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REESE LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Class 
 
Coming of the Sisters Maya and Kyodomi. 
 
PRINCE SIDDARTHA 
 
 THE JAPANESE BUDDHA 
 
 With an Introduction by Rev. F. E. Clark, D.D. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN L. ATKINSON 
 
 BOSTON AND CHICAGO 
 Congregational >un0agsx?djooi ana ^uoltsfjtnp; 
 
REESE 
 
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 R SE 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1898, 
 Br CONGREGATIONAL SUNDAY-SCHOOL AND PUBLISHING SOCIETY 
 
JBetucatton 
 
 THE thought of the Young People of Christian 
 Endeavor Societies everywhere has been constantly 
 in my mind while preparing this book for the press. 
 I, therefore, dedicate it to them with the sincere 
 hope that its perusal may make clear to them the vital 
 difference there is between the Light of Asia and the 
 
 Light of the World. 
 
 JOHN L. ATKINSON. 
 
 KOBE, Japan. 
 
 136151 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 IN many respects this is a very unusual book. "While 
 it has the interest of a story, it will be peculiarly fasci- 
 nating to many minds because from the Oriental point of 
 view it relates the life of a great religious leader, who 
 bears sway over uncounted millions of our fellow men. 
 
 This book is not open to the charge of being colored 
 by Western prejudices or preconceived Christian ideas, 
 for it is a translation, not literal, to be sure, but substan- 
 tially accurate, of the Japanese' own account of their 
 greatest god. It speaks the best word that can be spoken 
 for Buddha and Buddhism. 
 
 It presents the hero, whether he be a mythical or real 
 character, in the most attractive light. The mellow haze 
 of Oriental imagination covers up whatever is false and 
 hideous in the religion of the East and presents that 
 which is most worth studying. 
 
 As an account of the best things which a false religion 
 can say for itself, it is well worth reading. 
 
 As an attempt to put us in sympathetic relation with 
 the thought and aspirations of the devout souls in the 
 far East it has a claim upon every Christian, but above 
 all will it be of use, I believe, in showing every reader 
 how infinitely superior the religion of Christ is to the 
 best of false religions. 
 
 The light which sometimes shines from Asia is a false 
 and flickering Jack-o'-lantern. Its uncertain rays may 
 lead many a young person astray unless he traces it to 
 its source and finds what a poor phosphorescent glow 
 it is, after all, as compared with the light that shines 
 from the Sun of Righteousness. 
 
 5 
 
6 Introduction. 
 
 This book will set things in their true proportions 
 before many who might otherwise be misled by the 
 glamour of the Buddhist faith. After perusing these 
 pages no intelligent person can say " One religion is as 
 good as another " ; " The faith of the Buddhist does not 
 differ essentially from the faith of the Christian " ; " The 
 morality which Prince Siddartha taught is as good as 
 the morality of Jesus Christ." 
 
 No one can compare the grotesque account of the 
 birth of Buddha with the noble and dignified story of 
 the birth of Christ to the advantage of the former. 
 , The quarrel of Maya and Kyodomi contrasts most un- 
 favorably with the loving greetings of Mary and Elisa- 
 beth. The unnatural and priggish sayings and doings 
 of Maya's son seem silly and absurd when compared 
 with the sweet simplicity of Mary's son. And the last 
 days of Prince Siddartha, his misty wisdom and his 
 incomprehensible sayings, are sure to be contrasted by 
 any reader with the dignified and noble death of Him 
 who suffered on the cross to take away the sins of the 
 world. 
 
 In fact this book is an excellent foil to the Gospels, as 
 were the Apocryphal books of the Bible when they were 
 bound up by our grandfathers between the covers of 
 their Bibles. As at the recent great Parliament of Reli- 
 gions at Chicago it was said by morothan one, " If this 
 is the best thing that false religions have to say for 
 themselves, Christianity need have no fear," so he who 
 reads this most interesting volume will be sure to rise 
 from his perusal with the feeling: If Buddhism has 
 "nothing better to offer to the world than the life of 
 Prince Siddartha, the religion of Christ need not tremble. 
 
 FRANCIS E. CLARK, 
 
 BOSTON, October 10, 1893, 
 
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 ' 
 
 . J"*i rit_~.^\^ a A 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 !HAPTEK PAGE 
 
 IN THE BEGINNING. PRELUDE .... 9 
 
 I. KING JOBON, PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S FATHER 15 
 
 II. THE Two SISTERS 20 
 
 III. MAYA, PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MOTHER . . 34 
 
 IV. THE YOUNG PRINCE 52 
 
 V. THE PRINCE'S GLOOM AND YEARNING . . 67 
 
 VI. THE PRINCE ESCAPES FROM THE PALACE 76 
 
 VII. COMMOTION IN THE PALACE 87 
 
 VIII. PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S NOVITIATE .... 90 
 
 IX. PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MIDDLE TERM . . 96 
 
 X. THE SNOW MOUNTAIN 101 
 
 XI. THE PRINCE TURNS HOMEWARD . . . .121 
 
 XII. A PALACE EPISODE DURING THE PRINCE'S 
 
 ABSENCE 124 
 
 XIII. THE PALACE LADIES PREPARE FOR THE 
 
 PRINCE'S RETURN 128 
 
 XIV. YASODHARA'S SON MEETS THE PRINCE, HIS 
 
 FATHER 132 
 
 XV. CHANGES IN YASODHARA'S LIFE .... 142 
 
 XVI. THE BUDDHA ASCENDS TO HEAVEN . . 146 
 
 XVII. BUDDHA'S RETURN FROM INDRA'S HEAVEN 152 
 
 XVIII. AN ENEMY 160 
 
 XIX. PRINCE SIDDARTHA INVITED TO ASCEND 
 
 THE THRONE .165 
 
Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XX. 
 XXI. 
 
 INAUGURAL ADDRESSES AT THE PALACE 
 THE PLOT OF DAIBA-DATLA AND BUDDHA' 
 COUNTERPLOT ... . 
 
 PAGE 
 
 . 173 
 
 s 
 . 185 
 
 XXII. 
 XXIII. 
 XXIY. 
 
 THE LAST TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA . . 
 THE BUDDHA ENTERS NIRVANA . . . 
 THE BUDDHA'S SHARI 
 
 . 196 
 . 207 
 . 221 
 
 XXV. 
 
 THE BUDDHA'S PARADISE 
 
 225 
 
 XXVI. 
 XXVII. 
 
 THE BUDDHA'S ENLIGHTENMENT . . . 
 
 NIRVANA 
 
 . 277 
 ?96 
 
IN THE BEGINNING. 
 
 PRELUDE. 
 
 following life of Prince Siddartha, the Japan- 
 JL ese Buddha, is one that is used by the major part 
 of the Buddhists of Japan. It was published two hun- 
 dred and twenty-eight years ago, that is, in 1665, but 
 whether that was the first time of its issue after its 
 preparation by the original author I am unable to learn. 
 
 The present English text of this biography is not a 
 literal translation of the Japanese work, yet it follows 
 the original quite closely, and I believe that no important 
 element has been omitted. 
 
 The Buddhists of Japan belong to what is called the 
 Northern School of Buddhism. The Buddhists of the 
 world are separated into two great divisions, called 
 respectively the Southern School and the Northern 
 School. The Northern School includes Northern India, 
 Cashmere, Nepaul, China, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, 
 Japan. The Southern School includes Southern India, 
 Ceylon, Burma, Siam. The Buddhism of the North- 
 ern School is regarded as being less correct in some of 
 its teachings and usages than the Southern School. The 
 reasons given for the difference and incorrectness are the 
 greater distance from the origin of the religion, the 
 additions that have been made to the original teachings 
 of Buddha, and the retention of some of the teachings 
 
10 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 and superstitions of the aboriginal religions of the peo- 
 ples who came to adopt Buddhism as their national 
 religion. 
 
 Buddhism reached Japan in the sixth century of .the 
 Christian era, namely, in 550 A.D. As it came by the 
 way of China and Korea, its character in Japan is on 
 the whole similar to that which it has or had in those 
 two countries. In fact, the modern Buddhism of Japan, 
 that is, the Buddhism taught since about the tenth cen- 
 tury of the Christian era, was established by men who 
 went to China to study the doctrines at what they 
 regarded as first hand. 
 
 There is some doubt about the period of time during 
 which the Buddha is said to have lived, taught, and died. 
 Some writers have been inclined to regard him as a myth, 
 as a creature of the imagination. It seems quite prob- 
 able, however, that a person called Shaka-Miini Gautama, 
 otherwise Buddha, did really exist, and that he taught 
 the doctrines that for substance are credited to him in 
 the Buddhistic writings. It is more than probable, how- 
 ever, that the bulk of those writings and teachings were 
 produced, after Buddha's death, by his followers, all 
 of whom had not the same understanding of the germ 
 thoughts of their teacher. 
 
 Granting that the Buddha was a real person and that 
 he taught as is represented, there is still considerable 
 difference of opinion as to the exact time of his birth 
 and death. One Chinese account places the time at nine 
 hundred and fifty years before Christ. The Buddhists of 
 Ceylon, that is, the Southern School, place it at about five 
 hundred and fifty years before Christ. Until recently, 
 
Prelude. 1 1 
 
 European scholars have accepted the opinion of the Cey- 
 lon believers as representing the probable truth. "Within 
 recent years, however, some very old inscriptions have 
 been found in India which seem to indicate that the 
 Buddha died about 275 B.C. 
 
 The one thing about the whole matter that seems fairly 
 certain is that Buddhism had its origin in India some- 
 where between 300 and 550 B.C., and that it spread from 
 its place of birth throughout the entire Asiatic continent, 
 east, north, and south. 
 
 The Buddhist scriptures were not collected and printed 
 until some hundreds of years after the death of the 
 founder of the religion, and there is no evidence that 
 any biography of Buddha was extant or known before 
 the other writings were published. It naturally follows, 
 therefore, that neither this nor any other biography of 
 the Buddha represents the unadulterated facts of his life, 
 work, and death. All the lives of him that have been 
 written are more or less legendary and imaginative in 
 their character. 
 
 This particular biography to which the reader's atten- 
 tion is now invited represents the substance of a work 
 called in Japanese SJidka Hasso Mono Gatari. It is re- 
 garded as the best life of Buddha extant in Japan. As 
 such it has been widely read, and it is believed by mil- 
 lions to represent the real facts in the case quite as 
 much so as any Christian biography of Christ is regarded 
 by Christians as representing the facts of that sacred and 
 useful life. Its perusal, therefore, by the young people 
 of America, while it will reveal to them something of 
 the vast difference that there is between the teachings 
 
12 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 of Buddha and those of Christ, will bring them, I trust, 
 into more sympathetic relations with the followers of 
 this great and, no doubt, compassionate teacher. I trust, 
 also, that it may incline them to be more earnest in bring- 
 ing to the attention of those millions throughout the 
 Orient who now accept the gloomy and depressing 
 teachings of Buddha the more helpful, more uplifting, 
 and better tidings which Jesus taught. 
 I have found some marked differences between this 
 
 y 'T 
 
 particular life of Buddha and the lives which have come 
 to us through the writings of missionaries, poets, and 
 other writers who have lived and studied Buddhism in 
 India or Ceylon. The difference in one or two particu- 
 lars is so great that I made a call at a large Buddhist 
 temple that is within half a mile of my home in Kobe, 
 in order to inquire of the priests there as to their under- 
 standing of the incidents represented in this Hasso Mono 
 Gatari. The information thus obtained will be found in 
 the chapter entitled " The Buddha's Enlightenment." 
 
 Buddha is invariably spoken of in Japan as Shaka or 
 as Shaka-Miini. This accounts for the Japanese title of 
 the book Stidk'd Hasso Mono Gatari. 
 
 The picture on the cover of the book represents an 
 ancient style of monument that is sometimes erected 
 as a memorial of some eminent Buddhist priest whose 
 lifelong work has resulted in good to his sect, to his 
 nation, and to his kind. The clouds and the shower of 
 petals of the lotus flower are the added touches of the 
 Christian Japanese artist who made the drawing. His 
 name is Matsumoto. The erection of such a monument 
 is expected to bring untold benefits to the donors of the 
 
Prelude. 13 
 
 needful funds and to their immediate relatives. Some 
 of those benefits are long life, freedom from illness and 
 other physical calamities, and great comfort of soul. 
 
 There may have been a time in fact, there must have 
 been one when Buddhism was an intellectual and even 
 a spiritual power ; but that day has long since gone by. 
 The original intellectuality and spirituality of the reli- 
 gion have long since degenerated into ignorant super- 
 stition and sordid hope of material and present gain. 
 When the gain hoped for is that of the future life, the 
 superstition and the hope seem to be equally ignorant 
 and sordid. 
 
 The characters on the monument are the written form 
 of the celebrated prayer that is ceaselessly offered by 
 millions in Japan Namu! Amida Butsu (Hail I Amida 
 Buddha) . Its unfailing use is supposed to bring infinite 
 benefits to the worshiper; hence a rosary is used in 
 order to keep a record of the vain repetitions. oC- 
 
 The strange-looking character over the top of the 
 monument is called in Japanese the Man-ji. It is sup- 
 posed to represent a vast accumulation of lucky signs or 
 merits of departed Buddhist saints. Its use is expected 
 to bring in some magical way varied and longed-for 
 riches and blessings. It is to be seen on many sacred 
 objects as on the projecting beam ends of temples, on 
 receptacles for sacred articles, and the like. Christian 
 scholars speak of the symbol as being one form of the 
 Greek cross; as a symbol that was used by early races 
 of Aryan descent to represent the sun. In Japan, how- 
 ever, its use is distinctively Buddhistic. J. L. A. 
 'KOBE, JAPAN. 
 
PRINCE SIDDARTHA 
 
 THE JAPANESE BUDDHA 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 KING JOBON, PKINCE SIDDARTHA'S FATHER. 
 
 r I THE father of Buddha was the thirty-seventh 
 "- of his line to reign over a people in Central 
 India. His name was Jobon. His father, after a 
 peaceful and prosperous reign of fifty years, ceded 
 the throne and the seven caskets of royal treas- 
 ures to this son. 
 
 The first of those caskets contained the gene- 
 alogy of the royal line and the symbol of its 
 authority, a magnificent gem. The second casket 
 contained the all-powerful bow and arrow which 
 even demons fear. The third casket contained 
 the sword of the white lotus which gave to its 
 possessor the power of losing all fear of demons. 
 The fourth casket contained a gem which had the 
 power of shining in the dark, and of making the 
 darkest path light as day. The fifth casket con- 
 
 15 
 
16 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 tained the jeweled crown. The sixth casket con- 
 tained the gem-covered banner which had the 
 power of dividing the forces and of destroying 
 the courage of fully panoplied demons. The sev- 
 enth casket contained maps of the thirty-five 
 provinces over which King Jobon was to rule. 
 These maps showed in detail the rivers, moun- 
 tains, seas, and plains, and the paths through and 
 over them all. 
 
 King Jobon, on receiving these symbols of royal 
 authority and power, at once began his reign. On 
 ascending the throne he delivered an address to 
 his ministers and courtiers which gratified them 
 exceedingly; and his subjects generally were none 
 the less pleased with it when it was reported to 
 them. King Jobon said, as a recent President of 
 the United States said on his induction to office, 
 that " A public office is a public trust ; " hence he 
 should study to rule justly and without partiality, 
 and in the interests of his people rather than in 
 his own interests. 
 
 King Jobon next ordered the erection of four 
 new palaces for his use during the four different 
 seasons of the year. This act was not one of 
 extravagance, but the observance rather of an 
 ancient custom of the realm. For a new king to 
 
King Jobon. 17 
 
 reside in palaces erected and used by his royal 
 father was regarded as unfilial in the extreme. A 
 beautiful site at some distance from the highway 
 where the people were constantly coming and 
 going was selected, and the palaces quickly built. 
 The doors, walls, and ceilings of the palaces were 
 adorned with agates, rubies, pearls, crystals, and 
 other precious stones ; and curtains of the richest 
 colors and rarest workmanship were hung here 
 and there as there was need. No such beautiful 
 palaces had ever before been seen in that or in 
 any other land. The king resided in each of the 
 four according to the season of the year. When 
 the spring flowers bloomed and sent forth their 
 fragrance, he resided in one. In summer, when 
 the voice of the cicada made such heavenly music 
 that the sweet flag constantly bowed its head in 
 approval, he resided in another. In the autumn 
 when the reddening leaves of the maple mingled 
 with the rich colors of the wild flowers, and the 
 wind blew with a fragrant sigh over all, making a 
 symphony of color and of sound both sweet and 
 sad, he lived in another. When the winter winds 
 blew hoarse and loud and the snow fell thick and 
 fast, covering the earth as with a shroud, he dwelt 
 in another. Having experienced the pleasures of 
 
18 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 a residence in each of them, the king expressed 
 himself as charmed and fully satisfied. The 
 changing seasons had also taught him their les- 
 son, and impressed upon him the importance of 
 administering the affairs of the nation wisely, 
 justly, and in fitting order. 
 
 About this time one of the ministers of state 
 appeared before the king as he sat on his throne, 
 and, prostrating himself, ventured to say : " There 
 is one thing of great importance concerning which 
 I desire to speak to your majesty. Your august 
 reign has brought prosperity and joy to all your 
 subjects. The land may even be spoken of as 
 being the equal of, if not even superior to, the 
 Elysium above. Your loyal subjects all fear that 
 your illustrious and beneficent reign may be all 
 too short, and your royal line cease to exist when 
 you die. As your majesty well knows, the heaven 
 above has the earth beneath with which to mate ; 
 day has its night; spring has its summer, and 
 autumn has its winter. In spring and summer 
 the flowers bloom and the trees grow and bear 
 fruit. All these things are ordained by and are 
 well pleasing to the gods. While meditating on 
 these things it occurs to your humble servant 
 to suggest that it does not seem fitting that 
 
King Jobon. 19 
 
 your majesty should live longer without a royal 
 consort." 
 
 Another minister of state, also prostrating him- 
 self, gave expression to the same suggestion. The 
 courtiers who were in the royal presence united 
 in prostrating themselves and in confirming the 
 suggestions of the two wise and venerable 
 ministers. 
 
 The king, seeing the earnestness of those before 
 him, and realizing the importance of the matter, 
 told his ministers to provide a suitable consort for 
 him. 
 
 The ministers and courtiers were so rejoiced at 
 the king's reply that they arranged for a feast, 
 and for a consultation among themselves the 
 evening of the same day. The result of the con- 
 sultation was that all the courtiers who had beau- 
 tiful daughters should bring them to the palace, 
 that the king might choose for himself the most 
 beautiful one. After a few days three hundred 
 young ladies were ready for presentation. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE TWO SISTERS. 
 
 SOME one reported to the king that the gov- 
 ernor-general of a distant province of the 
 realm had two exceedingly beautiful daughters 
 more beautiful than any of the three hundred he 
 had already seen. The names of the two were 
 Maya and Kyodomi. The king at once dispatched 
 a messenger to the distant governor to request 
 him to send his two daughters to the court. 
 
 The governor, while appreciating the high 
 honor placed on him by the royal command, 
 expressed the fear that his daughters, having been 
 brought up in such a rural and lowly condition 
 and in the midst of such humble surroundings, 
 might not please the king ; yet as a loyal subject 
 he hastened to forward the young ladies to the 
 distant palace. The elder daughter, Kyodomi, he 
 placed under the special care of General Ba, while 
 Maya, the younger, he entrusted to General U. 
 Full preparations for the long journey having 
 
 been made, the governor instructed his daughters 
 
 20 
 
The Two Sisters. 21 
 
 as to the serious and important nature of their 
 errand, and then dismissed them with a large 
 retinue of officials and of servants of both sexes. 
 
 The king, on being notified of the arrival of 
 the two sisters, expressed his great pleasure at the 
 ready obedience of the governor-general, and then 
 set the day for the formal presentation of the 
 ladies to the throne. 
 
 The sisters were so exceedingly beautiful that 
 even the silver moon was jealous of them. When 
 arrayed in their presentation robes they looked 
 more like beings from heaven than like mortal 
 maids. The two were equally beautiful, and the 
 king could not choose between them, so he decided 
 to retain them both. A separate palace was 
 allotted to each sister. To Kyodbmi the moon- 
 viewing one was given, because her beauty could 
 be compared only to the silver moon as it floats in 
 the sky surrounded by the loveliest of white and 
 shimmering clouds. To Maya the spring-flower- 
 viewing one was given, because her beauty could 
 be compared only to the loveliest blossoms of 
 spring. On the father of the sisters, additional 
 rank and other high honors were richly showered. 
 
 In this transitory world, however, but little 
 continues as we desire that it should do. Clouds 
 
22 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 come forth from distant space and hide the moon ; 
 while fierce winds spring up and ruthlessly tear 
 and scatter the loveliest of flowers. The sisters 
 became jealous of each other, and a coolness and 
 estrangement grew up between them. Kyodomi 
 complained bitterly because her father had allowed 
 them both to become consorts of the king ; yet 
 as she was proud of being a queen she did not 
 request the king to send her back -to her home. 
 She only said in her anger and discontent that 
 she would never again think of either her father 
 or her mother. 
 
 Maya, on the other hand, complained of the 
 coolness of Kyodorni towards her. She poured 
 out her grievances to her chief chamberlain and 
 his wife. She said that when they were in their 
 own home she and Kyodomi always slept on 
 the same bed, folded in each other's arms ; and 
 that they were as flowers and butterflies to each 
 other. She said that this growing estrangement 
 was a grievous burden that she could hardly bear; 
 that all attempts at communication with Kyodomi 
 were frustrated, and that, although she wrote 
 letters to her distant home even, no replies ever 
 reached her. 
 
 The chamberlain and his wife comforted the 
 
The Two Sisters. 23 
 
 grieved heart; recommended patience and the 
 exclusion of such thoughts from her mind. 
 
 Notwithstanding the trouble between the sisters 
 Maya continued to serve the king faithfully and 
 well because of his manifest love and great kind- 
 ness towards her. 
 
 One warm spring day Maya fell asleep in one 
 of the rooms of her palace that was richly orna- 
 mented with .tapestry and precious stones, and 
 dreamed. She heard the most entrancing music 
 up in the sky. Looking upwards she saw a tower 
 shining with a golden luster and brilliant with 
 dazzling gems standing out from among clouds of 
 royal hue, surrounded by eight golden banners 
 and eight trees bearing rich and incomparable 
 treasures of fruit and of flowers. While she was 
 looking enchantedly on this strange vision many 
 Buddhas came out from the opening flowers on 
 the eight trees, and facing the tower with pro- 
 found obeisance and folded hands they worshiped 
 towards the tower, saying, " We worship and 
 adore the Buddha who is supreme in all the 
 universe. Matchless knowledge ! Exhaustless 
 brightness! Satisfier of the desires of all crea- 
 tures ! Perfecter of the three existences past, 
 present, and future ! " 
 
24 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 The four doors of the tower now flew open of 
 their own accord and Maya saw the great Buddha 
 seated as on the sun and shining in resplendent 
 glory. He opened his mouth and said to her : " I 
 attained to a clear perception of all truth myriads 
 of ages ago. All creatures are equal each to the 
 other, and all are mine. The desire that is in thy 
 heart shall be satisfied." 
 
 A white elephant bearing a white lotus flower 
 on its back now came forth and stopped before 
 the Buddha, who at once took his seat in the 
 midst of the flower. The bright light that shone 
 about him shot out rays that reached even to the 
 head of Maya. 
 
 The Buddha, again addressing Maya, informed 
 her that, as he must once more be born as a 
 human being, it was his wish that it be through 
 King Jobon as his father and herself as his 
 mother. Maya replied that she was not worthy 
 of such honor, and declined to entertain the 
 exalted proposal. Buddha replied by informing 
 her that this was not her first acquaintance 
 with him. 
 
 " A certain king," he said, " had a daughter 
 named Ruri. While yet a child her mother died 
 and she was brought up by a stepmother who 
 
TJie Two Sisters. 25 
 
 had a daughter named Koya. Ruri was by far 
 the more beautiful of the two. The king of 
 another country, hearing of the beauty of Ruri, 
 desired to have her for his queen ; but the step- 
 mother, desiring the honor for her own child, so 
 slandered Ruri to her father that he banished her 
 from his home and compelled her to live in a 
 miserable hut on a distant mountain. 
 
 " Ruri took with her to this hut a copy of a 
 sacred book which her mother had given her just 
 before her death, and copied it out a thousand 
 times with her own hands. She also recited aloud 
 ten thousand volumes of the sacred works. She 
 also gathered together seven kinds of fruits, laid 
 them on an altar she had erected, and then wor- 
 shiped Jitsu-getsu Komyo Buddha. 
 
 "For these meritorious deeds Ruri is now 
 reborn into this world as Maya yourself ; while 
 I am the Buddha you at that time worshiped. 
 You are therefore a fitting person through whom 
 I must again be born into human form. Your 
 purity is absolute ; it would neither discolor, con- 
 fuse, nor defile the light of either the sun or the 
 moon." 
 
 Maya continued diffident, self - depreciating, 
 and self-excusing. Strange to say, while she was 
 
26 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 meditating on the words of the Buddha twenty- 
 eight lotus flowers bloomed out on her hands. 
 
 Buddha, again addressing Maya, said : " Per- 
 ceiving the truth, I have appeared in the world 
 prior to this eight thousand times ; and even as I 
 have appeared I have preached in order to deliver 
 all living things. The time has now come for me 
 to attain to perfect knowledge and complete 
 Buddhahood ! " 
 
 Having said this he immediately became en- 
 shrined in the person of Maya. Utterly aston- 
 ished at this, Maya regarded her own form with 
 wonder, and saw to her amazement that it shone 
 like a white gem on a golden salver and that it 
 sent forth resplendent rays of a shining light. 
 She- also came into possession of six supernatural 
 powers, and had a clear vision of the whole of 
 the three thousand worlds. Many Buddhas, 
 semi-Buddhas, and other exalted beings now came 
 down from the heavens and worshiped her, say- 
 ing, " May all saints protect the mother of the 
 great Buddha and keep her safe from all harm ! " 
 Queen Maya was greatly moved at all this ; but 
 she awoke and found it to be only a dream. 
 
 Maya, on awaking from her sleep, revolved in 
 her mind the unrealness and unsatisfactoriness of 
 
The Two Sisters. 27 
 
 dreams ; yet as the sun was shining brightly into 
 her room, showing the loveliness of all her sur- 
 roundings, she was charmed and grateful and re- 
 solved to do more for the king's pleasure than 
 she yet had done. 
 
 A few days after the dream she felt strangely 
 unwell and was unable to attend a flower enter- 
 tainment given by the king for her pleasure. 
 This so distressed him that he called her chief 
 chamberlain before him and asked if homesickness 
 were the real malady from which she suffered. 
 After expatiating a while on the beauty and 
 goodness of Maya, he said that he never wearied 
 of her presence with him, and would not even 
 though she were with him all the time. 
 
 The chamberlain reported all this to his royal 
 mistress, whereon she cheered up surprisingly 
 and resolved to give a sumptuous entertainment 
 to the members of the court. 
 
 During the entertainment a lady named Kogo 
 came dancing before the queen and congratulated 
 her on her health and improved appearance. The 
 bright color of her cheeks, the luminous shining 
 of her eyes, and her noble bearing were brilliantly 
 alluded to, and the address was closed with the 
 statement that at no distant day the king and 
 
28 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 court would be made glad by the birth of an 
 heir to the throne. The lady then, singing and 
 dancing, cried out : " Rejoice, rejoice ! Congratu- 
 late the queen ! Congratulate the queen ! " 
 
 When the matter was reported to the king he 
 was greatly pleased and gave strict orders that 
 his royal consort should have the greatest care 
 and the best of attention from the chief chamber- 
 lain and his wife and from all the members of 
 the court. 
 
 The elder sister, Kyodomi, hearing the report, 
 was much disturbed, and called General Ba into 
 her presence for a consultation. She said to him : 
 "I hear that at no distant day a child will be 
 born to my sister an heir to the throne. Be- 
 cause of this the king will be even more greatly 
 in love with her than he is now, and will make 
 her the real queen and give her full queenly 
 power. I am the most miserable of women. I 
 am utterly disgraced before the king, the court, 
 and the people. I will kill myself this very night 
 in order to avoid public shame. After death I 
 will become a spirit and avenge myself by killing 
 both Maya and her child. This is my immovable 
 resolution." 
 
 General Ba replied to this outburst by saying, 
 
or 
 
 Two Sisters. 29 
 
 "I sincerely sympathize with you in your dis- 
 appointment and anger; but I do not see that 
 killing yourself will in any way help matters. 
 Trust the entire business to me." 
 
 Kyodomi expressed herself as perfectly willing 
 to leave the avenging of her hate to the general. 
 
 Now General Ba was noted for his unscrupulous 
 wickedness. He advised Kyodomi to hire two 
 ascetic monks who had the power of arresting 
 even the winds and the waves in their flight by 
 the energy of their prayers and incantations. 
 
 Messengers were at once sent to the distant 
 mountain where the two men had their home 
 to bring them to the palace. On their arrival 
 General Ba stated the reason for their call, and 
 told them to use their power to its utmost limits 
 in bringing down curses and disaster on Maya 
 and on the prospective heir to the throne. The 
 ascetics consented, but said that it would be 
 necessary for them to see Maya in order that they 
 might make an image in her likeness. They 
 affirmed that they could not otherwise effectually 
 pray and work their incantations. 
 
 Kyodomi, who had been hiding behind a screen, 
 rejoiced at their ready acceptance of the request 
 and at once sat down and wrote a letter to her 
 
30 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 sister asking her if she would not be kind enough 
 to favor her with a call and a sisterly chat. 
 
 Maya was delighted with the kind sisterly 
 letter, and said to those about her that the love of 
 sisters is not evanescent and transitory as the 
 blossoming of earthly flowers that bloom and give 
 out their fragrance but for a short time and then 
 fade and pass away forever ; but that it is, on the 
 contrary, like the immortal flowers that bloom and 
 give out their perfume perennially. 
 
 Permission for the visit having been given by 
 the king, Maya called for her carriage and escort 
 and set out joyfully for Kyodomi's palace. Ar- 
 riving at her destination the elder sister saluted 
 the younger with the greatest warmth and cor- 
 diality, and heartily congratulated her on the 
 promise of the future. When preparing for her 
 return Kyodomi said to Maya : " It has been a joy 
 of joys to meet you to-day. It seems as though 
 I cannot contain myself because of my delight, 
 yet as the day is waning and the king may be 
 impatient we must now bid each other good-by." 
 
 Maya returned regretfully to her home, feeling 
 as though she had been living through a bright 
 and delightful dream. 
 
 While the two sisters were engaged in conver- 
 
The Two Sisters. 31 
 
 sation the two ascetics from their hiding place 
 took careful note of the height, size, features, and 
 form of Maya. Then they took rice and water, 
 which they ground into a pulp, and out of this 
 they made a head and face like hers. They next 
 took straw and made a body. The head and the 
 body they fastened together with sticks of five 
 different forms, and then draped the whole with 
 silk of five different colors. They also affixed a 
 wig to the head by means of a three-feathered 
 arrow. Having made the image they dug a pit to 
 a depth of seven feet and there buried it. They 
 next built an altar on which they offered a lump 
 of black rice, into which they had driven a hun- 
 dred and eighty nails, and flowers of the japon- 
 ica. The water in the laver was distilled from 
 a white serpent. The oil used in the altar lamps 
 was expressed from lizards. The incense was 
 made from the bones of a wolf and a tiger. They 
 next took a yellow robe of silk, the sleeves of 
 which were inserted upside down, a hempen gir- 
 dle to tie it together with, and straw sandals with 
 rough, unfinished soles, and placed them beside 
 the grave of the image of Maya. 
 
 Having arranged all the details to their satis- 
 faction, the two ascetics faced the altar and prayed 
 
32 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 long and earnestly. After a time some of the 
 symbolic wands which they had set about the 
 altar becoming violently agitated, one of the men 
 arrested his prayer and cried out : " How is it 
 with the cursed one now? Come out here and 
 show yourself ! " 
 
 Strange to say the image rose up out of the 
 grave, dressed itself in the yellow robe with 
 the sleeves upside down, tied it together with the 
 hempen girdle, stooped down and pulled on the 
 straw sandals, and then, covering its face with 
 the long hair of the wig, it ascended the altar and 
 said in an audible voice : " I beg your pardon ! " 
 
 Kyodomi at once came out from behind the 
 screen where she had been in hiding, and address- 
 ing the figure on the altar said : " Do not hate 
 me, I entreat of you. Hate our father, the 
 King Zenhaku. My desire is now accomplished. 
 Henceforth I have neither father nor sister." 
 
 The ascetics now approaching the altar took 
 down the figure of Maya, wrapped it in a piece 
 of matting, and took it away. 
 
 Kyodomi was delighted with her success in 
 cursing her sister, and calling for General Ba 
 instructed him to give to the two ascetics a thou- 
 sand ounces of gold and a thousand rolls of silk. 
 
The Two Sisters. 33 
 
 The men came forward to receive the gift, but 
 they suddenly became as wooden men. 
 
 Kyodomi, thinking them to be excessively weary 
 because of their work, prayers, and incantations, 
 ordered General Ba to assist them forward. The 
 general approached to do so, when the ground 
 suddenly rent asunder and swallowed them up. 
 
 General Ba and the others who were associated 
 with him in the business of calling down curses 
 on the king's child and its mother were sorely 
 afraid at this portentous turn of affairs. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 MAYA, PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MOTHER. 
 
 AFTER the visit to Kyodomi, Maya felt cheer- 
 ful and happy and the days flew swiftly by. 
 But after a time she suffered from great drowsi- 
 ness, heavy sleep, and miserable dreams. She 
 became subject to shiverings and fears and faint- 
 ing fits. The chief chamberlain and his wife were 
 sorely distressed at this unhappy change in the 
 beautiful young queen, as also were the king and 
 all the members of the royal court. The most 
 celebrated physicians were called in to consult on 
 the case. They pronounced the symptoms to be 
 only those that are natural and incident to the 
 condition of one who would soon become a mother. 
 At this the king was rejoiced and gave orders that 
 the best of care be given to the fair patient. 
 
 Maya was greatly relieved and comforted by 
 the statements of the doctors, and time again 
 passed lightly and pleasantly away. Month fol- 
 lowed month and a new year with its spring came 
 and. passed away, yet no heir was born to the 
 
 34 
 
Maya, Prince Siddartha's Mother. 35 
 
 throne. Maya, through disappointment and sor- 
 row, wished that she might die. 
 
 Again Maya slept and had a dream. The 
 Buddha, whom in a previous dream she had seen 
 suddenly enshrined in her own person, now ap- 
 peared to her objectively in the form of a child 
 having the thirty-two marks of Buddhahood, and 
 addressed her thus : 
 
 " Your disappointment and bitter regret are 
 not unreasonable, yet you must not think of them 
 as being the work of demons. When I last con- 
 versed with you I could not give you full and 
 satisfactory information ; but as this ignorance is 
 likely to break your heart I will now more fully 
 inform you, for it would not be fitting that a being 
 who has received perfect enlightenment, in order 
 that he may deliver all creatures, should break 
 his mother's heart. 
 
 " The things that I speak to you I wish you to 
 bear in your memory forever. There are three 
 unspeakably great joys. The first of them is that 
 one be born a man. The second one is that a man 
 is capable of reasoning and of understanding 
 reasons. The third is that a man may attain to 
 perfect enlightenment and be fully cognizant of 
 all the laws of cause and effect, of retribution and 
 
36 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 reward of merit. There are also ten rules to be 
 diligently observed : 
 
 1. "Do not despise the ignoble, ourselves being 
 noble. 
 
 2. "Do not despise the ignorant, ourselves 
 being learned. 
 
 3. " Do not despise and reject even the superla- 
 tively ignorant, ourselves being wise. 
 
 4. " Do no harm even to the wicked by the 
 exercise of our own good deeds. 
 
 5. " Do not despise and reject the poor, our- 
 selves being rich. 
 
 6. " Do not despise and abandon that which is 
 failing and deteriorating, ourselves being prosper- 
 ous and flourishing. 
 
 7. " Do not despise the unfitting, the unadapt- 
 able, ourselves being both fitting and adapted. 
 
 8. " Do not despise and reject even that which 
 is false, because we ourselves perceive and possess 
 the truth. 
 
 9. " Do not reject the imperfect, ourselves being 
 perfect. 
 
 10. "Do not entertain ill-will toward others 
 because we understand the laws of rewards and 
 punishments. 
 
 " Take heed ! take heed to these instructions ! " 
 
Maya, Prince Siddartha's Mother. 37 
 
 Continuing his address, Buddha said : " The 
 cause of your sister's hatred was jealousy and 
 anger. Her anger took on the form of a serpent 
 a hundred and sixty feet long which filled the air 
 and darkened the sun and moon with its demoniac 
 power. 
 
 " Remember your visit to her. It was then that 
 she cursed both you and me by the ascetics. 
 Because of this I am bound to the joints of your 
 person by the large cord of three hundred and 
 sixty and more relationships. Through the curs- 
 ing of the ascetics the gates of life are closed to 
 me, and I am not now able to be born into the 
 human life again. However, Kyodomi has broken 
 her sisterly relation with you ; besides this I have 
 wonderful power, hence my mother who is to be 
 and myself are secure from permanent harm. 
 
 " The ascetics who cursed us are to be pitied, 
 for they at once fell into hell. In due time I hope 
 to recover them and guide them into the true 
 path. Do not, therefore, entertain ill-will against 
 them. The mysterious power of speedy rebirth 
 rests with me, but should I exercise that power 
 you would be too highly praised as queen-mother, 
 and Kyodomi's jealousy and anger would be in- 
 tensified. Her evil mind would wander on from 
 
38 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 one depth of darkness to another, and the demons 
 of evil would never cease to torment you. Since 
 I desire to deliver all creatures, including the 
 ascetics who cursed us, it is not well that I should 
 too speedily be born into the world. 
 
 " You know that the sun rises in the morning 
 and sets in the evening. The four seasons never 
 reach to their perfection at a bound ; nor does 
 the fire at once attain to its fullness of flame and 
 heat ; yet none of these things continues for any 
 long period of time. Thus it is with the life of 
 man. Learn therefore the transitoriness of life. 
 Your life at court even will pass away like a 
 blossom of spring. The pleasure of court life 
 will pass away like the dream of a summer's 
 night as the music heard during the transient 
 vision of a moonlit evening. In a moment we 
 become dust of the earth. Why, then, should 
 we distress ourselves by cherishing ill-will to 
 those who are angry and jealous with us ? 
 Become perfectly enlightened and exercise your 
 patience in this trying matter of the delay of 
 my rebirth into the world. This interview with 
 you is a real one. Never think of its being 
 but a dream." 
 
 Buddha again became enshrined in her person 
 
Maya, Prince Siddartha's Mother. 39 
 
 and a clear and radiant light shone forth from his 
 resting place. 
 
 Maya awoke from her sleep and discovered 
 that all that had transpired was but a dream. 
 She wondered within herself whether Buddha had 
 indeed appeared to her objectively and really 
 instructed and comforted her. She regretted to 
 find herself awake. She decided to write out the 
 substance of the two dreams before they lost their 
 vividness. 
 
 Winter again came on the land, and with it a 
 full twenty-two months since the Buddha first 
 appeared to her and became enshrined within her 
 person. 
 
 The king was sorely distressed over the strange 
 condition of Maya. He called her chief chamber- 
 lain and his wife before him and inquired strictly 
 into her condition both mental and physical. 
 Maya's affirmation that a child would soon be 
 born to inherit the throne, the confirmation of 
 this statement by the court physicians, and hence 
 the long delay of the event puzzled the king. He 
 expressed his fears that the trouble had its cause 
 in cursings ; but could not understand why that 
 should be so, inasmuch as both he and Maya were 
 so uniformly kind to all about them. Every one 
 
40 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 about the court was full of sorrow, and Kyodomi's 
 kind letter showed that she also was sincerely 
 glad that an heir to the throne was expected. 
 From whence then could come the cursings? 
 
 The court physicians were instructed to pre- 
 scribe for Maya, and they did so, but she refused 
 to take their medicines even though she were 
 killed for disobedience. Udai, the chief chamber- 
 lain, remonstrated with her, but she was immov- 
 able. She consented, however, to give to him her 
 reasons for refusing to use the remedies prescribed, 
 provided that he would keep them absolutely 
 secret. 
 
 The promise having been given, she narrated 
 her dreams and her belief that the one who would 
 ultimately be born was one having mysterious 
 power. She affirmed that she would be glad to 
 die if the king's child could forthwith appear in 
 the world. 
 
 Udai expressed his conviction that her words 
 were true and reasonable, and went to report to 
 the king. He kept his promise of secrecy, only 
 telling the king how grateful Maya was for his 
 love and sympathy, which were higher than the 
 highest mountains and deeper than the deepest 
 seas. He advised that, although he and his wife 
 
Maya, Prince Siddartha's Mother. 41 
 
 were anxious about her, she be left alone and not 
 forced into taking the medicine of the doctors. 
 
 To this the king consented. 
 
 Three springs passed away and another Febru- 
 ary came, yet Maya's strange condition continued 
 unchanged. The king called together a hundred 
 wise men from all parts of the royal domain and 
 asked them to find out by divination whether 
 Maya were really ill of some strange disease, or 
 whether she were in the condition she declared 
 herself to be. Ninety-nine of the hundred, after 
 a period of divination, united in declaring that 
 the queen was ill of a malady caused by cursings. 
 The hundredth man said nothing but remained on 
 his seat weeping. 
 
