

Agvaghosha, the youthful ruler

to the venerable philos-

opher with this request master,

tell

us,

"And now,

do we worship

worshipful

Buddha a

god or a man?" Replied Agvaghosha: "Buddha

god nor a man; he is

more than

perfection incarnate.

neither a

either, for

worship

dha wisdom and goodness, that

is,

Bud-

the com-

prehension and application of the truth, which are the qualities that alone render the gods divine.

Truth

eternal, but all actual beings,

not even excluding the gods, are transient."

Charaka interposed:

"We

do not speak of

the gods, but of God, which itself.

What would

about God?"

the

means

divinity

Buddha have taught

AMITABHA. Kanishka added

"We mean

God, not in the

sense of Brahma, the principle of existence,

nor of Ishvara, a personal Lord and manu-

God

facturer of universes, but

as goodness,

Does God

as truth, as righteousness, as love? in this sense exist or

reality?

What

"You ask a take a book.

God

is it

not?

and how do we know of

the

leading

toward

life its

it?"

question to answer which will

But

be brief.

I shall

in this sense is a reality.

sense

dream or a

Certainly,

God, in this

good law that shapes step

existence,

by step onward and upward

highest goal

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;enlightenment.

Rec-

ognition of this law gives us light on the conditions of our existence so as to render sible for call it

us to find the right path; and

Dharmakaya, the body

of the

pos-

good law,

or Amitabha, the source of infinite light, or

by some other name.

It is the

norm

all

nature

involving the bliss of goodness and the curse of

wrong doing according

to irrefragable cau-

sation."

"Accordingly, a birth, but

man

not a

Buddha by

he can become a Buddha by attain-

ing to Buddhahood," said the king inquiringly.

;

AMITABHA.

"The

''Exactly so/' replied Agvaghosha.

highest truth

not a fabrication of the mind

the highest truth

Shakyamuni

eternal/^

tained to Buddhahood, and there were

who saw the

after he has entered

into Paranirvana, there are

may

many

him, yet they did not behold in him

Buddha; while now,

saw him

at-

in the body, yet

many who never

having attained faith

truly be said to behold the

Buddha, for the

Buddha can be recognised with

the mind's eye

alone."^^

"Then Amitabha

the principle of being

much as Brahma?" enquired Charaka. "Brahma is a personification of the principle of being," replied Agvaghosha, "but Amias

tabha

the standard of being.

Amitabha

the intrinsic law which, whenever being rises into existence,

moulds

life

and develops

pro-

it,

ducing uniformities and regularities in both the world of realities It is the

ness, of science

and

religion.

ray of

and the realm of thought.

source of rationality and righteous-

its

and of morality, of philosophy

The sage

of the

Shakyas

light only, albeit for us the

one most

powerful ray, with the clearest, brightest, and

AMITABHA. purest light.

the Hght that

came

to us

here in this world and in our country. Where-

wisdom appears, there is an incarnamore or less partial, more or less com-

soever tion,

plete, of

Amitabha."

"But existence," rejoined Charaka, ferent

from the good law.

and the norm that moulds

Being it

"is dif-

one thing

another.

There

the great question, whether or not life itself

wrong.

sin,

If life is

wrong, the joy of living

the enhancement of

life,

including

its

reproduction, an error, and love, the love of

husband and wife, becomes a

just cause for

repentance.''

"Mark

the doctrine, noble youth, and act

accordingly," replied Agvaghosha.

"I read in

your eyes the secret of your heart which

prompts you to ask is

this question.

Goodness

a reality which exists in both existence and

non-existence.

Call

God

or Amitabha, or

Allhood, or the eternal and uncreated, the universal law, the not-bodily, the nothing or nonexistence, for

not concrete nor material,

nor real to the senses, itual

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;yet

exists,

it is

and can be discovered by the mind;

spirit is

AMITABHA.

and remains for

that exists the intrinsic

all

the rule and regu-

and necessary norm;

it is

lation for both things

and thoughts.

It is

om-

nipresent in the universe, invisible, impalpable,

What-

as a perfume that permeates a room.

ever makes

its

affected

appearance as a concrete reality its

withdrawn from which gives

sway.

its

womb

but the

itself,

savor and nothing can be

definite

It is

not existence

of existence;

shape to beings, moulding

them and determining them according

You have Amitabha

ditions.

that

to con-

two aspects

as the formation of particular existence and as

The

par-

the realisation of the universal;

and

the general law of universal types. ticular

the universal constitutes the type of the particular, giving

Mere

without the other.

particularity

ing in a state of ignorance; thus in ignorance; but

ence unrealised not.

Neither

a definite character.

;

life is

and the love of husband and wife if it

exist-

as though existence were

Therefore enjoyment of

for repentance,

be-

all life starts

mere universality

it is

not

wrong

no cause

be but the right love, true

AMITABHA.

and unfailing and making each willing

to bear

the burdens of the other.

"The Lord spoke not

of God, because the

good law that becomes incarnated hood

not a somebody, not an entity, not an

ego, not even a ghost.

soul, so there is not a

ghost-God."

Said Charaka: ''Now

there

not a ghost-

understand the

Lord Buddha with

ture of the ants,

Buddha-

his

pic-

two attend-

Love as Particularity on the elephant

and Wisdom as Universality on the

Ananda, the

disciple of loving service,

lion.

and Ka-

shyapa, the disciple of philosophical intellectuality,

have

approached

their

master

and

grasped the significance of his doctrine from

two opposite and contrasting "Those who mortify

sides.'*

their bodies,'' continued

Agvaghosha, "have not understood the doctrine.

are not ego-souls.

