Transactions of the second session held at London, in September, 1874 / edited by R.K. Douglas.

  • International Congress of Orientalists
Date:
1876
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Transactions of the second session held at London, in September, 1874 / edited by R.K. Douglas. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    150/514 (page 140)
    TURANIAN SECTION. lence, love of men, self-denial, energy, and watchfulness against* eiTor. iff) Fo-shvo-fa-yin-lcing (Buddha declares what is the seal of the Law). This Sermon was delivered at Sravasti, before all the Bhikshus. In it Buddha declares that the secret, or the seal, of the Law, is to perceive the unreality of all phenomenal existence, and, by a convic- tion of this, to arrive at deliverance. [Deliverance is spoken of as threefold, and is thus denoted 0°0.] (A) Pu-sa-sing-ta-king (The Sutra of the ground of the birth of a Bodhisatwa). This Sutra was, delivered at Kapalivastu, under a Hyagrodha tree, in the presence of 500 Bhikshus. A young nobleman, called Chamah, comes to Buddha, and begs him to explain the nature of a Boclhi- satwa’s conduct. On this Buddha lays it down that the fundamental principle of a Bodhisatwa’s character is perfect patience and forbear- ance, and this patience exhibits itself under four aspects. (1) When reviled, the Bodhisatwa reviles not again. (2) When smitten, he receives the blow without resentment. (3) When treated with anger and passion, he returns love and good will. (4) When threatened with death, he bears no malice. Buddha then recites some verses (Geyas) to the same effect. Again, he says, there are four things that distinguish every Bodhisatwa. (1) He loves the Scriptures, and the way of salvation practised by the Bodhisatwas; with his utmost mind he defends the cause of Religion, and desires to instruct men therein. (2) He removes himself from the company of all females, and will have no business with them. (3) He ever loves to bestow charity on Shaman and Brahmachari. (4) He avoids over-sleep, lest his heart should become indisposed to Religion. Buddha then recites some verses to the same effect. On this, Chamah removes from his neck a beau- tiful string of pearls and precious stones, and offers them to Buddha. Buddha, by his spiritual power, causes them to ascend into the air, and form a canopy over his head. And now, from each precious stone, there appears as it were a man, to the number of 500, each wearing a similar necklace. On this, Chamah asks whence these persons came — to which Buddha replies, they come from nowhere; they are unreal and apparitional only, as a figure in a glass, or the