 The king caused inquiries to be made as to 
 why he kept silence and continued weeping. 
 
 The old man replied, saying, " We have a law 
 according to which the decision of the majority 
 of the wise men must be accepted as the correct 
 statement of any matter. Ninety-nine of our 
 one hundred have thus agreed as to the malady 
 that distresses our queen. I am old and useless, 
 and have never attempted divinations on deep 
 and serious matters. I trust therefore that the 
 king will pardon my silence." 
 
42 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Being pressed to express his mind, notwith- 
 standing the decision of the ninety-nine, he said : 
 " According to my divination it is with the queen 
 as she says." 
 
 " Why, then, are you weeping?" he was asked. 
 " If an heir is to be born to the king, you ought 
 to rejoice and be glad."- 
 
 The old man replied : " The child which will be 
 born of our queen will never receive bodily harm 
 from any source, no, not even though his natal 
 couch be made of sharp-pointed swords. He will 
 not desire to sit on his father's throne. He will 
 have boundless compassion and will sit on the 
 throne of mysterious enlightenment and absolute 
 calm. He will become Nyorai highest Buddha 
 and will satisfy his long-entertained desire to 
 deliver all the creatures of the five hundred great 
 worlds, the three thousand smaller ones, and the 
 numberless little ones that are scattered like 
 millet seeds throughout space. The reason I 
 weep is that, being now an exceedingly old man, 
 I shall not live to see this exalted being." 
 
 The courtiers thanked him for the free expres- 
 sion of his thoughts, but they regarded both him 
 and his sayings as exceedingly foolish. 
 
 The king continued to be perplexed. He did 
 
Maya, Prince Siddartha's Mother. 43 
 
 not know which to believe, the ninety-nine or the 
 one Queen Maya or the doctors. 
 
 February and March having passed away the 
 festival of the change to spring garments was 
 celebrated and the king transferred his residence 
 from the winter to the spring palace. The chief 
 chamberlain induced Maya to change her quarters 
 also. 
 
 In the early evening she fell into a deep sleep, 
 and without the use of a pillow. A beautiful 
 child, with a face shining like a gem and with 
 lustrous hair, came out from the left side of the 
 folds of her dress, and seating itself on her lap 
 stroked her hair and said three times, " How 
 good ! How excellent ! " The child then ad- 
 dressed her as mother and told her that for the 
 next seven days she must take especial care of 
 her health. 
 
 He then addressed her on the Kindness of 
 Parents to their Children, and said that it was 
 deeper than the summer, and that children who 
 did not recognize the five kindnesses of their 
 father and the ten of their mother were ignorant 
 and brutish indeed. The favors of the mother, 
 he said, are prenatal, natal, and postnatal, and in- 
 clude all the anxieties and sufferings of mind and 
 
44: Prince Siddartha. 
 
 of body during those periods. The wonderful 
 child entered into a detailed statement of each 
 of these, and closed its long address by asking, 
 "How can a child ever repay these great kind- 
 nesses of the mother ? A man's life in this world 
 is but fifty years ; it is but a dream. True pleas- 
 ure consists in absolute quietness and holiness, 
 and in these only consists the reality of realities. 
 I am glad to call King Jobon my father and you 
 my mother." Saying this he warmly embraced 
 her. 
 
 Maya immediately arose to call Udai, tne chief 
 chamberlain, but she awoke, and, alas ! it was 
 only a dream. 
 
 As spring came on the king thought of giving 
 the flower entertainment that for two or three 
 years had been postponed on account of Maya's 
 strange indisposition, and sent a message to her 
 to ask her if she could be present. If she could 
 not be present, he said that he would postpone its 
 observance yet another year. 
 
 Maya was very grateful for the invitation, and 
 for the form in which it was sent by the lips of a 
 court lady, and replied that as she had not seen 
 the king for so long the seeing him at the enter- 
 tainment would do her the good of a prayer. 
 
Maya,) Prince Siddartha's Mother. 45 
 
 Great preparations were made for the event, 
 and the courtiers, both ladies and gentlemen, 
 arrayed themselves in their costliest and most 
 brilliant attire. Kyodomi also was invited and 
 was present. 
 
 The guests having arrived, and having been 
 seated according to the king's command, Maya 
 was sent for that she might act the part of host- 
 ess on the occasion. 
 
 She hastened to obey the summons, and at once 
 set out from the palace to the audience hall ac- 
 companied by a large suite of courtiers both 
 ladies and gentlemen. Maya was beautiful be- 
 yond the power of description. Her head was 
 adorned with a crown of precious stones, her hair 
 ornament was composed of eight flower clusters, 
 consisting of eight colors, which were skillfully 
 disposed about the crown. Round her neck she 
 wore a bracelet of emeralds, amber, agates, crys- 
 tals, pearls, and gold. For a dress she wore a 
 priestly garment of rich scarlet brocade, and over 
 that she wore a gauze mantle made of golden 
 thread. Her eyebrows shone from the whiteness 
 of her face like new moons in the sky. The light 
 of love shone forth from her eyes, and her rosy 
 lips looked ripe for its expression. In a word, 
 
46 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Queen Maya as she came before the assembled 
 guests, surrounded by her richly appareled suite, 
 looked as does the full moon when, surrounded 
 by clouds of the loveliest hue and form, it shines 
 out in all its perfection of beauty in the sky. 
 
 A mysterious light from the perfected beings 
 also shone on the head of Maya, which protected 
 and sustained her so that new vigor entered her 
 frame and she walked royally forward and took 
 her appointed seat. 
 
 The king, seeing her look so strangely beauti- 
 ful, said : " Can this be indeed the Maya whom I 
 have not seen for three long years ? This beauty 
 is of the heavens, heavenly, and not of the earth 
 at all." 
 
 Kyodomi also was greatly surprised at the 
 improved loveliness of her sister, and frankly 
 congratulated her. Her mental attitude toward 
 Maya also changed, and this was the result of 
 a mysterious power exercised over her by the 
 Buddha who had been enshrined in the person 
 of Maya for the past three years. The Buddha 
 thus enshrined, now seeing the three thousand 
 worlds that compose the universe pass before him, 
 decided that the auspicious time for satisfying the 
 desires of all creatures was now close at hand. 
 
Maya, Prince Siddartha's Mother. 47 
 
 The mysterious influence that the Buddha 
 exercised on the mind of Kyodomi now induced 
 within her a spirit of repentance and so strong a 
 desire to confess the grievous wrong she had done 
 her sister that she broke out into weeping. 
 
 The king and his courtiers thought her crying 
 and tears to be those of joy over the restoration 
 to health of Maya and of her wondrously en- 
 hanced beauty, and were deeply impressed with 
 the sense of her tender, sisterly love. 
 
 The king now addressing the courtiers said: 
 "As you well know, the plucking of flowers from 
 the hoju tree is strictly prohibited, yet to-day I 
 give you all permission to pluck a blossom for a 
 hairpin. If also any wish to pluck a flower and 
 present it to Queen Maya, they may do so." 
 
 All present availed themselves of the royal 
 permission, and each person selected a cluster of 
 flowers that was worthy of the queen and in turn 
 offered it to her. This is the origin of the custom 
 which obtains even to the present day of making 
 offerings of flowers on the altar before Buddha's 
 image in order to gain his favor and his love. 
 
 The king now asked Maya if she would not 
 pluck a blossom from the daibara tree, the very 
 finest in the royal garden, and present it to him. 
 
48 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 She at once stepped down from her seat to do 
 so. She lifted her left hand to pluck a flower, but 
 instantly collapsed and fell down in a fainting fit. 
 The court ladies hurried to her assistance and she 
 shortly came to consciousness ; with consciousness 
 came the conviction that the time for the fulfill- 
 ment of her dreams was close at hand. 
 
 The enshrined Buddha, speaking as with an 
 audible voice to the consciousness of Maya, ad- 
 dressed her as mother and informed her that 
 where no idea is present to the mind there is 
 no bewilderment, no enlightenment, no love, no 
 jealousy, no emotion of any kind. This state, 
 he said, constitutes the devotional mind Bodai- 
 shin. The outcome of this is that life and death 
 are but as the same thing to us and that this 
 is Nirvana. 
 
 When the Buddha had finished his speech two 
 golden banners fell from the sky and lighted on 
 the top of the daibara tree from which Maya 
 would have plucked the blossom and at the foot 
 of which she was resting. The Buddha was now 
 born from her left side. At the moment of his 
 birth the two banners changed into golden drag- 
 ons having the light and beauty of the eight 
 mysterious colors. Having washed the person of 
 
Maya, Prince Siddartha's Mother. 49 
 
 the babe and its mother with the water of accum- 
 ulated merits, the dragons ascended to the heav- 
 ens and were lost to sight. 
 
 The newborn Buddha now rose to his feet, and, 
 taking three steps forward and four steps back- 
 ward, pointed with a finger of his left hand to 
 heaven and to the earth with a finger of his right 
 hand and said : " In heaven and on earth I am 
 alone." This means that he was the highest and 
 most exalted personage of the heaven above and 
 the earth beneath. He then took a seat on the 
 lap of his mother and after warmly embracing her, 
 partook of the nourishment which her bosom had 
 already amply provided for him. His repast fin- 
 ished, the chief chamberlain and his wife took the 
 marvelous babe in charge. 
 
 Maya now closed her eyes as in sleep and so 
 passed away from mortal being. 
 
 The king and all his train were profoundly 
 impressed with these strange events and united 
 in sorely lamenting the sudden yet illustrious 
 death of Maya, the mother of the royal heir. 
 The flower entertainment they now regarded as 
 but a beautiful and fitting farewell given to the 
 lovely dead. 
 
 Kyodomi bitterly regretted her unsisterly con- 
 
50 Prince SiddartUa. 
 
 duct and affirmed that although the sun and the 
 moon might be blotted out of existence, yet 
 her grievous sins could never be blotted out. 
 She cried out, " O heaven ! help me and take my 
 life with that of my sister." 
 
 The king, on returning to his own apartments, 
 called Maya's chief chamberlain before him and 
 said : " We cannot help the death of Queen Maya. 
 I know that the flowers we most love are soonest 
 scattered and gone, yet I cannot but weep for my 
 queen." He then questioned Udai very closely 
 concerning the queen's personal matters during 
 the three years preceding the birth of the child 
 years during which he had not met her at all. 
 
 Udai gave as full a report as his knowledge 
 allowed and informed the king that Maya had 
 herself written everything in a book about her 
 dreams, her visions of Buddha, and his addresses 
 to her. 
 
 The king directed Udai to bring Queen Maya's 
 journal and read it to him. Among other things 
 the queen had written down was the statement 
 that if she died childless, she had a strong desire 
 that a post-mortem examination be made and the 
 cause of her malady disclosed. The king was 
 affected to weeping by this, for he then realized 
 
Maya, Prince Siddartha's Mother. 51 
 
 how deep had been the mental sorrow and heart 
 trouble of Maya during those three long years. 
 
 He then gave orders that Maya be regarded as 
 a living queen and not as a dead woman. He 
 ordered the erection of a magnificent sepulcher 
 at the foot of a celebrated mountain, the erection 
 of a pagoda monument one hundred and sixty 
 feet high, and of a palace like the one in which 
 she had lived since she came to be his queen. 
 
 He also ordered the laying out of a beautiful 
 garden and the transfer to it of the hoju or treas- 
 ure trees from his own choice collection. He 
 commanded the transplantation, immediately in 
 front of the pagoda monument, of the daibara 
 tree from which Maya would have plucked a 
 flower to present to the king and at the base of 
 which she rested when the heir to the throne was 
 born. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE YOUNG PRINCE. 
 
 rr^HE usual hundred days of mourning having 
 -*- passed away, the king commanded his min- 
 isters to learn when the nearest auspicious day 
 would occur. This having been discovered and 
 announced, the king issued a proclamation to 
 the courtiers and nobles of his realm com- 
 manding their attendance at the palace at that 
 time. The time and guests having arrived, the 
 king ordered Queen Maya's chief chamberlain 
 and his wife to bring her child, the young 
 prince, into the royal presence. The command 
 having been obeyed, the king took the child 
 on his knee. 
 
 The young prince was strangely beautiful. His 
 face was as lovely and as smiling as a gem, and 
 his hair lustrous and shining as gems combed into 
 tresses. His eyebrows were as new moons, and 
 his lips expressed deep compassion. His every 
 form and feature were more lovely than any 
 artist could depict. 
 
The Young Prince. 53 
 
 The king embracing him turned to his court 
 and said: "Where is Kyodomi?" 
 
 Kyodomi responding to the call, the king said : 
 "Receive this child, who is to be the source of 
 thousands on thousands of years of reign and 
 blessing, and attend to and train him as your 
 own." The king also commanded that the young 
 prince be always spoken of as the son of Kyodomi 
 and that Maya's name be not even mentioned 
 within the precincts of the palace. 
 
 The young prince celebrated the ceremony of 
 tying up the hair for the first time when he was 
 three years of age. At that time he made his 
 first formal visit to his father's palace accompanied 
 by a magnificent retinue of courtiers. He took 
 with him as a present to the king a beautiful horse, 
 rich damasks, swords ornamented with silver and 
 gold, gem-covered banners, and other rich gifts. 
 
 Although he was spoken of as being but three 
 years of age, he was really five ; hence he was tall 
 and wise and dignified in his deportment. He 
 carefully observed the ceremony of the occasion 
 and behaved with the greatest circumspection. 
 
 The king was deeply impressed with his manners 
 and bearing, and gave to him the name of Siddartha. 
 
 The king called Udai, Maya's chief chamberlain, 
 
54 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 before him and said : " The day for celebrating the 
 custom of the tying up of the hair for the first 
 time, and the giving of a name being an impor- 
 tant one, conduct the prince to the sepulcher 
 where Queen Maya was entombed. Kyodomi 
 may accompany him if she desires to do so." 
 
 Kyodomi was glad of the royal permission, for 
 she thought that Maya would be glad of such a 
 visit from her. She thought also that it would 
 be an opportune occasion to confess the sins she 
 had committed against her sister. The hoju or 
 treasure trees transplanted beside the pagoda- 
 monument were in full bloom when the party 
 reached the spot. 
 
 Kyodomi made full confession before the 
 sepulcher and said : " Although the flowers have 
 no minds with which to think, yet they do not 
 forget to remind me of my sister and of my sins. 
 These flowers continue to bloom year after year, 
 but my sister never returns. I deeply regret the 
 wrong I did her and repent of it ever as these 
 flowers newly bloom." 
 
 The prince, having nothing on his mind, passed 
 away the time by playing under the daibara tree. 
 The rain began to fall, but he continued his 
 play regardless of the shower. 
 
The Young Prince. 55 
 
 CFdai took him up in his arms to carry him to 
 a place of shelter, but the prince angrily threw 
 himself from the old retainer's embrace. Udai 
 then rebuked him for his obstinacy, and said that 
 it was because of three years of such prenatal 
 obstinacy that his mother had died. Kyodomi 
 also rebuked him for his conduct. 
 
 On this the prince said : " The mother I see here 
 is riot my mother. Where is my true mother? 
 I wish to see her." Beating on Kyodomi's knees 
 with his hands he said : " What is the name of 
 this place ? Who lives here ? Who is the master 
 of the house ? " 
 
 It was by questions like these that the child 
 showed the deep wisdom he possessed. 
 
 Kyodomi, deeply distressed, said : " There is no 
 master to this house. It is the residence of Maya. 
 Look about you and see the lovely flowers." 
 
 " Call Maya," urged the prince. 
 
 Kyodomi replied that although they might call 
 there would be no answer. She requested the at- 
 tendants to give the child the usual festival wine. 
 
 The prince now decided that he had found out 
 who his real mother was, and that he would 
 ultimately find out all about her. 
 
 According to one saying the visit of the prince 
 
56 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 to the sepulcher of Maya is spoken of as " becom- 
 ing a priest at the age of three." According to 
 another saying it is spoken of as "becoming a 
 priest at the age of five." 
 
 On the return of the party to the palace the 
 prince tore off a branch of the daibara tree as 
 a souvenir of the visit and resolutely held and 
 carried it in his own hand. 
 
 The fifth birthday of Prince Siddartha having 
 arrived, the festival of crowning the heir apparent 
 to the throne with the usual coronet was cele- 
 brated. On this occasion King Jobon openly 
 called on Kyodomi to assume the position of 
 mother of the prince. The king, on placing the 
 coronet on the youthful head, said that it was his 
 desire that, by the favor of the king of heaven, 
 the descendants of his family might continue for 
 endless ages to govern the realm and cause it to^ 
 prosper in all good things. 
 
 Kyodomi then came forward and, congratulat- 
 ing the prince on the occasion, said that it was 
 her desire that his power might extend over all 
 the countries under the heavens; that he might 
 govern wisely and well ; that his people might be 
 contented and prosperous, and that his life might 
 be everlasting. She then presented him with the 
 
The Young Prince. 57 
 
 bifurcated skirt or skirt-like trowsers, which with 
 the coronet constituted the ceremonial and court 
 dress of the heir apparent to the throne. 
 
 The courtiers and nobles who were present at 
 the ceremony were deeply impressed with the 
 prince's beauty and his resemblance to his mother, 
 Maya. They said to each other that if she were 
 yet living in this transient world she would be 
 proud of her boy on this occasion. Some of them 
 secretly shed tears, and all became hushed and 
 still. 
 
 The prince knew their thoughts and regretted 
 within himself that he had been the cause of his 
 mother's death. He said : " The height of heaven, 
 though so very high, cannot be compared to the 
 favors shown by a father to his child ; nor can the 
 thickness of the earth be compared to a mother's 
 love. It was my fault that my mother died on 
 my birth into the world. Knowing so well as I 
 do the love of parents for their offspring, I ought 
 not to have conducted myself as though I had no 
 mother. I fear that I may be punished l by 
 heaven for this offense. If one commits a sin, 
 there is no place on earth where the sinner can 
 
 1 Buddha, unlike Jesus, does not claim to be without sin. He here 
 Is allowed by the author to accuse himself of having deliberately 
 caused his mother's death. 
 
58 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 conceal himself. Surely there must be some way 
 of escaping from the punishment of sin." 
 
 From this time on the prince esteemed King 
 Jobon as his father, and rendered to him the filial 
 service that was his due. 
 
 When the prince celebrated his seventh birth- 
 day, various manly sports of the nobles were 
 indulged in by him and the sons of courtiers and 
 nobles. The sports took place in the palace 
 grounds, arid the king, with his courtly train, 
 honored the occasion with his presence. 
 
 The first game consisted in shooting at a flying 
 ball with bow and arrow. The youth of the court 
 were disposed in two parties the eastern and the 
 western with a captain to each. Prince Siddartha 
 was appointed captain of the eastern company. 
 
 The eastern party threw a ball up into the air 
 and the western party shot arrows at it as it 
 went up and as it came falling down, but failed to 
 put one through it. Then the western party 
 threw up a ball, but the eastern party was no 
 more successful than the western. The captains 
 of the two companies were then called on to 
 decide the contest in the same way. The captain 
 of the western party threw a ball and sent it 
 whizzing through the air. Prince Siddartha shot 
 
The Young Prince. 59 
 
 his arrow and pierced it through at once. When 
 the prince threw up the ball the captain of the 
 western party missed his aim ; hence the victory 
 was with the prince's party. The king, however, 
 said that the shot was perhaps a chance, or merely 
 a lucky one, hence the contest had better be tried 
 over again. This was done, but the result was 
 the same as before. 
 
 The age of the captain of the western band was 
 fifteen, while Siddartha was but seven. 
 
 From this time the defeated youth began to 
 hate the young prince. The prince, however, 
 compassionating all living things and thinking it 
 a grievous thing to wound another's heart, re- 
 gretted that he had won the victory and invited 
 Daibadatta into the palace. He also, on return- 
 ing to his own apartments, told Kyodomi of his 
 victory and of his regret at having gained it. 
 
 When the prince was nine years of age the 
 king called his counselors together and said to 
 them: "Life is indeed like a swiftly running steed 
 as it flies by a given stage. I am fast growing 
 old, and my son will soon be a man. It is time 
 the youth began his studies. What course of 
 study would you recommend that of ordinary 
 worldly wisdom, or that which is extramundane ? " 
 
60 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 The counselors after consulting together divided 
 into two parties. The one recommended studies 
 suitable to one whose rank in life necessitated wear- 
 ing garments of brocade, while the other recom- 
 mended the study of ordinary worldly knowledge 
 " the way of this world," as they called it. 
 
 The king, thanking the counselors for their 
 suggestions, said : " I remember now the divina- 
 tion made by the old man when the one hundred 
 were called in to divine the cause of the queen's 
 indisposition. The advice that the prince be 
 taught those things suitable to one who is to wear 
 brocade is quite reasonable, but I think that on 
 the whole it will be better to teach him the 
 ordinary worldly knowledge. Utsu-ran-hotsu is a 
 man who is wise in the way of the world ; let 
 him be the prince's teacher." 
 
 The prince took a pen at the request of his 
 teacher, in order to learn the art of penmanship, 
 but being a superhuman being he learned even 
 the most difficult forms of writing with incredible 
 rapidity. Music, both instrumental and vocal, he 
 learned as though he were but reviewing lessons 
 already thoroughly mastered. His teacher was 
 amazed at h'is intelligence, and in order to test it 
 more fully he said one day: "Out of the two 
 
The Young Prince. 61 
 
 hundred volumes on those shelves bring me one 
 volume that you would like me to teach you. 
 Select also out of the one hundred volumes over 
 there any single volume you would like to be 
 instructed from." 
 
 The prince at once made a selection from the 
 two collections. One of the books was entitled, 
 "A Collection of Supernatural Wonders," while 
 the other was an essay on " Conversion and the 
 Returning of Favors." 
 
 Utsu-ran-hotsu inferred from this selection of 
 studies that the prince would never desire to sit on 
 the throne of his father, the king, but that he would 
 on the contrary choose the path of the wise genii. 
 He informed the prince that permission from the 
 king would be necessary before he could instruct 
 him in the studies he desired to be proficient in, 
 and so advised his return to the palace. 
 
 While on his way to the palace accompanied 
 by Udai and other retainers, he was met by an old 
 man in destitute circumstances, whom the retain- 
 ers at once fell upon with their staves to drive 
 him out of the way. The prince, however, re- 
 buked them, saying that aged people, even though 
 rude and uncouth, should be honored as our 
 parents. He also alighted from the vehicle in which 
 
62 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 he was riding and apologized to the old man for the 
 rudeness and brutality of his retainers. 
 
 The old man smiled and thanking the prince 
 for his kindness said : " I am Prince Senjo. When 
 I was ninety-five years old 1 1 heard that a certain 
 Bodhisatva 2 was preaching concerning ' the great 
 wisdom ' in a mountain to the northeast of my 
 home. I left the palace and went to hear the 
 preacher, but he died soon after my arrival ; hence 
 I heard only part of his instructions. I feared to 
 lose the merit I had acquired from hearing the 
 Bodhisatva preach, hence I dismissed my suite 
 and for the past seventy years I have been wan- 
 dering hither and thither as an ascetic, seeking to 
 return the favor of the preacher and accumulate 
 merit for myself. Your palace, young prince, is a 
 large and a beautiful one, but it cannot be relied 
 on for imparting enduring happiness, for all things 
 are but as a dream unreal and transient." 
 
 Having said this the old man went on his way. 
 Prince Siddartha would have stopped him in 
 order to invite him to the palace to give him 
 
 1 This must mean that the old man was ninety -five years old when the 
 young prince met him. The original text, however, does not read in 
 that way. 
 
 2 One who would become a full Buddha after the next incarnation 
 and birth into this world. 
 
The Young Prince. 63 
 
 instruction in the things he had learned, but Udai 
 interfered and hastened the prince into his vehicle. 
 
 From this time the desire of the prince to re- 
 ceive instruction in the deep things the old man 
 had spoken of became rooted in his mind as a 
 mountain is rooted in the earth, but he kept his 
 thoughts to himself. It is, however, a well-known 
 truth that neither the sun nor the moon lose their 
 light because clouds and fogs sometimes conceal 
 them. Thus it was with the desires of the Prince 
 Siddartha as they lay concealed in his heart. 
 
 Udai reported to Kyodomi all that had tran- 
 spired between the prince and his teacher, and be- 
 tween the prince and the old man. He said that 
 the throne had no attractions for the youth ; that 
 the outlook for the future was gloomy, and that 
 he was so exceedingly grieved that he could not 
 refrain from weeping. 
 
 Kyodomi expressed great impatience at the 
 prince's folly. She said that, being as a souvenir 
 left by Maya, and as an ornament of her own, 
 great things for the king, for the country, and 
 for himself were expected of him on his assump- 
 tion of the royal power. 
 
 She reported the matter to the king, who said 
 that he was not surprised ; that the past had pre- 
 
64 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 pared him for something of this sort. He also 
 said that it was because of this that he had sent 
 the boy to Utsu-ran-hotsu, in order that he might 
 be taught of things that relate to this world. He 
 advised that no attention be paid to the matter, 
 except ordinary reproof from herself and Udai, 
 and careful watching. 
 
 Kyodomi, on returning to her palace, called the 
 prince before her and took him to task for desir- 
 ing to pursue studies that were neither suitable 
 for him nor acceptable to the king. She also 
 rebuked him for listening to the conversation of 
 a foolish old man of whom nothing was known. 
 She next appealed to his love for herself, that he 
 might desist from the desire to learn the teachings 
 and the ways of the religious ascetics. She told 
 him that the king's love for herself had greatly 
 increased since she had given him birth ; that if 
 he should leave her to wander away to pursue 
 those studies, she would be unable to contain her- 
 self and would be constrained to follow him even 
 to the far-away mountains at the end of the world 
 where wolves and tigers dwell. Concluding her 
 appeal, Kyodomi sat down and wept bitterly. 
 
 The prince said within himself : " I feel heavy 
 at heart. Surely this is one of the shackles of 
 
The Young Prince. 65 
 
 this fleeting world. Conversion, study, ascetic 
 discipline cannot be accomplished if one be defi- 
 cient in wisdom and passion. What is the true 
 way ? I have heard that a certain prince obtained 
 a priceless gem by baling out a deep sea with the 
 skull of an infant. It may perhaps be so with 
 me. My mind is immovably fixed. Though the 
 largest mountains crumble to dust, yet my re- 
 solve will never change. What is wisdom ? It is 
 thought, consideration. It is true also that there 
 is a wisdom that is worldly, and one that is above 
 the world. True compassion does not consist in 
 breaking one's own heart by obeying others. I 
 will endeavor to comfort Kyodomi." 
 
 Having reached this conclusion the prince 
 expressed the deepest regret that he had occa- 
 sioned her so much anxiety. He explained the 
 incident of meeting with the white-haired old man 
 as being brought about by the harshness of his own 
 servants. The old man was, he said, a prince 
 who did not like some evil thing there was in his 
 own land called hane or hag and so had left 
 his country and had wandered about until he was 
 now eighty or ninety years of age. 1 
 
 1 The discrepancy as to the age (p. 62) seems to be that of indifferent 
 memory. 
 
66 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Having recited the whole matter the prince 
 said : " It must have been Udai who told you of 
 the incident. It is, however, true that I wish to 
 know what this hane" or "hage may be which is 
 so injurious to a prince's country. I see, how- 
 ever, that Udai's reason for making this report to 
 you was his desire that I might hear of nothing 
 evil. I trust that now you will let your mind 
 be at rest. Alas, that unlucky JianS or hagS, 
 whichever it was ! " 
 
 Kyodomi was well pleased with the prince's 
 interpretation of the incident, and regarded her 
 anxiety as needlessly foolish. She said to herself: 
 "Why, the child did not even understand the 
 words used by the old man. Hannya, that is, 
 wisdom, he understood as hage or Tiane. If that 
 is the extent of his ability, I may well be at rest 
 about him. My fear is but the result of an excess 
 of love for him." 
 
 This mental rest which she obtained was the 
 result of the remarkable wisdom of the prince. 2 
 
 2 Compare this incident with the one of Jesus in the temple, when 
 found by his parents and questioned by them as to his separation from 
 them. He does not gloss over or deliberately mislead them as young 
 Buddha is here represented as doing. He only said: "Wist ye not 
 that I must be about my Father's business? " 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 THE PRINCE'S GLOOM AND YEARNING. 
 
 r I TIME now hung heavily on the prince's hands. 
 ~ He thought that life was but as dew newly 
 fallen on the grass, which would almost in a 
 moment be dried up and gone if the wind of 
 transientness should blow over it. He had seri- 
 ous thoughts of running away from the palace, 
 but restrained himself, as he did not know where 
 to go to find a teacher who would instruct him in 
 the things he desired to learn. His appetite also 
 failed. 
 
 Kyodomi again became anxious about him and 
 increased his mental trouble by questioning him 
 as to the reason of his gloomy and unhappy con- 
 dition. She urged him to make playmates of the 
 sons of the courtiers just as peasant boys make 
 of the sons of fellow villagers. 
 
 The suggestion about playmates pleased the 
 prince. He concluded that ten youths coming 
 from as many different regions of country could 
 give him the peculiar knowledge of each, and he 
 
 67 
 
68 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 might thus find out where he could obtain the 
 instruction he so desired. 
 
 Having made the acquaintance of some of the 
 sons of the courtiers, he asked them what they 
 thought about the fact that all living creatures 
 after their kind have their own particular place of 
 abode and make friends only of their own kind. 
 
 One youth replied : " Yes, yes ; I know all 
 about it. Dragons do not associate with creeping 
 things, neither do lions and kirin [a fabulous 
 beast] associate with domestic animals. None of 
 these creatures, however, lives alone, and the reason 
 of this is that they have no mind. Man, being a 
 superior being, makes a friend and companion of his 
 own mind. He also longs after and makes friends 
 of those who are like his own mind. You remember 
 the old saying that if a man wishes to know what 
 his own mind is, he should see his friend." 
 
 Another youth said : " It may be that birds and 
 beasts associate together for the reason expressed, 
 but it is not so with man. It is not possible that 
 any one can find a friend comparable to his own 
 mind. Is it probable, however, that any one will 
 make a sole friend and companion of his own 
 mind and be content with that ? " 
 
 Another youth said : " Although it may seem 
 
The Prince's Gloom and Yearning. 69 
 
 reasonable enough that one should make a friend 
 and sole companion of his own mind, yet there is 
 no proof that any one ever did so." 
 
 Another youth said : " Every one speaks the 
 things heard from others and I will not do the 
 same. The number of paths or professions in this 
 world are unlimited. Literature, medicine, vocal 
 and instrumental music, art, government, military 
 power, and wise counsel has each its mysteries. 
 It is not of these paths, however, that I want to 
 speak, but of the path by which one makes his 
 own mind his friend and companion. There are 
 three only that may truly be called 4 paths.' One 
 of these is the path of wisdom ; the next is the 
 path of clearness, while the third is the path of 
 the sages the holy path. The path of wisdom 
 is the one that instructs as to conversion and the 
 returning of favors; the path of clearness is the 
 one that instructs in and clears up all mysteries ; 
 the path of the sages, or holy path, gives instruc- 
 tion as to generosity, benevolence, the art of 
 governing the country in peace, with the ten 
 excellent virtues. Those who have studied these 
 three paths and made their own mind both friend 
 and companion are called sages and are highly 
 esteemed. I have heard that persons who are 
 
70 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 proficient in the paths of wisdom and clearness 
 live in the mountains that are distant from here 
 full three thousand miles." 
 
 Prince Siddartha was delighted with this infor- 
 mation, and he regarded the youth who had given 
 it as a heavenly being. Wishing to hear yet more 
 he said : " I think it very doubtful that any human 
 being could exist on those distant mountains." 
 
 The youth who had given the information 
 replied : " It is a fact that human beings live in 
 the mountains that are one third that distance 
 from here. From there onward there are tracks 
 of men through the valleys and by the rivers, but 
 no residences. Afterward the way opens and 
 leads over many sunny peaks." 
 
 The prince was well pleased over this addi- 
 tional information, and felt exceedingly grateful 
 to Kyodomi for her suggestion about making play- 
 mates of the sons of the courtiers. The conversa- 
 tion ended, the entire company gave themselves up 
 to fun and frolic until the time came for them to 
 separate and return to their respective homes. 
 
 Prince Siddartha now longed more than ever to 
 leave the palace. The pleasure he had received 
 from the conversation of the youth about the 
 three paths, the distant mountains, the sages and 
 
The Three Brides. 
 
TJie Prince's Gloom and Yearning. 71 
 
 genii living there was to him as the stedfast 
 shining of sun and moon that would never again 
 become dim. He was, however, constantly sur- 
 rounded by courtiers and other attendants ; hence 
 he could not leave the palace without immediate 
 discovery. His thoughts constantly reverted to 
 those distant mountains, and the instruction in 
 wisdom and the clearing up of all mysteries to be 
 obtained there ; hence his face again became sad. 
 
 Maya's old chamberlain, Udai, asked the cause 
 of his melancholy, and offered his services to pro- 
 cure anything that would give him pleasure and 
 bring smiles again into his face. 
 
 The prince replied that it was not easy to be 
 pleasant unless one had a friend after one's own 
 mind with whom conversation on mutually con- 
 genial subjects could be carried on. Udai thought 
 that he fully understood the state of mind the 
 prince was in ; hence in reporting the interview to 
 Kyodomi he suggested that some beautiful princess 
 be found for him as a cure for his melancholy. 
 
 Kyodomi repeated the suggestion to the king, 
 who approved of it. He gave orders that search 
 be at once made for suitably lovely young ladies 
 or princesses, and that a new palace be erected 
 for the prince's use after his marriage. 
 
72 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 The palace was soon erected, fitted up and 
 ornamented with costly material and with scenery 
 adapted to the fullest enjoyment of the four 
 seasons of the year. 
 
 Kyodomi selected three of the loveliest of the 
 young ladies who had been presented as compan- 
 ions or brides of Prince Siddartha. Udai took 
 charge of the new household, and when the mar- 
 riage and transfer of the prince and his brides 
 took place, the ceremonies and congratulations 
 from all the court were too magnificent and abun- 
 dant to be described in the limits of a book. 
 
 After a time Kyodomi secretly called the three 
 princesses into her presence and said to them : 
 "Daughters, listen well to what I say! The 
 prince has begun to have strange thoughts. His 
 mind is filled with the desire to learn, the teach- 
 ings and perform the austerities of the ascetics, 
 and he is seeking for an opportunity to steal away 
 from the palace. He has not the least desire to 
 ascend the throne. It will be a great comfort to 
 the king and to myself if you can succeed in 
 diverting him from his present purpose and in 
 weaning him from his desire. Never for one 
 moment leave his side, or he will fly away and 
 our grief become unbearable. There are three 
 
TJie Prince's Gloom and Yearning. 73 
 
 things that all women, whether of high or of low 
 degree, need to guard against. The first is excess 
 of sleep and ease-taking ; the second is excessive 
 attachment to their husbands so that they become 
 the objects of contempt and dislike to others ; the 
 third is jealousy of rivals, resulting in quarreling 
 and cunning trickery. 1 All these things strain 
 and sometimes break the relation that exists 
 between the master and subjects, father and child, 
 husband and wife, and bring about great mis- 
 fortune. I entreat you, therefore, to serve the 
 prince with but one mind, and win him from this 
 idea of seeking conversion and the path of the 
 ascetics. He is shrewd and full of wisdom, so 
 you will need to be constantly on the alert and 
 to watch him carefully." 
 
 Kyodomi, after making each of the princesses 
 a present of a beautiful costume, escorted them 
 to their own palace. 
 
 The brides made their best endeavor to divert 
 the prince, but it was all to no purpose. His 
 desire for conversion and the study and practice 
 of the path of the ascetics grew stronger every 
 day. 
 
 second and third points here mentioned arc inevitable in a 
 country where many wives in this case three have only one hus- 
 band among them. 
 
74 Prince Siddartha, 
 
 The various members of Prince Siddartha's 
 court exhausted their eloquence in pointing out 
 and in congratulating the prince on the beauty 
 of his palace and its surroundings. In the spring 
 they said, What can be more lovely than the 
 flowers that bloom in these gardens and send out 
 so abundantly their rich perfume ? In the sum- 
 mer, How attractive are the willow trees full of 
 sweet swinging birds which make melodies to 
 charm the dullest ears ! In the autumn, The 
 landscape, how rich it is with its haze of atmos- 
 phere, its reddening leaves, its rich brocade of 
 coloring, its clear and limpid moons ! The win- 
 ter, too, is equally charming, for the distant 
 mountains are covered with snow, and the wind 
 blows with a sweet melodious sound through the 
 branches of the trees. 
 
 The prince heard all the eloquence of those 
 about him with an untouched heart. The desire 
 to satisfy his innermost longings for the study of 
 the deepest truths and to practice the austerities 
 of a sacred life only grew the stronger as the 
 praises of the things about him were sung in his 
 ears. He looked on the loveliest and most fragrant 
 of the flowers of spring and thought in his heart 
 that both the flowers and their fragrance would 
 
The Prince's Gloom and Yearning. 75 
 
 soon pass away as a dream. The rich foliage of 
 the summer, too, would soon be torn from the trees 
 and sent whirling hither and thither by the autumn 
 winds; the luxuriant foliage and the choruses of 
 birds would likewise pass away as in a moment, 
 while the reddening leaves arid the rich, brocade- 
 like beauty of the autumn landscape would soon be 
 brought to an end by the falling of winter snows. 
 
 It is thus, the prince thought, with the life of 
 man. The time of youth passes away as a dream, 
 and gray hairs like the snows of winter soon 
 cover the heads of men and women alike. Birth, 
 youth, old age, sickness, and death come on us 
 and hasten us away as the seasons of the year 
 bring out and then destroy the beauty of every 
 succeeding season. Who is able to deliver us 
 from these fleeting, transitory things ? 1 
 
 When the prince was seventeen years of age 
 he thought of many plans and sought out many 
 opportunities to escape from the palace; but he 
 was always foiled in his attempts by the concerted 
 care and watchfulness of his brides, his courtiers, 
 and his servants. 
 
 i It is not possible to think of Jesus, who so evidently enjoyed asso- 
 ciating with his fellows, and of eating and drinking with them, as 
 having ever looked out on life with such sad eyes and with such a 
 gloomy heart as Buddha is here represented as having. 
 
 f 
 
 I UNlV 
 
 V 
 
 J 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE PRINCE ESCAPES FROM THE PALACE. 
 
 prince, wearied of his idle, useless life, 
 became deeply depressed by his inability 
 to overcome the demon of this fleeting world. 
 He concluded that he could not accomplish his 
 desire by his own unaided power. Casting about 
 in his mind and searching for one who might 
 help him to escape from the palace, he decided 
 that one of his brides, whose name was Yasodhara, 
 and who was not only exceedingly beautiful but 
 who was also gentle and kind, would be the one 
 most likely to listen to his confidences and aid 
 him in his endeavors. 
 
 He approached her by saying, " You know the 
 old proverb which speaks of the very great inti- 
 macy of the relation of those who have met 
 under the shadow of a certain tree and together 
 drunk of the water of the spring at its base. 
 Our relation is something like that." The prince 
 went on to say that he had a matter of great 
 importance he wanted to speak to her about, but 
 
 76 
 
The Prince Escapes from the Palace. 77 
 
 that she must promise to keep it an inviolable 
 secret. 
 
 Yasodhara was much perplexed as to the answer 
 she ought to give, for she was sure that the sub- 
 ject to be spoken of was the one that Kyodomi 
 had warned herself and the other two brides 
 about soon after their marriage with Prince 
 Siddartha. 
 
 Her silence called out a sharp question from 
 the prince as to whether she had heard him 
 address her. 
 
 Thus constrained, Yasodhara replied by saying 
 that she was sorry to have him say such things ; 
 that she had thus far served him with all her 
 heart; that she was willing to sacrifice her life 
 for him ; and that if he commanded her to do any- 
 thing for him, she would certainly not disobey 
 him. 
 
 The prince was glad of this reply and said that 
 he would never forget her kind words, either now 
 in this world or in the future worlds. He then 
 unfolded to her his plan of leaving the palace in 
 order to carry out his desires. He asked her to 
 see to it that the other brides and their maids 
 retired to their own rooms that night quite early, 
 and then to conduct him through the various halls 
 
78 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 and apartments of the palace to the outer gate. 
 He also promised to return to her after a time 
 and tell her of things that he could not yet speak 
 about. 
 
 Yasodhara wept bitterly and covered her face 
 with the long pendent sleeve of her dress. 
 
 The prince chided her for weeping, and told her 
 that the whole of life is but as a fleeting dream, 
 and that even the affectionate relation he had 
 formed with her was a shackle which hindered 
 his escape from transient things. He told her 
 that the present was no time for weeping ; that as 
 she had given her life to him as she had said 
 now was the time for action. He then sent her 
 away to dismiss the other brides, and all other 
 persons about his suite of rooms, to their respec- 
 tive apartments for the night, and to prepare her- 
 self to escort him to the outer gate though she 
 thought that she was to accompany him in his 
 flight. 
 
 Yasodhara did as she was commanded, and then 
 returned and reported that all had retired, and 
 that she was ready to show him the way. The 
 prince thanked her, and then, pointing with the 
 finger of his right hand to her bosom, said: 
 " When you see the flowers blooming on their 
 
The Prince Escapes from the Palace. 79 
 
 stems six years from now, a son will be born to 
 you who will comfort you in my stead, even 
 though I am dead." 
 