For that rea-

son the thought of an individual escape, the salvation of our ego-soul, illusion.

a heresy and an

We all stand together and every man

must work

for

Therefore

love to

the

Buddha

the

salvation

mankind.

compare the doctrine of

to a great ship or a

grand vehicle

AMITABHA.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a Mahayanaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

which there

room

we who

the multitudes of living beings and

stand at the helm must save them

for all

or perish

all

with them/'

Charaka extended thank you, venerable afforded me.

his sir,

hand and

for the light

useful to

you have

the love of God,

life,

the love of knowledge, the love of

me back

sought peace of soul in a mon-

astery, but the love of

drove

said:

to the world.

King Kanishka

heart,

have proved

as a physician, per-

haps also as a friend, and as a disciple of the

Tathagata; and the problem before

whether

right for

remain

is,

in the

world, to be a householder, to allow the particular, the sensual, the actual,

a share in

by the side of the universal, the

life

spiritual, the

ideal."

"Do

not despise the particular, the sensual,

"In the ma-

the actual," replied Agvaghosha. terial

love

body the

spiritual truths of

and veracity are

if it is

mere

goodness and

actualised.

Existence

existence, quantity of life

quality, is worthless

sage despises

it.

The

and not

and contemptible. sensual,

if it

The

be void of

;

AMITABHA. is

But existence

coarse and marks the brute.

the Spiritual,

not

sensual without

actual,

good

in itself,

nor

The

uses.

becomes consecrated

Think how holy

ality.

how and

its

wrong

the

sensual,

very particularity, by being an aspiration

in its

that

sacred

the kiss of true love

the relation between husband

It is the particular in

wife.

in spiritu-

which the

universal must be realised, mere abstract good-

ness will become apparent only in the vicissitudes of actual

life."

"If I could serve the holder,

Buddha

as a house-

highest ambition would be to be

a brother-in-law to

King Kanishka,''

replied

Charaka.

know

it,"

said

Agvaghosha with a

smile,

"for the emotions of your heart are reflected in

your

sister

eyes.

Go home and

with a saying of the Blessed One, and

when you

are married

in proportion to

and tion,

greet the king's

better.

may your

happiness be

your merit, or even greater

Buddha's doctrine

not extinc-

not nihilism, but a liberation of man's

heart from the fetters of selfishness and from the seclusion of a separate egoity.

It is

not the

AMITABHA.

suppression or eradication of love, and joy, and

family

ties,

but their perfection and sanctifi-

cation; not a cessation of

of ignorance, indolence,

but a cessation

life,

and

will,

ill

sake of gaining enlightenment, which

for the is life's

end and aim." After a pause Agvaghosha added pensively

"The more

the truth spreads, the

shall

and conditions be transfigured by

relations

all

Even

Buddhahood.

the

dumb

creatures and

inanimate nature are yearning for their emancipation that

"Your said

come/' has benefited

instruction

Kanishka

round

debtor.

his

age

too,"

and turning

king of Magadha, he continued,

to the

"but you

to the philosopher,

noble friend and host are

still

Since Agvaghosha on account of

finds himself unable to follow

Gandhara, you are

an acceptable

duty bound to procure

substitute.

Now,

there

way

of settling your obligations to me, and that

could be done

your daughter, the Princess

my hand Gandhara as my wife

Bhadraqri would consent to accept

and accompany me and queen

AMITABHA.

*'My august friend/' replied the king of

Magadha,

know

that the Princess worships

you for the heroism you have displayed battle, the

wisdom you have shown

in council,

and the magnanimity with which you have dealt with your conquered enemy. She beholds in

you not only the

ideal of royalty but also the

restorer of her father's fortunes,

her sincerest gratitude.

It is

but for you to

make her admiration blossom out and wifely devotion."

worthy of

into rich love

THE CONSPIRACY.

ACVAGHOSHA -

held daily conversations

with Kanishka, in which not only his

Charaka and the king of Magadha,

friends

but also Princess Bhadraqri, his bride-elect,

were now wont

to join.

One day Subahu was detained by important affairs of state, and when he made his appearance in the accustomed circle of his philosophical friends,

he was so

full of distress as to

be almost beyond the power of speech.

"My

royal friend,'' said Kanishka, "what

disturbs your

mind?

How

calamity be that so affects a

posure

Are you

of death, or pray,

trouble

"My bahu,

come

terrible

man

must the

of your

com-

or one of your kin in danger

what

else is the

cause of your

r dear friend and ally," replied king Su-

"it is

your

life

that

to take counsel with

endangered.

you as

how we

THE CONSPIRACY. may

save you from the perilous situation in

which the

false patriotism of

Some

placed you.

having but

people has

southern generals

with subsidies which

lately arrived

ought to have been with

at the beginning

of the war, entered into a conspiracy with

prime minister to surround the palace, take you prisoner and put you to the sword

unwary

tack your

soldiers

in the strictest privacy,

for

them

faith

and drive them out

and your noble

and friendship made

to replace the

their friends until they

own way, and

their

then to at-

Everything has been planned

of the country.

dence in

;

confi-

easy

guards gradually by

now have

everything

given to undersand

that unless I join the conspirators they will

another king."

elect

"And what

your pleasure

asked Kanishka, cern than

who

matter ?''

in this

betrayed no more con-

he were talking about a

game

checkers.

"My

pleasure?" exclaimed the disconsolate

king "ask not what

my pleasure

to save

;

duty,

you r

and that

is.

you or

I see

only

to die with

AMITABHA.

Kanishka was a man of deeds, not of words.

