THE
HERITAGE OF INDIA
Joint
Editors.
The Eight Keverend V. S. Azariah,
Bishop of Dornakal.
J. N. Farquhar, M.A.
Subjects proposed and volumes under
preparation.
SANSKRIT AND PALI LITERATURE.
Hymns from the Vedas. Prof. A. A. Macdonell,
Oxford.
Anthology of Mahayana Literature. Prof. L. de la
Vallee Poussin, Ghent.
Selections from the Upanishads.
Scenes from the Rdmdyana.
Selections from the Mahdbkarata.
THE PHILOSOPHIES.
The Sankhya System. Prof. A. Berriedale Keith,
Edinburgh.
The Philosophy of the Upanishads.
Sankara's Vedanta. N. C. Mukerji, M. A., Allahabad.
Ramanuja's Vedanta.
The Buddhist System.
FINE ART AND MUSIC.
Indian Painting. Principal Percy Brown, Calcutta.
Indian Architecture. R. L. Ewing, B.A., Madras.
Indian Sculpture. Principal W. M. Zumbro, Madura.
The Minor Arts. Principal Percy Brown, Calcutta.
Indian Coins.
A
BIOGRAPHIES OF EMINENT INDIANS.
Gautama Buddha. K. J. Saunders, M.A., Rangoon.
Asoka. J. M. Macphail, M.A., M.D., Bamdah.
&ankara.
Ramanuja.
Akbar. D. E. Evans, B.A., Mirzapore.
Tulsi Das. S. K. Dutta, B.A., M.B., Ch.B., Lahore.
VERNACULAR LITERATURE.
The Kurral. H. A. Popley, B.A., Erode.
Hymns of the Adiyars. G. E. Phillips, M.A., and
Francis Kingsbury, Bangalore.
Hymns of the Alvars.
Manikka Vachakar.
Tayumanavar. Isaac Tambyah, M.A., Bar.-at-Law,
Penang.
Hymns of Hindustan.
Chaitanya Hymns.
Marathi Abhangs.
Gujaratl Hymns.
Sinhalese Literature. H. S. Perera, B.A., Kandy.
HISTORIES OF VERNACULAR LITERATURE.
Bengali. C. S. Paterson, M.A., Calcutta.
Gujaratl.
Hindi. Edwin Greaves, Benares.
Kanarese. E. P. Rice, B.A., Bangalore.
Marathi.
Tamil.
Telugu.
EDITORIAL PREFACE
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honourable, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, what-
soever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of
good report ; if there be any virtue, and if there
be any praise, think on these things.
No section of the population of India can afford
to neglect her ancient heritage. In her literature,
philosophy, art, and regulated life there is much
that is worthless, much also that is distinctly un-
healthy ; yet the treasures of knowledge, wisdom,
and beauty which they contain are too precious to
be lost. Every citizen of India needs to use them,
if he is to be a cultured modern Indian. This is as
true of the Christian, the Muslim, the Zoroastrian
as of the Hindu. But, while the heritage of India
has been largely explored by scholars, and the
results of their toil are laid out for us in their
books, they cannot be said to be really available
for the ordinary man. The volumes are in most
cases expensive, and are often technical and
difficult. Hence this series of cheap books has
A2
EDITORIAL PREFACE
been planned by a group of Christian men, in
order that every educated Indian, whether rich
or poor, may be able to find his way into the
treasures of India's past. Many Europeans, both
in India and elsewhere, will doubtless be glad to
use the series.
The utmost care is being taken by the General
Editors in selecting writers, and in passing manu-
scripts for the press. To every book two tests are
rigidly applied : everything must be scholarly, and
everything must be sympathetic. The purpose
is to bring the best out of the ancient treasuries,
so that it may be known, enjoyed, and used.