 Yasodhara replied that as he knew full well 
 the mysteries of birth into human life this was 
 indeed a strange way to give her comfort ! 
 
 The prince and the princess now moved on 
 towards the outer gate of the palace, which hav- 
 ing reached, the prince himself took down the 
 bars and opened. He then turned around to 
 Yasodhara and told her that their worldly rela- 
 tions were now forever ended. 
 
 These words struck her with dismay, and 
 all she could say was that she was willing and 
 ready to accompany him to the very end of 
 the world. 
 
 The prince replied that he knew that separation 
 would be painful because of the fleshly appetites 
 and desires which filled the mind, but that as for 
 him, this was the end of the worldly, fleshly life. 
 He also told Yasodhara that excessive love and 
 attachment are the doors of darkness that shut us 
 up in this fiery world ; and that faith is the sword 
 by which one must strike off our shackles an<i 
 break through these doors and so make our way 
 into the land of purity and tranquillity. 
 
80 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Prince Siddartha then went out to the royal 
 stables, called for a fast horse and a servant to 
 accompany him, and set out toward the southeast 
 to find those who would teach him the things he 
 so much desired to learn. His horse went bravely 
 on through valley after valley and over peak 
 after peak, while several supernatural beings, 
 appearing in the sky, guided and cheered him 
 with their presence and power. The joy of the 
 prince during this journey exceeded all power 
 of description. 
 
 Having reached a certain high peak of a moun- 
 tain he looked over the broad expanse spread out 
 before him and said to his servant : " How lovely 
 and peaceful is all this view ! The royal throne 
 is nothing in comparison with it. All the glory 
 of kings and of high officials is but for a moment 
 as a dream, and vanishes away as soon as the 
 flowers of spring fade into dust. Attachment to 
 those things is as a fiery darkness fed with the 
 fuel of worldly appetites and passions." 
 
 The servant, not having any understanding of 
 the words spoken, made no reply, but he felt as 
 though he were passing through a strange dream. 
 
 An old man with white hair, wearing a garment 
 made of the leaves of trees and bearing a fagot of 
 
The Prince Escapes from the Palace. 81 
 
 dried sticks on his shoulder and a basket of flowers 
 in his hand, now made his appearance. 
 
 Approaching the prince he said : " How does it 
 happen that you come here thus luxuriously at- 
 tired ? This is not the place for ordinary mortals 
 to come ; it is the place for instruction in the 
 three Buddhistic scriptures. This is a sacred 
 place where only the three classes of priests reside 
 who engage in the study of conversion, causes 
 and effects, the way of salvation, and other wis- 
 dom, and who perform the various austerities 
 appropriate to their studies. Why, then, do you 
 come here riding on a horse and wearing such 
 unclean garments ? You must be careful not to 
 go any farther in this condition. The one who 
 accompanies you seems also to be an unclean per- 
 son and one who has been walking on unclean 
 ground." 
 
 Prince Siddartha thanked the old man for his 
 admonition, and then asked him the way to the 
 mountain that it was the object of his desire to 
 reach. 
 
 The old man replying said that it was yet a 
 hundred miles away ; that it was the high moun- 
 tain at the base of which white clouds could be 
 seen, and on the peaks of which the golden sun- 
 
82 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 light was shining, and that the path which led to 
 it was firm faith. Having said this he wended his 
 way down the valley. 
 
 The prince, advancing on the road he had been 
 traveling, was soon met by a youth bearing a staff 
 in his hand, who stopped abruptly and said : - 
 
 " How is this, my lord ? Who are you that you 
 come to this mountain in this guise ? Have you 
 lost your way? This mountain is sacred to the 
 teaching of the two great principles and no ox or 
 horse has ever been allowed to come hither. This 
 mountain is connected on the north with the snow- 
 bearing mountains; also on the south with the 
 peak of mysterious sounds and utterance of secret 
 things. There also are the three celebrated water- 
 falls from which flows the spiritual river. The 
 flower of perfect enlightenment and the green 
 lotus of metamorphosis also bloom there. . Yet 
 farther on there are the mysterious gates of the 
 eight right paths. One of these is the Gate of 
 Conversion ; another is the Gate of Ascetic Aus- 
 terities ; another is the Gate of Deliverance ; an- 
 other is the Gate of Enlightenment; another is 
 the Gate of Equal Enlightenment ; another is the 
 Gate of Nirvana, and another is the Gate of Abso- 
 luteness. Those who do not possess the three 
 
The Prince Escapes from the Palace. 83 
 
 minds can never hope to reach and pass through 
 those gates. If you go forward without paying 
 any heed to what I have now told you, your life 
 will be in peril." 
 
 Having concluded his address the youth turned 
 away and began to ascend the mountain the peak 
 of which towered high above the clouds. 
 
 Prince Siddartha now instructed the servant 
 who had accompanied him thus far to return 
 home with the horses ; but because of his anxiety 
 for the prince's safety Shanoku refused to obey. 
 
 They wended their way together toward the 
 peak where the youth had gone. When they had 
 made about half the distance to the top a genius 
 came down from the peak and in a voice that 
 shook the mountain said : 
 
 " All laws are absolute extinctions. The heart 
 of faith is the superlative one. In this place all 
 is solitary. No human voice is to be heard." 
 
 With the stout staff which he held in his hand 
 the genius now attacked the prince, and pressing 
 his head forcibly down he said : 
 
 "Here we have a beast of a man, an exceed- 
 ingly wicked fellow. How did you come to this 
 place ? Confess all to me at once ! " 
 
 The prince replied : " I came here to satisfy my 
 
84 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 desire by the study of the teachings about 4 Con- 
 version and the Return of Favors.' Who are 
 you who ask?" 
 
 The genius said : " I am one who lives in a hut 
 on this mountain. Your 4 esrre can never be 
 satisfied or granted, and it would be better for 
 you to at once return to the place from whence 
 you set out. I know quite well who you are. 
 The evil deeds one performs are huge as the 
 earth, while the little of good that is wrought is 
 like the bit of earth under the finger nails ! How 
 can one who has killed his mother, whose love 
 and kindness are deeper than the deepest sea, 
 atone for his sin by the performance of a few 
 good deeds? Your desire to learn, though long 
 entertained, can never be satisfied. Return to 
 the fiery world from whence you- have come and 
 pass your life there." 
 
 The prince thought within himself that this 
 man must certainly be the one who could teach 
 him the things he was so desirous of learning; 
 and that the very meeting with him in that place 
 was a sign that his journey would not be taken in 
 vain. He therefore said: "Then you are a genius 
 a holy being. I am indeed a sinner as you say. 
 I am truly ashamed of myself. I know full well 
 
The Prince Escapes from the Palace. 85 
 
 that neither in heaven nor on earth is there any 
 place where I can conceal my sin. Have pity on 
 me and teach me the way of escape from my sin ! 
 Is there not some way by which one can escape 
 from one's transgressions ? " l 
 
 The genius replied : " There is an ancient word 
 which says, 4 Confess, and confession will annihi- 
 late confession ; believe, and perform the merit of 
 austerities and all will be ended.' You must first, 
 however, be converted, as conversion is a thing of 
 chief concern." 
 
 The prince, bowing and worshiping the genius, 
 said that he would gladly perform the austerities 
 for millions on millions of cycles of time if 
 this life were insufficient if he would but con- 
 sent to be his teacher. 
 
 The genius replied : " Well said ! I have ample 
 knowledge, but you must know that when one 
 would study these truths and perform these aus- 
 terities he must not wear garments that are un- 
 clean with the dust of his native place. You 
 must remove your garments, send them away by 
 
 1 The prince is here accused of the murder of his mother by this old 
 man of the mountain, and he at once admits his sin. This is as differ- 
 ent as midnight is different from midday to the statement of Jesus 
 when accused of committing sin : " Which of you convicteth me of sin?" 
 Jesus claimed to be, and was, sinless. 
 
86 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 your servant, who, though a man in form, is but 
 a beast, and clothe yourself with a garment of 
 grass." 
 
 Prince Siddartha at once removed his garments, 
 including the girdle of gems, gave them to his 
 servant Shanoku, and then dismissed him with 
 thanks for his kindness. Shanoku lamented bit- 
 terly the necessity for returning to the palace 
 alone, but he finally submitted. The prince, hav- 
 ing seen him well off on his way, followed the 
 genius into the higher and yet deeper recesses of 
 the mountain. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 COMMOTION IN THE PALACE. 
 
 ~T"T7"HEN it was known in the palace that the 
 * * prince had fled, there was great wonder 
 and commotion. The king, his courtiers, the 
 ladies of the court, and even the lowest servants 
 united in lamenting him. The king called a 
 special council of his household to inquire into 
 the matter. He reviewed the life of the young 
 prince, including the three prenatal years when 
 he was enshrined in the person of Maya, his 
 mother. He said that everything relating to him 
 was wonderful ; that the opinion or divination 
 of the one wise old man out of the hundred he 
 had called to the palace to pronounce on the 
 future of the heir to his throne was proving all 
 too true ; that the prince was gentle, affectionate, 
 kind and good and wise beyond his years, and 
 that he had anticipated much satisfaction and 
 comfort in seeing him take his seat on the 
 throne in due time and wisely govern the nation. 
 Having thus relieved his mind the king broke 
 
 87 
 
88 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 out into loud weeping and said : " Alas ! what 
 shall I do if I have lost him forever ? " 
 
 After this the king questioned all who were 
 accustomed to reside in the palace as to the cir- 
 cumstances under which the prince fled away. 
 All protested that they knew nothing except that 
 Yasodhara had ordered them to retire to their 
 respective rooms. 
 
 Yasodhara on being questioned said : " It was 
 exactly as the others have reported. After all 
 had retired for the night the prince arose from 
 his bed it was about midnight and went 
 toward the outer gate of the palace. I followed 
 him until I heard the voices of the outer guard 
 calling to each other, when I returned to rny 
 bed. I there waited with sleepless eyes until 
 morning but, alas ! he did not return." 
 
 Having said this she wept sorely. 
 
 The king in reply said : " It may be so. It is 
 but reasonable that you should lament his ab- 
 sence. I firmly believe, however, that although 
 Shanoku and the horse may never come back, 
 the prince will send some message as to his 
 whereabouts, because he is always so compas- 
 sionate." 
 
 Yasodhara long continued to lament the absence 
 
Commotion in the Palace. 89 
 
 of Siddartha. She wept over his hard-hearted- 
 ness in refusing her the privilege of accompany- 
 ing him. She looked tenderly on the sleeve of 
 the garment he had left in her hand as he tore 
 himself away from her at the time of parting, 
 and regretted that through its rending away she 
 had been left behind. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S NOVITIATE. 
 
 rTlHE prince followed the genius, or sennin, 1 to 
 -*- his home. Arriving there a garment of 
 grass, such as the sennin, or hermits who lived in 
 the mountain, were accustomed to wear, was given 
 to him. The prince was more rejoiced to receive 
 the robe than if it had been made of the richest 
 brocade. The sennin, having asked and learned 
 the name of Siddartha, informed him that the 
 name he had received from his parents could no 
 longer be applied to him ; he must have a new 
 name, which he at once gave him. 
 
 The sennin then instructed the prince as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " Sitting on the seat of quiet contemplation and 
 nourishing yourself only with herbs and water, 
 you must study our art. There are five all-im- 
 portant commandments to be considered, of which 
 religious meditation is one, absolute quietness of 
 
 1 The term sennin means literally mountain-person. It involves the 
 idea of asceticism and the study of occult things, usually religious. 
 
 90 
 
Prince Siddartlia's Novitiate. 91 
 
 mind another, the six senses purifying one, another, 
 the quietness of nonentity another, and law-simi- 
 larity another. These commandments are again 
 divided and subdivided until they number ten, fifty, 
 a hundred, five hundred, two thousand five hundred, 
 three thousand ; and each of these commandments 
 has its related and associated austerities. There 
 are also penalties involved in the breaking of any 
 of these laws ; hence take heed to yourself." 
 
 The sennin next instructed the prince to par- 
 take of the fruit that has eight merits, since that 
 is the food most favored by the mountain wise 
 men and ascetics like himself. 
 
 The prince, wearing the garment of grass, went 
 out into a deep valley to pick herbs and to draw 
 water. 
 
 On bringing them to his teacher, the sennin 
 said : " There is a rational way of appeasing the 
 dragon of the flowing stream. How did you draw 
 the water? The same is also true of the picking 
 of herbs. How did you do it?" 
 
 The prince replied: "I am but at the beginning 
 of my new life, and I do not know anything. I 
 only know when I see a stream that water is there, 
 and when I see green buds that herbs are there." 
 
 The sennin said : " There are three dragons in 
 
92 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 the water of differing colors, which moisten the 
 heavens and the earth and so sustain the life of 
 all living creatures. Water must be drawn by 
 observing three laws arid by three hearty endeav- 
 ors, for only thus does the water do us good. 
 Herbs also must be gathered in a similarly lawful 
 manner. To draw water and gather herbs in any 
 other way is to do unlawful deeds and to per- 
 versely destroy even the life of your mother and 
 the soul of the world." 
 
 Having said this the sennin raised his staff and 
 beat the prince about the head until he fell face 
 forward to. the earth in a swoon. On this the 
 sennin calmly sat down on the prostrate youth 
 and, calling him the cushion of the seat of Quiet 
 Contemplation, performed the six hours of reli- 
 gious austerities. Having completed these exer- 
 cises he cleansed the forehead of the still uncon- 
 scious prince, warmed his cold bosom, and said in 
 a loud voice, " Be thankful ! be thankful ! " 
 
 Strange to say the prince at once regained con- 
 sciousness, opened his eyes, and looked at the sennin, 
 who was bending over him. The latter now asked 
 "Are you born anew? I will now give you the 
 staff of the two merits of our secret doctrines. I 
 will also give you the new name of Shofubiku." 
 
The Sermin Beating the Prince. 
 
Prince Siddartha's Novitiate. 93 
 
 When the prince took the staff from the hand 
 of the sennin a bright light at once shone out 
 from his own body. From this time on he gave 
 himself night and day to the performance of the 
 austerities taught him by his teacher, the sennin. 
 
 As occasion required the young novitiate 
 clambered up the steep mountain sides and gath- 
 ered the dried and fallen branches of the trees, 
 which he bore on his shoulders back to the hut 
 where he lived with his teacher. 
 
 The sennin took early opportunity to inform 
 the prince that there are four gods of the moun- 
 tain or mountain gods who care for their 
 surroundings, and who make the trees, grass, and 
 herbs their bodies or visible forms. The insects 
 in the decayed branches of the trees are also the 
 embodiments of some who have already been born 
 in the human form but who are now, for past mis- 
 deeds, under the retributive law that compels 
 them to rebirth even as insects in decaying wood. 
 " How then did you in your ignorance break and 
 tear those decayed branches asunder? There 
 may have been insects in those torn and broken 
 parts. It is, indeed pitiful to think that of the 
 insects you probably killed one of them may 
 have been your mother reborn into the world in 
 
94 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 that form ! You have broken and torn those 
 branches cruelly. What ought to be done to one 
 who thus ruthlessly breaks the first great Buddh- 
 istic commandment which is 1 'Thou shalt not 
 kill/ " 
 
 He then fell on the prince with his staff and 
 beat him until he fainted and fell to the earth as 
 one dead. On this the sennin cried out : " Heaven 
 is pure. Earth is clean. Both interior and exte- 
 rior are clean. Limitless life; perfect enlighten- 
 ment be thine." He then warmed the cold bosom 
 of the youth and said : " Shofubiku, be thankful ! 
 be thankful ! " 
 
 The prince immediately arose, sat up as one 
 does when waked out of a sleep and dream, and 
 bowing down before his teacher worshiped him. 
 
 The sennin said: "Truly you are now born 
 anew. Henceforth you will have yielding power. 
 I present you with this staff which has the merit 
 of unsurpassed purity." 
 
 *The first of the five great Buddhistic commandments is " Thou shalt 
 not kill," but it does not refer to the killing of human beings as does the 
 sixth commandment given on Mount Sinai. All life, whether of bird, 
 beast, reptile, insect, or what not, is literally human to the Buddhist. 
 On the sacred mountain in Japan, where the author spends a month 
 every summer, there is one Buddhist temple the priests of which, when 
 they walk out, carry a brush with which they sweep the path as they 
 walk along, in order that they may destroy no insect life. They would 
 thus keep this first great commandment. 
 
Prince Siddartha's Novitiate. 95 
 
 As soon as the staff passed into the prince's 
 hands he received six extraordinar} 7 - powers and 
 light again shone out from his body hence his 
 new name, Shofubiku, and another name, Jokwo- 
 butsu, which means " the pure-light Buddha." 
 
 During the night the sennin used the prince 
 as a cushion on which to sit while performing 
 the six hours of austerities. During the day the 
 youth studied diligently the instructions given to 
 him by his teacher. He so carefully observed all 
 that was taught him that he did not break even 
 one of the five, the ten, the fifty, the two hundred 
 and fifty, the five hundred, the twenty-five hun- 
 dred, or the three thousand Buddhistic command- 
 ments. By this immaculate observance of all 
 these laws he plainly showed that he had come 
 into the possession of the six extraordinary 
 powers. 
 
 Prince Siddartha now changed his dress made 
 of grass for one made of the leaves of the shutara 
 tree, which he sewed together with the fiber of the 
 wistaria vine for thread. Dressed in this garment 
 he served the sennin for three full years. This 
 period of the prince's life is called " the period of 
 the performance of the austerities of his original 
 and strong desires." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MIDDLE TERM. 
 
 rT^HE sennin calling the prince to his side said 
 > to him, " Hearken to me, Shofubiku ! The 
 filth of your five uncleannesses is now thoroughly 
 cleansed, and your offenses of the five transgres- 
 sions quite banished away by the studies and aus- 
 terities of the past three years. The soul of your 
 mother also has obtained deliverance, and she is 
 now born as a heavenly creature on the floor of 
 Indra and is waiting there until you become a full 
 Buddha. When you attain to that she will fully 
 enter the Buddha's paradise. Rise, therefore, and 
 go to the mountain beyond this one and study the 
 learning and perform the austerities taught by 
 the sennin whose name is Karara, and thus obtain 
 the desire of your heart." 
 
 The prince at once set out to find the abode of 
 his new teacher, and while on the way was met by 
 Karara himself, who said : 
 
 " You are Shofubiku, are you not ? The object 
 you have in view in coming to this place is indeed 
 
 96 
 
Prince SiddarthcCs Middle Term. 97 
 
 a very grave one. Instruction and practice of the 
 three great secret doctrines are taught here, and 
 the sacred book out of which you will learn them 
 surpasses all others, in whatever language they 
 may be written." 
 
 The prince, bowing down reverently before the 
 wise and aged sennin, said : " I do not regret even 
 the loss of my life if I may here attain to a full 
 knowledge of the sacred law, and I will make my 
 best endeavor to learn and to practice all that you 
 may graciously condescend to teach me." 
 
 Karara expressed his pleasure at the prince's 
 resolute yet submissive and teachable spirit and 
 gave him another new name appropriate to his 
 advanced stage as a student and observer of the 
 deep mysteries of Buddhistic wisdom and law. 
 He then began to instruct him in the secret doc- 
 trines and painful austerities of which he was 
 master, the study and observance of which were 
 necessary to attain to a yet more advanced posi- 
 tion on the way to full Buddhahood. 
 
 Karara-sennin informed the prince that the aus- 
 terities to be performed were both numerous and 
 of many kinds, and that while performing them 
 he must eat only the fruit of a certain tree for his 
 food, and that only once each day, at the midday 
 
98 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 hour, while water he must not drink at all. The 
 place where the austerities were to be performed 
 was seven or eight miles distant, the prince was 
 told, and was a remarkable stone or rock above a 
 celebrated waterfall on the mountain whose peak 
 could be seen from the place where they were 
 standing. 
 
 " During the first one hundred days," said the 
 teacher, "the austerities must be performed in 
 the standing attitude on that rock. During the 
 second one hundred days they are to be performed 
 while sitting on it with the feet and legs under 
 the body. During the third one hundred days 
 they are to be performed while lying on it. Dur- 
 ing each period no sleep can be allowed nor any 
 thought. These," said the sennin, " are the three 
 austerities of the way here taught, and are called 
 the natural non-living life. Take heed, therefore, 
 that you make no mistake." 
 
 He then gave the prince a black garment made 
 from the fiber of the wistaria vine. 
 
 The prince at once entered on the practice of 
 the austerities of the way of the three secret 
 doctrines. Even during the long days of spring 
 he partook of no other food than that prescribed 
 by his teacher; hence he became greatly emaci- 
 
Prince Siddartha's Middle Term. 99 
 
 ated and in appearance like a withered tree. 
 During the longest and hottest days of summer 
 he never sat down while practicing the austerities 
 that were to be observed in the standing position ; 
 nor did he once stretch out his legs while doing 
 those that were to be practiced in the sitting posi- 
 tion. During the winter months, although the 
 cold wind pierced his body as with sharp swords, 
 he never added anything to the single garment of 
 wistaria fiber that he had worn from the first. 
 
 On one occasion he fell asleep through utter 
 exhaustion, when two beings from the Buddhist 
 paradise appeared to him and said : " Look ! 
 The one who is wearing the black dress there, 
 sitting on that rock of quiet contemplation, is 
 overcome with sleepiness. Surely he is not a 
 true devotee, but a heretic. Let us bind him 
 hand arid foot." 
 
 Suiting the action to the word, they took a black 
 cord, and after binding him up tied him securely 
 to an ancient tree. 
 
 The exhausted prince swooned away, but after 
 a little returned to consciousness. His first 
 thought was to confess his wrongdoing in falling 
 asleep, but he stopped himself in time, else he 
 would have broken another law, for the austerity 
 
100 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 he had been engaged in practicing was the one of 
 absolute vocal silence. He was heartily ashamed 
 of his sin in falling asleep and in being thus 
 bound as a criminal in consequence, but he reso- 
 lutely held his tongue. 
 
 The two heavenly beings, seeing the mental 
 struggle, the shame, and the absolute silence of 
 the prince, said to each other: "Truly the man 
 is a veritable sennin performing his lawful austeri- 
 ties. Let us release him and return him to the 
 rock from which we took him." 
 
 The prince was exceedingly grateful for this 
 act of the heavenly youths, and he reverently 
 bowed down and worshiped them. They, how- 
 ever, at once ascended up into the clouds and 
 passed out of his sight as though they had been 
 but a vision of the night. 
 
 During the three years of his stay with Karara- 
 sennin, Prince Siddartha continued to perform 
 the standing, the sitting, and the reclining aus- 
 terities and to study the secret doctrines of his 
 teacher. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE SNOW MOUNTAIN. 
 
 A T the expiration of the three years Karara 
 -*--*- said to the prince : "You have now finished 
 the severe austerities of the three secret doctrines, 
 and in order to yet further perfect yourself in 
 Buddhistic wisdom and law you must go up to 
 the snow mountain, where you will serve and be 
 taught by two yet more celebrated sennin. I pre- 
 sent you with two staves, the one for your right 
 hand and the other for your left. With their aid 
 you will be able to make better progress than you 
 could do without them." 
 
 A sennin named Arara now put in an appear- 
 ance and said to the prince : " It is indeed the 
 delight of delights that you have now finished 
 the austerities of this mountain peak. I also 
 congratulate you on the possession of the two 
 staves that you hold in your hand. One of them 
 has the virtue of driving away all demons, while 
 the other has the virtue of expelling all unclean- 
 ness. Of the two other objects in your possession, 
 
 101 
 
102 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 one has the virtue of delivering all living things ; 
 this virtue is broad and strong. The other 
 object has the virtue of extraordinary power, and 
 the one who possesses it can even fly through the 
 air. The snow mountain to which you are going 
 is more precipitous than the one on which you 
 have been living, and the valleys are deeper and 
 darker ; hence you must go there relying on the 
 merits and virtues of these staves." 
 
 The prince had become exceedingly emaciated 
 and weak through the long observances of the 
 severe austerities of the rock, and he went on his 
 way with feeble and tottering steps. He had not 
 gone Very far before his strength entirely failed 
 and he fell prone to the earth, unable to rise 
 again. 
 
 The demons of the air, seeing the prostrate 
 prince, and hoping to hinder him in his endeavors 
 to attain to Buddahood, decided to inform the 
 king, his father, of the young man's whereabouts 
 and condition. One of them straightway flew to 
 the distant palace and, assuming the appearance 
 of an inhabitant of paradise, met the king and 
 informed him of the austerities which the prince 
 had been practicing during the past six years ; of 
 his intention to press on to the snow mountain 
 
The Snow Mountain. 103 
 
 in order to engage in yet more severe exercises ; 
 of his emaciated and weak condition, and of his 
 utter collapse while on his journey. 
 
 The king, on hearing the pitiful story which the 
 demon had told him, emphasized with the words, 
 " Pity him ! pity him ! " thought the message 
 must be heaven sent. Hence he at once ordered 
 out his chariot, that he might hasten to the aid 
 of his loved and long-lost son. One of his minis- 
 ters, however, dissuaded him from setting out so 
 hastily and advised that a royal messenger be 
 first sent with orders to bring Prince Siddartha 
 back with him if he found him. 
 
 The king called Udai, Maya's chief chamber- 
 lain and the prince's especial protector from his 
 earliest years, into his presence, and after reciting 
 to him the information he had received, com- 
 manded him to set out at once to the place where 
 the prince was supposed to be lying and to bring 
 him back to the palace without fail. 
 
 Udai mounted the fastest horse in the royal 
 stables and after riding three consecutive days 
 reached the mountain region indicated by the 
 king. After protracted search hither and thither 
 Udai at length found a being who had a little 
 the appearance of the prince. Grieving over his 
 
104 Prince Siddartha. ' 
 
 changed appearance, he went up to Siddartha and 
 told him the reason of his coming and of the 
 king's command that he should escort him back 
 to the palace. 
 
 The prince was so weak that had it not been 
 for his breathing slightly Udai would have thought 
 him dead; his mind, however, was clear and his 
 heart as firm as a rock. 
 
 He said to Udai: "What foolishness you speak! 
 It is my wish to hear from some messenger who 
 will encourage me to continue in my studies and 
 austerities and not one who would urge me to 
 return to the fiery world." 
 
 He then closed his eyes, which he did not open 
 again. His mind also was as firmly set as a 
 mountain. 
 
 Udai lamented so bitterly over the words and 
 determination of the prince that, pitying him, 
 Siddartha raised himself up with his left hand, 
 pointed with his right hand up into the sky, and 
 shook his fingers. 
 
 Immediately there fell from amongst the clouds 
 a leaf of the tala tree on which the following 
 words were written : " Birds that flock together 
 and lodge on the branches of a single tree scatter 
 far apart as soon as dawn surrounds them, and 
 
TJie Snow Mountain. 105 
 
 being scattered they no longer recognize each 
 other." 
 
 " Thus it is," said the prince, " with the separa- 
 tion of the living." 
 
 He now folded the leaf, gave it to Udai, and 
 commanded him to deliver it to the king with all 
 speed. Udai, realizing that further argument 
 would be in vain, sorrowfully returned alone to 
 the palace. 
 
 The prince deeply regretted that because of 
 extreme physical exhaustion his mind had become 
 dull and inactive, yet he grasped his staff and 
 resolutely continued his journey toward the snow 
 mountain. Looking toward the south he saw a 
 thick black cloud of smoke and in the midst of 
 the smoke tongues of flame blazing forth, and 
 in the midst of the flames five hundred starving 
 demons lamenting their famished condition and 
 weeping tears of blood. 
 
 The prince, arresting his steps, turned to the 
 famished demons, who seemed to be appealing to 
 him for help, and said : " Since thought is not, 
 neither misery nor happiness has any master. 
 Nothing is real. My own self even does not 
 exist. Laws only are realities. Laws also are 
 like a dream ; like a vision ; like a bubble of 
 
106 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 water ; like the dew ; like lightning. Understand 
 this, I pray you." 
 
 The blazing fire and the curling smoke at once 
 changed into the loveliest of clouds having five 
 colors, while the five hundred starving demons 
 became transformed into five hundred beings from 
 paradise. They now spread their wings, and, 
 ascending up into the clouds, shouted in unison 
 as they rose high in the air : " In coming days you 
 will attain to Buddhahood and enjoy its best 
 fruits." 
 
 Again looking about him, Prince Siddartha saw 
 a large number of gravestones standing at the 
 heads of many ancient graves. He also saw a 
 lovely female descending from paradise bearing 
 a flower in her hand. Alighting before a certain 
 grave this female made an offering of the flower 
 and worshiped with tears of joy rolling down 
 her cheeks. 
 
 The prince approached and asked her why she 
 offered the flower to the old grave and why she 
 worshiped it. 
 
 The heavenly being replied : " This graveyard 
 belongs to an adjoining town which lies just 
 beyond this forest. I lived there until last year, 
 when I died and was buried in this grave. While 
 
TJie Snow Mountain. 107 
 
 I lived in the transient world I faithfully wor- 
 shiped the three treasures and filled to the full 
 my duties to my own parents and the parents of 
 my husband. I was always compassionate towards 
 all the members of the household and never 
 grieved any one or broke a single heart by unkind 
 or unfilial conduct. Because I served with such 
 devotion, making a sacrifice of my very life for 
 my family, I am now reborn as a being of para- 
 dise as you see me now. I come to this place to 
 offer a flower and to worship my former body 
 because I am so grateful to it that I was enabled 
 to perform my duties while in the transient world 
 and thus win rebirth as a happy being of 
 paradise." 
 
 Thus saying, she prostrated herself before the 
 prince and worshiped him. 
 
 The prince again looking about saw a fierce 
 two-horned, three-toed, wolf-toothed demon dig 
 open a grave and drag out the buried form, with 
 which he seemed to be intensely angry. He beat, 
 bit, and tore it asunder, blowing also flames of fire 
 out of his own mouth into all parts of it, 
 
 The prince asked the demon why he was so 
 angry with the lifeless form and why he mal- 
 treated it so cruelly. 
 
108 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 The demon replied : " While I lived in my 
 causal stage in the transient world this corpse was 
 my own body. I was then envious and jealous 
 of the prosperity of the well-to-do, and I despised 
 and misused those who, however they struggled, 
 did not obtain a competency. I quarreled with 
 my friends and I fought with those with whom 
 I was not intimate. Because of all this I am 
 reborn as a demon of hell ; hence I hate this 
 corpse and take delight in thus exhuming and 
 maltreating it." 
 
 The prince, on hearing this interpretation of 
 the demon's ghoulish deeds, said as if in prayer : 
 u The past and the future of life and of death 
 are as a dream. From the beginning also all 
 laws are naturally and of themselves extinguish- 
 able. Good and evil therefore are but one and 
 the same thing. The just and the unjust also are 
 without difference the good and the evil, the 
 just and the unjust, being naturally alike and all 
 but as a gust of wind that suddenly sweeps over 
 us and as suddenly passes away." 
 
 The prince now shook his staff toward the sky 
 and instantly a bright light shone forth from 
 above. The angel from paradise and the demon 
 from hell now prostrated themselves before the 
 
The Snoio Mountain. 109 
 
 prince and worshiped him ; and then with the 
 shining light they instantly faded away out of 
 sight. 1 
 
 Siddartha then again set out on his way toward 
 the snow mountain. As he pushed on he found 
 the path a very difficult one. Rocks, ice, snow, 
 and cloud-enveloped precipitous peaks made pro- 
 gress slow and very wearying. While resting at 
 the foot of a tree a heavenly youth appeared to 
 him and said : " It is certainly very sad to see you 
 so weary. I fear you have become proud of hav- 
 ing completed but one of the ten austerities that 
 must be performed, and have become indifferent 
 and idle. If you become negligent for a single 
 occasion only, the filth of the five uncleannesses 
 will fall on you and enter into all parts of your 
 being your eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and mind. 
 Out of these five uncleannesses the three diseases 
 from which millions of other diseases come, will 
 attack you. If this should befall you, all the aus- 
 
 1 The paradise or heavens of the Buddhists, as also their numerous 
 hells, are uot like the heaven and hell of the Christians, the final abodes 
 of the good and of the wicked respectively. They are only stages on 
 the journey toward Buddhahood, or perfection, which must be reached 
 while one is a human being. The supernatural of the Buddhists is, 
 consequently, vastly inferior to the natural. The demon of one stage 
 of existence may be an angel in another, a serpent in another, or an 
 insect, and yef,, after myriads of rebirths and higher endeavors ulti- 
 mately attain to Buddhahood as a human being and then, on dying, 
 cease from rebirth and become extinct. 
 
110 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 terities you have already practiced and the studies 
 you have pursued will be wasted and thrown 
 away. While leading this life of renunciation 
 why should you regret the loss of strength or of 
 life itself? This mountain is under the protection 
 of heaven. On its high terrace the Buddhas re- 
 ceive their perfect enlightenment. With the dull 
 spirit you now possess you can never attain to 
 that height. What a pitiful creature you are if 
 you are thus hindered and exhausted by a little 
 snow in your path! Encouraging yourself you 
 must continue stedfastly to exercise yourself in 
 all the austerities, and never look to others for aid 
 or help of any kind. Having entered on the path 
 of sacrifice and renunciation, why do you now be- 
 grudge your life? If your own moon shines clear 
 and bright, you need no other light through the 
 longest and darkest night. The snow about and 
 above you will shine with the luster of gems if 
 your own inward light shine forth on it. The 
 high terrace of snow is regarded by some as a 
 house, by others as water; the starving demons 
 think it flaming fire, while those in paradise think 
 it a massive ruby. This height whose beauty is 
 beyond description is thus regarded in these four 
 different ways: the heretics are troubled by it, 
 
The Snow Mountain. Ill 
 
 thinking it a destructive storm of snow; the 
 demons are distressed by it, thinking it showers of 
 swords and spears falling on them ; while the 
 Buddhas regard it as the full flower cluster and 
 loveliest efflorescence of the sacred law. Go on 
 your way," said the youth, " and I will be your 
 guide." 
 
 The heavenly youth, having thus spoken, set out 
 on the upward way, riding at times on a cloud and 
 at other times being borne onward and upward by 
 the wind. 
 
 Prince Siddartha, fearing that the uncleanness 
 of his causal stage or past birth-life must still be 
 on him, was very happy in having met this youth 
 and made his acquaintance. He raised one of his 
 staves and struck the earth with it, saying as he 
 did so, " Clouds of unhindered endeavors are like 
 the sky for nothingness which is the great per- 
 fection." 
 
 Light immediately shone forth from his own 
 person and he was able to see his way clearly 
 up to the high terrace of the snow mountain, 
 although he had to clamber over rocks, ice, and 
 snow, and through winds and enveloping clouds 
 to reach it. 
 
 Pushing resolutely on his way the prince saw 
 
112 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 coming toward him from the direction of the 
 summit of the snow mountain a being with long 
 yellow hair who was dressed in a garment of 
 leaves which were sewed together with the fiber 
 of the wistaria vine. This sacred being bore a 
 
 4 
 
 staff in his hand and came down towards the 
 prince, walking on the air and never once touch- 
 ing the ground with his feet. 
 
 Approaching Siddartha he said : " It is very 
 extraordinary that you should so strongly desire 
 to perform the austerities of this mountain. 
 Come with me and I will instruct you about 
 them." 
 
 Without more ado the aged ascetic led the 
 prince up to a high terrace and said : u Now 
 hearken to me. This mountain is under the 
 especial care of the heavens, and the several ter- 
 races or peaks on it are places for the performance 
 of self-sacrificing austerities. If you are negli- 
 gent for but a single moment in the most rigid 
 observance of these austerities, the heavens them- 
 selves will afflict you with dire punishments. 
 Here are in particular three firmly set terraces or 
 elevations. The one to the east is called the 
 Nine Intelligence, or Real Enlightenment, Ter- 
 race. The one in the south is the Intelligence of 
 
The Snow Mountain. 113 
 
 Mysteries, or Equal Enlightenment, Terrace. The 
 one in the west is the Law and Property, or the 
 Mystery Enlightening, Terrace. 
 
 " The appropriate austerities of thinking and 
 doing you must perform three times a day on 
 each of these three terraces, making nine such 
 devotions every day. The peaks are at least 
 twenty miles apart from each other. Do not be 
 negligent for a single moment in performing 
 these austere duties ; and every night return to 
 this hut beside which we now stand. Seating 
 yourself after the manner of the ascetics with 
 the legs folded under the body with a fixed, 
 pure, extinguished, mysterious, and true mind 
 stedfastly contemplate and adore the heavens. 
 Be diligent in the performance of these auster- 
 ities. I who now instruct you have performed 
 these duties and lived in this hut." 
 
 The prince, prostrating himself before this 
 august being, worshiped him, and then betook 
 himself to one of the distant peaks in order to 
 at once enter on the duties which it was his 
 desire and delight to perform. 
 
 The cold wind blew fiercely over the snow- 
 covered peaks and enveloped him as with a cloud 
 while he journeyed from one peak to another and 
 
114 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 performed the self-sacrificing austerities appro- 
 priate to each of the three. At night he returned 
 to the lonely hut, where he sat long hours in the 
 attitude of a recluse and continued his religious 
 meditations. There was neither fire nor fuel in 
 the hut during this drear and wintry weather, 
 nor was there aught in the shape of food to satisfy 
 his hunger and warm his body nothing but 
 cold water for him to drink. Notwithstanding 
 this, ever as he returned to the hut a warm, soft 
 wind full of sweet fragrance blew steadily 
 through it, reviving his spirits and restoring his 
 strength as with a sufficiency of food, raiment, 
 and fire. This was indeed a wonderful thing, 
 yet it was but the natural reward of the merits 
 obtained by the faithful performance of the 
 appropriate austerities on the distant and snow- 
 covered peaks of the mountain. 
 
 One morning, as the prince set out from the 
 hut, he was lifted from his feet by a cold, fierce 
 blast of wind and hurled far away and then 
 tossed down into a deep valley where he was 
 buried in ice and snow. He was utterly unable 
 to extricate himself, but a heavenly youth ap- 
 peared to him and assured him that no harm 
 should befall him. It was not long after this 
 
The Snow Mountain. 115 
 
 that the prince found himself again on the sum- 
 mit of one of the peaks, where he performed his 
 daily austerities, but his body was completely en- 
 crusted with glistening ice and snow. 
 
 It is impossible to describe in detail all the 
 self-sacrificing austerities the prince performed 
 both day and night while on the snow moun- 
 tain. It must suffice to say that they are called 
 " the mysterious austerities." After completing 
 these he entered on and completed others called 
 " the law austerities." These also are beyond the 
 power of words to describe. Three full years 
 were thus devoted by Prince Siddartha to the per- 
 formance of the austerities of the three wisdoms 
 on the snow mountain. 
 
 On one occasion, while Prince Siddartha was 
 performing the usual austerities on one of the 
 highest peaks of the mountain, he heard the 
 sound of a voice coming from a deep valley near 
 by. The words recited by the voice were two 
 verses of a sacred book which had for their 
 burden the evanescence and transitoriness of all 
 things as the law of life and of death. The prince 
 listened intently for the remaining two verses of 
 the psalm, but silence deep and profound was the 
 only response. 
 
116 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 Interested to know who could have uttered 
 the unfinished quotation, he set out from the 
 summit of the peak on which he had been per- 
 forming his devotions and plowed his way 
 through the deep snow to the valley below. On 
 reaching the bottom he was confronted by a 
 demon who had eight faces and nine feet and 
 legs. 
 
 The prince asked the demon if he were the 
 being who had recited the passage from the sacred 
 books. The demon replying in the affirmative, 
 the prince asked him why he left the passage 
 unfinished. 
 
 The demon said : " I did not finish the quota- 
 tion because I am almost dead from exhaustion 
 through lack of food. I had no strength left for 
 further utterance." 
 
 The prince then asked : " What do you eat ? " 
 The demon replied : " I eat flesh only." 
 
 The prince at once replied : " I will give you 
 myself for food on the condition that you now 
 recite to me the two remaining verses of the 
 psalm you were repeating a while ago." 
 
 The demon objected to doing so and insisted 
 that the prince should first give him his body in 
 order that he might enjoy a hearty meal and so 
 
The Snow Mountain. 117 
 
 obtain the vigor necessary to the completion of 
 the recitation. 
 
 The prince assented to this arrangement, say- 
 ing, " The life of one is at times sustained by the 
 life of another. When such is the case the other 
 one becomes one's self. For this reason some give 
 their lives that others may live, and live more 
 vigorously, and so the myself and the other be- 
 come one and the same person." 
 
 Having said this he at once leaped into the 
 wide-open mouth of the hungry demon. The 
 demon's mouth instantly changed into a wholly 
 unfolded lotus flower and recited the remaining 
 portion of the stanzas heard by the prince when 
 he was on the peak of the snow mountain. The 
 burden of the verses was that life and death alike 
 bring extinction and that extinction is joy and 
 blessedness. 
 
 The entire form of the demon now changed 
 into a cloud which spread itself out and was 
 wafted away to the summit of the peak, bearing 
 the prince with it. 
 