He bade Charaka

at once to hoist

of the palace a blue flag, which

sign to

summon

were camping

Having inquired that

the

on the tower

was

the secret

Gandhara generals

the

vicinity of

into the situation

that

town.

and learned

the gates were in possession of the

all

conspirators, he requested the king to call into his presence the treacherous

who was cating, as

at the

prime minister

head of the conspiracy,

indi-

though nothing had happened, that

he wanted to speak to him.

The prime

minister entered, and the king

spoke to him graciously about his

fidelity to

King Subahu and

Magadha,

the

kingdom

and said that he himself, anxious people of

Magadha, wished

of to

honor the

show him some

recognition and confer some favor on him, the

most faithful servant of King Subahu.

While King Kanishka thus time the prime minister fellow south,

conspirators,

the

felt

idled

the

uneasy, for his

generals

were waiting for the signal

power the few foreign guards, gates,

away

and take possession of the

from the to over-

to close the

palace.

Ka-

THE CONSPIRACY.

nishka in the meanwhile inquired as to his health, his general prosperity, his children, his

brothers and sisters, until the prime minister lost patience

and said "Sire, allow me :

draw a number ;

men

ern provinces,

friends

to with-

from the south-

great prominence

their distant

homes, have arrived and are anx-

ious to meet

me and my

With refused.

a royal courtesy which could not be

King Kanishka

company you

sovereign."

friends,

replied: "Let

to greet them.

ac-

Your

friends are

most noble

and the vassals of

King Subahu are my allies.'' The prime minister blushed and looked inquiringly at the king; but King Kanishka's eye ally

was calm and showed not picion.

the

same time there was a firmness

and determination

made

the least sign of sus-

in the king's attitude

the treacherous minister wince

which

and sub-

mit.

"This

the

way to the

hall

where

my friends

are assembled," said the prime minister, and

showed the king the way.

"Wait a moment," would be wrong of us

said if

King Kanishka,

"it

my royal brother. King

AMITABHA.

Subahu, were not present. Let us cilors

and generals so as

my coun-

call

to indicate our desire

honor your guests."

In the meantime some of the horsemen had

and

arrived,

their officers

demanded admission

at the palace gates to report their presence to

the king.

They were announced and

"Welcome,

King Kanishka,

gallant officers," exclaimed

"join

retinue

the friends of the prime minister,

men remain under arms to receive

Thus

admitted.

at the

when and

greet

let

your

main gate ready

my commands."

the two kings with a stately retinue

both of dignified councilors and warlike cers entered the hall

offi-

where the conspirators

They were dumb-

were impatiently waiting.

founded when they saw at the side of their

most hated enemy

their

own

sovereign accom-

panied by the prime minister with downcast eye,

meek

as a tame doe

and giving no sign

Then Kanishka addressed

for action.

the con-

spirators with great cordiality as though he

had long desired his

good

will.

their valor,

meet them and show them praised the generals for

for their love of their country.

;

THK CONSPIRACY. their faithfulness to their king,

and expressed

his great happiness that the old times of na-

had passed away, that the two

tional hatred

nations

Magadha and Gandhara

with be

like brothers,

to set a

good example

the

maxim Cl

Hate

ill

to the

world by obeying

'tis

quelled.

a truth of ancient date, unexcelled."^^

still

however, had the

will entirely

of his enemies;

ice of spite

and

melted from the hostile hearts

and not yet was

strong enough to

make him

feel

his retinue

master of the

So Kanishka continued

situation.

join

not overcome by hate

love alone

To-day yet,

and that they would

of the Tathagata:

This

Not

should forth-

his policy

of gaining time by having each one of the hostile officers

this done,

personally introduced to

him and,

he began to address the company a

second time.

"Allow me of having so

explain

improve

many

policy.

this rare opportunity

friends assembled here, to I

dha, the Blessed One,

a disciple of the Bud-

who taught

us to

make

AMITABHA.

an end of hatred by ceasing to hate. be any just cause for war, let

let

wage war openly and

If there

us have war and

resolutely, but let

us ever be ready to offer the hand of brotherly good-will to our enemies without cherishing feelings of revenge for the injuries

think

we have

The

suffered.

we may

policy of long

suffering, of loving-kindness, of forgiveness,

not only shows goodness of heart but also a rare gift of wisdom, as

who know and

the story of

all

those are aware

King Long-suffering

his noble son Prince Long-life,

Tathagata told

to the

which the

quarrelsome monks of

Kaushambi.

King Kanishka then

told the story of

Brah-

madatta, the powerful king of Benares,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;how

he had conquered the

little

kingdom

of Kosala

and had the captive king Long-suffering executed in Benares. But Prince Long-life escaped

unknown to any one, entered the service of King Brahmadatta, whose confidence he gained by his talents and reliability. Thus be became King Brahmadatta's personal atand,

tendant.

King Kanishka was a good

story-teller,

and

THE CONSPIRACY.

the people of India, whether of high or low

hear a story well

birth, love to

they

know

were as though spellbound and forgot

how

evil designs;

nor did they notice

began

more and more with the

fill

of the king of Gandhara.

They

adventures of Prince Long-life

he was

left

the forest, slept,

how

alone with

how

;

their

the hall officers

listened to the

how on

a hunt

King Brahmadatta

down and sword, how the

the king laid himself

the prince

king was

So the conspirators

by heart.

even

told,

drew

frightened

his

when he awoke and

learned that he was in the power of his enemy's son; and finally his life

the

how

each granted the other

and made peace, thus demonstrating

wisdom

of the

maxim, that hatred cannot

be appeased by hatred, but

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;and by love When

appeased by love,

only.^^

the king finished the story of Prince

Long-life, the hall officers of the

was crowded with armed

Gandhara army, and seeing

advantage. King Kanishka, feeling the faction of one in battle,

who had gained

his

satis-

a great victory

paused and glanced with a good-

natured look over the party of conspirators.