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Frontispiece
THE HERITAGE OF INDIA
THE
HEART OF BUDDHISM
BEING
AN ANTHOLOGY OF BUDDHIST VERSE
TRANSLATED AND EDITED BY
K. J. SAUNDERS, M.A.
LITERARY SECRETARY OF THE Y.M.C.A. OF INDIA
BURMA AND CEYLON
EDITOR AND JOINT-TRANSLATOR OF THE ' DHAMMAPADA
IN THE ' WISDOM OF THE EAST ' SERIES
I6>?3H
H . a . a
HUMPHREY MILFORD
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
LONDON, NEW YORK, TORONTO, MELBOURNE
BOMBAY AND MADRAS
THE ASSOCIATION PRESS
86 COLLEGE STREET, CALCUTTA
1915
PRINTED IN ENGLAND
AT THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
DEDICATED
TO
A.
C.
H.
H.
w.
S.
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION
7
VERSE SELECTIONS :
I.
The Teacher a Farmer
19
II.
Vanitas, Omnia Vanitas
21
III.
Disillusion ....
. 21
IV.
The Misery of Life
22
V.
Karma .....
22
VI.
Karma .....
23
VII.
Four Sorrowful Things : A Riddle am
1
an Answer
24
VIII.
Another Riddle and its Answer .
24
IX.
The Song of Great Blessing
25
X.
The True Recluses
XI.
The Abode of Peace .
31
XII.
Meditation ....
33
XIII.
Heroic Measures
34
XIV.
Holding the Mirror up to Nature .
34
XV.
A Converted Worldling
35
XVI.
Noblesse Oblige
35
XVII.
A Hero of the Solitary Way
35
XVIII.
All is Fleeting ....
36
XIX.
A Memento Mori
36
XX.
The Body ....
37
XXI.
' The View depends upon the Point o
f
View ' . . . .
37
XXII.
The Hog
38
XXIII.
Perseverance : (1) Crede experto
39
(2) Hope for the Climbe
r 39
XXIV.
The Victory of the Stoic
40
6
CONTENTS
XXV.
The Kingdom of the Mind .
XXVI.
The Undaunted Heart
XXVII.
' A Contented Mind is a Blessing Kind '
XXVIII.
The Strenuous Life of Meditation
XXIX.
A Buddhist S. Anthony
XXX.
Married Love is Lust
XXXI.
A New Man
XXXII.
A New Woman
XXXIII.
Unsafe Confidants
XXXIV.
A Father Greets his Son
XXXV.
A Son Greets his Mother .
XXXVI.
Compassion
XXXVII.
XXXVIII.
Compassion to Animals : A
against Snakes .
The Spirits of the Departed
Charm
XXXIX.
The True Brahman .
XL.
Labels, False and True
XLI.
The False and the True
XLII.
The Song of Victory and Blessing
XLIII.
Proofs of the Buddha's Existence
PROSE SELECTIONS :
XLIV.
The Ogress Kali
XLV.
Prince Wessantara
XLVI.
A Buddhist Solomon .
XLVII.
The Cruel Crane Outwitted
XLVIII.
True Love
XLIX.
Wrong Love
L.
The Problem of Suffering
LI.
The Power of the Norm
LII.
Do the Dead Meet Again ?
LIII.
The Layman's Part .
INTRODUCTION
Buddhism as a separate religion has almost
ceased to exist in India ; yet it is part, and a vital
part, of India's great heritage.
It has left its mark upon her great buildings,
and not less upon her national consciousness.
Not only did it absorb and crystallize much from
the Hinduism out of which it sprang, and express
much of Hindu aspirations and ideals, but it has in
turn been reabsorbed into that amazing creed and
has given of its life and spirit to it.
Especially is this true of the ethical teaching of
Gautama Buddha. This is a heritage for which
India can hardly be too grateful ; for it has been her
greatest weakness that she has never risen to the
conception of a Righteous God, and so has missed
the moral fibre which that conception alone can
impart. And whilst Gautama himself failed of
this sublime achievement, and therefore failed to
hold her allegiance, yet he taught of a Force
1 which makes for righteousness ', and his own
example of pure and loving manhood has been
a mighty power for good.