 Depositing the prince on the summit the demon 
 said : " I am not a demon at all, but a Buddha. 
 From the eternity of the past you have ever 
 desired to give yourself and all your good works 
 
118 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 to deliver all living things in all the ten direc- 
 tions of the universe. Your austerities are now 
 at an end and you will speedily acquire that per- 
 fect enlightenment which will enable you to 
 guide and save all living things. This rock on 
 which you stand is called The Stone or Precious 
 Jewel of Perfect Enlightenment. The Buddhas 
 all obtain their full enlightenment here. This 
 rock came up out of the depths of the earth and 
 is both firm and pure. The grass you see about 
 you is called the grass of good fortune and is to 
 be your seat when you obtain perfect enlighten- 
 ment. The heavens above you will become a 
 roof to protect you while you are waiting here." 
 
 The ex-demon now introduced the prince to 
 several Bodhisatva eminences and then said : 
 
 " The time when the one who is to be the king 
 of Buddhas, the guide and the life-giver of the 
 three thousand worlds, is to obtain perfect en- 
 lightenment has now fully arrived. It is clear 
 that he is entitled to the most exalted rank and 
 to the right to say, ' I only am noble both under 
 and above the heavens.' ' 
 
 The ex-demon now took his departure, but in 
 his place there appeared, accompanied by a great 
 trembling of the earth, a host of incarnate Bud- 
 
The Snow Mountain. 119 
 
 dhas, Bodhisatvas, and Mahatmas, who reverently 
 and with clasped hands bowed down and wor- 
 shiped the prince, saying, " Teacher of the three 
 thousand worlds and of those on the six paths of 
 transmigration ; Buddha most perfect in all the 
 ten directions of the universe ; Buddha whose 
 light is infinite ; Teacher who guides equally all 
 the innumerable company of living things ; real 
 teacher and perfect Buddha, all hail ! " 
 
 There now appeared on the features of the 
 prince the thirty-two signs and eighty marks of 
 Buddhahood which shone brightly forth and sent 
 out their rays into all the Buddhist worlds 
 throughout the entire ten directions of the uni- 
 verse. The light from those worlds also shone 
 more brightly forth ; and the prince knew thereby 
 that his unquenchable desire to guide and save 
 all the living was to be satisfied. 
 
 The richness and glory of that moment no pen 
 can fully describe. 
 
 The prince, having obtained the three lights 
 and the six supernatural powers, now looked over 
 the three thousand worlds from the highest peak 
 of the snow mountain and was moved with dis- 
 tress at what he beheld. He saw that all living 
 creatures were struggling and wrestling with each 
 
120 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 other in order -to make for themselves a residence 
 and a home in the prison of a fiery and a burning 
 world. Every one was either drinking the wine 
 of ignorance and excess, pushing the car of self- 
 ishness and wickedness, sleeping soundly in utter 
 negligence and indifference, or drowning them- 
 selves in the sea of evil changes. 
 
 The prince renewed the resolve he had made to 
 do all in his power to save all the living of every 
 sort and to bring them into affinity with himself. 
 " All the living are my children," he said. " If 
 my children enter the fiery prison, I too will enter 
 it. If all the living are afflicted, I too will be 
 afflicted. It is for the purpose of saving them 
 I have obtained these supernatural powers." 
 
 With his heart full of deep sympathy the prince 
 took his departure from the summit of the snow 
 mountain where he had received his full enlight- 
 enment as a Buddha and where he had obtained 
 the assurance that he was to be the teacher, guide, 
 and savior of all the living. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE PRINCE TURNS HOMEWARD. 
 
 "PRINCE SIDDARTHA now removed from 
 the snow mountain, and for a time per- 
 formed his austerities at the abode of the aged 
 saint who first instructed him as to his duties on 
 his arrival at the sacred mountains. At this time 
 the one who became the prince's most celebrated 
 disciple, together with one thousand one hundred 
 and fifty others, became his pupils and followers. 
 
 The prince now changed frequently from place 
 to place, preaching and making disciples wherever 
 he went. On reaching the city of Hankiya he 
 sent messengers to his father, the king, to notify 
 him of his approaching return. 
 
 The messengers were received by the old re- 
 tainer Udai, who took charge of the message con- 
 cerning his return sent by the prince after twelve 
 years of absence from his home, and reported it to 
 the king. 
 
 The king, on hearing the report of the return of 
 
 his son, rejoiced as one would who should see the 
 
 121 
 
122 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 unfolding of the wondrous flower that blooms but 
 once in a thousand years, and ordered the bearers 
 of the welcome news into his presence. When 
 the salutations were finished the king addressed 
 the messengers as follows : 
 
 " It is with the greatest delight that I learn that 
 the prince has completed his studies, and that 
 after an absence of twelve years he is now about 
 to return to his home. The years have passed 
 away like a dream of the night. Urge the prince 
 to return at the earliest possible moment and 
 inquire of him whether he will return to my 
 palace or to the palace that was erected for him 
 before his marriage, or whether I shall build a 
 new palace for him." 
 
 The messengers at once returned to the prince, 
 who was now called by the name of Nyorai since 
 he had received his perfect enlightenment, and 
 Udai, the prince's old retainer went with them. 
 
 When Udai met the prince he was overcome 
 with joy and broke out into loud weeping of de- 
 light. When he became calm again he reported 
 the king's message and asked for a reply. 
 
 The prince responding said : " It is indeed my 
 duty to see the king my father as soon as possi- 
 ble. I do not wish, however, to dwell either in 
 
The Prince Turns Homeward. 123 
 
 his own palace or in the palace once erected for 
 me or in a new palace. I desire to abide in the 
 mausoleum where Maya was entombed, but I do 
 not wish to have the king informed of this." 
 
 In the king's palace the most elaborate prepara- 
 tions were made to appropriately receive the long- 
 lost prince on his return. The courtiers, officials, 
 and servants vied with each other in this en- 
 deavor ; and when the day fixed for the prince's 
 arrival came to hand they all arrayed themselves 
 in their richest apparel in order to do honor to the 
 occasion. Multitudes of the king's subjects came 
 from all parts of the country to welcome their 
 future king. 
 
 Kyodomi, the prince's aunt, together with the 
 twelve particular and several hundred other court 
 ladies, also prepared themselves to greet and wel- 
 come the prince upon his return. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A PALACE EPISODE DUEING THE PRINCE'S 
 ABSENCE. 
 
 ~Y7~ASODHARA, the bride who aided the 
 -*~ prince in his escape from the palace, and 
 who hoped in return and as a reward for her de- 
 votion to accompany him, remained in the palace 
 full of sorrow during the twelve long years of his 
 absence. She cherished and wept over the sleeve 
 of his coat that he left with her when he broke 
 away from her parting embrace. She frequently 
 took the empty sleeve in her hand and addressed 
 it as though it could understand what she said. 
 During the day she hid herself away in her cham- 
 ber. Her nights were passed in sleeplessness and 
 weeping. During this period she became con- 
 scious of the fact that she was to become a mother. 
 This, instead of bringing comfort to her heart, 
 increased her sorrow. Palace gossip had little of 
 good to say about the prospective birth. The 
 prince, it was said, had always so intense a d&sire 
 for conversion and enlightenment that he passed 
 
 124 
 
A Palace Episode. 125 
 
 his nights while in the palace in meditation and in 
 study ; hence the child could not possibly be his. 
 
 When Yasodhara heard of the gossip and sus- 
 picion, she thought within herself that they were 
 not at all unreasonable ; yet as she knew that she 
 never went outside the limits of her own cham- 
 bers, she was sure that she had no reason for 
 doubting her own uprightness of conduct. She 
 did not, therefore, trouble herself in the least 
 about the prevailing gossip and rumored scandal. 
 
 The rumors ultimately reached the ears of 
 Kyodomi, the sister of Maya the prince's 
 mother and she reported them to the king. 
 
 The king declined to investigate the matter, 
 saying, " There have been so many extraordinary 
 things in connection with the life of the prince 
 from its very beginning that this may perhaps be 
 but another of them." 
 
 In course of time a son was born to Yasodhara 
 and the gossips gave him the name among them- 
 selves of Prince Shinobu (or concealment) say- 
 ing, " Since we do not know who his father may 
 be, that is the appropriate name for him." 
 
 The king gave orders that the babe should be 
 cared for and brought up privately in the apart- 
 ments of his mother. 
 
126 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 When the child was five years of age some 
 birds of paradise built their nests, laid their eggs, 
 and brought forth and fed their young among the 
 delicate bamboo trees that formed a little grove in 
 one of the gardens that opened out from Yaso- 
 dhara's private apartments. 
 
 The prince, seeing the young birds at play, said 
 one day to his mother : " Even the birds have a 
 father and a mother. Who is my father, and 
 where is he ? " 
 
 Yasodhara replied that his father had left the 
 palace prior to his birth, in order to obtain con- 
 version and enlightenment, and that on leaving he 
 had given her a sleeve from his garment as keep- 
 sake. She then exhibited the sleeve to the boy 
 and gave it to him. The child, after examining 
 it, returned it to her, saying, " I will entrust this to 
 your care and keeping until I meet my father." 
 
 Yasodhara, on hearing of the approaching return 
 of the prince (or Nyorai, as he was now called), 
 was glad to think that she should meet him with 
 a son and welcome him back to his home. The 
 youth now nearing his twelfth 1 year was also 
 
 1 There are discrepancies in the narrative as to Prince Shinobu's age. 
 On page 79 it says that he was to be born six years from Siddartha's 
 departure. Siddartha was gone but twelve years, and here it is stated 
 that he was nearing his twelfth year. On page 130 the prince was seven 
 
A Palace Episode. 127 
 
 delighted with the thought that he would soon 
 meet his father, and that then his mother's tears 
 would all be wiped away. 
 
 years old when he first inquired about his father. On page 136 Sid- 
 dartha reads a writing which declares that the prince would be born 
 three years after his father's going away. These irreconcilable state- 
 ments are to be attributed to the tendency of legendary stories to 
 inconsistencies. ED. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE PALACE LADIES PREPARE FOR, THE 
 
 PRINCE'S RETURN. 
 
 YODOMI sent messengers to the ladies of 
 the prince's palace to notify them of the 
 return of their master. She sent new and beauti- 
 ful garments to two of the brides of the prince 
 and requested them to appear, when fully dressed, 
 at her apartments with the twelve court ladies 
 and the one hundred female attendants. 
 
 Kyodomi informed those ladies that the king 
 was as delighted at the return of the prince as 
 though he had lived to see the unfolding of the 
 flower that blooms but once in a thousand years ; 
 and that he and his courtiers, and the baseborn 
 masses also, were arraying themselves in their best 
 in order to welcome and honor the returning one. 
 "This is sufficient reason," Kyodomi said to the 
 brides and ladies, " why you should array your- 
 selves in the garments I hereby send by these 
 messengers." 
 
 The message to Yasodhara was of a lees flatter- 
 ing nature. It went as follows : 
 
 128 
 
The Prince's Return. 129 
 
 " Kyodomi is angry with you for your willful- 
 ness, sullenness, and obstinacy though there 
 may be reasons enough for your being so. The 
 eyes of a man are as a mirror made of crystal, 
 and his ears are as tense as a carpenter's line. It 
 is not easy to truly judge one who does as she 
 pleases. The best thing to do with her is to let 
 her severely alone. I therefore send no request 
 for you to appear before me with the other brides 
 and the ladies of the court." 
 
 Yasodhara heard the shameful message with the 
 utmost patience, and said to the bearer: "Kyo- 
 domi's anger is quite reasonable. I have nothing 
 to say against her message, since it is my conduct 
 that makes her angry. I regret only that I am 
 misunderstood, and punished for my loss of the 
 three great treasures. The truth and sincerity of 
 my heart no one can know." 
 
 Kyodomi's messengers and all others in Yaso- 
 dhara's presence sympathized deeply with the 
 rejected bride and mother, and lamented together 
 as they left her presence. 
 
 Yasodhara retired to her room and indulged in 
 a series of sad reveries, even though she regretted 
 that she sorrowed so much over her hard fate. 
 
 After a period of musing she called the young 
 
130 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 prince to her side and said to him : " Listen to 
 me ! It is now many years since I lived with your 
 father. He left the palace while he was still a 
 prince. When I assisted him to the accomplish- 
 ment of his desire to escape, in order that he 
 might study and gain perfect enlightenment, he 
 told me that he should never forget my faithful- 
 ness, and that when he had attained to the object 
 of which he was in search he would see me again. 
 On parting he gave me a charm enclosed in a bag 
 made of gold brocade, which I have kept care- 
 fully wrapped up in the sleeve of this garment 
 which you have already seen. You may perhaps 
 remember that when you asked me as to whether 
 you had a father, and of his whereabouts, you 
 were seven years old. At that time I gave you 
 the sleeve to keep, but you returned it to me 
 with the request that I take charge of it until 
 you should meet your father in person. I now 
 return it to you and you must go to your father 
 where he now is and present it, with yourself, to 
 him as witness of your sonship. If the prince 
 does not accept the sleeve and charm as true 
 proof of your relation to him, I shall not be in the 
 least sorry to be banished by the king to some far- 
 off distant isle or mountain or to be beheaded. 
 
The Prince's Return. 131 
 
 I have no fear of any kind of punishment, because 
 I have committed no sin. My desire to establish 
 your relation of sonship to the absent prince shall 
 never die. Though the sand on the seashore 
 may cease to exist, vet my desire shall live on 
 until it is fully accomplished. I will go with you 
 to the very ends of the earth. Though the 
 mountains be as high as heaven, and the valleys 
 deep as hell ; though fire and water, earthquake 
 and cloud should bar the way, yet I will go with 
 you to seek and find your father. I am resolved 
 to wash away my disgrace and shame by giving 
 you to your father in person. The anger of the 
 king against me, however, is reasonable and I 
 have nothing whatever to say against it." 
 
 Yasodhora, taking her son by the hand, now 
 set out for the place appointed for the public 
 reception of Prince Siddartha by the king and 
 his court. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 YASODHARA'S SON MEETS THE PRINCE 
 HIS FATHER. 
 
 RE AT multitudes thronged the streets that 
 led to the direction from which Nyorai, 
 the returning prince, was expected to arrive. 
 Nyorai, however, not liking the noisy recogni- 
 tion of so many, decided to change the form 
 of his body and of his features so that he might 
 not be recognized. Having supernatural power 
 as well as supernatural wisdom, he changed him- 
 self into an Arhat. 1 He was thus enabled to 
 mix with the people without being recognized by 
 them. Although the multitude scanned anxiously 
 the face and form of every Arhat, of whom 
 fifteen hundred accompanied the prince as he 
 
 Sinnet, in his book entitled " Esoteric Buddhism," says : " Arhat is 
 a Buddhist designation. In reality, the Arhats and the Mahatmas are 
 the same men. By whatever name such illuminali are called, they are 
 the adepts of occult knowledge, sometimes spoken of in India now as 
 The Brothers, and the custodians of the spiritual science which has 
 been handed down to them by their predecessors." page 8. The 
 Arhats are therefore experts in Buddhistic learning, ascetics, austeri- 
 ties, and in wonder-working, but have not attained to the exalted rank 
 of Buddhahood. 
 
 132 
 
Tasodhara's Son Meets His Father. 133 
 
 entered the palace town, the prince remained un- 
 recognized. In their bewilderment the eager 
 masses bowed down and worshiped all the Arhats 
 at once. 
 
 The fifteen hundred Arhats who accompanied 
 the prince were divided into three companies; 
 namely, one company on his right, one on his left, 
 and one in front and rear. This immense body 
 of men, bearing banners and garlands of flowers 
 and making music on the harp, the flute, the 
 drum, the flageolet, and cymbals, escorted Nyo- 
 rai to the place appointed by the king for the 
 public reception of his long-lost son. 
 
 The king, surrounded by his ministers of state 
 and his courtiers, awaited Nyorai's arrival in sol- 
 emn splendor. Kyodomi, surrounded by several 
 hundreds of court ladies arrayed in their richest 
 apparel, sat behind hanging screens on the north- 
 ern side of the hall. Two of the prince's brides, 
 with their retinue of twelve court ladies and a 
 hundred female attendants, also took their places 
 behind appropriate screens. Yasodhara also took 
 her place with her son by her side among this 
 party. 
 
 Nyorai, the prince, made his appearance wear- 
 ing the usual black dress of the Arhats, with a 
 
134 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 scarf, made of the leaves of a sacred tree sewn to- 
 gether with the fiber of the wistaria vine, thrown 
 over his shoulder. 
 
 When he and his companions entered the audi- 
 ence chamber they chanted to the accompaniment 
 of their musical instruments from their sacred 
 books and then bowed in worship. 
 
 Not only was the dress of Nyorai like the dress 
 of his companions, but his face also was of the 
 same dark hue, and like them he had long black 
 hair. 
 
 The king and all his court, both male and 
 female, scanned the black company most in- 
 tently, but not one of them could tell which 
 was Prince Siddartha or whether he were pres- 
 ent at all. Even Yasodhara could not recognize 
 the one whose absence she had so long lamented. 
 
 A happy thought now occurred to her, and 
 she spoke to her son and said : " Your father 
 whom you have been so eagerly inquiring after 
 for so long a time is among that body of Arhats 
 who are worshiping before us. Take this sleeve 
 and the charm bag and go and give it to one of 
 them the one whom you think may be your 
 father. If you do not do this, it will not be 
 worth while for you to ever say to me again 
 
Tasodhara's Son Meets His Father. 135 
 
 that you desire to know who your father is and 
 where he is." 
 
 Truly the mind of Yasodhara is purer than 
 the richest and rarest gem ! 
 
 The young prince obeyed his mother with 
 alacrity, but when he would have passed by 
 the guards who were between the Arhats and 
 the king he was stopped and asked his errand. 
 He replied that he was bearing gifts to Nyorai ; 
 hence he was allowed to pass on into the body 
 of the hall and among the Arhats. After glanc- 
 ing about here and there for a while the youth 
 walked up to one of the Arhats and presented 
 him with the sleeve and charm bag that his 
 mother had entrusted to him, saying that they 
 were gifts to him. 
 
 Nyorai, Prince Siddartha, turned to his com- 
 panions and said: "The youth is my son who 
 was born after I left the palace to obtain 
 enlightenment. When I was leaving the palace 
 his mother was full of regret at my departure 
 and grasped me by the sleeve. I tore myself 
 away from her by main force, but this sleeve 
 parted from my dress and remained in her 
 hands." 
 
 He then asked the youth his name, who 
 
136 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 replied that as he had never been out of the 
 palace he had no other name but that of 
 prince. 
 
 Nyorai now decided that for the sake of his 
 son he would discover himself in his real form 
 and features. Repeating the words : " Heaven is 
 pure ; the earth is pure ; the external and in- 
 ternal are pure ; the six senses are pure ; the 
 unchangeable truth-like mysterious enlightenment 
 with absolute quietness are clean, and the desires 
 of all living things are now satisfied," he was 
 changed from the inferior form to the superior 
 one of light unhindered, which has the thirty- 
 two marks and eighty signs of perfect Buddha- 
 hood. When this transformation in his appear- 
 ance took place the Arhats and all the king's 
 courtiers bowed down and worshiped him. 
 
 Nyorai now said : " The things relating to the 
 young prince my son the causes and effects 
 that had to do with his birth are written and 
 fully explained in a writing which is in this 
 charm bag. I will now show to you who this 
 youth really is." Nyorai opened the bag and 
 read as follows (this was addressed to Yasodhara 
 of course) : 
 
 "After three years of my absence from you 
 
Yasodhara's Son Meets His Father. 137 
 
 a son will be born to you, who will become 
 a great and good man and a learned priest. 
 He represents me in my causal stage." 
 
 On hearing this the Arhats bowed down and 
 worshiped the young prince as they had already 
 worshiped his father. 
 
 The king, not having previously met the youth, 
 inquired what boy it was concerning whom 
 Nyorai had been speaking, and whom the 
 Arhats were worshiping. 
 
 When told that it was the son of Yasodhara, 
 he said : " It is not wise to think of anything 
 as extraordinary that is relating to Nyorai. 
 What an intelligent looking boy the prince is ! 
 How unfathomably pure is the heart of Yaso- 
 dhara! How foolish I was not to see the boy 
 until now ! Truly virtue is deeper than the 
 profoundest silence ! " 
 
 The king now invited Prince Siddartha, or 
 Nyorai as he was now called by his fellow 
 religionists, to give the court an address on the 
 religion he now professed. 
 
 Nyorai took a lowly position and said that 
 he should speak concerning the true wisdom. 
 
 The king objected to the lowly seat taken by 
 Nyorai and urged him to take a higher one. 
 
138 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Nyorai, after making due obeisance to the 
 king, obeyed his royal father's command and at 
 once began his address, which for substance was 
 as follows : 
 
 " I intend to speak only concerning the one 
 heavenly path on which all living things may 
 move, although wicked of heart, and so attain to 
 the real calm of the soul. The object of all 
 teaching and of all learning is to know of the 
 favors and kindnesses of others, to be grateful for 
 them, and to put them to practical use. This is 
 the most important article of our faith. 
 
 " There are seven kindnesses or favors for 
 which we must be grateful. The first of these is 
 the favor of heaven. 1 If we do not recognize 
 this favor and acknowledge it, we shall stray into 
 a dark path and become utterly unable to distin- 
 guish night from day or good from evil, and 
 receive appropriate punishment. 
 
 " The second favor is that of the king. If we 
 do not recognize and acknowledge this favor, we 
 shall be banished from the realm and all its bless- 
 ings, or be condemned to destruction by fire. 
 
 1 The use of the term heaven here is apt to mislead those brought up 
 in Christian lands. It does not mean the heaven or home of an inde- 
 pendent, intelligent, wise, and just God, but a vague, uncertain some- 
 thing outside of man which no Buddhist attempts to explain. 
 
Yasodhara's Son Meets His Father. 139 
 
 "The third favor is that of parents. If we do 
 not recognize and acknowledge that, we shall be 
 condemned to take on the form of cripples, of 
 brutes, or of devils. 
 
 "The fourth favor is that of teachers. If we 
 do not recognize this, we shall go astray into the 
 dark ways of ignorance, and suffer a punishment 
 appropriate to our offense. 
 
 " The fifth favor is that of friends. All who do 
 not recognize this favor will become cruel and 
 law-breaking people, and they will receive the just 
 punishment of heaven. 
 
 " The sixth favor is that of the family. Those 
 who are not grateful for this will become beggars 
 and non-human creatures, and will receive punish- 
 ment appropriate to their beggarly non-human 
 heart and conduct. 
 
 " The seventh favor is that which comes from 
 all living things. All who do not recognize and 
 acknowledge this will become serpents and scor- 
 pions, and will be doomed to the torture of swords. 
 
 " These are called the seven paths of the first 
 importance. True morality consists in the knowl- 
 edge and recognition of them. Ignorance of and 
 disobedience to them leaves one as a brute beast 
 or as a block of wood or of stone. 
 
140 Prince Siddartka. 
 
 " These seven paths or commandments have 
 their faith-features and their faith-pleasures ; hence 
 do not be afraid to receive this instruction and to 
 be guided by it." 1 
 
 The king was exceedingly delighted with this 
 sermon of his long-absent son, and declared with 
 tears of joy that no sermon superior to it had 
 ever been preached. He said that it was both 
 reasonable, good, and worthy of acceptance by all. 
 
 The courtiers and all present now prostrated 
 themselves before Nyorai and worshiped him, 
 after which the king withdrew and returned to his 
 palace. 
 
 This was the beginning by Prince Siddartha, 
 Nyorai, or Buddha for all three names are 
 appropriated to him of his efforts to guide all 
 living things into the path of absolute calm. 
 
 The king was not the only one of the imposing 
 audience who was impressed with the discourse of 
 Nyorai. The son of a subject prince thought the 
 sermon so reasonable, so eloquent, and so noble in 
 its sentiments that he decided to seek conversion 
 
 1 If the reader will compare this first sermon of Buddha to his rela- 
 tives, friends, and disciples, with the sermon by Jesus on the Mount, 
 they will understand the general difference there is between the two 
 great teachers. The Sermon on the Mount has never yet been paralleled 
 by any teacher of any nation, no matter how great or wise or good he 
 may have been. 
 
Yasodhara's Son Meets His Father. 141 
 
 and enlightenment for himself. He said that a 
 true teacher is like a needle, and a disciple like 
 thread ; he therefore resolved to secure such a 
 teacher, even though he might have to travel to 
 the ends of the earth to find him. He declared 
 that the saying of Buddha that the way of the 
 wicked world was growing nearer and stronger in 
 its power every day, and that the way of conver- 
 sion and enlightenment was growing more distant 
 and weak every night, was most reasonable and 
 true, and that if he for himself intended to set 
 out at all for the prosecution of the higher studies 
 and the attainment of the highest virtues, he must 
 set about it at once. This decision he carried into 
 immediate execution, and in a short time he re- 
 ceived the power of understanding many of the 
 profoundest teachings. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CHANGES IN YASODHARA'S LIFE. 
 
 TN meekness and in gentleness Yasodhara ex- 
 -*- ceeded all other women. One day Kyodomi, 
 on meeting her, said : " The past is as a dream. 
 I regret very much my suspicious anger and evil 
 words and I sympathize with you and appreciate 
 the patience and gentleness you have at all times 
 shown. Hereafter I wish that you would regard 
 me as your mother and I will regard and treat 
 you as my own daughter. One so sincere and 
 so faithful as you have been is deserving of all 
 praise and honor. I trust that you will change 
 your residence and come and live always with 
 me." 
 
 Yasodhara replied that she never thought hard 
 or unkindly of any one during all the years of 
 suspicion and slighting that she had passed 
 through ; her only anxiety and trouble having 
 been for the young prince, her son. 
 
 She then lifted her sleeve to her face and wept 
 abundantly. 
 
 142 
 
Changes in Yasodhara's Life. 143 
 
 Kyodomi, on witnessing the flow of tears, said : 
 " It is but reasonable that people should weep 
 when they deeply regret anything, but your tears 
 are those of joy and show out even more clearly 
 your sincerity and purity. Be glad that such a 
 happiness has come." 
 
 With these and similar words of kindness Kyo- 
 domi cheered the heart and wiped away the tears 
 of Yasodhara. 
 
 Yasodhara was sincerely glad that the past long 
 years of dark suspicion and cold treatment had 
 come to an end. She was also glad that Prince 
 Siddartha had obtained the object he left her to 
 find and that he had become a Tathegata, a Nyo- 
 rai, a Buddha one who had obtained conversion 
 and perfect enlightenment. She was much im- 
 pressed with his teachings and his extraordinary 
 or supernatural powers and concluded to become 
 one of his disciples in order that her joy might 
 be full. 
 
 She took a certain disciple of Buddha into 
 her confidence and told him that, although as 
 to form and appearance she was only a woman 
 and so not qualified for discipleship, yet as to 
 mind and spirit she was truly a man. She said 
 that her hope for happiness would be only realized 
 
144 - Prince Siddartha. 
 
 if she could become one of Buddha's disciples 
 and enter on the path of ascetic observances. 
 
 The disciple was deeply impressed with the 
 spirit and desire of Yasodhara and repeated the 
 conversation to Buddha, who said : " Yasodhara's 
 desire is certainly reasonable. On a mountain 
 that lies southeast from here, in Southern India, 
 there is a plateau called by the name of the lotus 
 flower. When I was in my causal state of exist- 
 ence I preached there concerning the lotus con- 
 templation quiet of soul. At that time there 
 came a woman by the name of Kui who expressed 
 the desire to study the Three Treasures of the 
 Lotus : Perfect Enlightenment, the First Blooming 
 of the Lotus Flower's Joy, and the Mysterious 
 Mind and Law Joy of the Lotus, and planted 
 there three lotus plants. She also copied three 
 hundred volumes of the sacred book of Lotus 
 Perfect Enlightenment, which she offered to me 
 in worship. As a reward for these meritorious 
 deeds she received the title of King-of-heaven 
 Buddha. At her next rebirth she was born as a 
 lotus flower. 
 
 " At the time of my own next birth into this 
 world she appeared before me and offered the 
 lotus flower as an act of worship. That woman 
 
Changes in Yasodhara'sLife. 145 
 
 Kui was no other than this woman Yasodhara. 
 The distinctions of sex are but visionary. Let 
 her become a disciple if she wishes to be one." 
 
 Thus Yasodhara, in her thirty-seventh year, 
 became a disciple of Buddha and he began to 
 explain to her the sacred books. 
 
 Yasodhara remained faithful to the path she 
 had chosen, and keeping implicitly the five hun- 
 dred commandments she attained to the rank of 
 Bodhisatva equal enlightenment and estab- 
 lished a house for other women disciples at the 
 base of a well-known mountain. In a short time 
 fifty other women joined their fortunes with her. 
 
 Yasodhara thus became the first female disciple 
 of Buddha. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE BUDDHA ASCENDS TO HEAVEN. 
 
 T3UDDHA, on one occasion, called together ten 
 disciples, sixteen Arhats, and fifty-two Bo- 
 dhisatvas, and said to them: "I must shortly 
 preach the doctrine of the Law on the floor of 
 Indra-in-heaven, and you must accompany me 
 thither." 
 
 All were astonished at this golden saying of the 
 Buddha and replied that in virtue of his super- 
 natural powers there could be no doubt but that 
 he would be able to ascend thither. 
 
 During a period of seven days, beginning with 
 the first day of the fourth month, Buddha gave 
 himself entirely to meditation and worship. Mak- 
 ing a profound obeisance toward the southeast he 
 .uttered the words : " Unchangeable, absolute, mys- 
 terious, and perfect enlightenment, thou art the 
 same, whether of the past or of the future." He 
 then shook his staff in the air towards the heavens. 
 
 On the instant a golden-lined cloud, adorned 
 with eight lotus flowers, formed in the clear sky 
 
 146 
 
The Buddha Ascends to Heaven. 147 
 
 and came floating gently down. The Buddha, 
 with the ten disciples, sixteen Arhats, and fifty- 
 two Bodhisatvas mounted the cloud, which then 
 began to ascend until it bore them to the desired 
 heaven. Alighting from their chariot Buddha 
 investigated the place and found three palaces of 
 diversified colors. The eastern one was called 
 the Palace of the Manifestation of the Good ; the 
 western one the Joy-revealing Palace.; the 
 southern one the Palace of the Manifestation of 
 Science, Interest, and Profound Contemplation. 
 Buddha entered the southern palace, which, he 
 told his companions, belonged exclusively to him, 
 and there worshiped for a brief period. 
 
 After this act of worship was completed his 
 bodily form changed and he appeared in the glori- 
 ous lineaments of perfect enlightenment and with 
 the body of the gold genius king, that is, as the 
 tutelar deity of the place. 
 
 In the meantime Indra, 1 in full dress and wear- 
 ing his full-jeweled crown, came forth from the 
 eastern palace followed by several thousands of 
 immortal beings, all having the supernatural 
 
 1 In the vedic poetry of India, Indra is a mighty ruler of the bright 
 firmament. All his wonderful deeds are performed by him for the 
 benefit of the good or pious people who worship him. Cliambers' 
 Encyclopaedia. 
 
148 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 power of movement hither and thither at will. 
 Together with his company of followers Indra 
 bowed down and worshiped Buddha and said : 
 " I am unspeakably grateful for this visit of my 
 Lord Buddha. The honor done to me by this 
 call, and by the permission to see the glorious 
 form and features that cannot be gazed on even 
 once in a billion cycles of time, is more than I am 
 worthy of. My own virtues will be enhanced by 
 it. It is one of the greatest of marvels that I am 
 now allowed this privilege. I indeed tremble 
 with fear and joy because of this visit from the 
 Buddha who has attained to the mysterious and 
 perfect enlightenment and to the possession of 
 the absolute calm." 
 
 Buddha replied by saying that Indra's remarks 
 were very reasonable, and that the reasons for the 
 visit made were three. The first one was his pur- 
 pose to inform Indra that fifty-six hundred and 
 seventy millions of years in the future a certain 
 Buddha, having accomplished his first great 
 desire, would manifest himself, in order to save 
 all the living things of that period. The second 
 reason was his desire to present King Indra with 
 a certain book of the sacred scriptures. The 
 third reason was to do honor to the queen, who. 
 
The Buddha Ascends to Heaven. 149 
 
 was kept in a secret place in the palace, and who, 
 when he (Buddha) was born into the world, was 
 his mother. " I now wish," said the Buddha, " to 
 see her." 
 
 Indra asked Buddha why he called that lady 
 his mother, as she was even now but eighteen 
 years of age. 
 
 Buddha replied : " The lady was the queen of 
 King Jobon in her causal stage, and her name 
 was Maya. At the time of my present incarna- 
 tion, which was necessary to my purpose in order 
 to teach and save all living things, I chose King 
 Jobon for my father and Maya for my mother. 
 Maya died at the time of my birth. I endeavored, 
 by the use of my supernatural power, to comfort 
 her, but, as is common in human life, her mind 
 was so clouded with grief that I could not succeed 
 and she wandered away into the cloud and dark- 
 ness of the nether heaven. She has, however, 
 undergone such austerities that enlightenment has 
 come to her, her darkness has cleared up, and 
 by the merit of her observances she has been 
 born into this heaven and has become the queen 
 of Indra. I have completed my studies and 
 austerities and so have established relations of 
 affinity with the Buddha's paradise. At my birth 
 
150 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 the nourishment for the babe in the bosom of 
 Maya was a fresh and full-flowing fountain. If 
 you doubt whether the lady I ask for, the wife 
 and queen of Indra, is not Maya, my mother, I 
 pray you press the nipple of her breast and see if 
 milk do not at once flow forth." 
 
 Indra had no doubt about the truth of the 
 words spoken by Buddha; hence he at once 
 reported them to his queen. To test the truth 
 of the reported utterance the queen pressed her 
 nipples and there immediately issued a nourishing 
 stream, which made its way through a ninefold 
 curtain and a sevenfold hanging made of spun 
 silk and entered the Buddha's mouth. Such an 
 extraordinary and supernatural wonder is beyond 
 the power of language to express ! 
 
 After this Buddha preached to the queen of 
 the true wisdom, and she gladly received his 
 instruction. 
 
 The queen, grateful for the instruction, took 
 the living and blooming flower from her hair, and, 
 asking the Buddha never to forget his promise to 
 be her guide, that she might obtain relations of 
 affinity with the Buddha's paradise, offered it to 
 him and then prostrated herself and worshiped 
 him. 
 
The Buddha Ascends to Heaven. 151 
 
 This act of the queen of Indra is the reason 
 why we, the followers of Buddha, offer flowers 
 to him when we worship him and ascribe to him 
 fall, -rounded-out perfection of virtue. MAN- 
 TOKTJ EMMAN NYORAI are the words employed. 
 If we recite the full prayer when we offer the 
 flowers, the protection of heaven will be over us 
 and we shall attain to the Buddha's paradise. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 BUDDHA'S RETURN FROM INRA'S HEAVEN. 
 
 the return and during the descent of 
 Buddha from the heaven of Indra he met 
 with an enemy who sought his life. The son of a 
 neighboring king, who was of an exceedingly 
 haughty, arrogant, and ambitious nature, was 
 envious and jealous of the fame of Prince Sid- 
 dartha, or Buddha, or Nyorai, as he was now 
 called. This young man, becoming acquainted 
 with a hermit who lived in a mountain near, and 
 who was an expert in the use of magic, planned 
 with him, and the assistance of sixteen demons 
 and a hundred kinds of disbelievers, to murder 
 Buddha on his way back to his father's capital. 
 Demons of contagious diseases were also em- 
 ployed in this attempt on the life of the Enlight- 
 ened One. 
 
 Buddha, being the possessor of six supernatural 
 powers, of three lights, and who shines on all the 
 three thousand worlds, knew intuitively of this 
 attempt on his life and felt deep regret because 
 
 152 
 
Defeat of Heretics and Demons. 
 
Buddha's Return from Indra's Heaven. 153 
 
 of the companions he had with him who might 
 suffer from the wicked efforts of his enemies. 
 
 The prospective attempt became known to 
 Indra and he forthwith dispatched his attend- 
 ants, the immortal youths who had supernatural 
 power of flight, who hurled arrows, spears, and 
 swords right and left among the demons and so 
 drove them away and back to their places of 
 abode. The disbelievers also were overpowered; 
 but Buddha, being compassionate and merciful, 
 did not add other punishment to their vanquished 
 misery. 
 
 Returning in safety to the suburbs of his 
 father's capital, he resumed his task of preach- 
 ing concerning the way of conversion and the 
 returning of kindnesses. Kyodomi and her at- 
 tendants, Udai and his wife, and people of both 
 high and low degree flocked to hear his words, 
 and many of them received enlightenment and 
 deliverance from the bonds of sin. All such were 
 the recipients of joys that cannot be compared to 
 anything on the earth or in the heavens. 
 
 An episode which occurred during the return 
 of Buddha from Indra's heaven must not be 
 omitted. After escaping from the attempts on his 
 life by his enemy with his demons and heretics, 
 
154 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 his companions, the Arhats, while passing the 
 foot of a mountain discovered a golden-pillar 
 monument which was fifty feet in height. They 
 called the attention of Buddha to this unusual 
 and wonderful object. On approaching it he 
 said : " If we see such an object but once, we are 
 forever removed thereby from the three paths of 
 evil. If one erects such a monument, he will 
 surely be reborn into the heavenly paradise." 
 
 Having said these words he shed many tears. 
 Buddha's chief disciple, Kasho, hearing the words 
 and seeing the tears, said to his companions : " Why 
 is it that the Buddha worships this golden-pillar 
 monument? Does he still desire the favors of 
 this earthly life?" 
 
 Buddha overheard the remark and said : " Kasho 
 may well have doubts in his mind concerning my 
 desires. I wish you all to listen calmly and medi- 
 tate quietly while I tell you of the reason for the 
 erection of this golden-pillar monument. 
 
 " You know the name of this kingdom, and that 
 its capital is a hundred miles from here. Three 
 generations ago the king had an only son by his 
 queen, whose name was Kogo-bunin. The country 
 was in a state of peace and was prospering greatly 
 at the time. The king, however, had committed 
 
Buddha's Return from Indra's Heaven. 155 
 
 a grave error while in his causal stage of exist- 
 ence, and as a consequence was in due time smit- 
 ten with epilepsy. The tutelary deity, or ascetic, 
 who resided on a distant mountain, was consulted 
 as to the best method of curing the king's disease. 
 The ascetic gave it as his opinion that the only 
 medicine that could effect a cure was the gall 
 taken from a living person who was of a mild 
 disposition and who had never been angry or 
 injured the feelings of any one by willfulness or 
 unkindness since being born into the world. The 
 king's ministers consulted with each other con- 
 cerning this extraordinary prescription and ulti- 
 mately arrived at the conclusion that the person 
 who had never been angry or hurt the feelings of 
 another since birth did not exist ; hence they 
 decided to banish the king from his realm and 
 place the prince, his son, on the throne in his 
 stead. 
 
 " When the queen heard of this resolution she 
 was exceedingly distressed, but was powerless to 
 change the decision of the ministers. She called 
 the prince to her side and told him all she had 
 heard and then asked him to go with her to the 
 king and express their regrets at the prospective 
 change. 
 
X 
 
 156 Prince Siddariha. 
 
 " The prince comforted her, however, by saying 
 that he would set out and find a person who was 
 of mild disposition, who had never been angry, 
 and who during the entire course of his life had 
 never hurt the feelings or broken the heart of 
 any one. 
 
 "This person was himself, for he opened his 
 own breast, took out his living, palpitating gall, 
 and gave it to one of his wise attendants to use 
 it as medicine for his father. He then died. 
 
 "The king used the medicine and wholly re- 
 covered from the disease. When he learned of 
 his son's death and the cause of it, he ordered 
 the construction and the erection of a thousand 
 golden-pillar monuments and employed a thou- 
 sand priests to chant the litanies for the dead 
 before them. For this pious and meritorious 
 deed all the living of his time received lasting 
 benefits in the heavenly paradise. 
 
 " The queen, on her part, while lamenting the 
 loss of her son, ordered the making of a thousand 
 images of the goddess of mercy. She also re- 
 quired a thousand priests to chant litanies before 
 them, after which she sent them to a thousand 
 different countries. That queen, called at that 
 time Kogo-bunin, was Maya, my present mother : 
 
S A R 
 
 ,TY 
 
 Indra's H 
 
 Buddha's Return from Indra's Heaven. 157 
 
 and that young prince was myself. I therefore 
 see in this golden-pillar monument my own self. 
 One inch of good and one foot of bad I realized 
 during that existence for I did not at that time 
 satisfy the desires of all living things. I shed 
 tears by this monument as I recollect these 
 things. 
 
 " I do not shed tears of regret only, for through 
 the merits of this pillar monument and by the 
 efficacy of faith and devotion one acquires the 
 five kinds of knowledge and the possession of the 
 five supermundane powers. 
 
 " The first of these five kinds of knowledge is 
 that which gives understanding of all principles 
 and so of success in all one undertakes. 
 
 " The second of the five is that which gives us 
 understanding concerning the world of matter 
 and of all that seems to exist, that they really 
 are void of existence ; and that the quality 
 of the voidness of all things constitutes the 
 absolute. 
 
 " The third kind of knowledge gives one to 
 understand how to deliver all living things, 
 whether one can make affinity with them or not, 
 and is called the reality of absoluteness. 
 
 " The fourth kind of knowledge is that of the 
 
158 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 perfect mirror wisdom or unhindered absolute- 
 ness. It gives absolute clearness of the percep- 
 tion of causes and effects and their relations. 
 
 " The fifth kind of knowledge is the central 
 one. Its relations are with the mysterious body 
 and its laws. Through quiet, absorbed contem- 
 plation this knowledge gives deliverance and 
 absoluteness. 
 
 " These five kinds of knowledge or wisdom 
 must be acquired by all who aspire to perfect 
 enlightenment and Buddhahood. 
 