AMITABHA.

remained as self-possessed as a school-

master teaching a class of wayward boys.

am he

anxious to be at peace with

all

the world,"

"but the question arises, what shall be

said,

done with traitors and conspirators who misunderstand

my good

intentions

and would not

brook the loving-kindness of our great mas-

Then addressing the prime minister of Magadha by his full name and title, he added

ter?''

"Let to

hear your advice,

friend.

meant

promote your welfare, while you attempted

to take

life.

What

shall I

do with you and

your associates ?"

The prime fell

upon

wisdom

minister

his knees

like the

cient Tathagata.

was overwhelmed.

and sobbed: "You are

He in

Enlightened One, the Omnis-

Would

that you were his

equal also in mercy and compassion.

Never

you regret having forgiven

me my

should

transgression

!''

King Kanishka made no answer but looked round and cast conquering glances at the several conspirators, until they,

one by one, joined

Then espying Agvaghosha among his

the kneeling prime minister.

the venerable head of

THE CONSPIRACY.

audience, he approached the sage respectfully

and

"Now, most reverend sir, it is your speak, for I want you to tell me what

said:

turn to

a king ought to do to those to take his

Would

life.

men who

conspire

be wise for him to

follow the behest of the Tathagata and to grant

them forgiveness ?'' Said Agvaghosha: ''Not

but you are

sir,

Pronounce judgment according

the king.

your own discretion.

cherish the confidence

that the seeds of kindness will fall here

good

upon

soil."

"Thank

you, venerable

hate no one

sir.

from the Great Teacher of

have learned

beings, that to

all

But a king

the highest wisdom.

responsible for the welfare of his people and

cannot a judge

let

crime go unpunished.

The duty

In the present case

is justice.

do not

think that I would condone your action

were unmitigated treason but

deeming feature which guided though

and

you

will

from your heart

may

see in

a re-

your patriotism, mis-

be.

Rise, gentlemen,

promise forthwith to banish all

falsehood, spite,

come and shake hands with me

and envy,

in token of

your

AMITABHA.

faithful allegiance to both

eign, the king of ally

your august sover-

Magadha, and myself,

and brother on the throne."

his

THE MAN-EATING PROTESTATIONS ration greeted

when he

sides

tors.

power

the

battle, It

of fidelity

and admi-

King Kanishka from

retired to

after having shaken

TIGER.

his private

all

rooms

hands with the conspira-

had conquered

his enemies, not

of arms, as he

had done before

but by the superiority of his mind.

was

at this

moment

that a messenger ar-

who had been sent by the custodian of King Subahu's summer palace, saying: '^Sir King, send your hunters to the summer palace rived

with elephants and soldiers, for a man-eating tiger has been seen in

and

all

its

garden and parks,

the people living in the neighborhood

are sore afraid of the beast."

Then

the generals of the South shouted:

"Great King and Sire, allow us to go to the

summer

palace to hunt the tiger; for

are

anxious to distinguish ourselves and prove to

AMITABHA.

94 the world that

are vaHant soldiers and good

hunters."

And most

they received permission to be the fore-

in the hunt,

and

after a hasty preparation

they set out the same evening, but the two

kings and their retinue with

many

officers fol-

lowed them on the following day; Charaka, however, stayed behind at the

command

King Kanishka, to observe the courtiers and councilors of King Subahu and keep an eye upon the populace of the

the capital of

city,

Magadha. the

window in company with venerable Agvaghosha to see the suite of

the

two kings with

Charaka

leaving the

sat at a

city,

sage, saying:

their hunters

and elephants

and Charaka addressed the

"My

reverend friend,

learned

much yesterday from king Kanishka by watching his mode of treating enemies. Truly, I understand the doctrine of the Tathagata better

now

than

if I

had

lived for

the monastery and studied the monks.

How much

all

evil

many the

years in

wisdom

can be avoided

by discretion, and should not mortals blame themselves for

all

the

ills

that befall

them?

THE MAN-EATING TIGER. But there If

this

doubt that vexes

mind.

eternal, the

Amitabha, the omnipresent, the

omnibeneficent source of

wisdom, fashions

all

why

the world and determines our destinies,

should not

be possible without suffering?

life

However, the

first

truths declares that that be so, no

sentence of the four great

amount

of discretion could give

live.

And, on the

how can Amitabha

permit innu-

us happiness so long as other hand,

suffering.

life itself is

merable things to suffer innocently for conditions

which they did not create themselves?"

"My young "the

first

great truth

who knows

one sists

friend," is

replied

truly obvious to

the nature of

of separation

Aqvaghosha,

life.

any

Life con-

and combination;

constant meeting and parting and has in store

both pains and pleasures. life

be possible without any change, and

begin to doubt the

But

Prove

if life is

first

suffering,

that

I will

of the four great truths.

no being has a right

blame Amitabha for existing.

All beings exist

by their own karma; they are the incarnation of deeds of their former existences; they are

such as they are by their

own

determination.

AMITABHA.

having fashioned themselves under the

influ-

ence of circumstances.

"By Amitabha

beings are merely edu-

all

cated in the school of

insight than others.

others hate of

life.

Some

it.

Some have gained Some love the light,

rise to the

pure heights

Buddhahood, and others grovel

and deeds of dark-

to take delight in badness

Amitabha

ness.

is like

in the dust

the rain that falls upon

The

seeds

of herbs assimilate the water that falls

from

the earth without discrimination.

the clouds of heaven in a refreshing spring

shower, and grow to be herbs each of

its

kind.