Had India been able to seize the best in Buddh-
ism, and to blend it with her mystic intuition
of the reality and the nearness of God, how different
her story would have been ! And to-day when the
Christ, purer, more loving, more majestic and
mighty to save, is beginning in strange and in-
calculable ways to dominate her sub-consciousness,
8 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
and to dictate the programme of her social re-
forms, it is being seen that Gautama, agnostic
though he was, was yet a forerunner, and is still
a prophetic voice of whom she has much to learn.
' Give me the strength ', she cries, ' lightly to bear my joys
and sorrows.
Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service.
Give me the strength never to disown the poor, or bend
my knees before insolent might.' x
Such strength is truly a ' gift ', and it is not
Gautama's to give ; but sage advice, and winning
example, and the incentive of a lofty ideal in
which barriers of caste are broken down and men
live peaceably together, — these are not valueless.
To the Eastern reader, therefore, I offer this
little anthology, believing that it has its own place
in the Heritage of India Series. And I trust that
it may also find acceptance in the West, and may
contribute something to the study of a religion
which is exercising many minds, and is so often
misunderstood alike by friend and foe.
The Western student of Buddhism is almost
inevitably fascinated by what H. C. Warren has
called ' the strangeness of the intellectual land-
scape ' ; yet he is not seldom bewildered and even
alienated by the mass of its literature and by its
numberless repetitions. Slowly the conviction
dawns on him that he is in a kind of maze, that he
has passed the same way many times, and is not,
at the end of his wanderings, greatly advanced
towards the heart of the religion.
That Buddhism, in spite of its critics, is a religion,
1 From Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali, which more
than any other book expresses the loftiest aspirations of
the soul of modern India.
INTRODUCTION 9
and that it has a heart, will be abundantly clear to
the candid student ; in fact, it may, in a sense, be
said to wear its heart upon its sleeve ! Certainly
there is nothing esoteric, nothing of the closed
hand in it, as so many writers of theosophic
tendency would have us believe ; and the Buddha
himself protested that his message was a simple
one :
' Even as the Ocean has everywhere but one taste —
that of salt — so my doctrine has everywhere but one
essence — that of deliverance.'
' One thing only do I teach : sorrow and the uprooting
of sorrow.'
How wistfully have the hearts of his countrymen
turned to these ideals ; * and how significant it is
that he threw open the way of salvation to all.2
The heart of his religion may therefore be said to
consist of a few great tenets of a practical kind
which bear directly upon this ' one thing ' : the
transiency of phenomena, which explains the
sorrowfulness of things ; the law of cause and
effect, which brings home to the individual the
reason for his own pain, and provides a solution of
the problem of suffering ; and, closely linked with
this, the doctrine of transmigration in its Buddh-
istic guise, which amplifies this explanation and
finds in expiation a meaning for the world.3 So
far Buddhism is inevitably metaphysical, though
it rejects all speculation as to origins ; and if it
stopped here it would indeed deserve the charge of
radical pessimism so often hurled at it. But its
second step — ' the uprooting of sorrow ' — carries
1 Cf. Nos. Ill, IV, XIV, XV, &c.
8 Cf. Nos. XXXIX, XL.
3 Cf. Nos. II-VII.
10 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
it out into the sphere of ethics, and here it strikes
a note of sturdy optimism.
What is the cause of all the sorrow and pain of
things ? Does it lie outside man's control ? No ;
the root of all evil lies in Tanhd, the will to be and to
have ; if we can but rid ourselves of this we shall
be free indeed ; and the way of freedom is the
way of Buddhist righteousness.1
Broadly speaking, we may say there are two
royal roads to emancipation — self-culture and
altruism, or more exactly meditation and benevolence
— and they lead to the attainment of that which
amidst the flux and unreality of things is alone
real and permanent.2
Such are the cardinal tenets of early Buddhism,
and they have laid a strong hold upon the imagi-
nation and reason of Buddhists of every School,
though often disfigured by modern accretions and
primitive superstitions. Thus, widely as they
differ in other respects, the Buddhism of Ceylon
and Burma and the Buddhism of China, Japan,
and Tibet are one in these fundamentals.