 " The five supernatural or supermundane pow- 
 ers have their relations with the elements: fire, 
 water, air, earth, space, and color. The result 
 of the possession of these powers enables one to 
 make heaven and earth one's body ; all laws one's 
 fruitful seed ; all relations or affinities into effi- 
 cient causes, and all labors into desired effects. 
 
 " There are also four kinds of Buddhas. One 
 is the Buddha of the Law ; another is the 
 Buddha of the Reason; another is the Buddha 
 of Reincarnations, while the other is the real, 
 the true, the complete Buddha. 
 
 " By the merits of this golden-pillar monument 
 and of austerities and of prayers one comes to 
 understand all these things intuitively and com- 
 
Buddha's Return from Indra's Heaven. 159 
 
 pletely, without any instruction or assistance 
 from others." 
 
 *When Buddha had finished his discourse the 
 fifty-two Bodhisatvas, the sixteen Arhats, and the 
 ten disciples expressed themselves as deeply im- 
 pressed with all he had said and as being no 
 longer surprised that the Buddha shed tears when 
 he saw the golden-pillar monument. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 AN ENEMY. 
 
 "TAAIBA-DATLA, the enemy who sought by 
 -*-^ the use of demons and heretics to take the 
 life of Buddha as he returned from the heaven of 
 Indra to his home, though disappointed for the 
 time being, did not give up the hope of some time 
 accomplishing his purpose. His father was king 
 of a realm adjoining that of King Jobon, Buddha's 
 father, and the two kings were brothers. Daiba 
 determined on the use of strategy to break up 
 the friendly relations that existed between the 
 brothers and their kingdoms in order to ward off 
 the teaching of his cousin Siddartha, the Buddha, 
 and so injure him by frustrating his intention of 
 propagating his teaching in other realms than that 
 of his own father. 
 
 Datla appeared before his father, King Kokubon, 
 on a certain occasion, and said to him : "I hear it 
 commonly reported that my uncle, King Jobon, 
 has had a called meeting of his courtiers and high 
 officials at his palace and has expressed to them 
 
 160 
 
An Enemy. 161 
 
 strange opinions about yourself and your realm. 
 He is reported to have said that it frequently 
 happens that parents and children, brothers and 
 sisters, who ought to be at one with each other, 
 are frequently so differently constituted that they 
 often quarrel with each other, while those who 
 have no blood relationship are as frequently ex- 
 tremely intimate. 'There are four brothers of 
 us,' King Jobon said, 'yet we are all different. 
 King Kokubon, however, is more foolish than the 
 other brothers, and he governs his country in a 
 most willful and severe manner. His family and 
 his ministers are afraid of him, and he has no 
 intimate friends. His only son also is self-willed 
 and wicked, and takes delight in cruel treatment 
 of others and in killing all living things. If any 
 of the king's subjects complain of harsh or cruel 
 treatment, they are severely punished. The nat- 
 ural consequence is that the country is being 
 disintegrated and is fast going to ruin. The say- 
 ing of the ancients that the way of goodness is 
 hard to learn, and the way of wickedness is easy, 
 is absolutely true. I speak this to you all that 
 you may take warning so that my kingdom may 
 not fall into the evil condition that prevails in the 
 realm of my brother, King Kokubon.' " 
 
162 Prince jSiddartha. 
 
 Prince Datla continuing said to his father: 
 "You know that I never tell you anything but 
 the truth. Now it is in the way I have told you 
 that King Jobon, his courtiers and officials speak 
 about you and your kingdom. Furthermore, 
 Siddartha, his son, has been studying the arts of 
 the genii and has lately returned to his father's 
 capital. He has changed his name to that of 
 Shaka Nyorai Buddha, shaved his head, and 
 taken to preaching to all classes the doctrines 
 of the ascetics. The son of King Kaurobon, my 
 cousin, has become a disciple, shaved his head, and 
 changed his name. The son of King Akurobon 
 has also shaved his head, changed his dress and 
 his name, and become a follower. Besides these 
 many others of high rank have been converted 
 and become disciples. Even retainers and serv- 
 ants, without asking consent of their lords and 
 masters, have shaved their heads, changed their 
 names and dress, and become followers. During 
 the summer of this year I was urgently advised 
 to do the same thing. I replied, however, that I 
 did not consider myself old enough to do any- 
 thing of the sort. I also said that I thought that 
 those who would thus forsake their masters and 
 their parents as easily as they cut the hair from 
 
An Enemy. 163 
 
 their heads, for such a purpose, must be crazy, and 
 the destroyers of their country. These sayings of 
 mine were reported to my two cousins, who re- 
 ported them to King Jobon. 
 
 " As for myself, I should like to break off all 
 relationship and intercourse with my uncle King 
 Jobon and his family. I do not care to be con- 
 verted and live an idle, useless life." 
 
 King Kokubon, Prince Datla's father, replying 
 said: "There are no parents among either those 
 of high degree or of low who are not hampered, 
 fettered, and bound by their children; yet all 
 you say is reasonable enough. Maya, the mother 
 of Siddartha, was an extraordinarily beautiful 
 woman, but she was bewitched of a devil when 
 she conceived and gave him birth. At the time 
 of Siddartha's birth many remarkable things took 
 place. As he grew up to manhood his father 
 King Jobon took the greatest of interest and 
 care about him; yet instead of being pleased, 
 grateful, and satisfied with what had been done 
 for him he ran away from the palace in order to 
 gratify his own fancies. I was certainly very glad 
 to hear that he had returned and that he had 
 studied many sciences. If the sciences and doc- 
 trines he studied and now teaches are such as are 
 
164 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 injurious to the best interests of the realm, do not 
 listen to him for a single moment or become a 
 convert to his teachings. 
 
 " I desire also that you issue an order to the 
 same effect for promulgation among the people of 
 my realm. There is nothing more formidable or 
 difficult to deal with in a country than heretics. 
 By their ceaseless activity they confuse the minds 
 of the people and end by making them believe that 
 good is evil and that evil is good. 
 
 " Set a watch also on yourself, and pay no heed 
 to what either King Jobon or his son Siddartha 
 may say to you, no matter whether what they say 
 be good or bad. If a son through disobedience 
 lose the kingdom left to him by his father, the 
 very heavens will be angry and will punish him. 
 Take heed, therefore, to my words!" 
 
 In his scheme of breaking off all relationship 
 and communication between the two kingdoms of 
 these two kings, Prince Datla, Siddartha's enemy 
 and cousin, succeeded through the use of his 
 wicked cunning. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PRINCE SIDDARTHA INVITED TO ASCEND THE 
 THRONE. 
 
 rpHE cabinet ministers of King Jobon, after 
 ** mutual conference, waited on their royal 
 master on one occasion and addressed him as 
 follows : 
 
 " The return of Prince Siddartha as a Tathe- 
 gata, or exalted Buddha, appears to our rejoicing 
 eyes as the blooming after a thousand years of 
 waiting of that wondrous flower in the sea. The 
 people of the realm rejoice with us : so also do 
 the people of the adjoining realms. If now your 
 majesty will elevate the prince to the throne, that 
 he may reign in your stead, the whole nation will 
 rejoice and prosper yet more and more. Since 
 Prince Siddartha would be the real king, as well 
 as exalted Buddha, peace would pervade this and 
 all the thousand and ten thousand adjacent coun- 
 tries, so that nothing in the past history of this 
 or of those countries would be able to compare 
 with it." 
 
 w 
 
166 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 The king in replying said: "I heartily agree 
 with all that you have said. Your expressed 
 wish is the one and strongest desire of my heart. 
 Go at once from the palace to the residence of 
 the prince and inform him of my wishes." 
 
 King Jobon's ministers were delighted with 
 the success of their interview ; hence they set out 
 very gladly to the residence of Prince Siddartha. 
 An audience being granted them by the prince 
 they said : 
 
 " While you were absent from the palace and 
 the country, the king, his ministers, and all the 
 people, high and low alike, went astray because of 
 the gloom and darkness of sorrow incident to the 
 loss of the heir to the throne. Even the sun and 
 the moon during those years of absence shone 
 less brightly than before. Now that you have 
 returned, having completed your studies and aus- 
 terities, we all, king, courtiers, and people, alike 
 rejoice as though we had been permitted to see 
 that wondrous flower that blooms in the sea but 
 once in a thousand years. Having through study 
 and the performance of many austerities accom- 
 plished the object of your desires, we humbly and 
 earnestly request that you will now ascend the 
 throne in the place of King Jobon your father 
 
Prince Siddartha Invited to Ascend the TJirone. 167 
 
 and reign over us and all the land. We believe 
 that you who are now a real and true Buddha 
 would also be a real and a true king, and that you 
 would govern the realm justly and peacefully. 
 The land also would prosper and your reign would 
 last for thousands of years. This is our profound 
 and earnest request and you will confer lasting 
 blessings on the king your father, on us his 
 ministers, and on all his people by graciously 
 hearkening to our request and by ascending the 
 throne." 
 
 Prince Siddartha answered that he appreciated 
 the reasonableness of all the ministers had said, 
 and that as their desire was also the expressed 
 wish of the king, obedience to that wish would 
 be but the fulfilling of a proper filial duty ; yet 
 since he had other objects in life than those 
 proposed to him, and his purpose to carry out 
 those objects had long ago been fixed in his heart, 
 he regretted that he must decline the invitation. 
 The prince also informed the ministers that while 
 he was performing his austerities on the distant 
 mountain his purpose and his heart became 
 thus fixed. " I knew long ago," he said, " that 
 this request would come to me, but as I wish to 
 make affinity with vastly different things, I am 
 
168 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 not now able to consent to become king. I will, 
 however, explain the matter more fully in the 
 course of a sermon that I shall shortly deliver." 
 
 Prince Siddartha requested the ministers to 
 announce to the court that he would deliver a 
 discourse at a certain time for the particular 
 benefit of the two princes, his younger brothers. 
 
 When the time arrived, the King with the two 
 princes and all his courtiers and the ladies of the 
 court in great numbers assembled in the hall set 
 apart for the assembly. Buddha, taking the two 
 princes by the hand, sat down on the raised seat 
 provided for him. Ten disciples and sixteen 
 Arhats sat on his left hand and the same number 
 on his right. His discourse ran as follows : 
 
 " One of old has said of persons that where 
 one has wisdom, but no heart or affection, he is 
 called a clever person or a person of superior 
 talent and ability. When, however, one is pos- 
 sessed of both wisdom and heart he is called a 
 person of most superior excellence. When any 
 one is destitute of both heart and wisdom he is 
 called a foolish person or an idiot. Besides these 
 three classes of people there are those who 
 through physical or other ailments have to be 
 constantly watched and cared for and who cannot 
 
Prince Siddartha Invited to Ascend the Throne. 169 
 
 be made other than they are by the exercise of 
 even the greatest benevolence. 
 
 "These two youths belong to the third class 
 I have named, since they as yet possess neither 
 heart nor knowledge. I will impart to them that 
 which will be to them as a thousand hearings and 
 once seeing." 
 
 At this stage of the discourse Buddha took a 
 flower which he separated into halves. One half 
 he placed on the head of one prince and the other 
 half on the head of the other. He then pro- 
 nounced a magical formula, flourished his staff in 
 the air, and immediately the princes, himself, the 
 Arhats, and the disciples became invisible. 
 
 Having ascended into the upper world, Buddha 
 informed his companions that there were three 
 mysterious worlds that he wished them to see, to 
 examine, and to consider with such care that they 
 would never after forget or regret what they had 
 seen and learned. 
 
 " The first of these mysterious lands," said the 
 Buddha, " is the one of transformations ; the sec- 
 ond is that of conversion and the acquisition of 
 mysterious wisdom ; the third is the land of law- 
 body and of law-quality. The first, or land of 
 transformation, is the land of pain and painful con- 
 
170 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 ditions. In it there are eight hells of flaming fires 
 and eight of biting cold. A vast variety of devils 
 and other tormentors in all manner of forms 
 brute, reptilian, and human also abide there. 
 These demons are ever engaged in writing the 
 crimes of those who come into these hells, on mir- 
 rors, and dragging the poor sinners before Yemma 
 the awful judge. They then deliver the con- 
 demned over to other tormentors who torture them 
 day and night at their pleasure. The dreadfulness 
 of the cries of the condemning judge, the tor- 
 menting devils, and the tortured sinners is too 
 awful for utterance. One's body with its six 
 senses l trembles with horror and dread as we lis- 
 ten ! The Bodhisatvas are ever making their 
 utmost endeavors to save the tormented by taking 
 the place of the sufferers and receiving the tor- 
 ment in their stead. 
 
 " In the second land there is abounding joy. 
 Heavenly beings are passing to and fro and 
 hither and thither, and while doing so they 
 make the sweetest music that ever gladdened 
 the ear. 
 
 "In the third land there are other and more 
 
 1 The six senses are the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body, 
 and the heart, and they are called in Japanese the rokkon. 
 
Prince Siddartha Invited to Ascend the TJirone. 171 
 
 exalted beings such as the Tathegata or exalted 
 Buddhas, the Bodhisatvas or those whose next 
 birth will make them Buddhas. These and others 
 of approximating attainments and rank manifest 
 themselves in this place, and by virtue of their 
 supernatural powers pass to and fro in the golden 
 light from pedestal to pedestal or height to height. 
 Joys and pleasures beyond all power of expres- 
 sion pervade and fill the place." 
 
 As the Buddha showed the two princes the 
 hells and the paradises and unfolded their mean- 
 ing, the doubts the youths had entertained began 
 to clear away and a heart of faith began to spring 
 up. They expressed their gratitude to their 
 teacher for his great kindness in thus showing and 
 teaching them the value of merit, of the distinc- 
 tion between good and evil, wisdom and folly. 
 Their eyes being opened they at once entered on 
 the path the new way of truth. 
 
 Buddha, perceiving their condition, exhorted 
 them to cherish the wisdom they had acquired, 
 and never to neglect the duty of confession, 
 although it and all things were void. 
 
 He then pronounced another magical formula, 
 flourished his staff in the air, and behold, he and 
 the two princes, the disciples, and the Arhats were 
 
172 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 again in their places in the midst of the royal 
 assembly where the discourse began ! 
 
 Prior to the delivery of this discourse to the 
 young princes, Buddha had on several occasions 
 preached to the king, his aunt Kyodomi, one 
 thousand two hundred and fifty Arhats, and 
 others. His discourses had been of conversion, 
 of the duty of patient, persistent, quiet contem- 
 plation, of austerities, and of the duty of return- 
 ing the kindnesses of parents. 
 
 The king, Kyodomi, and others had obtained 
 through these discourses the several merits and 
 powers of conversion, of the perfect law of entire 
 absoluteness ; also, the qualification of becoming 
 non-existent. The acquisition of these made them 
 equal to the most exalted of the Bodhisatvas. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 INAUGURAL ADDRESSES AT THE PALACE. 
 
 T3UDDHA requested one of his disciples to 
 -* ^ deliver an address to the court on the sub- 
 ject of the three mysterious realms that he had 
 so recently visited. The disciple consented to do 
 so provided that the two princes who had been 
 members of that exploring party would act as his 
 witnesses and guaranties. The discourse then 
 delivered was as powerful as though Buddha him- 
 self had delivered it. The younger prince be- 
 came a convert, and took on himself the vow to 
 keep the five hundred commandments. He also 
 changed his name and took his seat among the 
 Arhats. 
 
 The elder prince also accepted the teaching of 
 the Buddha. 
 
 Siddartha, on seeing the faith that was growing 
 within the youth, and believing it to be the foun- 
 dation and the beginning of genuine prosperity to 
 the realm, said to him : " Although your conver- 
 sion is a thing I have long desired, we must regard 
 
 173 
 
174 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 this matter with great care, for there is such a 
 thing as false conversion. The true conversion 
 results from carefully hearing, clearly seeing, and 
 accurately knowing. Without these three things 
 the end, true conversion, cannot be obtained." 
 
 The Buddha, ascending to the high seat pro- 
 vided for him, now delivered an address concern- 
 ing parents and children. The substance of the 
 discourse was as follows : 
 
 " We are subject to four births, so far as our hu- 
 man life is concerned. The first is our prenatal 
 one when we are constituent parts of the physical 
 frame of our parents, heaven then being to us as 
 father and the earth as mother. The second is 
 our human nativity our birth out into the visi- 
 ble world. We may receive with this birth the 
 seven virtues ; namely, causal virtue, effectual vir- 
 tue, the ability-to-make-affinities virtue, the virtue 
 of ability to continue all the virtues, and the vir- 
 tue of knowing all the laws of cause and effect. 
 
 " This natural birth is the occasion of the 
 greatest suffering to the one who bears a child. 
 Her suffering can be comparable only to that of 
 enduring the eight extreme heats and the eight 
 extreme colds of the sixteen hells. The child also 
 is afflicted and distressed. It is thus and here 
 
Inaugural Addresses at the Palace. 175 
 
 that disagreements between parents and children 
 begin, and where disobedience has it origin. It is 
 necessary for all to remember what their parents 
 have suffered for them and to be careful to repay 
 that suffering and kindness. 
 
 " The third birth is the one in which we are 
 born into and among the homes of all the living. 
 In this case our country is as our father, and all 
 the living as our mother. Five cardinal virtues 
 are connected with this birth and life; namely, 
 kindness, justice, etiquette, intelligence, faithful- 
 ness to promises. 
 
 Ck The fourth birth is the one by means of 
 which we are ushered into the land of absolute 
 cleanness paradise, the heavens being as our 
 father and the sacred laws as our mother. This 
 birth is the most important of the four, as it is 
 the one of absoluteness, of quietness, and of 
 holiness. 
 
 " Five kinds of wisdom are connected with this 
 birth ; namely, the wisdom or ability to use super- 
 natural power ; the ability of profound contem- 
 plation and the reception of unhindered light; 
 the ability to make affinity with all laws; the 
 ability to acquire perfect mirror-like intelligence ; 
 the ability to understand all laws, their relations 
 
176 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 and qualities. These excellences can be obtained 
 only by those possessed of perfect intelligence 
 acquired through meritorious activities and 
 austerities. 
 
 " As to the relations of sex in this matter, 
 women are from one life to another women and 
 mothers, while men continue to be men and 
 fathers. All therefore are fathers and mothers 
 and offspring, and so have received mutual favors. 
 Those who do not recognize this and seek to re- 
 turn parental favors to their parents are as brutes, 
 as demons, as stocks of wood or of stone. 
 
 " There are also four kinds of children. The 
 first is the child of desire the desired one. 
 The parents of such an one having broken no one 
 of the sacred laws in their causal stage, but who 
 have amassed great merit by their good deeds, 
 receive for their desired offspring a Bodhisatva. 
 This Bodhisatva, having already affinity or near 
 relationship with the three precious things, and 
 having amassed great merit while seeking the way 
 of deliverance, will ultimately reach up to the 
 summit of blessedness and take his parents with 
 him. 
 
 " The second kind of child is the one who 
 comes full of reverence towards those who give 
 
Inaugural Addresses at the Palace. 177 
 
 him (or her) birth. He will be obedient to his 
 parents, make the home and the family happy and 
 prosperous, and become a worthy example for 
 other children to follow. 
 
 " The third kind of child is the one whose birth 
 will ever be regretted by those who brought it 
 into existence. This child, having broken the 
 commandments in its causal stage, is born weak 
 and sickly and is miserable both day and night. 
 The parents grieve over his condition, spend their 
 strength and their means for his recovery, but 
 grow poorer and poorer, and so shorten their lives 
 by their sorrow and care. 
 
 " The fourth kind of child is one of the robber 
 cycles. This child from the 'time of his birth is 
 disobedient and wicked to his parents and mocks 
 at his teachers. The older he grows the more 
 wicked he becomes. He will always hate the 
 good and love the evil. His earthly end will be 
 to be publicly executed, and his parents with him 
 and his body exposed on the outer walls of the 
 city for a warning to others. 
 
 " The way of conversion consists, first, in the 
 recognition of the kindness of parents and in the 
 endeavor to repay them. 
 
 " It consists, in the second place, in improving 
 
178 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 the condition of one's country, in general benev- 
 olence and helping the poor, in the building of 
 edifices for the storing of holy relics, in being 
 niild and generous, and in thus amassing merits 
 which will count for use afterward. 
 
 " The way of conversion consists, in the third 
 place, in saving, that is, in teaching and guiding, 
 those living things who have as yet no affinity 
 with paradise and no unchangeable mind of abso- 
 luteness. This will result in the amassing of 
 great merit which will be available to those 
 delivered through cycles on cycles of years ; for 
 the one who delivers will give all the personally 
 amassed merits for those he has delivered and 
 will keep none for himself. Many will thus ob- 
 tain perfect enlightenment and affinity with a 
 Buddha, while he who delivers them will secure 
 for himself unsurpassing gain." 
 
 Turning at this point and addressing the young 
 prince who was to ascend the throne in his stead, 
 Prince Siddartha the Buddha said : - 
 
 "I entreat of you that you ever keep these 
 teachings in your mind. One who hears and 
 then forgets such instruction is a fool, and wicked 
 as well. I have shown to you the three mysteri- 
 ous realms. You are now to sit on a throne and 
 
Inaugural Addresses at the Palace. 179 
 
 reign as a king. Be diligent in returning the 
 kindnesses and favors you have received from 
 your parents. Govern the land quietly and peace- 
 ably. If you do so, the whole country will pros- 
 per and the wealth of the people will increase. 
 The heavens also will be your protector, and your 
 father's heart will be full of joy and through your 
 good deeds he will obtain merit and the rank of 
 a heavenly king. 
 
 " As for myself, I shall devote myself diligently 
 to the work of delivering and of satisfying the 
 deepest desires of all living things who are igno- 
 rantly wandering outside of the law-world of 
 paradise. This is my sole object and purpose 
 in life." 
 
 The king, his courtiers, and all others were 
 deeply impressed with the Buddha's discourse. 
 The king came forth from behind the curtain 
 where he had been seated, and worshiping Buddha 
 publicly expressed his thanks for what he had 
 heard. He said : 
 
 " Through your kindness I now understand the 
 mutual relations of parents and children, the four 
 kinds of birth, the four kinds of children, and 
 the duty of children to return in kind the kind- 
 nesses of their parents. You certainly have re- 
 
180 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 turned the kindnesses shown to yourself by thus 
 instructing me. I am extremely grateful and I 
 am happy also to know that I too may become a 
 perfectly enlightened one a Buddha." 
 
 When the king ceased speaking and doing 
 reverence to the Buddha, the courtiers in their 
 turn advanced, worshiped, and expressed their 
 thanks. 
 
 After this Kyodomi came out from behind the 
 hanging screen that separated the women from 
 the men in the assembly hall, and grasping the 
 sleeve of Buddha said to him : 
 
 " I am exceedingly grateful for the discourse 
 you have given us to-day and I am especially 
 pleased to learn that all women are women and 
 mothers from life to life. I have had the care of 
 you from the time of your birth ; hence I trust 
 that I shall be saved by the merits of that work, 
 relation, and affinity. I earnestly desire that 
 through this relationship I may attain to the 
 happiness of the land of the Buddha the high- 
 est paradise." 
 
 The court ladies next came before Buddha and 
 worshiping him expressed their gratitude for the 
 instruction he had given them and for the hope 
 he had awakened within them that through his 
 
Inaugural Addresses at the Palace. 181 
 
 merit and benevolence not even one living thing 
 would be left unsaved. 
 
 The state of mind induced by the discourse in 
 all the hearers made the assembly appear as 
 though the paradisiacal land had been literally 
 transplanted to that spot. 
 
 Some days after this Buddha called his disciples 
 and the Arhats and said to them that he had 
 experienced very much happiness since he came 
 to his father's capital. He then mentioned the 
 delight of the opportunity to worship at the 
 tomb of Maya his mother ; the visit made to 
 three mysterious lands where they had met Indra ; 
 the preaching in the palace ; the accession to the 
 throne of the young prince his brother ; the con- 
 version of the king ; the forming of affinity with 
 Kyodomi so that she could attain to the land of 
 the Buddhas ; also, the conversion and deliverance 
 of the courtiers and of the people of both high 
 and low degree. " There is nothing in this wide 
 world," he said, " which can give happiness like 
 this." 
 
 Having finished these expressions of satisfac- 
 tion over the result of his return, he informed the 
 disciples and the Arhats that he would shortly 
 make a ceremonial visit to the king's palace. 
 
182 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 This was reported to Buddha's old chamberlain 
 Udai, who in turn reported it to the king. The 
 king expressed great pleasure at the promised 
 visit, and at once issued orders that the highest 
 officials in the realm should meet in a a certain 
 place and await the coming of the Buddha ; that 
 the second grade of officials should go out on the 
 highway to meet him ; and that the third grade 
 should act as guards along the road. 
 
 When the Buddha set out on his visit he was 
 accompanied by twelve hundred Arhats, six hun- 
 dred of whom went before and six hundred be- 
 hind. The official guard surrounded the entire 
 party. Thus escorted and protected neither heretic 
 nor demon could approach him to do him harm. 
 
 The king, with the young prince, came out to 
 meet the Buddha, and expressed their thanks for 
 both the visit of the present and the preaching of 
 the past. 
 
 At this point a messenger from Kyodomi came 
 to the king to say that as an expression of her 
 gratitude to the Buddha for his preaching of the 
 other day she wished to present to him a priestly 
 garment, and asking his opinion of the propriety 
 of doing so. 
 
 The king said to the messenger that he thought 
 
Inaugural Addresses at the Palace. 183 
 
 the idea a good one, but that he had heard that 
 the Buddha does not wear now even what was 
 called the pure garment, hence he doubted 
 whether the gift would be really acceptable. 
 
 Buddha, overhearing the conversation between 
 the messenger and the king, said : " The garment 
 I wore while I was doing the austerities of the way 
 on the distant mountain is one that is worn only 
 under those circumstances, and the one who wears 
 it, and while he wears it, has no personal liberty 
 in anything. He cannot even sit as he pleases. 
 I divested myself of that garment when I com- 
 pleted my austerities, and if I should wear it now, 
 it would be an impure garment. The garment 
 that Kyodomi proposes to give me is one of great 
 merits and can be worn when making offerings to 
 the precious things, 1 and I wish to receive it." 
 
 Kyodomi was greatly rejoiced at the message 
 brought by her page, and at once went to the 
 palace and presented to the BuddKa the priestly 
 garment made of gold brocade with a shoulder 
 sash of rare material and workmanship to match. 
 
 1 The three precious things of Buddhism are Buddha, the law, and the 
 assembly of priests. A common formula used by one when initiated 
 into Buddhism is this : " I take my refuge in Buddha, in Dharma, and 
 in Samgha." Buddha is the person, Dharma is the law, Sarngha is the 
 assembly of priests. 
 
184 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Buddha expressed great joy over the gift and 
 said that the merit acquired by its bestower was 
 indescribably great, and the inner relations and 
 affinities were of the most occult and mysterious 
 nature. 
 
 The court ladies afterwards presented to each of 
 the Arhats similar priestly garments. 
 
 The Arhats were profuse in their expressions of 
 satisfaction over the gifts. One of them said that 
 it was as lovely as seeing the moon reflected in a 
 lake of water, and as unexpected as the sudden 
 bursting out of a bright cloud from the bosom of 
 a rugged cliff. 
 
 The ceremony of giving and of receiving fin- 
 ished, the Buddha and the Arhats put on the gar- 
 ments, worshiped, and then returned home. 
 
 This is the origin of the custom of wearing this 
 kind of a garment by the Buddhist priests. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 THE PLOT OF DALBA-DATLA AND BUDDHA'S 
 COUNTERPLOT. 
 
 A SHORT time after the events recorded in 
 "- the former chapter the Buddha announced 
 to his disciples and the Arhats that he would give 
 a general public address for the benefit of all the 
 living who had as yet made no affinity with the 
 better things that is, for those who had not yet 
 been converted to Buddhism. 
 
 His cousin and enemy Daiba-Datla, who had been 
 already thwarted in the attempt he had made to take 
 the life of Buddha, rejoiced to hear of this public 
 preaching for the masses, for he thought it would be 
 a good opportunity for retrieving his former defeat. 
 He immediately called together several thousands 
 of heretics and demons and consulted with them as 
 to the best method of killing their common enemy. 
 
 One heretic suggested that as the Buddha in- 
 tended to travel through various countries preach- 
 ing to all the living it would be easy to kill him 
 anywhere. 
 
186 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Another suggested that five hundred heretics 
 disguise themselves in a dress like the one worn 
 by the Arhats, make a disturbance in the great 
 audience, and then during the confusion kill the 
 Buddha. 1 
 
 Another heretic suggested that five hundred 
 of the demons disguise themselves as ordinary 
 people, pretend to be converted, and make their 
 way before the Arhats to the Buddha, cause a 
 disturbance, and then carry out their object. 
 
 Daiba-Datla approved of the suggestions, and 
 said that he himself would go to the public 
 preaching with five hundred demons, and then, 
 no matter what the preaching might be about, 
 he would create a disturbance and carry out 
 his plan. If any should resist, he said he would 
 fight it out then and there ; and besides, if it 
 were necessary to the completion of his fixed 
 determination to kill the Buddha, he would create 
 disturbance and revolt throughout the whole of 
 India. 
 
 While he said this he looked as fierce and as 
 frightful as an angry demon. 
 
 1 It i8 rather strange that a method similar to this has often been 
 adopted by the Buddhist priests of Japan to break up the preaching 
 services of the Christians. 
 
Daiba-Datla Sets Out on His Wicked Errand. 
 
TJie Plot of Daiba-Datla. 187 
 
 The Buddha, by reason of his supernatural 
 power, became at once aware of Daiba-Datla's 
 plans and purpose ; hence he had no fear. He 
 continued to give himself exclusively to the con- 
 version of all living things. 
 
 He decided, however, to make efficient prepara- 
 tion for the thwarting of the plot of his enemy. 
 He called together the Arhats, and told them 
 that those who travel about from country to coun- 
 try, as he and they were intending to do, were 
 liable to meet with a variety of experiences, some 
 of them good and some of them bad; hence it 
 was desirable that certain fixed rules should be 
 observed during their travels and at their public 
 assemblies. 
 
 The Buddha called before him four of the old- 
 est of the Arhats and requested them to carefully 
 examine the entire body of Arhats, and separate 
 them into as many ranks or divisions for the 
 greater convenience during travel and when in 
 great assemblies, and for the more efficient per- 
 formance of their austerities and other religious 
 duties. 
 
 This was done, and the four divisions were 
 each allotted six continuous hours for the silent, 
 abstract contemplation, austerities, and sufficient 
 
188 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 time for the acquisition of wisdom, collecting 
 alms, keeping the commandments, and other reli- 
 gious duties. This plan , always left one of the 
 four divisions on guard, since each division was 
 allotted six hours for the quiet-sitting, abstract 
 contemplation austerities. 
 
 When the public preaching took place this form 
 of discipline was still observed by the Arhats. 
 The heretics made their appearance disguised 
 according to the prearranged plan, but they were 
 baffled by the new arrangements and were not 
 able to accomplish anything. The demons also 
 came before the Buddha during the meeting, and 
 expressed their strong desire to be converted. 
 Buddha at once ordered Kasho, the chief of the 
 Arhats, to induct the would-be converts into the 
 observance of the priestly and ascetic austerities. 
 The prospect of having to observe these for six 
 consecutive hours every day, under the watchful 
 eye of the leader of a division and of the entire 
 company, so horrified the demons that they at 
 once took flight and left the assembly. 
 
 It was thus through the supernatural knowl- 
 edge of the Buddha, and because of his great 
 benevolence, that this wicked plot against his 
 life was broken up in this way. 
 
The Plot of Daiba-Datla. 189 
 
 The heretics, on their return, crestfallen, to 
 Daiba-Datla, gave as the reason of their failure 
 the constant fasting, the sleepless vigils, and the 
 incessant watchfulness of the Arhats. For said 
 the heretics, " The Arhats are never careless for 
 a single moment. They pick flowers to pieces, 
 recite their scriptures, and do their silent, abstract 
 contemplation six times both night and day ; they 
 do not stretch their legs for one instant while 
 sitting and contemplating, nor do they move their 
 feet while reciting their scriptures and while wor- 
 shiping the Buddha. If also one does not ob- 
 serve the ceremonies and perform the austerities 
 exactly as they ought to be done, instant exam- 
 ination is made. Because of this vigilance we 
 were unable to mix with the body of Arhats and 
 carry out our plans." 
 
 Daiba-Datla, on hearing this report, said that 
 he would not make any further attempts to harm 
 the Buddha or the Arhats; but that he would 
 instead create disturbances in the countries they 
 intended to visit and in which they intended to 
 teach their doctrines. In order to accomplish this 
 he dispatched the heretics to the adjacent coun- 
 tries, that they might make in advance an evil 
 report of the bad results that followed from the 
 
190 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 listening to and the acceptance of the teachings 
 of Buddha and the Arhats. 
 
 Daiba-Datla himself had the art of changing 
 himself at will into a wind or a flame or a child 
 or a woman. He could become invisible while 
 others were observing him, and could transport 
 himself hither and thither at pleasure. By the 
 use of this wonderful art he visited several courts, 
 made the acquaintance of kings, and filled their 
 minds with his own wicked ideas. He not only 
 gave an evil report of the Buddha who was 
 intending to visit' the particular realm he was 
 in, but he introduced such wicked ideas of his 
 own that the usual relations of parents and chil- 
 dren, brothers and sisters, sovereign and subjects 
 were demoralized. 
 
 Daiba-Datla first made a convert of the son of 
 King Bimbasara, whom he induced to imprison 
 his father in a sevenfold dungeon. The queen, 
 his mother, sorry at the indignity put on the 
 king, expressed her disapprobation of the un- 
 filial act. Through Daiba-Datla's advice the 
 young man charged the queen, his mother, with 
 the crime of rebellion and then imprisoned 
 her too. 
 
 Daiba-Datla induced the son of another king to 
 
The Plot of Daiba-Datla. 191 
 
 banish his father to a distant island and seize the 
 throne for himself. 
 
 He also did other similar wickednesses and 
 created disturbances wherever he went. Yet he 
 told the people everywhere, and those in author- 
 ity, that the doctrines that the Buddha was pro- 
 posing to preach in their particular countries were 
 full of evil, disturbing, and destroying things ; and 
 he urged them to slay without mercy the teachers 
 of those doctrines. 
 
 The Buddha, on hearing of the teachings, dis- 
 turbances, and injuries done by Daiba-Datla, said 
 to his followers that when he was in his causal 
 stage of existence he had the strong desire to 
 gratify the longing for deliverance of all living 
 things : hence he manifested himself to the world 
 in various forms of Buddhahood. On one occa- 
 sion he revealed himself as a Buddha of superior 
 supernatural wisdom in order to pacify the four 
 kinds of demons. On another occasion he mani- 
 fested himself as a Pure-light Buddha and shone 
 out his rays into the deepest and darkest recesses 
 where living things were to be found, and calmed 
 the mind and conscience of both the good and the 
 bad. On yet other occasions he manifested him- 
 self as the Lamp-light Buddha, as the Burning- 
 
192 Prince SiddartUa. 
 
 light Buddha, as the Twelve-light Buddha, as the 
 Ten-thousand-light Buddha, as the Sun-Buddha, 
 as the most superior Buddha, and now and then 
 as a Bodhisatva. It was thus, he said, that he 
 had amassed merits sufficient to enable him, with 
 the aid of religious austerities, to save all living 
 things. 
 
 "And if," he continued, "all the flesh and 
 bones that I have used and thrown away for the 
 sake of all living things were gathered together in 
 one place, they would make a heap higher than 
 yon mountain ! Added to the merits amassed . in 
 former states of existence I have the merits of the 
 ascetic austerities performed on the snow moun- 
 tains. This mass of merits will not be without 
 use to me now." 
 
 Having said these words he shook his staff in 
 the air, pronounced a magical formula, and imme- 
 diately the light from the mysterious and joyous 
 paradise of the Buddhas shone radiantly forth, and 
 the most perfect of flowers fell around in showers. 
 The Buddhas resident in their paradise also mani- 
 fested themselves and said: "The merits of 
 Nyorai's Buddha's preaching and guiding of 
 all the living are not in vain, and the wish of all 
 will soon be satisfied. There is no error in this 
 
The Plot of Daiba-Datla. 193 
 
 statement, for rather than say that which is not 
 true we Buddhas would cut off our own tongues." 
 
 This voice and saying of the Buddhas were 
 heard in all the ten directions of the universe, 
 also in the four heavens, the eight heavens, and 
 the sixteen heavens. The Buddhas also said that 
 no disturbance should be made or allowed in any 
 place or country where Nyorai Buddha 
 should go to preach and to guide ; and that no 
 harm should befall him, as the heavens would pro- 
 tect him, and all attempts of his enemies to do 
 him harm would be as ineffectual as the attempts 
 of cold to produce a frost in the presence of the 
 bright and shining sun. 
 
 These illustrious beings, the Buddhas, appeared 
 each on their respective pedestals or heights in 
 their paradise, and Nyorai in their presence 
 firmly promised to teach, guide, and save all living 
 things. 
 
 As Buddha went forth to this benevolent work 
 he found no difficulty in putting down any and 
 all attempts at disturbance and harm. He also 
 preached the way of deliverance to all living 
 things in all the countries round about, notwith- 
 standing the efforts Daiba-Datla had made to 
 thwart and injure him. 
 
194 Prince SiddartJia. 
 
 The wicked plot of the enemy having been 
 defeated the heretics and their adherents fled 
 away, and'Daiba-Datla returned to his own coun- 
 try disappointed and disheartened. 
 
 After this experience Nyorai preached his doc- 
 trines during a period of forty-nine years. The 
 books containing these discourses are called re- 
 spectively the Kegon, the Agon, the Hddo, the 
 Haunya, the Hokke, and the Nehan, or Nirvana. 
 The sermons composing these books were preached 
 at different times, at different places, and to dif- 
 ferent audiences. Some of them were delivered 
 before King Jobon, Kyodomi, and the court, as 
 well as before the Arhats; while others were 
 preached in the heavenly paradise, to the Bodhi- 
 satvas, to the ordinary Buddhas, and to the most 
 perfected of them all, the Tathegatas, and even to 
 the demons. 
 
 The last discourses of Nyorai are recorded in 
 and make the work called the Nehankyo or Nir- 
 vana book. They were preached in the presence 
 of eight hundred myriads and more of priests by 
 the banks of the river that flows near Kapilavastu, 
 the capital of King Jobon. 
 
 Nyorai emphasized the fact in all his teaching 
 that the properties, qualifications, and possibilities 
 
The Plot of Daiba-Datla. 195 
 
 of Buddhahood are inherent in all living things ; 
 and he constantly urged the importance of all 
 who have life of availing themselves of this the 
 highest way of deliverance from the misery of 
 existence. 
 
 Daiba-Datla, Nyorai's great enemy, and many 
 unbelievers, together with those who might even 
 be said to be destitute of any higher nature at all, 
 became believers and ultimately attained to perfect 
 enlightenment. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE LAST TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA. 
 
 TTTHEN the Buddha was seventy-seven years 
 of age he called into his presence two 
 thousand three hundred Arhats and gave them 
 instruction concerning the methods to be ob- 
 served by them in performing their austerities. 
 He also required the practice by them of the 
 new methods in his presence. The Buddha next 
 ascended to a high dais and discoursed to the 
 Arhats, with a flower in his hand for a text, con- 
 cerning abstract meditation, kinds of preaching, 
 the law of absolute rest, and the real features or 
 conditions of extinction of existence. 
 
 At the close of the address the Arhats pros- 
 trated themselves and worshiped him, after which 
 they performed the austerities of the Zazen, which 
 are performed by sitting in an immovable position, 
 with the legs and feet under the body, and giving 
 attention exclusively to abstract meditation. 
 
 Kasho, the chief Arhat, of all the company 
 was the only one who remained standing. After- 
 
 196 
 
The Last Teachings of Buddha. 197 
 
 wards he folded up the mat on which he usually 
 sat and went out to the room of a priest in the 
 temple where all were stopping. The Buddha 
 called to him after he had taken his seat in the 
 priest's room, but Kasho did not respond any 
 farther than to rise from his seat, go out on the 
 veranda, and then, in the standing posture, gaze 
 attentively up into the sky. 
 
 The Buddha again called to Kasho, who this 
 time responded. The Buddha then gave him the 
 flower which had been the text of the discourse 
 and said to him that through his accumulation 
 of merits he would obtain perfect enlightenment 
 through the power of various transformations or 
 reincarnations. 
 
 It was because of this saying of the Buddha 
 that Kasho came to be spoken of by his fellow 
 Arhats as the one who should attain to Buddha- 
 hood after extinction. 
 
 Among the many disciples of Buddha seven 
 came to be spoken of as the wise disciples. One 
 was celebrated for his wisdom ; another for his 
 ability to remember all the teachings that Buddha 
 had imparted; another for his supermundane 
 powers ; another for his remarkable preaching abil- 
 ity ; another for the firmness of his faith; another 
 
198 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 for his attachment to and use of priestly gar- 
 ments, and another for his great logical acumen. 
 
 The other disciples, who numbered over two 
 thousand three hundred, began, observed, and 
 finished their devotions and austerities under 
 the supervision of these seven wise ones. 
 