Fernspores become ferns, acorns change the

water into the leaves and wood and bark of

oak it

trees,

and the germs of

into fruit, each of its

own

kind, into mangoes,

pomegranates, and other

bananas, dates,

figs,

savory

Amitabha

fruits.

fruit trees fashion

the

as the water of the refreshing rain

but diverse creatures

make a

same is

in its

own

same

respon-

Each one has originated

sible for itself.^^ its

the

own

field of

all,

different use of

the benefits of truth, and each one

ignorance by

blind impulses, each one,

experience, has learned the

THE MAN-HATING TIGKR. lesson of

blame no one but

become

own way, and

life in its

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;except

itself for

that

for the light that

course of

what

each one can it is

and has

ought to be grateful

Amitabha sheds upon

the

development.

its

"Amitabha

not a god that would assert

himself or care for worship and adoration.

not

not Ishvara,

Brahma: He

the

Sakra, not Indra, not

norm

of all existence, the

good law, the order and

intrinsic

that shows itself in cause

and

bliss of

He is

does not think and act and do deeds.

harmony

effect,

in the

goodness, in the curse of evil-doing.

above

all

the gods, and everything that

has been fashioned by him according to the

eternal ordinances of his constitution.

"We

are not creatures of Amitabha,

creatures of our

ignorance. life's

start

It is

own making.

are

Life starts in

begins with blind impulses, and life's

own

as an impulse acts and

doing.

But as soon

reacted upon,

encompassed by the good law and thus

educated by Amitabha and raised by him as children are nourished by their mother

and

in-

AMITABHA.

98 by

striicted

We are not the crea-

their father.

tures of Amitabha, but his children.^^

"Ask thy own

self,

whether thou art because

thou wast created by some extraneous power; or contrariwise whether

it is

not truer to say

that thou art because thou dost will thy

Every man

existence.

"Thou hast become sity

what he

own

wills to be.

w^hat thou art of neces-

according to the norms that constitute

the nature of Amitabha.

what thou

to be

But thou grewest

art because thou wantedst to

become such.

"Now

an Ishvara had created

thee,

thou

wouldst not have the feeling of freedom that

now hast, but thou wouldst feel like the vessel made by the potter which is what it is in spite of its own like or dislike." thou

"But

if I

determined to love

"is

wrong

punished for

by suffering?''

Charaka,

Replied

Agvaghosha:

punishment nor reward,

may

life,''

do so and

"There

son,

asked

shall I be

neither

though we

use the words in adapting our language

to the

cause

common mode of thought. There is only and effect. The Tathagata gave no com-

THE MAN-EATING TIGER.

mandments, for what authority has any one to

command

The Tatha-

his brother beings?

gata revealed to us the people call the ten

and what

evils of life,

commandments are

the ten

ways pointed out by the Tathagata how

He who

avoid the ten

evils.

Tathagata's

advice

The

quences.

must

nothing wrong in

it.

must not be afraid of Tathagata lived

when

to love of

you love

the

there

life,

you

he was as much

But

as you are.

came upon

and did not

fortitude life,

While the

suffering.

the pangs of his last disease

complain.

life,

you love

am and

him he bore them with

conse-

Their fate

in the flesh,

subject to pain as I

the

hunted down, and

a murderer will be executed.

does not take the

bear

tiger will be

result of their deeds.

bear

and do not break down under

its ills

nobly

burdens.

its

Avail yourself of the light of Amitabha, for thus you can escape the worst evils of contrition of regret, of remorse, of a

science

;

and the noblest pleasure of

becoming a lamp unto

light shine in the

others.

world and you

life,

the

bad con-

life is

that

Let your will

100

AMITABHA.

unto your master, Buddha- Amitabha, the omnibenevolent source of

all

illumination/'

THE BUDDHIST ABBOT AND THE BRAHMAN.

WHILE

King Kanishka stayed

summer

at the

palace to witness the tiger

hunt, a Buddhist abbot

came

to the royal pal-

ace and requested an interview with the great

King Kanishka's

friend and the abbot ;

mitted into the presence of Charaka,

pened to be of

in the

company

was ad-

who

hap-

some councilors

King Subahu, among whom was Aqva-

ghosha, the saintly philosopher. bot: "I

Said the ab-

come from the monastery

situated near a

Brahman

in the hills

village south of Be-

nares and have been sent by the brethren, the venerable monks whose abbot that

the

am.

We know

King Kanishka and you are followers of Buddha and are steadfast in the orthodox

faith.

Therefore we approach you in

confi-

dence and hope that you will lend your countenance to us, endeavoring to spread and estab-

AMITABHA.

102 lish the

good law, the pure

We have settled in the hills, but there

hagata. is

religion of the Tat-

a Shiva shrine close by and the villagers

continue to offer gifts to the priests while the

venerable brethren

who

glorious doctrine of the

and sometimes

profess faith in the

Buddha are neglected

positively suffer

from priva-

tion." {(1

What

can

ii'\

do about

it?''

queried Charaka.

Shiva shrine were removed, the

If the

vil-

lagers would no longer seek religious comfort

through Brahman dhists.

monk; you

rites

and would turn Bud-

are told that you are a Buddhist

have sympathy with your suf-

will

fering brethren and help them to expel the unbelievers.''

"And do you "that either

think," objected Agvaghosha,

King Subahu or King Kanishka

would lend you

his royal authority to interfere

with the religious service of any one ? friend.

No,

The Shiva worshipers may be mis-

taken in their religious views, but they seek the truth and so long as they do no injury to their neighbors, their

turbed.