For the whole structure of Buddhism is reared
upon that intuition of Gautama, which is known
as his Enlightenment, and which he epitomized
and gave to the world as the Four Aryan, or Noble,
Truths ; and being primarily a moral teacher he
expounded very fully the ethical way of salvation.
Just as Jesus in the Beatitudes showed men the
conditions of entering the Kingdom of the Happy
Life, analysing for them His own deep religious
experience, so Gautama in his Eightfold Way sum-
1 Cf. Nos. I, VII, VIII, IX, &c.
2 Cf. Nos. XII, XIII, XXVIII, and XXXVI, XXXVII,
XLV, &c.
INTRODUCTION 11
marized his own experience in the long pursuit of
happiness and peace. Both religions are to be
regarded in one aspect as Paths to Happiness.1
Now the ethical as well as the metaphysical
ideas of Buddhism may be found duly analysed
and tabulated in scholastic lists and prosy dia-
logues, but they are far more attractively and not
less accurately expressed in gathas, or snatches of
verse, scattered here and there through the sacred
writings, or collected into such anthologies as the
Dhammapada, Sutta Nipata and Theratheri-gathd,
and these represent probably the most primitive
strands of Buddhist lore.
In the conviction that the heart of a religion is
best seen in its hymns, where there is more of
spontaneity and usually less of dogma, I have
translated some typical and popular Buddhist
poems, and have ventured to call the collection
' The Heart of Buddhism ' ; for I believe that by
careful study of these verses, the student will catch
more of the spirit of Buddhism, and, what is more
important, enter far more deeply into the feelings
of Buddhists, than by much wading through the
prose books.
Is it not true that we get nearer to the spirit
of Christ and to the heart of Christian experience
in such hymns as Newman's ' Lead, Kindly Light ',
and Matheson's ' 0 Love, that wilt not let me go ',
and in poems like Francis Thompson's ' Hound of
Heaven', than in most volumes of theology or even
of sermons ? And in the songs and ejaculations of
the Buddhist Elders we find the expression of a
true and deep experience, from which we may learn
1 Cf Nos. VIII, IX, &c.
12 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
much of the strange blending of joy and stoicism *
and of benevolence and self-culture 2 which charac-
terized Buddhism in its Golden Age.
Mrs. Rhys Davids, to whom the Buddhist
world owes so much, has expressed in her admirable
edition of the Therl-gaiha a doubt whether ' even
the pious Buddhist believes that these verses
contain the iysissima verba of those members of
the Order to whom they are ascribed, or that
these notable adherents conversed in Pali Slokas'.
Yet this is what almost all Buddhists do believe !
In Ceylon I have lain awake at night listening to
the driver of the bullock-wagon and his mate
conversing in impromptu stanzas ; and in the
East, where memory is wonderfully retentive, it is
not incredible that tradition should descend in
this way. But whether the gathas were quite
spontaneous or not, we can feel that they are the
naive utterance in many cases of a real and true
experience, and we can gather something of the
magnetism and power of the personality who called
forth such enthusiasm.
It is essential in studying Buddhism to get a true
and sympathetic mental picture of the great
Teacher himself . This is not easy ; for many of the
dialogues are scholastic inventions,stiff and wooden ;
and most of the statues are purely conventional.
But the parable translated below, under the title
' The Teacher a Farmer ',3 gives us a very winsome
and withal humorous portrait, and I have seen at
any rate one statuette in which the sculptor
seemed to have caught something of its spirit.