 On one occasion the Buddha called these seven 
 before him and instructed them to be unfailingly 
 diligent in their work of saving all living things 
 and in the care of retreats for the sick and the 
 aged. He also instructed them in the origin of 
 his preaching and of the particular place where 
 preaching even after his death should be con- 
 stantly done, and where the austerities of the 
 ascetics should be performed. 
 
 Concerning the place for future preaching the 
 Buddha said that it was where he began to preach 
 after obtaining perfect enlightenment and under- 
 standing of all causes and effects on the distant 
 mountains. 
 
 The reigning prince of that region of country, 
 after hearing some of Buddha's instruction, built 
 a temple or preaching place for him in a royal and 
 immense garden, and preaching was carried on 
 there for seven full years. "It was thus," the 
 Buddha said to his disciples, " that I was able to^ 
 
The Last Teachings of Buddha. 199 
 
 satisfy the desires I had entertained while in my 
 causal stage, 1 and to reach out to deliver all living 
 things. 
 
 " That being the place where I began to preach, 
 and that the origin of the temple or preaching 
 place and hospitals in a large garden, it is my 
 desire that preaching be continued there after my 
 death, and forever after. There also the austeri- 
 ties must be faithfully observed. 
 
 "The origin of this place being of such a sa- 
 cred nature, all who visit it in order to hear the 
 preaching will be delivered from the five kinds of 
 impediments to their progress ; namely, the laws 
 of causes and effects, 2 the lusts of the flesh, the 
 three poisons of darkness, foolish ideas, and negli- 
 gence. If any desire to build a similar hall or 
 temple, they must understand that it is a work of 
 their causal stage, and not of effect. 
 
 "Although one may be destitute of wisdom 
 
 1 The term " causal stage " seems to indicate the existence in the past 
 life or lives, or of the present life, of a positive and conscious effort 
 through a\isteric endeavor to reach toward a higher stage of being. 
 Buddhahood would seem to be not a causal but a resultant stage. 
 
 2 In Buddhism the terms " cause and effect " relate solely to the rela- 
 tions of the conduct of one existence or incarnntion on the kind of ex- 
 istence or stage of being that will be entered on alter another incarna- 
 tion. A certain kind of life and conduct will result in a certain effect 
 or state or stage of being in the succeeding rebirth. The term is thus 
 very narrow in its use and application. It has nothing whatever to do 
 with a Creator and the laws he has established. This is cause and 
 effect without a God and has to do only with conduct and character. 
 
200 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 and of meritorious works, yet such an one may 
 become a Bodhisatva possessing four wisdoms. 
 These four wisdoms are the wonderful law-wisdom, 
 wonderful manifestation-wisdom, wonderful affin- 
 ity-wisdom, and wonderful illuminating, favor- 
 returning wisdom. If any one should build a 
 tower or temple at any place whatever, no matter 
 whether it was but an inch in size, he can become 
 such a Bodhisatva. This method of obtaining 
 merit and high effects stands at the head of all 
 other endeavors." 
 
 Having given this instruction concerning the 
 beginning of his preaching, the origin of preach- 
 ing halls or temples, and the merit to be ob- 
 tained by visiting the original hall and by erecting 
 others like it, no matter how small they might be, 
 the Buddha proceeded to instruct the seven wise 
 disciples on the origin and use of a wooden effigy 
 of himself, and of the utensils to be used in the 
 temple services. 
 
 " The utensils," the Buddha said, " must be an 
 altar, a brass mace, a bell, a vase, a fire bowl, a 
 pair of cymbals, and a censer. The use of these 
 articles results to the user in the benefit of the 
 merits of the five Buddhas who have already 
 appeared in the world, and the austerities of the 
 
The Last Teachings of Buddha. 201 
 
 Buddha who is yet to appear. The use of the 
 wooden image or idol would perfect both Arhats 
 and Bodhisatvas: hence it must be set up and 
 worshiped." 
 
 Concerning this image the Buddha said that 
 one had been made like himself of heroic dimen- 
 sions by a celebrated person. 
 
 "The features of this image," he continued, 
 " represent me at the time I was discoursing on 
 the theme of the acquisition of mysterious en- 
 lightenment and of absolute quietness of soul. 
 The maker of the image brought it into my 
 presence and with it expressed his appreciation of 
 the way I had taught him, and his gratitude. I 
 then in return expressed my thanks to the en- 
 graver and giver and at the same time uttered 
 my respects to the image [worshiped it]. I then 
 had it carried before me to the temple and 
 placed in the position where it now is. Since it 
 represents by its features the condition of one who 
 has acquired perfect enlightenment and absolute 
 repose, let all the people worship it." 
 
 Kasho and others of the seven wise disciples 
 were somewhat surprised at this teaching and 
 said : " We are confident that the Buddha is not 
 indulging in a bit of humor, yet we do not under- 
 
202 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 stand why one who is a real and true Buddha like 
 yourself should worship an unclean wooden image. 
 The face and features of the true Buddha who 
 has obtained perfect enlightenment and absolute 
 repose are as full and as clear as the heavens; 
 hence needs no wooden image or other representa- 
 tion to produce an effect on the mind of any. 
 Are the three prostrations and acts of worship 
 paid to the idol a means to any particular end ? " 
 
 The Buddha in reply said that their surprise 
 and question were quite reasonable. " I do not," 
 he said, "pay my respects to and worship the 
 image as such. I pay my respects to and worship 
 the precious merits that its face and features 
 represent that is, to the perfect mental enlight- 
 enment and absolute repose of soul that the face 
 and features illustrate. Now there is the worship 
 of ignorance and superstition, based on a false 
 idea of things. There is also the worship of in- 
 telligence, based on the knowledge of the merits 
 of the object worshiped and the merits acquired 
 by means of such worship. So far as my worship 
 of the image goes that you have inquired about, I 
 affirm that it was the worship of intelligence." 
 
 The seven wise disciples were not satisfied with 
 this explanation; hence they asked the specific 
 
The Last Teachings of Buddha. 203 
 
 question : " What are the merits of this particular 
 image or idol ? " 
 
 The Buddha replied as follows : " I am, indeed, 
 myself the real and true Buddha, and yet I can- 
 not break out of the three circles by which I am 
 enclosed ; hence the hour of death will come to 
 me also. This image is not thus enclosed and 
 limited, hence its age is without bound. It is not 
 therefore the Buddha who is to be worshiped 
 through the image, but the laws ; and yet it is not 
 the laws that are the most noble and precious 
 things, but the merits that they represent as 
 having been acquired through the laws. Even 
 though I die as I must the laws will not 
 cease to be. Should it ever come to pass that the 
 laws should be destroyed, yet the merits would 
 never be destroyed. These merits will be the 
 guide of billions on billions of the living after my 
 death ; hence the merits represented by this image 
 are the most illustrious and most precious things. 
 It is on this account that I place the image on 
 the highest seat of honor and worship it. I 
 repeat that although the laws may be destroyed, 
 yet the merits of this image will never lose their 
 power so long as it is in this place in the temple. 
 If the people, the believers, come here to wor- 
 
204 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 ship the image, they will become the masters or 
 possessors of the merits it represents. 
 
 " This worship, in fact, stands for the real sit- 
 ting austerities and religious contemplation of the 
 believer. Some of the merits obtained are true 
 faith and right ideas, also the merit of being able 
 to have no ideas, no thoughts. When this merit 
 is acquired, one may be mocked at, and yet he 
 will not become angry. He may be lauded to the 
 skies, and yet he will not rejoice. Other merits 
 also are to be acquired by the worship of this 
 image, but the one entitled musetsu is beyond the 
 power of words to explain ; yet, while its merits 
 are inexplicable, the explanation is true. 1 
 
 " This idol represents the four kinds of right 
 law and the four Buddhas of the past. Those 
 four are the law Buddha, the reincarnation Bud- 
 dha, the direct or perfect enlightenment Buddha, 
 and the Buddha of reason and absoluteness. 
 
 " The blood relationship of the Buddhas to 
 the world, the true and wonderful place of reli- 
 gious meditation, the true spirit of the observance 
 of the austerities and of worship are clearly mani- 
 fested in this image and its merits. 
 
 1 The reader must needs explain this profound saying for himself or 
 leave it as it is, since Buddha himself was unable to explain it. 
 
The Last Teachings of Buddha. 205 
 
 "The merits of the idol being of this noble 
 kind, I worship it. 
 
 " All merit, however, is not limited to this one 
 idol they are the properties of all other similar 
 
 idols as well. Those who wish to accumulate 
 
 t 
 
 merits must multiply images made after the pat- 
 tern of this one." 
 
 At this stage of the Buddha's discourse the 
 Arhats and the Bodhisatvas bowed down and wor- 
 shiped him three successive times. Their faith 
 also was aroused and strengthened. 
 
 The Buddha, resuming the thread of his dis- 
 course, then said : " This image being of such an 
 illustrious and precious nature it must never be 
 removed from its exalted position in the temple, 
 and it must always be worshiped as though it 
 were a living and true Buddha." 
 
 Having finished his discourse, the Buddha in- 
 structed the wise disciples to see to it that none 
 of those who were set over all as leaders ever 
 neglected to perform their proper austerities and 
 acts of religious contemplation. " For," said he, 
 "the observance of those austerities and that 
 meditation are of more value than a whole hun- 
 dred days devoted to preaching." 
 
 The Buddha also notified these wise followers 
 
206 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 that some of them would lose their lives not on 
 account of their birth into the world and for fol- 
 lowing him, but because of acts or misdeeds or 
 mistakes committed in a previous state of existence 
 their causal stage. Others he said would be 
 persecuted by the heretics, but this also would be 
 because of acts committed during a past causal 
 stage of being. 
 
 When the Buddha preached this sermon he was 
 seventy-nine years of age. He appeared exceed- 
 ingly weak and frail, and the several thousand 
 disciples about him were anxious concerning him. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE BUDDHA ENTERS NIRVANA. 1 
 
 ri THE Buddha, who had obtained nonsurpassed, 
 -* perfect enlightenment, was now about to 
 enter Nirvana. The Bodhisatvas of the lands 
 of equal enlightenment and the Arhats of the 
 three ways and the four sequences were anxious 
 and full of regret that one who had made affinity 
 with the greatest benevolence was about to pass 
 away. Even the color of the sky became somber 
 because of sympathy with the event. Kings of 
 countries both far and near, on hearing of the 
 approaching death of Buddha, hastened to see 
 him before he expired. 
 
 When the Buddha's last moments came, the 
 eight great dragon kings and the king of the 
 demons came to him with their subject follow- 
 ers in order to receive enlightenment and to form 
 affinity with him. 
 
 Even the birds and the beasts came from far 
 and near, and with drooping wings or with bowed 
 heads expressed their sorrow and regret. 
 
 1 This is the heading in the original. 
 307 
 
208 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 The profound sorrow that was thus felt under 
 the heavens produced a like sorrow above the 
 heavens, and bright lights shone out and about 
 the person of the Buddha in order to protect him. 
 
 The news of the approaching death was made 
 known in the heaven where Indra has his abode. 
 Indra's queen, on hearing the news and because 
 of the great favors she had received from the 
 Buddha in the past, desired exceedingly to see 
 him before his death. Indra, on hearing her re- 
 quest, at once commanded the youths of his suite, 
 who possessed the power of supernatural move- 
 ment through space, to prepare a chariot for the 
 queen. This chariot was composed of eight 
 leaves, and was affixed to clouds of five colors. 
 The queen, taking with her a vial containing the 
 elixir of immortal youth, mounted the chariot 
 and hastened away to the under world where the 
 Buddha was dying. She had not proceeded very 
 far, however, before seven monster birds came 
 flying towards her chariot and set themselves to 
 hinder its descent. They were so persistent . in 
 their efforts to arrest her progress that they 
 effectually barred the way to the under world. 
 
 The queen was profoundly sorry at her inability 
 to overcome the opposition of these monster birds, 
 
Buddha's End. 
 
The Buddha Enters Nirvana. 209 
 
 yet she was determined to send the vial contain- 
 ing the elixir of immortal youth by some other 
 method. Taking the vial in her hand she said to 
 it: " I wish exceedingly to take and present this 
 to the Buddha myself, but as I am hindered both 
 as to body and mind, do thou go and deliver thy- 
 self over to him." She threw the vial downward 
 into space, but as it fell to the under world it 
 caught on the branch of a tree ; hence the Buddha 
 never received it. 
 
 The Buddha died on the fifteenth day of the 
 second month of the year and at the first hour of 
 the day. Putting his head towards the north, 
 lying on his right side, and facing the west he 
 returned to the capital of Jakkwo (extinction 
 of light). 
 
 Several hundred kings, many thousands of Ar- 
 hats, the eight dragon kings, and fifty varieties 
 of birds and beasts met together and bitterly 
 lamented his death. 
 
 The Arhats reverently placed the body of the 
 Buddha in a golden coffin and then conveyed it 
 to the place of cremation. The seven wise dis- 
 ciples carried the front of the casket and the ten 
 great disciples the rear. Sixteen Arhats preceded 
 the coffin, beating gongs and drums and reciting 
 
210 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 hymns of praise. Five hundred Arhats preceded 
 and followed the casket and recited passages from 
 the sacred canons. 1 Fifty-two Bodhisatvas formed 
 part of the funeral procession. They bore in 
 their hands the sacred vessels, the banner of gems, 
 the flowers, and the burning lights. 
 
 The ten great disciples were each notable for 
 some remarkable ability or power. One was the 
 best in all priestly duties ; another was the ablest 
 in remembering the instruction given by Buddha ; 
 another was noted for his superior wisdom ; an- 
 other for his ability to understand the doctrine of 
 emptiness, vacuity, nothingness ; another was the 
 ablest preacher ; another had the most remarkable 
 supernatural powers ; another was the most power- 
 ful reasoner ; another had the most heavenly eyes 
 that is, the power of observation ; another was 
 the most exact and scrupulous in keeping each 
 and all of the commandments ; while yet another 
 was conspicuous for his ability to perform the 
 most protracted secret austerities. All these be- 
 came disciples because of their discontent with 
 this evil world, and their weariness and loathing 
 
 ir The Buddhist scriptures were not committed to writing until several 
 hundred years after Buddha's death; hence these canons must have 
 been portions of Buddha's own sermons, or else portions of the ancient 
 Vedas or other sacred books of India. 
 

 
 The Buddha Enters Nirvana. 211 
 
 of their own condition in it. They accepted the 
 teachings of Buddha that their unhappy condition 
 in the present life was but the natural and proper 
 effect of ill-doing in their causal stage of being. 
 They acknowledged their own blameworthiness 
 for their present condition, and confessed it all 
 to the Buddha. He in turn had a particular pity 
 and love for them ; hence the sorrow of these ten 
 at the passing away of Buddha was greater than 
 the sorrow of the others. 
 
 The sixteen Arhats who preceded the golden 
 coffin were also the most celebrated of the par- 
 ticular five hundred, as they had heard all the 
 teachings of the Buddha from the time he first 
 began to preach. 
 
 These sixteen were brothers of the same sect 
 with the Buddha while he was performing the 
 austerities of his causal stage, yet they became 
 his disciples and lamented deeply his death. 
 Their rank was that of Bodhisatva of deliverance. 
 
 All the other Arhats and followers, because of 
 their having also made affinity with the Buddha in 
 his causal : stage regretted and lamented his death. 
 
 1 The terms " causal " stage and " effect " stage or condition are used 
 very loosely in this biography. It is hard to tell whether the period 
 indicated is one enjoyed or suffered during the present life, or during 
 some life in periods, centuries, or ages iii the hoary past. 
 
212 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 The Bodhisatvas, Arhats, and disciples decided 
 to cremate the body of their august teacher, and 
 to use only the fragrant sandalwood as fuel. 
 
 The kings of the countries near by, arid of 
 those far off as well, together with the eight 
 dragon kings, the demon king, the many thousand 
 followers, and great masses of the people, both 
 wise and ignorant, flocked to the place and wor- 
 shiped the coffin and the Buddha. 
 
 The Arhats recited passages from the Book of 
 Wisdom, and other sacred works, and performed 
 their devotions and austerities prior to the setting 
 of fire to the funeral pyre. 
 
 In due time fire was set to the accumulated 
 material ; but strange to say, smoke even refused 
 to come forth. The Arhats were greatly surprised 
 at this, and to remedy any possible difficulty they 
 gathered up and placed on the fuel the tinder-like 
 bark of hemp stalks, torch material, pine cones, 
 and withered leaves of the aloe tree. They then 
 saturated the whole with a combustible oil, and 
 again set fire to the heap. 
 
 This attempt to cremate the body was as unsuc- 
 cessful as the first. The Arhats, the kings, the 
 disciples, and the several myriads of people who 
 were present were astonished beyond measure. 
 
TJie Buddha Enters Nirvana. 213 
 
 Fire was applied again and again, and yet many 
 times more ; but the fuel refused to burn. 
 
 Wearied and disappointed with their efforts, 
 and not knowing what else to do, the Arhats and 
 disciples desisted from their labor, and sitting 
 down began to recite the words and magical for- 
 mula of the Book of Wisdom. They also per- 
 formed the austerities associated with the period 
 of profound religious contemplation. These things 
 they continued to do during seven successive 
 nights and days. 
 
 During this period Kasho, the first of all the 
 Arhats, was absent for the purpose of perform- 
 ing especial religious meditation and austerities. 
 When he learned by intuition of the death of the 
 Buddha, he made his way to the place where the 
 funeral was to occur. When he saw the seven 
 wise disciples, the ten great disciples, the sixteen 
 supreme Arhats, the fifty-two Bodhisatvas, and 
 the hosts of disciples from the ten lands of equal 
 enlightenment, he came before Ananda, the chief 
 of all present, and asked him what all the myriads 
 of people were lamenting about. 
 
 Ananda was enraged at the question, and said : 
 " What do you mean by such a remark ? Why do 
 you put such a question ? It is of course to be 
 
214 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 presumed that the accumulated merits of such 
 a person as you, who became a follower of the 
 Buddha at the time of his descent from the 
 mountain where he had obtained perfect enlight- 
 enment, should be far superior to that of others, 
 but I want you to understand that the love of the 
 Buddha for those of us who have clung to him 
 during these forty-nine years is as great as his 
 love for you. We are lamenting his death, which 
 is known as widely as the heavens extend. Look 
 for yourself and see that even venomous reptiles, 
 monster dragons, birds, and beasts sympathize 
 with us, and have gathered together here to be- 
 moan his death. Why is it therefore that you 
 ask us why we are thus lamenting in this place ? " 
 
 Kasho replied, saying that he thought that 
 Anauda had better devote a little more time to 
 the performance of religious meditations and re- 
 ligious austerities. He then laughed out boister- 
 ously three times, and thus amazed the entire 
 multitude present. 
 
 Some of the people thought that Kasho through 
 sudden surprise and grief had lost his reason. 
 Others thought that he laughed at them for com- 
 ing from so far and for the lamentation they were 
 making. Others thought that the extraordinary 
 
The Buddha Enters Nirvana. 215 
 
 outburst of mirth- might be but another of the 
 wonders incident to the funeral, and there might 
 be some profound reason in it after all. 
 
 After a period of perplexed discussion all set- 
 tled down to quiet, and to see what other extraor- 
 dinary thing would occur. 
 
 Kasho now rose up and said : " There is nothing 
 the matter with me. I am neither crazy nor pos- 
 sessed. There is nothing particularly strange or 
 wonderful about the Buddha's death. There are 
 three things about this event that I am interested 
 in and glad of; hence I laughed three times in 
 order to express that interest and gladness. 
 
 "The Arhats, who know full well the three 
 great principles taught during the entire nine and 
 forty years by the Buddha, are now as greatly 
 astonished at his death as if some strange, unex- 
 pected thing had happened, and they lament ac- 
 cordingly. You have now all lost your arhatship 
 and have lapsed to your former condition of com- 
 mon humanity. I cannot but laugh at your con- 
 sternation and disappointment. This is the reason 
 for my first fit of laughter. 
 
 " The merits that the Buddha amassed during 
 the forty-nine years of life as our teacher are 
 all left to me. This is a wonderful inheritance 
 
216 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 and souvenir. I am delighted with the legacy. 
 This is the reason for my second fit of laughter. 
 
 "The Buddha, uncreated and undestroyed, is 
 now exhibiting the instability and evanescence of 
 all things, and the fact that birth and death, being 
 and extinction are the law of life, and that extin- 
 guishment or extinction is pleasure. In order to 
 form an affinity with all the living he has entered 
 into Nirvana. This he has done in order to learn 
 whether his doctrines, laws, and principles are 
 settled in the hearts of the Bodhisatvas, the 
 Arhats, the four classes of disciples, and all who 
 heard his preaching, and he is at this moment 
 shedding tears of pity over you. This is quite 
 interesting to me, and it is the reason for my 
 third fit of laughter. If now there are any other 
 questions you would like to ask, do so without the 
 least hesitation." 
 
 Kasho said all this with so loud a voice that all 
 the heavens reverberated with the sound. Ananda 
 and all the Arhats expressed themselves as very 
 much pleased with Kasho's reasons for the three 
 fits of laughter he had indulged in. 
 
 Kasho now asked Ananda to open the coffin, as 
 he wished to look once more on the face of the 
 Buddha. Ananda, however, refused to do so, 
 
The Buddha Enters Nirvana. 217 
 
 saying that since the Buddha had been dead seven 
 days, decomposition must have already begun. 
 Kasho continuing to insist on the coffin being 
 opened, the Buddha himself lifted the cover and 
 called Kasho to his side. 
 
 The Arhats, on seeing that the Buddha was 
 still alive, regretted exceedingly that they had put 
 him into the coffin and shut him in before he was 
 really dead. 
 
 Kasho, taking Ananda by the hand, went to the 
 side of the now open golden casket. The Buddha 
 stretched out both his hands from the coffin, and 
 taking off his garment he gave that and his food- 
 or begging- bowl to Kasho. His shoulder scarf 
 and the mat or quilt on which he was accus- 
 tomed to sit and sleep he gave to Ananda. He 
 then closed the cover of his coffin and shut him- 
 self in. After this all within the coffin was abso- 
 lutely silent and still. 
 
 Kasho and Ananda, prostrating themselves 
 before the casket, worshiped the Buddha. The 
 five supernatural incidents of the cremation of 
 Buddha now occurred. 
 
 First, a golden light shone out from the midst 
 of the golden coffin. This light was so dazzling 
 and intense that neither the assembled people nor 
 
218 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 the Arhats could bear to gaze at it. It shone con- 
 tinually for three days and three nights. 
 
 Second, the three mysterious lands, the hells 
 and paradise, appeared in the midst of the light. 
 Portions of the Buddha's mortal frame also be- 
 came visible. 
 
 Third, the wisdom-fire of the Buddha, as it is 
 called, now sprang forth from the golden coffin 
 spontaneously and ignited the sandalwood that 
 constituted the funeral pyre. 
 
 Fourth, the fire changed into the phoenix flame, 
 and continued to burn on and on without cessation 
 or diminution. 
 
 Fifth, at length Buddha's Shari 1 appeared as 
 the result of the cremation of his body. As soon 
 as it did so, the Arhats, the kings, and all the 
 people prostrated themselves before the precious 
 relic and with folded hands worshiped it. 
 
 The Shari was not visible until after a long 
 period of waiting. The wisdom-fire of the 
 Buddha that ignited the sandalwood of the funeral 
 pyre burned so fiercely and the heat was so intense 
 
 ir The ShariiB said to be a hard, glittering, gemlike substance found 
 in the cremated ashes of the dead. The dictionary explanation is as 
 follows : " Shari, a small, hard substance like a gem, supposed to be 
 left in the ashes after burning the dead body of a Buddhist saint: this 
 is preserved as a relic, held in great veneration, and worshiped." 
 
The Buddha Enters Nirvana. 219 
 
 that no one could go near it. Smoke ceased to 
 arise, and the color of the fire could not be seen, 
 but the heat continued to be excessive. This fire 
 lasted without interruption seven days and seven 
 nights. The multitude finally decided to change 
 the course of the river, on the banks of which the 
 cremation took place, and so extinguish the extra- 
 ordinary and unbearable fire. They succeeded in 
 turning the entire flow of the river on the fire, 
 but the fire was not quenched. It continued to 
 burn on as fiercely as before. 
 
 The Arhats now entreated the dragon kings to 
 pour their dragon water on the fire and so put it 
 out. They consented to do so, and entering the 
 bed of the river they ascended into the sky with 
 their followers. Heavy rain at once began to fall 
 and continued to do so for three successive days 
 and nights, but the fire continued to burn as 
 fiercely and as intensely as before. The excess of 
 rainfall brought distress on the people and they 
 made request of the Arhats that they would en- 
 treat the dragon kings to cease pouring down 
 such a deluge of water from the heavens. 
 
 Kasho, Ananda, and the others of the seven 
 wise disciples, and the ten great disciples, together 
 with the sixteen chief Arhats, the fifty-two 
 
220 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Bodhisatvas, the eight dragon kings, and all the 
 multitude of the people were greatly confirmed 
 in their faith by these wonderful incidents, and 
 so waited until the fire should die out itself. 
 
 Their faith and patience were at length re- 
 warded by the appearance of the Shari and the 
 dying down by itself of the fire. 
 
 When the Shari was secured, the entire multi- 
 tude prostrated themselves and worshiped it as 
 the Buddha. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 THE BUDDHA'S SHAKI. 
 
 rr^HE fact of the continued burning of the 
 extraordinary fire became known through- 
 out all the lands adjoining the four seas. The 
 king of Indra, having made a solemn promise to 
 take charge of the Buddha's Shari and put it for 
 safe keeping in an iron tower or pagoda in the 
 south heaven, sent his queen with an escort of the 
 immortal youths from his kingdom to take pos- 
 session of the relic and convey it to the place 
 prepared for it. 
 
 As the queen descended within the precincts of 
 the cremation ground, the kings, Arhats, and all 
 the people, recognizing her, prostrated themselves 
 before her and did her reverence. 
 
 When the queen, who had enjoyed relations of 
 the most intimate affinity with the Buddha dur- 
 ing at least two successive ages, and who had 
 promised to entertain the Buddha when he should 
 again make his appearance in this world, drew 
 
 near the still fiercely burning fire, the intense heat 
 
 221 
 
222 Prince Siddariha. 
 
 changed at once into a cool breeze, and the sand 
 of the seven treasures spread over the ashes of 
 the wood. 
 
 The king of Indra now appeared in person at 
 the place of cremation with a golden casket, which 
 was carried by an immortal youth from his realm. 
 The ashes of the sandalwood and of the body of 
 the Buddha had been so thoroughly washed by the 
 rain poured out by the dragon kings that the 
 Shari was exposed and lay plainly in sight, glitter- 
 ing like a diamond of the first water. 
 
 Indra took possession of the gem and placed it 
 in the golden casket he had brought for its recep- 
 tion. He then made preparation for an immedi- 
 ate return to his heavenly abode. 
 
 The kings, Arhats, and people on seeing this 
 appropriation of the Shari, and dissatisfied with 
 the monopoly, said to Indra that it was not fair 
 that he should thus make off bodily with that 
 which they all desired to have a portion of ; and 
 they entreated him to break it up and give to each 
 of them a single grain. 
 
 Indra replied that if they had really and truly 
 made affinity with the Buddha they would find 
 Shari enough for each and all of them in the 
 cremated ashes before them. In case, however, 
 
The Buddha's SharL 
 
 they failed to find enough to go around, he prom- 
 ised to break up the Shari in his possession and 
 give to each one a single grain. He also said that 
 the Shari now in his possession he intended to 
 place in an iron tower or pagoda in his realm, and 
 that not one of them was to come near to it to 
 defile it with their unclean persons. 
 
 The kings, Arhats, and disciples searched dili- 
 gently in the cremated ashes for other Shari, and 
 their search was rewarded by the discovery of 
 enough for each and all. 
 
 Indra and his queen now ascended to the 
 heavens, and placing the Buddha's Shari in the 
 iron pagoda, held a fete in its honor during an 
 entire hundred days. 
 
 The hundred kings of as many countries re- 
 turned to their respective palaces with their fol- 
 lowers, bearing with them Shari of the Buddha. 
 As each arrived at his destination he set up the 
 Shari in an exalted place, gave a fe'te of a hun- 
 dred days in its honor, and caused it to be wor- 
 shiped as the living Buddha by all the people 
 of his realm. 
 
 The eight dragon kings, perceiving the truth of 
 the teachings of the Buddha, and recognizing him 
 as the Buddha of unsurpassed merits, and as the 
 
224 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 one who delivers from the sufferings of the five 
 waters and the three burnings, took each a Shari 
 to his own kingdom and palace in the depths of 
 the sea, and worshiping it as the Buddha, honored 
 and believed him more and more. 
 
 The Bodhisatvas also took Shari with them and 
 went their respective ways. 
 
 The Arhats, obeying the commands of the 
 Buddha, separated and went to their distant 
 places, as he had, indicated, bearing Shari with them. 
 Arrived at their respective destinations, they 
 offered up food and flowers to the Shari as to the 
 living Buddha and recited passages from the Book 
 of Wisdom during a period of one hundred days. 
 
 Others who were only novitiate priests or less, 
 and whose homes were in other places, also offered 
 up food before the Shari they possessed and re- 
 cited passages from the second canon, as though 
 they saw the person, and were performing those 
 acts in the presence of the living Buddha. This 
 they also continued to do for a full hundred days. 
 
 Thus ends the life of Prince Siddartha, the 
 Japanese Buddha. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 TN a former chapter Buddha is represented as 
 A- having ascended on a cloud to the heavens 
 with several of his followers, and having made an 
 official and friendly call on the king of Indra and 
 his queen. He also claimed one of the three 
 heavens, visited at that time, as his own particular 
 paradise. This doctrine of a Buddha's paradise, 
 whether it had its germ in the original teachings 
 of Buddha or not, has taken strong possession of 
 the leading minds of the Buddhists of the North- 
 ern school, and they have elaborated it very beau- 
 tifully and effectively. The same is true of the 
 Buddhist hells, although the word horribly in- 
 stead of beautifully must necessarily be used 
 when speaking of that part of the Buddhistic 
 doctrine of the future. 
 
 It must be borne in mind while reading this 
 chapter that a birth into and a residence in 
 paradise does not mean to an orthodox Buddhist 
 that the one thus born and residing there will 
 
 225 
 
226 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 continue there forever. Far from it. This para- 
 dise is but one of the stages on the path toward 
 perfection that is, total extinction of being. 
 Life in this paradise is obtained by a concentrated 
 accumulation of merits; but the force inherent 
 in those merits ultimately dies out according to 
 the teaching of orthodox Buddhism as power 
 wanes and dies out of an electric motor when the 
 producing machinery ceases to be active. When 
 this occurs, another birth, as a man, becomes nec- 
 essary. It is expected that this following birth 
 will ultimate in perfection, though it may ulti- 
 mate in a series of acts involving demerit. In 
 that case the whole weary round of birth and 
 rebirth as insect, reptile, bird, beast, demon, or 
 sufferer of the horrible tortures of the awful hells 
 may have to be again trod through countless ages 
 of time. The Buddhistic paradise is only a 
 delightful resting place for the time being, and 
 not a permanent abode, as Christians think of 
 their heaven. 
 
 Two, however, of the many Buddhist sects of 
 Japan, the Shiu and the Jodo, make a permanency 
 of this paradise at least so far as instruction of 
 the masses goes. Esoteric or priestly Buddhism 
 is essentially the same with all sects and in all 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 227 
 
 Buddhist lands. Exoteric or popular Buddhism 
 varies with each nation. The differing sects also 
 of each nation have tenets peculiar to themselves 
 which they teach to the common people. The 
 two sects in Japan already named, the Shiu and 
 the Jodo, particularly emphasize the doctrines 
 of the future state. They allure the ignorant 
 masses with the doctrine of easy access to a bliss- 
 ful paradise on the one hand, and terrify them 
 with the fear of as easy a fall into the awful hells 
 on the other. Esoteric or priestly Buddhism, 
 however, is the only truly orthodox form of the 
 religion. 
 
 The work from which the following chapter is 
 taken was written in ancient times by a priest 
 whose name was Yei-Shiu. The book, including 
 a detailed representation of the horribly awful 
 Buddhist hells, is entitled in Japanese, Ojo Yoshu, 
 and is issued in three pamphlet-like, fully illus- 
 trated books. 
 
 Priest Yei-Shiu says in his introduction that the 
 easy way his book makes known of entrance into 
 this paradise is as eyes with which to see and as 
 feet with which to walk, for those who live in this 
 (his) weak and degenerate age. He says that 
 those who are intelligent and learned can study 
 
228 Prince /Siddartha. 
 
 the esoteric doctrines of Buddhism for them- 
 selves ; hence what he has studied out and written 
 here is for the benefit of the ignorant and unin- 
 telligent, although priests and laymen alike will 
 be benefited by its perusal. He says also that it 
 is utterly impossible for him to adequately describe 
 the ten delights of the place of bliss called G-oku- 
 raku or paradise, and that what he has written 
 will be but as a tickling of the ear with the hairs 
 of a rabbit ! 
 
 The ten delights of paradise, as given by Priest 
 Yei-Shiu, we will now allow him, through the 
 medium of the English language, to expound to 
 a wider circle of readers than he ever could have 
 imagined that he would have. If what he has to 
 say to the present reader is as pleasurable as he 
 supposed the tickling of the ear with the hairs of 
 a rabbit to be, the writer will feel well paid for 
 the labor expended on the translation and the 
 rendering into English of this very interesting 
 attempt of the human mind to imagine out the 
 highest possible delights of a paradisaical state of 
 existence. 
 
 It is, however, almost certain that some of the 
 ideas used by the Northern school of Buddhists 
 concerning both Buddha and the future state 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 229 
 
 of existence came from Christian sources. The 
 Buddhist canon of scriptures as used by the 
 Southern division was first compiled in Ceylon 
 between the years A.D. 412 and 432. The Northern 
 division uses the same general books, but it seems 
 to have expanded and enlarged them to suit its 
 own opinions. Northern Buddhism took its way 
 through Northern India, Cashmere, Nepaul, Thi- 
 bet, China, Mongolia, and Korea to Japan. 
 
 Thibet and China were connected by trade; 
 hence, although China had received some of its 
 Buddhism directly from India, Thibet sent mis- 
 sionaries to labor in that country even before the 
 religion was fully established within its own 
 bounds. About the middle of the fifth century 
 Nestorian Christian missionaries made their way 
 into central Asia, as well as into northern China, 
 and made numbers of Buddhist priests acquainted 
 with the facts of the life of Christ and the essen- 
 tial doctrines of Christianity. Buddhism has 
 never had any scruples in appropriating the teach- 
 ings of other religions when their adoption would 
 facilitate success for itself. It is not therefore 
 unreasonable to suppose that the facts and ideas 
 received by the Buddhist priests of Thibet from 
 the Nestorian Christian missionaries were utilized 
 
230 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 when a life of Buddha was written ; and latex 
 when the doctrines of a heaven of delights and a 
 hell of horrors were found useful in bringing the 
 masses into subjection and in holding them there. 
 Yet, while the germ ideas are doubtless of Chris- 
 tian origin, the elaboration is entirely Oriental 
 and Buddhistic. 
 
 DELIGHT THE FIRST. 
 
 The first delight that a good man experiences 
 on his death is that of being met, escorted, and 
 welcomed into paradise by twenty-five Bodhisat- 
 vas and thousands of Buddhist ascetics and 
 priests. Clouds of piirple spread out over the 
 western sky, flowers fall in showers like rain, 
 sweet mysterious odors and soft music fill the air, 
 and a golden light suffuses every object when the 
 dying saint first looks on the Buddha. The all- 
 merciful Kwannon (goddess of mercy) comes 
 forward with outstretched hands, and, bearing for 
 him a raised treasure-dais, on which he may rest, 
 welcomes him. The Bodhisatvas, together with 
 innumerable saints, unite their voices in praising 
 him, saying, " How good a man you are ! You 
 have indeed repented of your evil deeds. You 
 have accumulated vast merits by diligently doing 
 
TJie Buddha's Paradise. 231 
 
 that which is good, by being constantly merciful 
 and right, by adopting wisdom as your portion 
 instead of the evil lusts of the world. You have 
 also gained the favor of the Buddha by worshiping 
 him without doubting, and by all your acts of 
 true faith. Because of all this we welcome you 
 to this paradise." They then extend their hands 
 and receive him into their midst. 
 
 On seeing the Buddha before his eyes the heart 
 of the saint overflows with joy similar to that 
 he experienced when engaged in the profoundest 
 religious meditation. When he places the soles 
 of his feet on the raised dais of the lotus flower 
 he closes his eyes in deep humility. He afterwards 
 accompanies the Buddha, Bodhisatvas, and saints, 
 and is really born into the blissful paradise. The 
 accumulated pleasures of four hundred millions 
 of years enjoyed in all other places are not to be 
 compared with a single moment of the delights of 
 being thus met and welcomed. 
 
 These delights, however, pass away when the 
 power of the accumulated merits is exhausted, 
 and the man again becomes subject to the law of 
 rebirth. While the saint, after passing through 
 the sea of sufferings in the lower world, is seated 
 on the lotus flower of delight his joy is indescrib- 
 
232 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 able. An ancient sage says of this : " He who 
 is born into paradise has immeasurable merit 
 and delight ; hence I have consecrated my life to 
 Buddha, as I desire to be born there too." 
 
 DELIGHT THE SECOND. 
 
 The second delight consists in the joy of see- 
 ing the first blooming of the lotus flower. This 
 delight is a thousandfold greater than the first 
 one experienced by the reborn ascetic or saint. 
 His joy now is as great as that of a blind man 
 who after lifelong blindness first sees the light; 
 or it is like that of a rustic who first sees the 
 interior of a palace. 
 
 The saint, on looking at himself, perceives that 
 he has a body like unto pure gold, that his cloth- 
 ing is of the richest material adorned with golden 
 tassels, that he has on a crown composed of the 
 most precious gems and a necklace of similar 
 material. His eyes become clear and pure 
 through beholding the Buddha, and he hears as 
 of old the preaching of the law and the doctrines. 
 
 Everything is new, strange, and mysterious to 
 him. Look which way he may, he sees magnifi- 
 cence and splendor which no language can ex- 
 press, and his eyes are taken captive and they 
 
The Blooming of the Lotus Flower. 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 233 
 
 go astray hither and thither on the clouds. The 
 voice of the sacred teaching is full and clear in 
 this land of treasures. Here are palaces of gold 
 and vast houses built of gems. Here also are 
 forests of richest green, and lakes of treasure 
 resplendent both within and without in which 
 wild and other flying birds take their delight. 
 The saints who come here are as the sands of a 
 river, as the drops of showers of rain. Of the 
 saints who live here some are floating up in the 
 sky, some are seated on the tops of the palaces, 
 some are reading the sacred books, some are 
 preaching the doctrines, while others are engaged 
 in silent, reposeful, religious meditation. Some 
 again cross to the river and bathe in its waters, 
 while yet others make music and scatter flowers, 
 going hither and thither from palace to palace. 
 All, however, unite in worshiping the Buddha 
 and in chanting praises to him. The Buddhas 
 and Bodhisatvas of the place are as numerous 
 as the clouds and the flowers, and cannot be 
 described in detail. 
 
 When we turn our eyes on Nyorai (the 
 Buddha) we see him seated on the lotus flower 
 for a throne in the midst of the treasure lake. 
 Kwannon and Geishi sit with great dignity, the 
 
234 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 one on his right and the other on his left, and 
 both on thrones of the lotus flower. An infinite 
 number of saints are seated all around these 
 figures. At the foot of each of the treasure 
 trees that surround the lake a Buddha and two 
 Bodhisatvas are seated, whose persons shine with 
 brightness. They are clothed in the richest of 
 garments, and the ground about them is covered 
 with crystals whose light is as that of an infinite 
 number of torches shining through a dark night. 
 
 Kwannon and Geishi now descend from their 
 lotus-flower thrones and come before the saint 
 and comfort him with voices of great compassion. 
 The saint then descends from his dais of lotus 
 flowers and prostrates himself with his face to the 
 ground. Two Bodhisatvas now conduct him into 
 the presence of the Buddha, whose noble form of 
 a thousand virtues he worships, kneeling on the 
 steps of the seven treasures. He now hears of 
 the one real and true path, and enters the sea 
 of the satisfaction of all desires. Tears of joy 
 like torrents of rain flow down his cheeks, and 
 his heart, long hungry for the full truth, is 
 satisfied. 
 
 A Bodhisatva has left us this saying : " Although 
 one may have the root of goodness within him, 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 235 
 
 yet if he have doubt, the lotus flower will not 
 bloom for him. Those only who are full of faith, 
 and who are clean and pure can see the Buddha 
 and the blooming of the lotus flower." 
 
 DELIGHT THE THIED. 
 
 The third delight consists in the acquisition of 
 supernatural power. The inhabitants of paradise 
 have bodies of a golden color, which are of like 
 color and purity both within and without. Their 
 bodies also emit a bright shining light, and 
 possess the thirty-two marks or features of the 
 Buddha. There is nothing in this lower world 
 with which to compare the ornament and gran- 
 deur of the bodies of the living beings in para- 
 dise. The color and the shining light of the 
 bodies of even Buddha's humblest followers are 
 as here described. The light that shines out from 
 the form of a Bodhisatva shines out and illumines 
 to a distance of a hundred yojona, myriads on 
 myriads of miles, although some say that this 
 light penetrates to a distance of a hundred 
 thousand yojona. The noblest and richest of the 
 kings and the emperors of the countries of this 
 lower earth, when clad in their most magnificent 
 garments and decorated with their costliest jewels 
 
 [UNIVERSITY J 
 
 OF / 
 
236 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 and gems, seem as beggars in comparison with 
 the richness and splendor of those who dwell in 
 the Buddha's paradise. 
 