And

worship cannot be

dis-

do not know but the Shiva

THE BUDDHIST ABBOT. priests

may

103

own way do good

in their

service

to the people/'

And

was a Brahman

there

King Subahu's

councilors,

present, one of

who was

pleased

with Agvaghosha's remark and expressed his approval of the principle of toleration which the great emperor

Agoka had proclaimed

maxim of good governBrahman added:

one of his edicts as a ment, and the

"Do

not ye, too,

Buddhists, preach the

doctrine of the Brahmans, that there

preme Lord Creator over

all

call

God

a su-

creatures, a divine

Whether

ego-consciousness of All-existence?

Ishvara, or Shiva, or Amitabha,

he remains the same and has a just claim to worship."

Agvaghosha shook

man it

friend!

his

head "No,

The good law

designate

it.

It is the

norm

Brah-

supreme, and

a father omnibenevolent as

rightly

of existence, the

standard of truth, the measure of righteousness

;

but that

norm

Shiva, nor Brahma.

not an Ishvara, neither

Here

the difference

between Ishvara and Amitabha: Ishvara deified

egotism;

demands worship and

AMITABHA.

104 praise.

Amitabha

love,

vanity of egoism and

free

from the

only anxious for his

children that they should avail themselves of

the light and shun the darkness, that they

should follow his advice and walk in the path of righteousness.

Ishvara

calls

sin

what

contrary to his will; he loves to be addressed

prayer and he delights in listening to the

Not

praises of his worshipers.

Amitabha cares not

and cannot be

to worship,

but the good law err

;

for prayer,

so Amitabha. is

indifferent

flattered

praise,

thwarted when his children

and Amitabha appears

to be

wrapt

in sad-

ness by the evil results of their mistakes; not

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;for he eternal and remains the forevermoreâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but for the sake of the

for his sake

same

sufferings of tures are

all

his

sentient creatures, for all creadisciples,

he guides them, he

teaches them, he encompasses them. like a father

unto them.

far as they par-

take of his nature, they are his children.''

Said the

Brahman

that Ishvara, or call

God,

"I for one do not believe

Brahma, or whatever you may

a person such as

are.

higher kind of personality, which however

in-

THE BUDDHIST ABBOT.

105

eludes the faculties of perception, judgment

and reason. dhist faith

think of

I believe is

lacking in

Amitabha as

that

this,

devotees

its

self-con-

deficient

Buddhist ethics are noble, but are

sciousness.

human

therefore that the Bud-

deeds the highest imaginable?

the godhead

Since

greater than man, the highest

bliss will forever

remain a union with Brahma,

may Unknown and Unknowable, who

or Ishvara, or Sakra, or whatever you call the

great

has revealed himself in the Vedas and

pleased

with the prayers and sacrifices of the pious

who express their faith in worship." 'When I was young," replied Agvaghosha, ''I was a Brahman myself; I believed in Brahma the Supreme Being, the Creator of and Lord over all the worlds that exist. I know there is much that is good in the Brahman faith, it

and

did not abandon

bad or injurious.

because

abandoned

doctrine of the Tathagata

was

it,

deemed

because the

superior, all-

comprehensive, and more profound, for

of the Tathagata

more is

helpful.

practical

ex-

its

whence

The

doctrine

plains the problems of existence,

and whither, and

and not

in the

AMITABHA.

106

and speculations of the

air as are the theories

You

Brahmans. and what

he?

seek a union with Brahma,

We may dispute his existence

and no one can refute

us.

idea, a

metaphysical assumption, and his mansion

Thus

everywhere and nowhere.

who

gata says that those

man who

the Tatha-

believe in

Brahma

make a staircase where four roads meet, to mount up high into a mansion which he can neither see nor know are like a

how

where

it is,

whether

should

it is,

exists at

what all.

the authority of the Vedas,

it is

The

built of,

nor

priests claim

and the Vedas are

based upon the authority of the authors

who

wrote them, and these authors rely on the authority of Brahma. of blind

men

They are

like a string

clinging to one another and lead-

ing the blind, and their method of salvation consists in adoration, worship, It is

and prayer.^^

a doctrine for children, and though the

words of

their theory are high-sounding they

are not the truth but a mere shadow of the truth;

and

in this sense the

Tathagata com-

pared them to the monkey at the lake

who

tries

THE BUDDHIST ABBOT. to catch the

moon

107

mistaking the

in the water,

reflection for the reahty."

"But would not the

Brahman,

all

your arguments," replied

were

"if I

to grant them, apply

What

with the same force to Amitabha?

the difference whether

tabha ?

Brahma

say

we understood

the Absolute,

Being ment.

same by

the

Amitabha

doubts that there

Enlighten-

may

not yet

tabha; our wisdom not perfect.

purity.

the eternal,

a reality.

norm

standard of right and wrong.

that which

mean

the spiritual light of com-

e.,

prehension, and this light

Brahma,

both.

do not hanker after existence, but

infinite light,

names

generally interpreted to

in general, but

in the

we worship truth, goodness, and "By Amitabha we understand

tabha.

Ami-

Both are names for the Absolute.''

"There would be no difference if

know

one

of truth

and a

That

Ami-

all

about Ami-

limited; our goodness

But we ground ourselves upon

we do know,

while you

start with speculations, seeking a

the Absolute, which

Brahmans union with

a vague idea, something

unknown and unknowable.

Amitabha

cer-

AMITABHA.

108

tainly not a limited self-consciousness, but infinite principle,

an omnipresent law, an

eter-

nal norm, higher than any individual, but the

depth of this

norm

cation universal

and

unfathomable,

appli-

its

use

infinite; its bountiful

immeasurable.