I had wandered into one of the picturesque
1 Cf. Nos. XVII, XXIV, XXV, XXVII, XXXI, &c.
a Cf. Nos. XII, XXXVI, XLI, &c. 3 No. I.
INTRODUCTION 13
viharas of Ceylon with clean-swept courtyard and
gleaming white ddgoba and venerable Bo-tree, all
set in a bowery wilderness of palms and ferns and
scented shrubs — an ' abode of peace ' such as that
described in No. XI. Here in this lovely casket
were enshrined the usual massive images of the
Buddha with his attendant disciples Moggallana
and Sariputta, vast seated figures in deep meditation
with eyes closed, or standing colossi, with eyes
staring and inexpressive. Before them were
placed countless smaller images in brass or silver,
pathetic offerings of pilgrims ; and not one of
them departed from the conventional pattern, or
showed any expression other than that of repose.
As we came out, glad to escape from the stupefying
atmosphere of the shrine, heavy with the scent of
jasmine and ' temple-flowers ' and camphor, we
were greeted by a very old bhikkhu,1 who asked us
if we could do anything for his eyes, which were
swollen and inflamed. We returned in a little
while and treated them for him. Meanwhile he
had been bringing out his treasures to show us,
and a group of villagers and temple-boys and
younger bhikkhus had gathered round. With
trembling eager fingers, the old man unwrapped
layer after layer of cloth and silk and showed us
the most perfect image of the Buddha I have seen.
It was about two feet high, of very old ivory, and
carved, he told us, in the fifteenth century as
a royal gift from the King of Ceylon to the King
of Siam. The pose was the conventional one of
the Buddha as Teacher : standing with hand held
up, the thumb and forefinger together, as though
he were expounding some nice point of doctrine.
1 Buddhist monk.
14 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
But it was the face which at once riveted attention ;
it was so kindly and so humorous, a smile playing
about the corners of the mouth and an expression
in the eyes such as Socrates must have worn as he
quizzed his adolescent disciples.
Such was Sakyamuni, who loved to call himself
a physician of the soul, and whose greatest joy was
to open the eyes of men blinded with passion, or to
stab the soul of the sluggard awake. The Four
Noble Truths are, in fact, as Kern has pointed out,
an adaptation of current Indian medical lore to the
needs of the soul, and it was thus that the Teacher
conceived his work. But gradually, within two or
three centuries, myth and legend surrounded his
story, and his humanity was hid under a heavy
superstructure of miracle. Such is the Buddha as
the modern unsophisticated Buddhist loves to
think of him — an omniscient victor and, in a sense,
a Saviour able to impart his merit to others.1
And Northern Buddhism was only carrying this
line of development further when it deified him,
developing the doctrine of justifying faith in
Amida, and making the Highest Bliss consist in
entrance into his Paradise. But Southern Buddh-
ism has on the whole continued to think of him
as Teacher and has treasured summaries of his
teachings. Familiar examples are the Maha-
mangala Sutta 2 and the Vyaggapajja Sutta,3
which are known to almost all cultured Buddhists
and give in concise and attractive form the whole
duty of the layman.
The doctrines of Karma and of Transmigration
have become deeply embedded in the Buddhist
1 Cf. No. XLII. ■ No. IX. 3 No LIII.
INTRODUCTION 15
consciousness, of which indeed they form the very
warp and woof. No one who has not lived in
India can realize how great and subtle is the hold
which these doctrines have laid upon the imagination
and reason of even the simple villager. And here
it is well to note that whilst Gautama strove to
refine upon the Brahminical doctrine of Trans-
migration and to substitute, for a transmigrating
soul, passing, as in the Upanishads, like a cater-
pillar from leaf to leaf, a stream of energy clothing
itself in body after body, yet modern Buddhists for
the most part revert to the older philosophy ; and
I have therefore not included any passages which
deal with the differences between the two doctrines;
they may be best studied in that very attractive
work the Milinda Panha, or ' Questions of King
Menander '. I have also omitted passages dealing
with the nature of Nirvana, for it is possible to
support any of the current theories concerning it
from the Sacred Books, and Buddhists for the most
part are not troubling themselves about it, but
look forward rather to rebirth in a heaven or upon
earth under favourable conditions.