 The dwellers in this paradise obtain five super- 
 natural powers. By means of them they can see 
 all that is being transacted in the whole universe 
 without moving from their places, if that be their 
 desire. In the same way they can hear all that is 
 said in the entire universe. They can also per- 
 ceive what is in the thoughts and hearts of all 
 living things as clearly as we can see objects 
 reflected in a mirror. The whole universe comes 
 to lie at their feet, as it were, if that be their 
 desire. As " to travel, though they journey over 
 the millions on millions of miles of mountain and 
 valley through all the countries of the earth, they 
 know of no weariness. 
 
 These wonderful powers the dwellers in the 
 lower world may well be envious of. Who in 
 this world has obtained even one of these five 
 supernatural powers? Who has obtained even 
 one of the thirty-two marks of a Buddha ? Who 
 can light anything without a match? Who can 
 make .anything to glisten and shine without the 
 aid of the sun ? Who can go even to the nearest 
 place without walking? Who can see objects 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 237 
 
 even through the thinnest paper? Who can 
 know the thought or desire that is in the heart of 
 another? All in this lower world are confined 
 and hindered as though shut up in a cage. How 
 different it is with the beings dwelling in para- 
 dise ! They make no effort to produce or to 
 accomplish anything, yet everything comes to 
 their wish as the natural reward of their former 
 accumulations of merit. 
 
 What a joy the possession of the five mysteri- 
 ous and supernatural powers must be to the 
 dwellers in paradise! 
 
 DELIGHT THE FOURTH. 
 
 The fourth delight consists in the mere fact of 
 having existence in such a mysteriously beautiful 
 place. The Buddha has adorned the place ac- 
 cording to the delight of his forty-eight desires, 
 hence the wondrous beauty of every scene and 
 object. The most beautiful colors only are to be 
 seen ; and the sweet sounds of full deliverance 
 are the only tones that are heard. The odor of 
 every object is most fragrant, and the flavor of 
 every article of food the most delicious. The 
 very earth of paradise is composed of emeralds. 
 The paths and roadways are level and wide, and 
 
238 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 are wonderfully clean. Overhead and all along 
 the paths and roadways golden threads, cords, and 
 festoons are strung. On these paths the softest 
 and richest carpets are spread for the inhabitants 
 to walk on. Palaces and magnificent residences 
 number millions on millions ; yet one can have a 
 large or a small one, a high or a low one, accord- 
 ing to the individual taste. The most wonderful 
 carpets are spread on all the floors of the rooms 
 of both palaces and houses, even though their 
 floors are made of precious stones. A sevenfold 
 balustrade runs along the top of all the buildings, 
 and millions on millions of flags and banners are 
 sent floating on the breeze. Canopies of rich 
 material are spread above the balustrades on the 
 tops of the houses, and heavenly beings with 
 musical instruments sit there and unite in singing 
 the merits and praises of the Buddha. 
 
 Within the grounds there are innumerable bath- 
 ing pools ; also, magnificent temples. The floor of 
 the golden bathing pool is covered with silver 
 sand, while the floor of the silver pool is covered 
 with sand of gold. The floor of the crystal pool 
 is covered with emerald sand, while the floor of 
 the emerald pool has sand of crystal for its cover- 
 ing. There are also pools of coral, of amber, of 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 239 
 
 agate, of pearls, of gems, of purple and gold, and 
 in every case the color of the water and the cover- 
 ing for the floor is reversed as in the case of those 
 already mentioned. 
 
 The water in all the pools is called the water of 
 the eight virtues or merits, and is so transparent 
 that all the thousand treasures can be seen 
 through it. The eight merits of this water are 
 clearness, coolness, sweetness, softness, moistness, 
 deliciousness, satisfying hunger and thirst, and 
 nourishing to eyes, ears, and all other parts of the 
 individual organism, thus increasing all the good 
 qualities of the one who bathes in and uses it. 
 
 Many magnificent flowers bloom in these and 
 other pools. The lotus flower in all shades of 
 green, yellow, red and white abounds there. A 
 gentle breeze blows over both pools and flowers 
 and fills the air with delicious fragrance. A Bo- 
 dhisatva sits on each of the ordinary lotus flowers 
 while a Buddha sits on each of the large and 
 shining blossoms. Ripples and wavelets of the 
 soft waters of the pools play about the flowers 
 and sing the praises of Buddhistic teaching in a 
 marvelously sweet voice. Sometimes they preach 
 of wisdom ; sometimes of the emptiness and 
 nothingness and nonentity of all things ; some- 
 
240 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 times of the ten powers and imperfections and 
 sometimes of great deliverance. The sounds of 
 the ripples and wavelets of the waters of the pools 
 are in harmony with the studies and teachings 
 of the Bodhisatvas concerning purity and reality, 
 nothingness and annihilation. 
 
 Birds of varied kind and plumage make their 
 homes in and about these pools. Wild geese, 
 wild ducks, mandarin ducks, snipes, white herons, 
 cranes, swans, peacocks, parrots, the Buddha's 
 bird of paradise, and many others of sweet song 
 and bright color adorn the place. They sport 
 together day and night; they sing the name of 
 Buddha ; they recite the sacred laws, the duties 
 of ascetics, the five powers, and the seven ways of 
 deliverance. The name even of suffering is not 
 known in that place, not even that of the evil 
 path of the reincarnations. The voice of joy 
 only fills all the air. The Bodhisatvas and those 
 who heard the teachings of the Buddha directly 
 from his lips bathe in the pools and make the 
 water deep or shallow according as they like it. 
 They thus wash from their hearts all the remains 
 of evil, and make them clean and pure. After 
 bathing, some recline in the shade at the base of 
 the trees ; others soar up into the sky ; others 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 241 
 
 recite the sacred books, and yet others explain 
 them. Some sit and listen, some engage in reli- 
 gious meditation, while others go and come here 
 and there at their pleasure. Those who have not 
 attained to the rank of Bodhisatva attain to it at 
 this time. There is not one who does not rejoice 
 in the conditions of life in this place and in the 
 opportunity of satisfying the understanding and 
 of getting to the bottom of all the doctrines. 
 
 There is also in this paradise a river of clear 
 and pure water. The bottom of the river is cov- 
 ered with sand of gold. The river has the virtue 
 of becoming deep or shallow, warm or cool, as one 
 may wish. The inhabitants gather together on 
 its banks and enjoy themselves in its waters. 
 Sandalwood trees are thickly planted along the 
 banks of the river. The leaves of the trees are 
 the color of purple and gold, and are luxuriant in 
 their growth. 
 
 The branches of the trees are of silver, the 
 blossoms are of coral, while the fruit is of pearls. 
 Some trees have fruit of but one costly kind, 
 while others have all the seven treasures mingled 
 together. The composition of the trees being of 
 this magnificent character, they are very beautiful 
 to look upon, and shine out brightly in all their 
 
242 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 loveliness. The wind blows among the leaves 
 soft as any zephyr, while softly falling flowers drop 
 into the midst of the river and gently glide along 
 its bosom, filling the air with fragrance. 
 
 The sound of the breeze is wonderfully sweet 
 and possesses all the five sounds. The music that 
 it makes is that of all the one thousand kinds per- 
 formed at once. Those who hear it at once begin 
 to think of the Buddha, of his laws and doctrines, 
 and of the ascetics. All the music of the lower 
 world is not for a single moment to be compared 
 to this heavenly harmony. 
 
 The flowers bloom out from among the leaves, 
 the fruit appears from among the blossoms and 
 together make whole canopies of richness and 
 treasure. When any of the inhabitants wish to 
 see the lands of the Buddha throughout the entire 
 universe, they have only to look to these trees, 
 for everything they wish to see will be reflected 
 there. 
 
 Immortal youths play freely in and about the 
 palaces, and their ornaments are of the most bril- 
 liant and shining gems. Lovely trees, sweet 
 flowers, and tender grass grow all about, and give 
 unspeakable joy to those who touch them. Vari- 
 ous costly hangings are hung up in the air and on 
 
-w>**; 
 
 Music and Food. 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 243 
 
 them are attached sweet bells which ring out the 
 teachings of the Buddha. The varied and wonder- 
 fully colored flowers of the place fall down in 
 showers like rain. Varied and beautiful garments 
 and ornaments also come floating down like flying 
 birds. All these are offerings to the Buddha. An 
 innumerable number of musical instruments float 
 in the air and of themselves play out the sound of 
 the laws and doctrines. 
 
 The whole land is full of numberless kinds of 
 fragrant incense, unguents, and perfumes, all of 
 which can be had as one pleases. Those who in- 
 hale the sweet odor of the incense become free 
 from all uncleanness. If any Bodhisatva, Arhat, or 
 other living thing of the land wishes for it, a table 
 covered with the seven delicacies appears before 
 him, with the articles held in seven costly dishes. 
 The taste of this food cannot be compared with 
 anything in the lower world. The food becomes 
 sweet or sour according to the wish of the eater. 
 The heart of one who inhales but the odor of this 
 food becomes light, and the one who eats it 
 becomes strong and healthy. After the meal is 
 finished, the table and dishes disappear of them- 
 selves, and appear again in the same way when 
 they are wanted. 
 
244 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Garments for wear are also provided in the same 
 wonderful manner. One has but to wish for any 
 article of dress and it at once comes floating down. 
 When the praises of the Buddha are sung and the 
 conduct is in full harmony with this law and doc- 
 trine, suitable and wonderful garments come forth 
 and fit themselves to the person of the wearer. 
 There is therefore to the dweller in paradise no 
 need of cutting, sewing, dyeing, washing, and 
 repairing of clothes. The light of the place also is 
 such that neither lamp, moon, nor sun is needed. 
 There is also no spring, no summer, no autumn, no 
 winter there. Heat and cold alike are tempered 
 by the wind of merits and natural virtues. Those 
 on whom this wind blows have sensations delight- 
 ful as those of the ascetics when most profoundly 
 involved in religious contemplation, and when they 
 have practically attained to the stage of personal 
 extinguishment or annihilation. 
 
 Every morning the most wonderful flowers 
 bloom out freshly and fill the Buddha's land with 
 fragrance. When they fa]l to the earth they make 
 a carpet softer than the softest down. When trod- 
 den underfoot they sink down to a depth of sev- 
 eral inches, but spring back to their former position 
 as soon as the foot is lifted. When the morning 
 
TJie Buddha's Paradise. 245 
 
 hours have passed away the flowers also disappear, 
 but they are renewed again at noon, at eve, and 
 at midnight. 
 
 All these wonderful conditions of life delight 
 those who reside in the land, yet no spirit of cov- 
 etousness ever possesses them. Because of the 
 merits of the place their own merits increase and 
 are enhanced. The Paradise of the West stands 
 preeminent among all the lands of the Buddha. 
 All the treasures, excellences, and beauties of the 
 two hundred thousand millions of Buddhas are 
 gathered together and concentrated in the west- 
 ern paradise. Those who really understand the 
 conditions of entrance to this paradise can have the 
 heaviest sins they have committed during almost 
 endless periods of time removed, and they can ob- 
 tain a birth into this Paradise of the West after 
 death. 
 
 The Bodhisatva whose name is Seshin says of 
 this place : " The Paradise of the West surpasses 
 everything in all the three worlds for richness and 
 beauty. For width it is as wide as the broad sky. 
 In it there are thousands on thousands of varieties 
 of flowers; clear, sweet streams of living water, 
 and pure, translucent pools or lakes. The wind 
 blows softly over all and diffuses the fragrant odor 
 
246 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 of the flowers everywhere. The palaces and man- 
 sions are built of gems, with doors of gold and pil- 
 lars of the seven costly treasures. Their majesty 
 and beauty no pen can describe. From the middle 
 portion of the palaces all the ten directions of the 
 universe can be plainly seen. The trees of the 
 place shine with a bright mysterious light. Balus- 
 trades of gems surround the palaces. Transparent 
 network interlaced with varied threads is spread 
 across the sky, and on it are hung gold and silver 
 bells which ring out the sound of the law and the 
 doctrines. In short, anything and everything that 
 may please those who reside in this paradise is 
 provided for their delight ; hence I too wish to be 
 born in that land of the Buddha." 
 
 DELIGHT THE FIFTH. 
 
 The fifth delight consists in the unceasing 
 nature of the joy of life in this paradise. 
 
 The joys of the lower heavens are not free from 
 the five decays ; even the highest of them is not 
 free from the travail of transmigration. This be- 
 ing the case with the heavens, how must it be with 
 the world of men ? Few of them can obtain what 
 they desire, and their joys come to them mixed 
 with pains. The rich man cannot live long to 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 247 
 
 enjoy his riches ; and those who have long life are 
 destitute of riches. Many are born in the morn- 
 ing only to die in the evening. It is, indeed, as 
 one of the sacred books says : " The air that is 
 breathed out does not wait for the air that is 
 breathed in." Not only does human joy depart, 
 but pain comes in its stead. The punishment due 
 to their sins also falls on them after their death. 
 It is not so, however, with those who dwell in the 
 western paradise. They each and all are full of 
 benevolence, and they love each other as though 
 they were the children of the same parents. They 
 walk together on the same pavements of amber, 
 they play together in the same groves of the san- 
 dalwood tree, they live in the same palaces, and 
 bathe together in the same pools. 
 
 If at any time they wish to be absolutely calm 
 and at rest, the whispers of the wind, the ripples 
 of the waves, and the sounds of musical instru- 
 ments die away and are heard no more. If they 
 wish to see distant lands, even the hidden places 
 in deep valleys and those on high mountains 
 stand out plainly before their eyes. When weary 
 of seeing them they at once disappear. 
 
 The same is true of all the sweet odors, of all 
 articles of delicious food, and of the hearing of 
 
248 . Prince Siddartha. 
 
 the law and doctrines. These all come at once 
 when desired and they disappear when no longer 
 wanted. 
 
 The inhabitants of this land of unceasing joy 
 sometimes amuse themselves by crossing over 
 great spaces on bridges made of clouds; some- 
 times by playing on musical instruments or by 
 dancing ; sometimes by flying high up into the 
 sky ; sometimes by accompanying the saints and 
 other heavenly beings on their journeys ; some- 
 times by disporting themselves in the bathing 
 pools ; sometimes by calling on those just born 
 into the paradise, and informing them of the 
 nature of the place they have entered, and of 
 the fact that Amida Buddha is the master of the 
 place and that all his commands must be obeyed. 
 Sometimes they enjoy themselves by taking their 
 seats on the pedestaled lotus flower in the midst 
 of the pools of treasures, and, since they have 
 now obtained the power of controlling destiny, 
 they converse with each other about the things of 
 the ages long since passed away. They also nar- 
 rate to each other the way in which they came 
 to believe in, obey, and follow the Buddha ; the 
 sacred books they have read, the commandments 
 they have kept, the doctrines and laws they have 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 249 
 
 tried hard to observe, the good deeds they have 
 performed, the alms they have given, and of 
 other things through the doing of which they 
 have attained to the delight of being born into 
 this paradise. They also converse with each 
 other of the means used by the Buddha to ben- 
 efit all living things and of the ways of deliv- 
 erance from the sufferings of the three evil paths. 
 Sometimes they saunter out together to the tops 
 of the treasure mountains, sometimes they sit 
 down silently in order to engage in religious 
 contemplation 1 and thus enjoy the delight of 
 having no thought, no idea, no feeling at all. 
 Sometimes they unite in reciting all the sacred 
 books at once. At other times they propound to 
 each other and then explain the most profound 
 and difficult of the doctrines. 
 
 All who are born into this paradise never suffer 
 from the four miseries of human life ; namely, 
 birth, old age, disease, death ; and since they 
 can have anything they desire by merely wishing 
 for it, the sorrow and grief of separation from 
 
 1 " Religious contemplation," as the term is used throughout the 
 book, involves absolute silence and abstraction. The object sought 
 after seems to be loss of all thought and all feeling, the state of 
 extinguishment of all thought and of all emotion being the ideal one 
 from the Buddhistic standpoint. 
 
250 Prince Siddartha, 
 
 loved ones is not known. Hate also and lustful 
 desires they are free from ; hence they are as 
 white and as pure as silken floss, as a flowing 
 stream. Their bodies are also so strong that 
 nothing can injure them and they are so clean 
 and pure that they cannot be blackened or defiled 
 even though steeped in the blackest mire. Such 
 being the nature of the bodies of the people of 
 this land, their hearts being as clean and pure 
 also as their bodies, they never suffer from the 
 five prevailing sicknesses and decays of the 
 earthly life. They can go through fire and water 
 without sustaining the least harm ; and although 
 an infinite number of soldiers should shoot at 
 them with arrows and thrust at them with sharp 
 spears they would remain uninjured. They can 
 also go about freely in the three worlds, the six 
 bewildering paths, in the eight hells of great 
 heat, and into the eight hells of great cold to 
 save the living creatures there, and yet suffer no 
 harm. 
 
 Those who live in the lower world are clothed 
 with flesh ; hence they are weak ; and since their 
 hearts are neither pure nor strong their lusts are 
 higher than the highest mountain and deeper than 
 the deepest sea. Thus they are ever fascinated 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 251 
 
 and tempted by beauty and harass themselves 
 in order to get possession of it. They covet the 
 things they do not possess, and are never satis- 
 fied with the things they have. They thus worry 
 out their lives with their lusts. This covetous- 
 ness not only becomes the cause of their suffering 
 from the one hundred and eight troubles of that 
 world, it also necessitates future rebirths. Besides 
 this it brings on sufferings from without, as fire, 
 flood, hunger, thirst, swords, oppression by others, 
 quarrels, great cold and great heat. 
 
 When, however, one is born into this paradise 
 all these troubles cease at once. The body be- 
 comes strong and all the pleasures unceasing 
 in their nature. When once a person becomes 
 seated on the pedestaled lotus flower he becomes 
 far separated from the suffering of the three 
 worlds, the six bewildering paths, and from the 
 ocean of life and death. In this place there are 
 not even the names of pain and of joy. There is 
 no pain there, no, not even so much in size as 
 the poppy seed. 
 
 The Bodhisatva Ryuju has said the following 
 of this place : " When a man is born into the 
 Buddha's paradise he never falls into the pathway 
 of fighting demons. The sole desire of my life is 
 
252 Prince Siddartlta. 
 
 that I may be born into that place ; and to this end 
 I worship Amida Buddha with my whole heart." 
 
 DELIGHT THE SIXTH. 
 
 The sixth delight of the Buddha's paradise con- 
 sists in the joy of entertaining and of communing 
 with friends. 
 
 The things that men in the lower world desire 
 to do do not come about as they wish. The trees 
 and the grain may wish to be calm and still, but 
 the wind blows and thrashes them about. Chil- 
 dren wish to provide for and protect their aged 
 parents, but the parents do not wait for this desire 
 of their children to be realized ; or the children 
 when they attain to mature life may be so poor 
 that they cannot carry out their desires. The 
 same disappointments are also experienced when 
 the relations and desires are those of master and 
 servant, teacher and pupil, husband and wife, or 
 mutual friends. Through these unfruitful and 
 unrealized desires other rebirths arid transmigra- 
 tions become necessary. How bitter the sorrow 
 of these disappointed ones must be when widely 
 separated by life and rebirths in the six bewilder- 
 ing paths from their friends and from those they 
 have desired to aid or serve ! During these exist- 
 
TJie Buddha's Paradise. 253 
 
 ences and periods who can tell whether the birds 
 on this mountain or the beasts in that field may 
 or may not be one's own father or mother? 
 
 An ancient poem expresses this thought in the 
 following words : " The cuckoo singing off in the 
 distance there is it my father or is it my 
 mother?" 
 
 Men often do sinful deeds because of their 
 children ; hence they fall into the hands of hun- 
 gry demons, of fighting demons, and of hells, and 
 suffer accordingly. Living beings are not the 
 saints, hence they do not possess the mysterious 
 powers ; neither can they see the past nor requite 
 the good they have received in other existences. 
 They merely go on from one path, or rebirth, to 
 another through endless ages, as a wheel revolves 
 on ever and ever without other change or 
 progress. 
 
 When, however, men are born into paradise, the 
 mysterious powers and high wisdom are acquired, 
 and communication and intercourse with relatives 
 and friends can be carried on as they may please. 
 They can see the places where their relatives and 
 friends are reborn, and by the mysterious powers 
 their eyes have acquired they can see them and 
 with their ears hear their voices and their words. 
 
254 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 They can also know their hearts, and can follow 
 them about and make their changing forms visible 
 to them. They can also teach them and lead 
 them in the path of deliverance. 
 
 Because of the mysterious power acquired 
 through birth into this paradise the entire past of 
 the person's life through all its transmigrations, 
 conditions, and experiences becomes fully known, 
 together with the reasons for birth into this place. 
 The present condition of all who may now be pass- 
 ing through those rebirths and experiences is also 
 fully known. It thus happens that the dwellers 
 in paradise know the deepest thoughts of the 
 heavenly beings, of men, of birds, of beasts and 
 of insects. Ah, when and in what far-off future 
 shall we be able to attain to birth in that happy 
 country, and acquire such knowledge? 
 
 One of the ancient sages has said of this as 
 follows : " When this life of mine is ended I 
 desire to be born in the Paradise of the West, 
 and thus escaping from all distress and anxiety 
 ever live with Amida Buddha before my eyes. 
 If I can attain to this I will help all the living to 
 attain to the felicity I may enjoy, neither less nor 
 more." 
 
 A Bodhisatva has said of this paradise : " The 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 255 
 
 light of the lustrous joys of the place attracts the 
 thoughts of all living things, and benefits them 
 as it shines on out from the assembly of the 
 Buddhas." 
 
 DELIGHT THE SEVENTH. 
 
 The seventh delight of the Buddha's paradise 
 consists in the joy of meeting and associating 
 with other saints. The Bodhisatvas and the 
 saints are virtuous above all measure. 
 
 One of those Bodhisatvas or saints, named 
 Fuken, has said of himself that " Any living being 
 who has not yet done any good, and any disciple 
 of Buddha who has as yet done but little good, 
 cannot even hear my name, much less will such 
 be able to see me and associate with me. When 
 any living thing has heard my name he will never 
 more backslide ; and the same is true of any who 
 may see me even in a dream." 
 
 This Fuken is like the sky, and lives by the 
 truth and not by things produced out of the 
 earth. He appears to living beings according as 
 they may desire his presence, and gives them the 
 things they wish, and so makes them at one 
 with himself. He possesses manifold mysterious 
 powers which he exercises in all the ten direc- 
 tions, that is, throughout the entire universe. 
 
256 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Another of the saints is Monju, who is the 
 source of the wisdom possessed by all the Bud- 
 dhas, whether they are of the past, the present, 
 or the future. It is through his instruction that 
 they all attain to the highest rebirth. Any 
 living thing in the whole universe who hears the 
 name of Monju or who calls his form to mind 
 or who sees his glorious features in any of the 
 forms in which he may appear will be able to 
 understand the laws and the doctrines of Buddh- 
 ism and will attain to birth in the Buddha's 
 paradise. Those who hear only the name of 
 Monju will have the sins which they may have 
 committed through measureless ages taken en- 
 tirely away. Those who invariably reverence 
 and worship him, offering flowers before him, 
 will always in their rebirths be born in the homes 
 of priests. Those who recite the name of Monju 
 for a day only can see him appear before them ; 
 while any who are hindered from doing these 
 deeds by their sins can obtain what may be 
 desired by seeing him in a dream. One who 
 sees the form of Monju does not fall into the evil 
 ways of transmigration for myriads on myriads 
 of years. One who recites his name does not at 
 death fall into the fires of the awful hells, but is 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 257 
 
 born into the land of the Buddhas even though 
 he may have many sins. All the good deeds done 
 by the myriads on myriads of Buddhas for the 
 benefit of all living things are incomparably less 
 than similar deeds done by Monju in but a 
 limited period of time. Because of this the 
 merits and the happiness of those who recite the 
 name of Monju are much greater than the merits 
 and the happiness of those who recite the names 
 of the hundreds of thousands of millions of the 
 Buddhas. 
 
 Another of the saints, Miroku, is possessed of 
 merits that are infinite. It is impossible for one 
 who has only heard his name to fall even into the 
 dark hells. One who recites his name but once 
 is delivered from all the sins committed during 
 long periods of time ; while to those who worship 
 him and extol his merits sins committed during 
 a hundred thousand millions of periods are for- 
 given. The desire, the wisdom, and the good 
 deeds of Miroku, all of which he accomplished 
 through hard study and ascetic endeavor during 
 infinite Jcalpas of time, are so immeasurably great 
 that no pen can describe them. 
 
 Jizo is another of the eminent saints with 
 whom the one born into the Buddha's paradise 
 
258 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 has the joy of meeting and associating. The 
 desire of Jizo to do merciful and helpful deeds 
 for all living things surpasses that of the desire 
 of all the other great ones of the place. A 
 verse in one of the sacred books says of him 
 as follows : " As the merits of Jizo are infinite, 
 the merit of reciting his name for a single day 
 surpasses the merit acquired by reciting the 
 names of other saints and great ones during un- 
 limited kalpas l of time. His merits are so vast 
 that they cannot be sufficiently extolled during 
 even a hundred kalpas. Let all living things 
 worship him." 
 
 Another of the great ones, Kwanseon by name, 
 in the paradise, says of himself as follows : " If I 
 do not save a suffering man who recites my name, 
 I cannot attain to perfect enlightenment myself." 
 He says in another place : " There are those who 
 recite the names of various Buddhas throughout 
 endless ages, and there are others who recite my 
 name but for a limited period of time ; yet both 
 obtain equal merit. I will enable those who 
 recite my name and worship me to attain to the 
 land where there is no backsliding." 
 
 1 A kalpa is said to be 4,320,000,000 years. Buddhist writers are very 
 generous in their allowances of time. 
 
TJie Buddha's Paradise. 259 
 
 By hearing the name of Kwanseon one is de- 
 livered from all suffering. Kwanseon suffers for 
 such; going even into the hells in their behalf. 
 His oath to save is as deep as the sea, and could 
 not be measured during even limitless kalpas. 
 He has served the many hundred thousand mil- 
 lions of Buddhas. He has ever entertained the 
 purest desires, and has studied the ways of 
 obtaining wisdom, and all the mysterious powers. 
 There is no land where Kwanseon does not mani- 
 fest himself. He willingly helps all those who 
 are in suffering or in trouble, and those who are 
 dying. Possessing all merits he looks on all 
 living things with eyes of great mercy. He is a 
 Bodhisatva whose merits are as unfathomable as 
 the deepest sea. Let all therefore believe in and 
 worship him. 
 
 Another of the saints in the Buddha's paradise 
 is the Bodhisatva Dai-seishi. This saint says of 
 himself as follows : " I have been able to save 
 those who being still in the evil path of transmi- 
 gration could not cross over or break away from 
 the sea of ever recurring. life and death." Dai- 
 seishi shines with the light of his wisdom on all 
 such, and so enables them to make their escape. 
 He has the name of Dai-seishi because he has 
 
260 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 such mighty power. Those who see him can 
 have all their pins, committed during limitless 
 kalpas, removed. He is never reborn by the 
 usual process into this lower world. He invari- 
 ably resides in some of the lands of the Buddhas. 
 He always preaches the law and the doctrines 
 to great multitudes, and thus acts as the helper 
 of Amida Buddha. Those who hear his words 
 acquire eyes of clearest vision. The mysterious 
 power of Dai-seishi pervades all lands and he 
 manifests himself to all the living. All who 
 worship him with a faithful heart he guides into 
 this world of joy and delight. 
 
 Bodhisatvas like these are as numerous in the 
 Buddha's paradise as the sands of the river. 
 Their forms are beautiful, their merits are perfect, 
 they surround Amida Buddha, and they are wor- 
 shiped and reverenced by all who see them. 
 
 Saints of a lower order, even though they also 
 have attained to the possession of mysterious 
 powers and have all the worlds under their 
 control, are infinitely numerous. Although one 
 should begin to count, them on first being born 
 into paradise, and then continue to count on and 
 on through limitless kalpas, yet the smaller num- 
 ber could only thus be told. Those uncounted 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 261 
 
 would still be as the water in the great sea. 
 While such an enumeration would be going on 
 some of these saints would be going 'to other 
 lands of the Buddha, while others would be at- 
 taining to Buddhahood. The whole number of 
 saints, however, in paradise would neither increase 
 nor decrease : for in this respect paradise is like 
 the great sea into which many rivers empty their 
 waters without either adding to or taking from 
 its quantity of drops. The Bodhisatvas, however, 
 outnumber all the other saints of the place. 
 
 It thus comes about that paradise is full of 
 saints who constantly see and converse with each 
 other at their pleasure, and seek after the same 
 way and doctrines. This vast number of saints 
 worship Amida Buddha, and make offerings to 
 him of beautiful flowers, costly garments, fragrant 
 incense, and sweet music ; and receive from him 
 instruction in the doctrines and the laws of trans- 
 formation. The aspect of paradise is that of a 
 great marketplace where vast concourses of peo- 
 ple come and go, some from the north, some from 
 the south, some from the east, and some from the 
 west, transact their business, and then go on their 
 way again, a bustling, busy crowd. 
 
 How exceedingly happy those must be who are 
 
262 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 born into this paradise and have the delight of 
 thus meeting and associating with and of being 
 instructed by and of having intimate relations 
 with that galaxy of saints ! 
 
 DELIGHT THE EIGHTH. 
 
 The eighth delight consists in the joy of seeing 
 Buddha and in hearing directly from his lips his 
 doctrines. It is very difficult in this fleeting and 
 lower world to see the Buddha and to hear his 
 instruction. 
 
 The Bodhisatva Shishiku has said of this that 
 after studying the way of deliverance during in- 
 finite kalpas one now sees with delight the holy 
 Buddha Shaka-muni. Up to this time we have 
 been like blind turtles meeting with floating 
 groves of trees. 
 
 While the Buddha was in the lower world only 
 the people of three hundred million houses out of 
 nine hundred millions had the privilege of seeing 
 him. Three hundred million more heard his 
 name, but did not see his face ; while the remain- 
 ing three hundred million neither heard his name 
 nor saw his face. This being the case with those 
 who lived in the lower world while the Buddha 
 was there, how is it likely to be after his death ? 
 
TJie Buddha's Paradise. 263 
 
 One of the sacred books says that " although sin- 
 ful living beings, because of their evil deeds, may 
 not even hear the name of the three precious 
 things of Buddhism, namely, The Buddha, The 
 Law, and The Order of Ascetics, during infinite 
 kalpas, yet that in the Buddha's paradise the saint 
 both sees the Buddha and hears the law from his 
 lips." 
 
 The bodai tree planted in this paradise has 
 wide-spreading branches which are covered with 
 all manner of rich treasures. A net of treasures 
 is spread all over it and costly necklaces of jewels 
 are hung among the branches. When the wind 
 moves the leaves and sways the limbs of the tree, 
 the sound of the mysterious laws and doctrines 
 are heard in all the lands of the Buddhas through- 
 out the universe. Those who hear this sound 
 obtain acuteness of hearing and a deep under- 
 standing of the doctrines. All who see the color 
 of this tree, inhale its odor, taste its fruit, receive 
 light from its brilliance, and understand its na- 
 ture are made entirely pure through all their six 
 roots or senses and are able to perfect themselves 
 in Buddhism. Under this tree there is a richly 
 ornamented throne on which Amida Buddha is 
 seated. It is impossible, however, to describe his 
 
264 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 wonderful features. His hair is shining bright 
 and is the color of the clear sky. His eyes are 
 the color of the lotus flower, as the full autumn 
 moon. His lips are rosy red; his voice is like 
 that of the Karyo-binga ; 1 his breast is as the 
 front of a lion ; his legs as the legs of a giant and 
 the soles of his feet are exceedingly beautiful. 
 The eighty-four thousand points of perfection are 
 fully realized in his body of purple arid gold. 
 A wonderful light as of several billions of suns 
 shines round about him. When he preaches the 
 doctrines in the hall of the seven treasures his 
 voice is so sweet that the very heavens are en- 
 chanted with the sound ; and Bodhisatvas, first 
 disciples of Buddha, heavenly beings, and all 
 living things in the paradise worship him with 
 clapping of hands. The wind blows softly through 
 the trees, the branches laden with the seven treas- 
 ures flutter before it, beautiful flowers fall thickly 
 all about, and heavenly beings make sweet music 
 and dance with delight. It is impossible for one 
 to fully describe the gratitude, the cheerfulness, 
 the delight, and the joy experienced by the 
 dwellers in this place. 
 
 1 One of the birds of paradise, that has a human face and a lovely 
 song. 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 265 
 
 The Buddha at times reveals himself in a body 
 of huge proportions, either under the tree of 
 treasures or in the pools of clear water. He 
 preaches the doctrines to the people that they 
 wished to hear while they were studying Buddh- 
 ism in the lower world, and according to the 
 amount of faith they possess. He thus preaches 
 various doctrines on various occasions and so 
 gives to all a full understanding of his laws. 
 Kwannon and Seishi sit the one on his left and 
 the other on his right and enter into discussion 
 with him concerning the doctrines. The Buddha 
 also consults with them concerning many things. 
 
 The inhabitants of other lands of the Buddha, 
 toward the east, come to this Paradise of the 
 West to worship and to offer sacrifice. On seeing 
 the wondrous beauty of the Buddha's paradise, 
 they express the wish that their lands were as 
 beautiful. The Buddha on hearing this turns a 
 little on his seat, smiles, and shines out a bright 
 light from his mouth over all the countries 
 throughout the universe. This light goes around 
 his body thrice, enters his head, and then shines 
 out through his mouth. Kwannon then bows 
 down and reverently worships the Buddha and 
 asks the meaning of the smile. The Buddha 
 
266 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 replies in a voice like unto thunder, in which all 
 the eight sounds are perfect, and says : " I know 
 well the desires of the Bodhisatvas and of the 
 multitude of living things who live in all the ten 
 directions, that is, throughout the entire universe. 
 They seek for the land of beauty, of treasure, 
 and of purity ; and they desire to attain to 
 Buddhahood through a clear understanding of 
 the highest principles. They shall indeed attain 
 to the object of their desire and shall come to 
 understand that all laws and doctrines are like a 
 vision or a dream or like to the shadow of a flash 
 of lightning. They shall attain to a land like this 
 by understanding that all laws are empty and void 
 and that we ourselves do not exist at all." 
 
 The sound of the flowing water, the songs arid 
 the chirpings of the birds, and the sighing of the 
 trees all preach out the same mysterious law. 
 
 The Bodhisatva Ryuju says of the Buddha: 
 "Seated on a throne of the pedestaled lotus 
 flower in the midst of the pool of treasure the 
 Buddha preaches of the inconstancy and the 
 vacuity of law and of the nonexistence of the I, 
 myself; and he says that all law and doctrine 
 and all existence is like to the image of the moon 
 reflected in water, like the dew, like the light- 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 267 
 
 ning flash. He thus reveals the principles that 
 are constant. 1 Because of this I worship the 
 Buddha always, and I desire to be born into the 
 Buddha's paradise that land of ease and delight 
 with all living things." 
 
 DELIGHT THE NINTH. 
 
 The ninth delight of the Buddha's paradise 
 consists in the joy of directly offering sacrifices 
 to the Buddhas according to the desire of the 
 heart. When the hundred billions of the living 
 in paradise desire to make offerings of the 
 heavenly flowers to the Buddhas in other worlds, 
 they first go before Amida Buddha -and obtain his 
 permission. This secured they gather together 
 their friends and with great rejoicing visit the 
 numberless Buddhas in the other worlds. Some 
 take their flight directly through the sky, while 
 others ride on the clouds. Reaching their desired 
 country in an instant of time, they make offerings 
 of the flowers of paradise to the respective Bud- 
 dhas, and worship them. Besides flowers they 
 also make offerings of varieties of fragrant in- 
 
 1 The principles that are constant would seem to be the assumption 
 that everything is unreal, and that nothing in reality exists at all. It 
 seems strange that the hearing of such preaching directly from the lips 
 of the Buddha should be regarded as one of the delights of paradise. 
 
268 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 cense, of delicious food, of rich apparel, and of 
 musical instruments. These offerings come into 
 their hands of their own accord when they are 
 desired. 
 
 The offerings and worship finished, the saints 
 return to their own abode in the Buddha's 
 paradise, where they take their food, recite the 
 sacred books, and in other ways enjoy the de- 
 lights of the place. It is said also that daily 
 offerings are made to the Buddhas at three o'clock 
 in the afternoon. While these worshipers were 
 in the lower world, the more they heard of the 
 merits and joys of the Buddha's lands as they are 
 described in the sacred books, the more they 
 wished that they might be born there ; and they 
 used often to ask of each other if the time would 
 ever come when they would be able to see the 
 Buddha and offer sacrifices to him. Now they 
 are born into his paradise, and they can visit all 
 the lands of all the Buddhas whenever they wish, 
 in an instant of time, by virtue of their own 
 power, or by the power of the Buddha. Thus it 
 comes to pass that they can meet the saints, hear 
 the doctrines, receive the sacred writings, and 
 offer sacrifices to all the Buddhas in any and all 
 of the Buddha lands. How happy they must be !, 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 269 
 
 The Bodhisatva Ryuju has said of this condi- 
 tion : 4i How joyful a state ! How happy must 
 they be ! This is the reward for good deeds done 
 in past ages of existence." 
 
 DELIGHT THE TENTH. 
 
 The tenth delight consists in the joy of advanc- 
 ing in Buddhism. It is exceedingly difficult in 
 this lower world to study Buddhism and to attain 
 to Buddhahood, for the reasons that those who 
 suffer are always grieving, and those who enjoy 
 are 4 always weakened. It follows therefore that 
 both pain and pleasure are far from the way of 
 deliverance. Prosperity and adversity alike lead 
 to the evil way of transmigration. Although 
 some few are converted and study the doctrines, 
 yet it is very hard for them to attain to success. 
 Anxiety will arise in their minds, and outside 
 conditions will draw their hearts away and they 
 will go back to the three evil ways. As the form 
 of the moon reflected on the water is easily moved 
 to and fro by the rippling wave, so is the heart 
 moved from its study and devotions. As but few 
 out of the countless eggs of fishes become fish, 
 and but little of the embryo fruit of the trees 
 comes to maturity and ripeness, so also but few of 
 
270 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 those who begin the study of Buddhism in this 
 lower world attain to full knowledge and to 
 Buddhahood. It is in harmony with this that 
 the celebrated Mokuren fell back backslided 
 after sixty kalpas of endeavor. 
 
 The Buddha Shaka-muni persevered in living 
 an ascetic life and in performing the austerities 
 during infinite kalpas of time and thus accum- 
 ulated his vast merits and virtues. He never fell 
 back, but was always diligent in his study and 
 endeavor in the way of Buddhahood. There is 
 no living thing in the three great wo rids t for 
 which Buddha has not devoted himself to study 
 and to ascetic austerities. It was to deliver all 
 the living that he did this. 
 
 Other living beings are too weak to thus 
 succeed in securing their own deliverance even. 
 They are like young and weak elephants 
 which die an untimely death by arrow and by 
 sword. 
 
 The Bodhisatva Ryuju say of this as follows: 
 " When a man pours half a gallon of hot water 
 on ice that is a hundred miles in extent, it seems 
 as though the ice to some extent is diminished, 
 but as a matter of fact it is not so. The follow- 
 ing morning the ice in the place where the hot 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 271 
 
 water was poured has become to the extent of the 
 water that was poured on it so much the thicker 
 than it was before." 
 
 It is thus with the ordinary man in this lower 
 world who seeks deliverance from his sufferings. 
 Covetousness, anger, injustice, and the like in- 
 crease more and more. 
 
 In the Buddha's paradise, however, it is not so. 
 The surroundings and relationships of the living 
 beings there are so helpful that instead of falling 
 back they make constant progress in Buddhism. 
 They are supported and urged on by the power 
 and desire of Amida Buddha; and because of 
 being constantly illuminated by the light that 
 shines out from the Buddha their own devotional 
 mind increases in power. The sounds of the 
 flowing water, the singing of the birds, the sighing 
 of the wind in the trees, the tinkling of the bells, 
 the voices of the saints, all intensify their desires, 
 arouse their minds, and make them earnest in their 
 worship of the Buddha, in the recitation of the 
 sacred books, and in thought concerning the law 
 and the order. 
 
 Again, their acquaintances and friends being ex- 
 clusively Bodhisatvas, there are no outside condi- 
 tions to disturb their minds, draw off their hearts, 
 
272 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 and caiise them to fall away. Besides this their 
 lives are of equal length to the life of the Buddha, 
 hence they have infinite ages at their disposal for 
 study and advancement in Buddhism. 
 
 The sacred book Kegon says : " When one sees 
 the Buddha but once only, all hindrances to de- 
 liverance are at once removed." If the seeing of 
 the Buddha but once results like this, how must 
 it be when he is seen all the time ? The hindrances 
 to deliverance from suffering and from misery, 
 although infinite in number, will melt away as 
 snow before the springtime sun. 
 
 The beings in paradise have neither self-will nor 
 anxiety of any kind. 'They all acquire a heart of 
 great mercy, advance naturally in the understand- 
 ing of Buddhism, attain to the rank of Bodhisatva, 
 to the profoundest knowledge of the way of 
 deliverance, and finally they become Buddhas. On 
 reaching this rank and height they will manifest 
 their eight features to all living things in order 
 to deliver them ; and they will unceasingly turn 
 the wheel of the wonderful laws in the land of 
 purity and of unsurpassed magnificence. They 
 will make all the living seek after paradise as they, 
 and the Buddha before them, sought after it. 
 