"We know something but not all about Amitabha. He is the Dharmakaya, the embodiment of the good law. He is the Nirmanakaya, the aspiration to reach bodhi in the trans-

formations of the evolution of

Sambhogakaya, the

bliss of

life.

good

the

The

deeds.^^

philosophers, scientists, poets, of the future,

the thinkers and dreamers of mankind, will find in

Amitabha a wonderful source

of in-

The

spiration which can never be exhausted.

Tathagata's religion his philosophy

not mere metaphysics,

not mere mythology.

al-

lows metaphysics and mythology their spheres, but urges the practical issues of his

life.

Thus

becoming

religion comprises all without

vague.''

Said the

Brahman "How can :

many

con-

tradictory things be united in one?"

And Agvaghosha

replied:

"My

venerable

THE BUDDHIST ABBOT.

109

teacher, the saintly sage Parsva, once told

the parable of the elephant which explains the relation of the truth to the sundry doctrines

held by the several sects and schools, priests

and philosophers, prophets and preachers.

The Brahman

said that he

had never heard

the story, and expressed his desire to hear

it.

THE PARABLE OF THE ELEPHANT.

ACVAGHOSHA -

intent

saw

that every eye

upon him, and so he

of the white Elephant.

was

told the story

said:

"There was a noble and mighty elephant, an elephant white in color, with a strong trunk

and long willing

tusks, trained

and serviceable

phants are put

to.

by a good master, and in all the

And

work

this noble

that ele-

and mighty

elephant being led by his guide, the good master

the

who had trained him, came to the land of blind. And it was noised about in the land

of the blind that the noble and mighty elephant,

the king of

all

beasts, the wisest of all animals,

the strongest and yet the meekest and kindliest

of creatures,

in their country.

his

appearance

So the wise men and teach-

came

to the place

where the

was and every one began

to investi-

ers of the blind

elephant

had made

gate his shape and figure and form.

And when

THE PARABLE

THE ELEPHANT.

OI^

Ill

was gone they met and discussed the problem of the noble and mighty beast, and there were some who said he was like a great thick snake; others said he was like the elephant

a snake of

medium

The former had

size.

the trunk, the latter the

like that of a

ers maintained he

Some

like a

still

big barrel,

of the blind

still

oth-

had taken hold

had reached the main

others had touched the tusks.

Every one proposed

his

view and they disputed

and controverted, and wrangled, and and bickered, and quarreled, and

litigated,

called each

other names, and each one imprecated others,

was

was smooth and hard but

of one of the legs, others

body, and

his figure

high column, others declared he

was large and bulky tapering.

Further there

tail.

were some who claimed that

felt

and each one denounced

and they abused and

scolded,

all

the

the others,

and they ana-

thematised and excommunicated, and finally

every one of them swore that every one else

was a

liar

heresies.

and was cursed on account of

his

These blind men, every one of them

honest in his contentions, being sure of having the truth and relying

upon

his

own

experience,

AMITABHA.

112

formed schools and haved

sects

and factions and be-

same way as you

in exactly the

see the

But the

priests of the different creeds behave.

master of the noble, mighty elephant knows

them

all,

he knows that every one of them has

a parcel of the truth, that every one his

way, but wrong

right in

in taking his parcel to be

the whole truth.

"Not one of these sectarians observed the fact that the elephant

a marvel to

Yet

was

perfectly white

them were purblind.

see, for all of

would not say that they were

honest or hypocrites.

and

They had

either dis-

investigated

the truth to the best of their ability.

''The master of the elephant

the Tatha-

gata, the Enlightened One, the Buddha.

has brought the white elephant representing the truth, the noble and mighty elephant, symbolising strength

and wisdom and devotion,

into the land of the blind, to

the

schools,

Tathagata

and

all

will

and he who

understand

the sects and

all

listens all

the

the factions

that are in possession of parcels of the truth.

His doctrine

all-comprehensive, and he

who

THE PARABLE OF THE ELEPHANT. takes refuge in

Him will cease to bicker,

113

and

contend, and to quarrel."^^

When Agvaghosha had able of the noble

finished

the par-

and mighty elephant, the two

kings returned from the

summer

palace carry-

ing with them in a solemn procession the slain tiger,

and

behind on a white charger

decked with garlands and gay ribbons, rode the hero of the day, one of the generals from

whose dart had struck the

the South,

tiger

with fatal precision and death-dealing power. ^^Behold the hero of the day!" said Charaka.

"And had

the conspiracy not miscarried the

same man might now be an assassin and a miscreant.''

"There

a lesson in

ghosha, "existence sake.

"Our aim live, to

and

not to

avoid

justice

it is

its

own

to life is the

devoted.

live,

but whether

wrong doing and

and lovingkindness

the Tathagata

Agva-

replied

not desirable for

That which gives worth

purpose to which

it!''

die

to let right

prevail.

Says

AMITABHA.

114

"Commit no wrong, but good deeds

And All

let

Buddhas teach

Which

do,

thy heart be pure.

will for

this doctrine true

aye endure."^*

THE DOUBLE WEDDING.

CHARAKA without

found by degrees and not

difficulties

his

mental equilib-

rium, which his friend Kanishka seemed to

possess naturally. to the saintly old

viction that he

unburdened

man and

arrived at the con-

was not made

that his duties of

life

his heart

for a

monk and

according to his disposi-

tion lay in other fields.

In the meantime King Kanishka had sent a

messenger to Matura his chancellor and gerent at Gandhara, to bring Princess

vice-

Kama-

lavati to Benares.