There are certain other controverted subjects,
however, which are of more practical import and
which are always recurring, and I hope some light
will be found upon them in these pages. The so-
called ' pessimism ' of the Buddha may, for in-
stance, be studied by setting side by side Nos.
XIX and XX, in which a pessimistic attitude to-
wards the Body is revealed, with Nos. XXIV and
XXV, which show a sturdy optimism towards the
Mind of man. Again, the still vexed question of
the place of love in Buddhism may be studied by
contrasting No. XXXVI, which inculcates bene-
16 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
volence to all, with Nos. XL VIII and XLIX, which
teach attachment to none. And some material
for an estimate of the Buddha's attitude to women,
another controversial question, may be gathered
from Nos. XXX, XXXII and XXXIII.
The stories included are rather specimens than
an adequate selection; they are included as
throwing further light upon the topics of the
poems ; and all are popular with modern Buddh-
ists. A knowledge of them as of the poems is
of great importance to the Missionary and the
Civil Servant, and indeed to any one whose lot
is cast in Buddhist lands and who is not too insular
to desire the friendship of the people of these
lands.
Every student of the subject will probably have
his own idea of what should and what should not
be included in a collection making so bold a claim :
some may, for instance, object to the supernatural
element, which is rather largely represented ; to
the presence of stories of ogresses, or of charms for
snakes, or of the plea for departed spirits. My
own feeling is that I have not included enough of
such matter, for it undoubtedly plays a very signi-
ficant part in the Buddhism of to-day : the ' Pirit '
ceremonies are very common both in Ceylon and
Burma1 ; and the poems used on these occasions are
very well known. Others may object that too large
a place is given to the Sangha, or celibate Order
of Monks, and to the importance of gifts made to
them ; but though the ' yellow-robed brethren '
are too often corrupt, they wield an enormous
power, and modern Buddhism is in a large measure
1 Cf . No. XLII, iv, note.
INTRODUCTION 17
a doctrine of merit obtained by gifts to the bhiJcJchus.
For millions of modern Buddhists, Buddhism is
almost equivalent to this doctrine of merit so
obtained, a doctrine which is killing its very soul.
I do not expect to escape criticism, but I humbly
offer these renderings as an honest attempt to
reproduce the spirit of the originals, and they are
for the most part literal translations.
I have to express my gratitude to my friends
Pundit W. D. C. Wagiswara, of the Government
Training School, Colombo, and Samana Punna-
nanda, of Calcutta University, for help in locating
certain passages and in translating certain others.
Mr. Wagiswara and I translated the Thera-gatha
together some two years ago from a palm-leaf
manuscript belonging to one of the Kandy temples ;
and it has been a pleasant recreation which has
helped to while away the tedium of a sea-voyage
and a convalescence to put our rendering of them
and some other translations into verse,
To the Rev. G. K. A. Bell I owe some valuable
suggestions.
I must express my thanks also to Mr. D. J.
Subasinha of Ceylon for permission to include two
of his translations (Nos. XLIX and LIII), and to
Prof. Charles Duroiselle of the Burma Archaeo-
logical Survey and to Prof. Rhys Davids for similar
permission to reprint Nos. XLIV and XLVII
respectively.
Lastly, I am glad to thank my Mother, who
transcribed the whole text for me, when I was too
ill or too lazy to do it myself. She tells me she
has learnt to honour the memory of the Buddha,
and if others are led to do so by this little book
I shall be glad. Still more do I hope that it will
SAUNDEBS J5
18 THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM
prove useful to those who are striving to lead the
followers of the great dead Teacher to Him who is
Life indeed, and who blends in His Sacred Person
the Righteousness of Gautama's ideal with the
Mystic Passion of the heart of India.