 How joyful 'a life this must be ! Life is like a 
 
Worshiping the Buddha. 
 
The Buddha's Paradise. 273 
 
 vision; like a dream. Why should we not cast 
 away from us everything that relates to this lower 
 world, and earnestly seek for birth into this para- 
 dise ? You who are observers of the law and of 
 the doctrine, do not be indolent in your endeav- 
 ors ! The Bodhisatva Ryuju has left the following 
 words : 
 
 "There is neither wrong principle nor evil 
 understanding within the limits of the unfath- 
 omable desire of the Buddha. When within the 
 limits of his desire there is nothing but progress 
 in Buddhism possible for us. If we are once born 
 into this paradise, we never backslide, but we make 
 constant progress until we attain to Buddha- 
 hood. Because of this I worship the Buddha and 
 pay him reverence. I also preach his merits, 
 although they are as wide as the great and bound- 
 less sea. I desire to be born into his paradise 
 through the purity of the good deeds that I have 
 done, and of the merits I have accumulated. It is 
 my strong desire that with all other living things 
 I may be born into the Buddha's land of peace 
 and delight." 
 
 This description of the delights of the Buddha's 
 paradise, although somewhat cloying through ex- 
 
274 Prince Siddartlia. 
 
 cess of sweetness and of similarity, of gaudiness 
 and of glitter, is nevertheless surprisingly beautiful. 
 It is true that many of the delights are such as 
 appeal to the senses, yet there are none that are 
 sensual. In this respect the Buddha's paradise 
 is immeasurably superior in its conception to the 
 paradise of Mohammed. 
 
 The Oriental imagination has clothed the sup- 
 posed and the desired delights of paradise with 
 the richest of ornamentation and of coloring, and 
 has made what must have been for many genera- 
 tions a most attractive picture and object of ardent 
 desire to the weary and oppressed masses of Asiatic 
 lands. Many millions of people have no doubt 
 gone through life and down into death cheered 
 and comforted by this teaching. 
 
 The reverse of this enchanting picture is, how- 
 ever, as horrible and as outrageously abominable 
 as the reverse of one thing to another can possibly 
 be made. The descriptions of the eight hot hells, 
 each having sixteen auxiliary departments, show 
 imagination run mad, and set before us a series of 
 pictures so hideous, so dreadful, and in every way 
 so revolting that one cannot look on them without 
 shudders of extremest disgust. The cruelest, the 
 foulest, the most agonizing, and the most protracted 
 
TJie Buddha's Paradise. 275 
 
 of tortures and of sufferings are set forth with 
 a detail that shocks, amazes, and sickens the 
 reader. 
 
 The Christian Scriptures have also something to 
 say of the state of the soul after death, and they 
 do not hesitate to speak of a possible and lurid 
 future for some, as well as of a possible and most 
 attractive one for others; but there is a reserve 
 and a balance about their statements that we fail 
 to find in the Buddhistic or in any uninspired 
 utterances on the same subjects. 
 
 The common people, the masses of the lands 
 where northern Buddhism has held sway for so 
 many centuries, have ever accepted and fully 
 believed that the Buddhistic teachings concerning 
 the delights of the Buddha's paradise and the 
 cruel horrors of the Buddhist hells represent the 
 truth, and the assured facts in the case. It 
 follows therefore that some millions may have 
 been cheered and comforted in life and in death by 
 the hope of rebirth into the land of ease and of 
 superlative bliss, but many other millions have 
 lived through all their lives and gone down to 
 their graves under the burden, the fear, and the 
 horror of a possible falling into some of the awful 
 hells where the tortures and sufferings must be 
 
276 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 endured without possibility of relief during infinite 
 kalpas of time. 
 
 The more intelligent of the priests, however, 
 and the scholarly laymen have always spoken of 
 the same teachings as being but hoben, or fictional; 
 nothing more, in fact, than a pious device which 
 was exceedingly useful in bringing the masses 
 into subjection and in holding them there. 
 
 A modern Japanese author ays on this point : 
 " Those who patiently investigate and understand 
 the original and true teachings of the Buddha do 
 not accept this 'fictional teaching' as represent- 
 ing the facts in the case at all. They regard the 
 Buddha's paradise as being only a figurative state- 
 ment of the condition of the heart of a true 
 believer. The ignorant and the foolish only, being 
 beguiled and misled, wander on in search of a 
 heaven that does not exist, fearing a hell that 
 has no reality." 
 
 Is not all this an apt and a sad illustration of 
 the blind leading the blind, and of all falling into 
 the ditch together? Do not these peoples need 
 a Teacher who is wise and truthful as well as 
 mighty to save ? 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE BUDDHA'S ENLIGHTENMENT. 
 
 mysteries of life and of death ; of the 
 "* misery of some and the happiness of others ; 
 of the wealth and luxury of the few and the 
 poverty and squalor of the many, and the prob- 
 able future of all after death have ever been 
 problems which have occupied the minds of the 
 noblest and most thoughtful of all races of men. 
 Prince Siddartha belonged to this thoughtful 
 class of humanity, hence he sought enlightenment 
 concerning these deep problems, these profound 
 mysteries. He sought it too in the best ways 
 known to the men of his day and generation. He 
 forsook all his luxurious surroundings, gave him- 
 self to the life of an ascetic and recluse, and 
 devoted himself with persistent energy to such 
 studies, austerities, and meditations as seemed to 
 him best suited to bring about the intellectual 
 enlightenment he so ardently desired. 
 
 I. THE PLACE. 
 
 It is not a matter of any vital importance in 
 
 277 
 
278 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 itself as to where and how he ultimately obtained 
 the object of his desire ; but it is very interesting 
 to know that the two great schools or divisions of 
 Buddhism, the Southern and the Northern, enter- 
 tain entirely different opinions as to both the 
 place where and the manner in which Buddha 
 acquired his enlightenment. The Southern school 
 affirms that ultimate enlightenment was obtained 
 while he was seated crosslegged under a Bodhi 
 tree. Sir Edwin Arnold in his poem The Light 
 of Asia, in Book VI, sets this view of that school 
 before us in the following language : 
 
 He arose . . . 
 
 And bent his footsteps where a great tree grew, 
 The Bodhi tree (thenceforward in all years 
 Never to fade, and ever to be kept 
 In homage of the world) , beneath whose leaves 
 It was ordained that truth should come to Buddh : 
 Which now the master knew : wherefore he went 
 With measured pace, stedfast, majestical, 
 Unto the tree of wisdom. 
 
 The same school also says that the enlighten- 
 ment came to Buddha ultimately after a fierce 
 struggle with a series of mighty temptations. 
 Sir Edwin Arnold expresses this view in the 
 following language, in the sixth book already 
 quoted from : 
 
' The Buddha's Enlightenment. 279 
 
 Then fell the night even as our master sate 
 Under that tree. But he who is the Prince 
 Of darkness, Mara knowing this was Buddh 
 Who should deliver men, and now the hour 
 "When he should find the truth and save the worlds 
 Gave unto all his evil powers command. 
 "Wherefore there trooped from every deepest pit 
 The fiends who war with wisdom and the light, 
 Arati, Trishua, Kaga, and their crew 
 Of passions, horrors, ignorances, lusts, 
 The brood of gloom and dread : all hating Buddh, 
 Seeking to shake his mind ; nor knoweth one, 
 Not even the wisest, how those fiends of hell 
 Battled that night to keep the truth from Buddh : 
 Sometimes with terrors of the tempests, blasts 
 Of demon armies clouding all the wind, 
 With thunder, and with blinding lightning flung 
 In jagged javelins of purple wrath 
 From splitting skies : sometimes with wiles and words 
 Fair sounding, mid hushed leaves and softened airs 
 From shapes of witching beauty ; wanton songs, 
 Whispers of love : sometimes with royal allures 
 Of proffered rule : sometimes with mocking doubts, 
 Making truth vain. 
 
 The poem continues to give the details of these 
 temptations and then says : 
 
 But Buddh heeded not, 
 Sitting serene, with perfect virtue walled 
 As is a stronghold by its gates and ramps : 
 
280 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 Also the sacred tree the Bodhi tree 
 Amid all that tumult stirred not. 
 
 At length full enlightenment concerning the 
 profound mysteries that the Buddha had been so 
 long endeavoring to solve .came to him with the 
 breaking of the day, and at once all nature, ani- 
 mate and inanimate, together with the inhabitants 
 of the air, united in rejoicing over the glorious 
 event. 
 
 The Northern school, while it sets forth the fact 
 of Buddha's having attained to the perfect en- 
 lightenment believed in by the Southern school, 
 and of the congratulations given to him by Bod- 
 hisatvas and a vast host of others, seems to know 
 nothing whatever of either an all-night sitting 
 under the Bodhi tree or of the fierce and fasci- 
 nating temptations urged on by spirits of evil 
 under the command of a chief called Mara. 
 
 If the reader will turn to the chapter entitled 
 " The Snow Mountain," he will at once see how 
 entirely different the views of the Northern school 
 as to the place and the circumstances associated 
 with the occasion of the Buddha's enlightenment 
 are from the views entertained by the Southern 
 school about them. The place chosen by the 
 Northern school for this transcendent experience 
 
TJie Buddha's Enlightenment. 281 
 
 is a remote mountain, high, covered with snow, 
 and bitterly cold. There is no temptation here, 
 unless it be the one of curiosity to hear the un- 
 completed stanzas of a hymn uttered by a voice 
 in some distant valley ! It may be that the 
 Northern school has thought that even the idea' 
 of temptability implied something derogatory to 
 the fair name and noble nature of the Buddha 
 and so has dropped that part out of the published 
 lives. Then too, asceticism, and mountain re- 
 treats far from the confusion of worldly and 
 fleshly strife, have always had an exalted place in 
 the estimation of the Northern school. Japan 
 and other countries where Northern Buddhism has 
 held sway owe much of their interest to travelers 
 to the massive temples, with their lovely grounds, 
 which are located in mountain regions. The con- 
 junction of the picturesque work of God on the 
 one hand, and of the work of man on the other, 
 has produced many an attractive and even en- 
 chantingly beautiful place well worthy of a visit 
 from the traveler and the artist as well as the 
 student of religions. 
 
 While preparing the manuscript for this book 
 I have frequently interrogated priests and laymen 
 of different Buddhist sects on the subject matter 
 
282 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 of this book and have learned that "The Life" 
 given in the preceding pages is used by all 
 the sects in Japan. Not one of the gentlemen 
 questioned has seemed to know anything of a 
 Bodhi tree or of temptations experienced prior 
 to enlightenment. They have almost invariably 
 listened to my statement of the views set forth by 
 the Southern school with some degree of surprise 
 and with the suspicion, I fear, that I was not tell- 
 ing the exact truth. One intelligent layman, after 
 expressing a good deal of regret that he was un- 
 able to answer some of the questions I had asked 
 him, said that he really knew very little of Buddh- 
 ism, although he had been from a youth brought 
 up in that faith and was a Buddhist even yet, 
 although he was nearly forty years of age. 
 
 A priest with whom I conversed only yesterday 
 said that he knew of the different views enter- 
 tained by the Buddhists of southern India and 
 the Buddhists of Japan concerning the place and 
 circumstances connected with the enlightenment 
 of Buddha. It is highly probable, however, that 
 this knowledge has come through recent visits of 
 Japanese Buddhist priests to India and to Oxford 
 University, England, for the purpose of the study 
 of Sanscrit and of the religions of India under 
 
TJie Budhha'ti Enlightenment. 283 
 
 the guidance of the eminent professor of Oriental 
 learning, Max Miiller. 
 
 It has been a matter of frequent surprise to me 
 that men whose position, training, and ordinary 
 intelligence would seem to point them out as 
 persons amply qualified to give clear answers to 
 the questions asked have been so seemingly igno- 
 rant and unable to give satisfactory replies. It 
 may be that the reply of the chief priest of a 
 great temple near my home, where a large number 
 of young men are being prepared for the priest- 
 hood, is the only reply that can be given. He 
 said : " You must not forget that the sacred books 
 consist of five thousand and forty-eight separate 
 productions. Buddha occupied forty-nine years 
 of his life in giving instruction in his doctrines, 
 yet he was unable even during that time to set 
 forth his ideas to their fullest extent. If one 
 should take the same number of years, and even 
 double that number, for the mere intellectual 
 study of the teachings, he would not be able to 
 understand their profound significance." 
 
 "What then," 1 asked, "is to be done if one 
 would attain to a full and clear understanding of 
 the heart of the teachings of Buddha?" 
 
 The priest smiled and said : " The only way is 
 
284 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 to enter the Order, become an ascetic, perform 
 the appropriate austerities, sit immovably still 
 with the limbs and feet folded under the body, 
 for days and nights, months and years, and devote 
 yourself to silent, abstract contemplation." 
 
 I then asked : " But what must one think about 
 while thus engaged ? " 
 
 The priest replied : " The condition of mind to 
 be acquired is that of annihilation of all thought 
 and all feeling. You must murder your own 
 mind. Enlightenment comes after that condition 
 has been reached." 
 
 "How long a time is it necessary to give to 
 this endeavor?" was my next question. 
 
 The priest replied : " Five years ? ten years ? 
 twenty years ? a lifetime ? The Buddha was en- 
 gaged for twelve years in this ascetic and austere 
 endeavor before he attained to enlightenment 
 and there are but few Buddhas ! " 
 
 Christians speak of the profoundest truths of 
 Christianity as being spiritually discerned, but it 
 is evident that this language means clear soul- 
 perception involving the highest activity of which 
 the spiritual nature of the human mind is capable. 
 The language of the Buddhist priest would seem 
 to indicate the necessity of a spiritual discerning 
 
The Buddha's Enlightenment. 285 
 
 of the truth of Buddhism, but with him this is to 
 be attained, not by the vitally active use of the 
 highest and best powers of the mind, but by their 
 total annihilation. 
 
 This gives us a fair illustration of the resem- 
 blances and differences which exist between 
 Buddhism and Christianity. Such likenesses as 
 there may be here and there are entirely in the 
 seeming, as is seen in this case of spiritually dis- 
 cerning the truth, in the incarnation and birth of 
 Buddha, 1 in the weeping by the one wise old man 
 out of the entire one hundred diviners, and who is 
 spoken of by some writers as being like the aged 
 Simeon of Luke's gospel (chapter ii, verses 25-32), 
 and in other things. The differences also are as 
 the differences which exist between light and 
 darkness, between active intelligence and mental 
 apathy and inertia, between life and death. 
 
 It is certainly true that of those whom I have 
 questioned, both priests and laymen, all have 
 invariably said that the place of Buddha's en- 
 lightenment was Setzuzan the Snow Mountain. 
 There is thus a clear difference between the South- 
 ern and the Northern school of Buddhists as to 
 the place where and the circumstances in the midst 
 
 1 8QQ chap, iii : Maya, Prince Siddartha's mother. 
 
286 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 of which Buddha received his enlightenment. 
 As to the fact, however, they are at one. 
 
 II. THE ENLIGHTENMENT. 
 
 With this point settled it seems desirable that 
 something should be learned of the enlighten- 
 ment itself. What did the Buddha come to 
 clearly understand? In what did his enlighten- 
 ment consist? 
 
 It would seem that the enlightenment he 
 attained to was of a double nature, since the 
 Southern school of Buddhism sets two features 
 before us. 
 
 According to this school the first point con- 
 cerning which Buddha received enlightenment 
 was that life with its manifold experiences is 
 but hopeless misery; that the cause of life is 
 desire, a coveting of some supposed good not yet 
 possessed; that desire, therefore, must be extin- 
 guished ; and since desire is an outcome as well 
 as the cause of life, life itself, the root of all evil 
 and all misery, must be annihilated. All this the 
 Buddha saw, and with it he learned the processes 
 by means of which all desire and all life may be 
 annihilated and escaped from. The processes are 
 none other than ascetic austerities and abstract 
 
The Buddha's Enlightenment. 287 
 
 contemplations. His heart being full of benevo- 
 lence, he set out to teach what he had learned to all 
 the people of southern India. He thus preached 
 of the way of escape, or the way of deliverance, 
 from the labyrinth and bondage of life, of rebirth 
 and of desire by the exercise of the powers pos- 
 sessed by every individual. His enlightenment 
 had not given him any knowledge of God, hence 
 he has nothing to say of him in any of his teach- 
 ings. He did not, however, preach " a way of sal- 
 vation " in any sense in which that phrase is em- , 
 ployed by Christian writers and speakers. He 
 spoke only of escape and deliverance from the 
 misery of existence. 
 
 Such for substance of doctrine is the first part 
 of the enlightenment that Buddha received, and 
 taught after his many years of ascetic austerities 
 and abstract meditations. 
 
 The second part of his enlightenment is the 
 one that the biography just read, and most other 
 Japanese Buddhistic writings, present the most 
 frequently and the most persistently to view, 
 although the former one is not entirely ignored. 
 According to these writings the Buddha arrived 
 at the conclusion that all life, all senses, all 
 desires, and all ideas are nothing more than illu- 
 
288 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 sions, as unsubstantial and as unreal as dreams, 
 as shadows, as the mirage of the desert. Man- 
 kind labors according to his view under the 
 delusion that all these illusory things are realities. 
 He also expresses it as his opinion that deliver- 
 ance from the bondage and power of this delusion 
 can be secured only through enlightenment, that 
 is, by the clear perception that everything is 
 nothing, and that emptiness and nothingness are 
 the real and actual conditions of self, and of 
 everything else in the universe. The ascetic 
 austerities, strict observance of the command- 
 ments, diligent attention to the ritual, abstract 
 contemplation, and faithful doing of all the things 
 to which he taught his followers to pay diligent 
 attention he regarded as being the only appro- 
 priate and adequate means for the enlighten- 
 ment of the mind, the banishment of the delu- 
 sion, and the acquisition of deliverance from the 
 bondage and power of all illusion and its incident 
 misery. 
 
 A few quotations from the bi'ography and from 
 other Japanese Buddhistic writings sets this be- 
 fore us very clearly. 
 
 In the chapter entitled " The Snow Mountain " 
 Prince Siddartha is represented as looking toward 
 
UNIVERSITY 
 
 The Buddha's Enlightenment. 289 
 
 the south and seeing a thick cloud of smoke from 
 which tongues of flame burst forth. In the midst 
 of the smoke and flame he saw five hundred fam- 
 ished demons who appealed to him for help. The 
 reply he gave them was the following : " Since 
 thought is not, neither misery nor happiness have 
 any master. Nothing is real; my own self even 
 does not exist. Laws only are realities. Laws 
 also are like a dream, like a vision, like a bubble 
 of water, like the dew, like lightning. Under- 
 stand this, I beseech you." 
 
 In the sacred book Kongo Kyo the following 
 conversation between Buddha and one of his fol- 
 lowers is reported : 
 
 Buddha said to his disciple Monju : " From 
 whence spring up the ideas of hell?" 
 
 Monju replying said : " All things without ex- 
 ception are the product of the vain human heart. 
 People foolishly, according to the leading of their 
 heart, bind themselves fast with self-made fetters. 
 Because of this there is a hell, although no hell 
 in reality exists. These people, being misled and 
 self-bound, suffer and are in anguish just as if 
 there were an actual hell. For instance, in a 
 dream one has the feeling of falling into hell and 
 of being consumed in the myriads on myriads of 
 
290 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 fires, or of being thrown into the caldrons of boil- 
 ing water and suffering untold agonies, and of 
 screaming out in anguish and pain. If now such 
 an one should be asked : ' Why are you so dis- 
 tressed ? ' he would reply : ' Oh, I am burning in 
 the fires ! ' or, ' Oh ! I am boiling in the caldrons of 
 hell.' If on this the questioner should say : ' You 
 are asleep and only dreaming,' and should then 
 arouse the sleeper, how would it be? The 
 awakened sleeper would at once perceive that 
 the dream was but an unreal and empty thing, 
 and then both mind and body would be at 
 rest. Truly hell does not exist at all; yet if 
 a person through bewilderment or self-delusion 
 thinks he has fallen into one, or will fall into one, 
 it is a mere matter of belief or fancy only. This 
 is true, not of hell only, but of all other things 
 as well: for all things are but emptiness and 
 nothingness ; all things, including the heart and 
 mind of man, being as empty and unreal as a 
 dream." 
 
 Buddha replied: "You have well said. All 
 hells being so regarded, hell does not in reality 
 exist at all." 
 
 In another sacred book, called the Ryoga Kyo, 
 Buddha is reported to have made the following 
 
The Buddha's Enlightenment. 291 
 
 remarks on the same subject : " Hotoke' l is the I 
 the myself. From my first perception of the doc- 
 trine up to the entrance into Nirvana I have not 
 interpreted a single verse or character of the sacred 
 works otherwise ; and now for the benefit of those 
 who are deficient in wisdom and in power of 
 patient perseverance I say that these principles 
 are not of various discernments, but they are all 
 one. That one is this : This my own body and the 
 body of hotoke are one and the same, and both 
 alike are nonexistences. I myself am hotoke*, and 
 hotok^ is nothing but I, myself. I perceive, then, 
 that I do not exist : I am not. Hotok6 also is not. 
 The east is not. The west is not. The north is 
 not. The south is not. Having acquired this 
 discerning mind, I understand that ingwa retri- 
 bution visited in the present existence for deeds 
 done in previous state of being is not. Hotok 
 also, all life also, are not. Even the perception 
 of perplexity and bewilderment is not ; for from 
 within to the outermost limits of the ten sides of 
 the universe there is nothing else but absolute 
 vacuity and nothingness." 
 
 In view of this statement the Bodhisatva Ryuju 
 
 i Hotoke means saint, or one enlightened. Dead believers are usually 
 called hoto&e. 
 
292 Prince Siddartha,. 
 
 has said : " Man is not a witness even to himself." 
 That is, being nonexistent he is incapable of tes- 
 tifying to or of himself that he exists or thinks or 
 hopes or fears or suffers or enjoys ! 
 
 In view of these two representations of life and 
 of all that relates to it, it does not seem as though 
 the enlightenment of the Buddha was quite so 
 clear or so perfect as could have been wished. 
 He seems to have fluctuated between realism and 
 idealism. Some of his teaching or the teach- 
 ing of his followers, for it is not at all certain 
 which it may be that we are reading certainly 
 regards life as being exceedingly real, full of mis- 
 ery, and to be escaped from even at the cost of 
 the most austere and painful of ascetic endeavor ; 
 the transitoriness, the evanescence, the mutability 
 and the general unreliability of everything only 
 enhancing the misery of life and the importance 
 of escaping from it. 
 
 Other of his teaching as certainly speaks of life 
 and of all connected with it -as being unreal, 
 empty, vacuous, illusory. In this case it is the 
 clear perception of the illusoriness of all things 
 that is the condition of deliverance from its bond- 
 age and power. 
 
 Both phases of the teaching are set forth in the 
 
The Buddha's Entightenment. 293 
 
 chapter entitled "The Snow Mountain" in the 
 address given by the Buddha to the ghoulish 
 demon whom he saw exhume and horribly abuse 
 and mutilate a dead body which he said had been 
 his own in the causal stage of his existence and 
 the cause of his rebirth as a demon. 
 
 The address is as follows : " The past and the 
 future of life and of death are as dreams. From 
 the beginning also all laws are naturally and of 
 themselves extinguishable. Good and evil are 
 both one and the same thing. The just and the 
 unjust also are without any difference, the good 
 and the evil, the just and the unjust being natu- 
 rally alike, and all but as a gust of wind that sud- 
 denly sweeps over us and as suddenly passes 
 away." 
 
 This, then, such as it is, represents the clear 
 perception, the enlightenment ultimately attained 
 to by the Buddha. It certainly leaves much to 
 be desired. Yet after all, and as a matter of fact, 
 the vitally important matter to Buddha was not, 
 in all probability, so much the question as to 
 whether everything within and without the indi- 
 vidual is real or ideal, actual or illusory. The 
 thing that concerned him the most was the en- 
 deavor to gain a way of escape and deliverance 
 
294 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 from the fact or the seeming of reality and all 
 the incidental misery. He believed that he re- 
 ceived enlightenment on that point, and he gave 
 his life, with a noble disregard of self, to the wide 
 preaching of his discovery. The means of escape 
 or deliverance he constantly and consistently sets 
 forth as being the forsaking of the world with its 
 appetites, fashions, and temptations ; strict atten- 
 tion to his teachings, implicit observance of his 
 commandments and ritual, entrance into the order 
 of priesthood, ascetic austerities, abstract con- 
 templations. 
 
 The final outcome of all this he affirmed to be 
 even though almost endless kalpas of time and 
 innumerable births and rebirths in many or all 
 the forms of life might be involved clear per- 
 ception, full enlightenment, escape, deliverance, 
 Nirvana, utter annihilation, bliss. 
 
 It may be that to some strangely constituted 
 minds the teachings of the Buddha seem equal, if 
 not superior, to the teachings of the Christ; but 
 to the mass of well-balanced Occidental minds it 
 surely must ever seem that the religion of the 
 Buddha is one of depression and of profound 
 despair. Shadow, emptiness, transitoriness, illu- 
 sion, nothingness are the gloomy, hopeless words 
 
The Buddha's Enlightenment. 295 
 
 of the Buddha. Reality, vitality, hope, joy, in- 
 finite worth, endless life are the reviving trumpet 
 words of the Christ. 
 
 The one speaks of hermit cells,- of musty grave- 
 yard mold, of mountains of bones, and of silent 
 tombs. The other speaks of the bridegroom and 
 the bride, of spring flowers, of resurrection beauty, 
 of joyous and abounding life forevermore. 
 
 The Buddha invites with the deep and solemn 
 tones of }^on distant temple bell to an entrance on 
 the gloomy path that leads to a condition of sense- 
 less mental apathy, physical inertia, and eternal 
 death. The Christ with the ring of hope and joy 
 in his voice says : " Come unto me . . . and I 
 will give you rest." " Come unto me, and I will 
 give you life forevermore ; for I am come into the 
 world that ye might have life, and have it more 
 abundantly." 
 
 The Buddha is the prophet of gloom, of de- 
 spair, and of remediless death. The Christ is the 
 prophet of life and of everlasting joy. Which of 
 the two will you accept as Master and as Lord ? 
 
 Which gives the preferable enlightenment, the 
 preferable reward? 
 
 " Choose ye this day whom ye will serve ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 NIRVANA. 
 
 A FTER enlightenment what ? Nirvana ! 
 -*-*- What is Nirvana ? The question is more 
 easily asked than answered. Scholars of Buddh- 
 ism are not of one mind on the subject. With 
 some Nirvana seems to mean that state of men- 
 tal equipoise and calm which was entered into 
 by the Buddha immediately after enlightenment 
 occurred. With others it seems to mean an 
 etherealized existence after death, an immortal 
 condition of absence of desire, of endless, pas- 
 sionless, idealess calm. Others again think that 
 Nirvana is absolute death, utter annihilation. In 
 each case, however, entrance into the Nirvana 
 believed in and set forth is regarded as condi- 
 tioned by, or as the result of, a previous " enlight- 
 enment " acquired by ascetic austerities and 
 abstract meditations. 
 
 One Oriental scholar, Ernest J. Eitel, PH.D., a 
 well-known writer on Chinese Buddhism, says 
 of this subject as follows : " In the absence of 
 
 296 
 
Nirvana. 297 
 
 ancient manuscripts, and by reason of the re- 
 peated textual alterations which the Buddhist 
 canon suffered before it was fixed in the form in 
 which we now have it, it is practically impossible 
 to determine what Buddha himself taught on the 
 subject. He may have looked upon Nirvana as a 
 state of personal immortality, in which the spirit, 
 exempt from the eddies of transmigration, revels 
 in the enjoyment of unlimited happiness arising 
 from the annihilation of all desire. 
 
 " On the other hand, he may have viewed Nir- 
 vana as a state of absolute annihilation of person- 
 ality and individual existence. It is impossible 
 to decide which of the two views Buddha 
 actually held. But I incline to think he most 
 probably left the question undecided in his own 
 mind." 
 
 This view of Dr. Eitel accords with what has 
 already been said of Buddha's enlightenment as 
 not being so complete and so clear as could be 
 wished. We are left in uncertainty about his 
 view of all nature. We do not know whether he 
 regarded everything as being real, or whether he 
 concluded that the realness was all in the seeming. 
 Sometimes he speaks as a realist and sometimes 
 as an idealist. At one time everything is miser- 
 
298 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 able reality ; at another time everything is miser- 
 able illusion. In either case, however, enlighten- 
 ment is the way of deliverance. When he speaks 
 of Nirvana he leaves us in the same uncertainty, 
 hence the differing views set forth by different 
 sects of Buddhism and by different scholars of 
 Buddhistic literature. 
 
 Professor Max Miiller says of this doctrine as 
 follows: "According to 'the metaphysical tenets, 
 if not of Buddha himself, at least of his sect, 
 there is no reality anywhere, neither in the past 
 nor in the future. True wisdom consists in per- 
 ceiving the nothingness of all things, and in 
 a desire to become nothing, to be blown out, to 
 enter Nirvana. Emancipation is obtained by total 
 extinction." 
 
 When conversing with the Buddhist priest 
 spoken of in the previous chapter, I asked this 
 question : 
 
 "What is Nirvana?" 
 
 The priest replied : " If we say that it is a state 
 of thought, actual or realized, we err. If we say 
 that it is a state of absence of thought, we also 
 err. If we say that it is a state of existence, 
 we err. If we say that it is a state of nonex- 
 istence, we also err." 
 
Nirvana. 299 
 
 " How then," I asked, " can one who is desirous 
 of knowing what the term means find out ? " 
 
 The priest replied : " I know of but one way. 
 It can only be learned in the same way in which 
 enlightenment is acquired. You must forsake 
 the world, enter the Order, become a priest, enter 
 on a course of ascetic austerities and abstract 
 contemplations, and then in the end you will 
 learn what Nirvana means." 
 
 The reply can hardly be regarded as a very 
 satisfactory one, and yet it may be that no other 
 could so well express the uncertainty that exists 
 in the minds of so many Buddhists and students 
 of Buddhism as to the real meaning of the term. 
 
 The meaning of the writer of the biography of 
 the Buddha which the reader has just perused 
 would seem to indicate that to him Nirvana meant 
 annihilation. As he uses the term it is quite clear 
 that he means more than mere physical death ; 
 for the ordinary term for death meant to him, as 
 to others, nothing more than the cessation of the 
 life of the body. If nothing more than this was 
 involved in the Buddha's death and in the death 
 of his followers, it does not seem probable that a 
 new term would have been coined to express it. 
 The soul, the real person, may continue to live, 
 
300 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 move, and have its being, for weal or for woe, 
 after it has parted company with the physical 
 frame. This is a fact accepted by both ignorant 
 and enlightened races. Mere physical death does 
 not mean to the Buddhist as the biography and 
 all Buddhist literature go to show extinction of 
 being. All life, all desire for life, or all illusion 
 concerning life are considered by the Buddhist as 
 evils to be escaped from at the earliest possible 
 moment. " Extinction is bliss ; " hence if mere 
 and ordinary physical death ended all, the Buddh- 
 ist believer would be supremely happy. The 
 "fear of the evil way of rebirth and of transmigra- 
 tion " rests on him like a nightmare. He desires to 
 escape from the necessity of rebirth in the myriad 
 possible forms of sentient life, and attain as soon 
 as possible to such a state of mental equipoise, 
 such a clear perception or enlightenment, and to 
 such an accumulation of merit as will land him 
 on the highest and last stage of existence in any 
 form. This stage reached, after perhaps almost 
 limitless periods of existence and of persistent 
 endeavor throughout all those periods, the next 
 death or seeming death is the final one, and 
 ultimates in the absolute extinction of all sense, 
 thought, feeling, and being, or of all illusion con- 
 
Nirvana. 301 
 
 cerning them. This condition would seem to be 
 that which the writer of the biography indicates 
 when he speaks of the Buddha as entering Nir- 
 vana. A brief review of some of his statements 
 will suffice to clearly set this forth. It is not 
 important that we should ask whether the state- 
 ments made represent the facts in the case or not. 
 The author uses the incidents as though they 
 were facts, and so sets before us his opinion as to 
 what the term Nirvana means. 
 
 The queen of Indra is represented as setting 
 out from her abode in the heavens to see the 
 dying Buddha, and as bearing with her a vial of 
 the elixir of immortal youth. Although hindered 
 in her attempt to reach the dying saint, she did 
 what seemed to her the next best way of forward- 
 ing the vial to him. This plan also failed, as the 
 vial caught on the branch of a tree and remained 
 suspended there. The remedy failing to reach its 
 destination the Buddha died. If now the queen 
 of Indra had been supposed by the author of the 
 biography to have had the least expectation that 
 the Buddha would continue to exist in a possibly 
 superior condition after his physical death, is it at 
 all probable that he would have represented her 
 as making the efforts she did to convey to him 
 
302 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 before he died the elixir of immortal youth? 
 The natural inference from the incident is that 
 she regarded that death as a final extinction of 
 being ; and the author of the biography allows 
 her act to convey that impression to the reader. 
 If he had intended to convey any other meaning 
 it would have been easy for him to have said that 
 although the plan of the queen was frustrated by 
 enemies who took the form of monster birds, yet 
 that after his death his enlightened spirit would 
 rise superior to all the enemies of his mortal life 
 and frame, and would continue to live in a state 
 of infinite equipoise and delight. As to this, 
 however, he is absolutely silent. 
 
 This use of the incident, then, must be regarded 
 as fairly teaching that the term Nirvana to the 
 author of this biography meant absolute and total 
 extinction of being when the death after enlight- 
 enment occurred. 
 
 The sally between Ananda and Kasho when 
 the latter returned from his religious retreat and 
 found kings of peoples, kings of demons, Arhats, 
 wise disciples, great disciples, masses of people, 
 representatives of the fifty-two kinds of reptiles, 
 birds, and beasts assembled together and making 
 great lamentation over some event, indicates the 
 
Nirvana. 303 
 
 same thing. Kasho asked for the reason of such 
 a gathering and lamentation. Ananda is repre- 
 sented by our author as enraged at the question, 
 and as replying that all present kings, subjects, 
 demons, reptiles, dragons, birds, and beasts were 
 met together for the sole purpose of lamenting 
 the death of the Buddha. 
 
 Kasho on hearing this statement burst out into 
 three fits of loud laughter. Shortly afterwards he 
 gave his reasons for what to the heterogeneous 
 multitude was shocking and unseemly hilarity. 
 
 The first reason he gave was that Arhats 
 and disciples alike, although they had become 
 acquainted during their forty-nine years of inter- 
 course with the three great principles of the 
 Buddha's teaching, were laboring under a mis- 
 apprehension and a delusion. " You have now 
 lapsed," he said, "from your lofty position as 
 Arhats, and have fallen back to be common 
 people again ; and that is why I laughed the first 
 time." The Buddha not only taught that all life 
 is misery, he also taught that all life is illusion. 
 Kasho would seem to have most clearly appre- 
 hended the heart of Buddha's teaching; hence 
 Buddha's death, to him, meant nothing more 
 than that vacuity had gone back into its original 
 
304 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 nothingness! This being the case, there was 
 nothing to lament about. 
 
 Another of the reasons he gave for his laughter 
 he stated as follows : " The Buddha, uncreated 
 and undestroyed, is now exhibiting the instability 
 and evanescence of all things ; and the fact that 
 birth and death, being and extinction, are the laws 
 of life and that extinction is bliss." 
 
 This sentence sets before us the double teaching 
 of the Buddha ; namely, the doctrine of the illu- 
 sion or nothingness of all things, and the doctrine 
 of the extinction of being if life is indeed real. 
 Whether Kasho accepted only one or both of 
 these views we may not certainly know, but the 
 language our author puts into his mouth at this 
 time would seem to indicate that this the most 
 eminent disciple of the Buddha had regarded this 
 death of his teacher, this entering into Nirvana, 
 as the absolute extinguishment of his being 
 body, soul, and spirit. 
 
 It is true that Kasho also said that the Buddha 
 had entered Nirvana in order to learn whether his 
 doctrines were rooted in the hearts of the Arhats 
 and disciples ; and that he was at that moment 
 shedding tears of pity over them for their misun- 
 derstanding of his instruction. This, however, 
 
Nirvana. 305 
 
 would seem to be but a sarcasm similar in spirit 
 to the expressions used when he gave the reason 
 for his first fit of laughter. Kasho is certainly not 
 represented as saying that Nirvana is anything 
 other than extinction of being, since he says 
 distinctly that " extinction is bliss." 
 
 Finally the Buddha is represented by our 
 author as lifting up his hands out of the golden 
 coffin and giving to Kasho and Ananda his 
 garments, his begging bowl, and his sleeping mat. 
 No word concerning the future, however, comes 
 from his lips at this most fitting time. Having 
 bestowed his gifts, "he closed the cover of the 
 coffin and shut himself in. After this all within 
 was silent and still " and thus the record ends. 
 
 Our author as he uses the term, "Buddha 
 enters Nirvana," certainly conveys to his readers 
 the impression that that particular death was the 
 absolute end of the Buddha. 
 
 In a work by a Japanese writer which was 
 published a few years ago the statement is made 
 that " in Buddhism taken as a whole there are 
 two general lines of instruction, the one being 
 called the fictional and the other the real, the 
 true. To the intelligent, the patient, the per- 
 severing soul, the real, the true doctrine of 
 
306 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 vacuous extinguishment is taught. To the 
 ignorant and unpersevering the fictional doctrine 
 of a paradise of bliss on the one hand, and of 
 awful hells on the other, is taught." The " vac- 
 uous extinguishment " of this passage is the 
 equivalent of the term Nirvana and stands for 
 the last death and the final end of the truly 
 enlightened and fully matured devotee. 
 
 The term Nirvana, standing as it seems to do 
 for the actual and complete extinguishment of all 
 illusion concerning life, or of the real life of both 
 the body and the soul of the one who dies after 
 he has attained to " enlightenment " through the 
 medium of accumulated merits, ascetic austerities, 
 and protracted, abstract contemplations, makes 
 plain to us the infinite difference there is between 
 the teachings of the Buddha and the teachings 
 of the Christ concerning both the present and 
 the future life of human souls. The teachings 
 of the one represent chill and gloom, depression, 
 darkness, despair, and irremediable death. The 
 teachings of the other represent hope, cheer, light, 
 life, and everlasting joy. 
 
 The one may be, as indeed he has been, the 
 Light of Asia. His light also may have been, 
 indeed it has been, a great good to many peoples. 
 
Nirvana. 
 
 At its best, however, it has been more like the 
 light of the moon, clear, luminous, and cold, rather 
 than like the sun, bright, glowing, and life-giving. 
 
 The moon stands as a fitting figure of Buddha, 
 the Light of Asia. The sun stands as a no less 
 fitting figure for Jesus Christ, the Light of the 
 World. 
 
 Jesus said of himself: "I am the light of the 
 world : he that followeth me shall not walk in 
 darkness, but shall have the light of life." 
 These words set before every soul the possibility 
 of acquiring the clearest " enlightenment " on the 
 most momentous problems concerning life, death, 
 and the future an enlightenment the Buddha 
 sought with all his heart, but did not find. 
 
 Jesus also said : " Peace I leave with you, my 
 peace I give unto you." This is the assurance of 
 the bestowal of an equipoise and calm of soul 
 that would have rejoiced the Buddha in his day 
 had he but known of, sought after, and come into 
 possession of it. 
 
 Jesus further said : " Let not your heart be 
 troubled. ... In my Father's house are many 
 mansions. ... I go to prepare a place for you. 
 ... I will come again, and receive you unto 
 myself ; that where I am, there ye may be also." 
 
308 Prince Siddartha. 
 
 This is ample assurance of a life of intelligence 
 and of affection beyond the grave, the thought 
 of which is as far beyond the hope or the despair 
 of the Buddha as the east is far from the west or 
 as the night is from the day. 
 
 The Christian thus acquires an enlightenment, 
 an equipoise, a calm, and an entrance into a Nir- 
 vana (if one may be allowed to use that term to 
 express the life of the Christian saint with his 
 Saviour after the mortal has put on immortality) 
 which is beyond all compare superior to the enlight- 
 enment, the equipoise, the idealess calm, and the 
 Nirvana of the Buddhists. 
 
 The following lines will express the convictions 
 of the Christian believer concerning Jesus and 
 by inference his opinion of the vital difference 
 that exists between Jesus and Buddha. While 
 every line is eminently appropriate when applied 
 to Jesus, not a single one is appropriate or appli- 
 cable to Buddha, no matter how devout or devoted, 
 compassionate or noble, he may have been. 
 
 What Jesus is, Buddha is not. 
 
 Thou art the Way : to thee alone 
 
 From sin and death we flee : 
 And he who would the Father seek 
 
 Must seek him, Lord, by thee. 
 
Nirvana. 309 
 
 Thou art the Truth ; thy Word alone 
 
 True wisdom can impart : 
 Thou only canst inform the mind 
 
 And purify the heart. 
 
 Thou art the Life ; the rending tomb 
 
 Proclaims thy conquering arm, 
 And those who put their trust in thee 
 
 Nor death nor hell shall harm. 
 
 Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life ; 
 
 Grant us that Way to know, 
 That Truth to keep, that Life to win, 
 
 Whose joys eternal flow. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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