Princess Kamalavati arrived, and betrothal to

when her

Charaka was announced the happy

events of our story reached their climax.

Ag-

vaghosha solemnised the nuptials of both couples,

Kanishka with Bhadragri, and Charaka

with Kamalavati and he read to them from the ;

Dhammapada

the famous stanza:

;

AMITABHA.

116 "Sweet

world

in the

And motherhood But sweeter If nobly

fatherhood,

sweet

the thought of good,

our heart beat.

Sweeter, a

to old age spent

life

In truth and purity Sweeter, to reach enlightenment

And

When feast

keep from

evil free."^^

the marriage ceremony

was spread

was over a

at the royal palace,

and King

Kanishka declared that he had a great respect for priests, but did not favor the idea that his friend, the physician royal, should resign his

calling of wizard (as he

for the sake of

was wont

becoming a monk.

to call

While there

were plenty of good and honest men the yellow robe, there

among

a million

and save human

who lives,

was

scarcely one

was no magic but

vation

man

Charaka had done. His

consisted simply in obser-

and experiment, and

whose forces he had learned all

wear

could perform miracles

Charaka denied that he was a wizard. art

him)

was nature

to guide; but for

that he accomplished things which astounded

THE DOUBLE WEDDING. They were

the world.

of magicians, for they

117

better than the miracles

were more useful and of

enduring benefit to mankind.

When his "My science

friends praised him, he replied:

accomplish

the

a beginning only and

work

what

The Tatha-

of a tyro.

gata has preached the religion of enlightenment, he set the wheel rolling;

now our

duty to follow up his thought, to spread enlightenment, and to increase

and thus the

infinite,

Amitabha

it.

possibilities of invention

are inexhaustible.

The wondrous

man

and which he

able to do,

things which

will

in the

ages to come, can at present only be surmised

by the wisest sages.

"But greater than the greatest

feats of in-

vention will be the application of the Lord Bud-

maxim of loving-kindness in human intercourse, in family life, dha's

in labor

and

social affairs, in

ment of our fore

things.

souls

in politics,

our dealings with

friends and foes, with animals,

the degenerate and criminal.

all fields

and even with

The

enlighten-

most important.

praise the Tathagata above

Thereall

other

118

AMITABHA.

"Bright shineth the sun in his splendor by day

And

bright the moon's radiance by night,

Bright shineth the hero

And

in battle array,

the sage in his thought shineth bright.

But by day and by

As Lord Buddha,

night,

none so glorious so bright

the source of

all spiritual light."

NOTES. Page

*For details of the pabbajja (or initiation) and the upasampada (or ordination) see Mahdvagga, first khandaka (S. B. E., Val. XIII).

Page

'The time of our

story

the

fifth

century after the Bud-

dha's enhghtenment, which corresponds to the

first

century

of the Christian era.

Page

"Buddhist Chants and Processions," Journal of the Buddhist Text Society of India, Vol. Ill, Part II. ^Cf.

Dhammapada,

21.

Dhammapada,

223.

'Dhammapada,

134.

^Dhammapada,

313.

Dhammapada, 258

Dhammapada,

Page

10.

Page

II.

240.

;

Page

12.

Page

31.

254.

"Kevaddha's story

cient Buddhist Pali text.

an abbreviated account of an an-

The

verses as well as other details

are almost literally translated.

dhism

Cf.

in Translations, pp. 308-313.

Henry Warren's Bud-

AMITABHA.

120

Page

32.

"Uposatha, or confession, was held regularly on the days of the full and the new moon. For a detailed account of the ceremony see Mahavagga, second Khandhaka {S. B. E., Vol. XIII).

"The

" Padhana sutta,

Page

40.

Page

56.

Greeks.

Dhammapada,

Cf. T.

16.

6^.

B. E., X,

Page

64.

Page

74.

p. 71.

151.

Suzuki's translation of Agvaghosha's Discourse

on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahaydna, pp. loi, 142 The term "highest truth" is called by Agvaghosha

seq.

Sanskrit paramdrthasatya.

"Compare Samuel

Form Lectures on where we read: "He who is possessed of the highest self, he is able to see Buddha. Buddha, although he dwell in the world, can be seen by none but those possessed of this highest self. Maharaja! Most true it is that though Buddha has attained Nirvana, yet may you behold him." Buddhist literature

3-20.

Dhammapada

For

full

Beal's Abstract of

China,

Page

87.

Page

89.

177,

accounts of Prince Long-life see Mahavagga,X,

(Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XVII.)

Page ^^

96.

TheSaddharmapundartka, chapter

121

NOTES.

Page 98, ^ Amitabha (and with him Buddha) tor,

but he

never called Crea-

See the Sadand the Fo-sho-hing-tsan-king,

frequently addressed as "Father."

dharmapundanka,

III, 97, 104,

III, 15, 1231.

Page '^

The

106.

simile of the blind leader of the blind occurs in the

same connection

in the Tevijja Suit a, 15.

Page ^''For the details of

108.

Agvaghosha's doctrine of the

triple

aspect of the highest truth (so similar to the Christian trinity)

as the

Kaya

(i.

e.,

body or personality) of (i) the good

law, (2) transformation, (3) bliss, see T. Suzuki's translation of Agvaghosha's Discourse on the Awakening of Faith, Chi-

cago, 1900, pp. 99-101.

The Udana, VI.

Dhammapada,

Page

113.

Page

114.

Page

116.

183

^ Dhammapada, 332-333.

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-^ym

BL1455.C317

__^ ^ Amitabha; a story of Buddhist theology, ,

Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library

1012 00108 7370