Rangoon, December 5, 1913.
THE TEACHER A FARMER
(Sutta Nipata, Uravagga.)
Thus have I heard :
The Blessed One was dwelling in Magadha at
Dukkhinagiri in the Brahman village Ekanala,
where the Brahman Kasibhavadraga had five
hundred ploughs at work ; for it was the time of
ploughing. One morning the Blessed One, taking
robe and bowl, came to the field where they were
working. Now it was the time for breaking the
fast, and he, awaiting his turn, stood on one side.
The Brahman saw him standing there, and thus
accosted him : ' I, 0 recluse, plough and sow, and
then only do I eat. So should'st thou, 0 recluse,
plough and sow and thereafter eat ! '
' I also, 0 Brahman, plough and sow,' said he,
1 nor do I eat till I have ploughed and sown.'
* Nay, but I see no yoke nor plough, no plough-
share nor goad, no beasts of burden belonging to
the Keverend Gautama.'
Then up spake the Blessed One again :
1 1 also, 0 Brahman, plough and sow, and having
ploughed and sown, I eat.'
To whom the Brahman made answer in these
verses :
' 0 Gautama, if farmer thou
As thou so brazenly declarest,
Where are thine oxen and thy plough ?
Come, idle braggart, show us how
The field for harvest thou preparest ! '
B2
20 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
To him the Blessed One made answer :
' A Farmer I, good sir, indeed.
Right Views my very fruitful seed ;
The rain that waters it is Discipline.
Wisdom herself my yoke and plough.
(Brahman, do'st take my meaning, now ?)
The pole is maiden Modesty,
And Mindfulness the axle-tree ;
Alertness is my goad and ploughshare keen !
Guarded in thought and act and speech
With Truthfulness I weed the ground ;
In gentle Kindliness is found
The Way of Salvation I preach.
My ox is Endeavour,
Which beareth me ever,
Where Grief cometh never,
To Nirvana, the Goal I shall reach.
Such, good Brahman, is my farming,
And it bears ambrosial crops :
Whoso follows out my Teaching
Straight for him all sorrow stops.'
Then the Brahman Kasibhavadraga poured rice-
milk into a golden bowl and offered it to the Blessed
One, saying :
' A Farmer thou in very sooth,
Ambrosial is thy crop of Truth !
Drink the rice -milk, sir, I pray thee ;
Gladly do I now obey thee ! '
The story goes on to relate that the Buddha took
the rice-milk, and pouring it into water, caused it
to hiss and splutter. On seeing this marvel the
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 21
Brahman was fully converted and admitted to the
Sangha, afterwards becoming an Arahat.
Note
The same story occurs also in Samyutta Nikaya, VII. 2. 1.
II
VANITAS, OMNIA VANITAS
(Visuddhi Magga XVII.)
All ye who live in sensual joy
And take delight in carnal lust,
Shall feel, when sensuous pleasures cloy
Grief's smarting, piercing arrow-thrust.
Ill
DISILLUSION
(Theragatha, 72.)
Sickness and palsied tottering Eld,
Yea, Death itself these eyes beheld !
From such dread sights to free my mind
I left what most I loved behind.
Note
The experience of this bhikkhu seems to have followed
that of the Buddha himself, who, obsessed with the sight
of a leper, an old man and a corpse, left all to find a way
of escape from suffering.
22 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
IV
THE MISERY OF LIFE
(From the Introduction to the Jataka Book.)
As some poor sufferer in prison pent
From year to weary year is racked by pain,
Longs for release and cannot find content,
But ever pines and chafes against his chain
So do thou see in each succeeding birth
A prison full of untold misery !
Seek to shake off all chains that bind to earth
And from existence evermore be free.
Note
Nos. XLV-XLVII are specimens of the 550 'Birth-
stories ' which comprise the Jataka Book.
KARMA
(Vasettha Sutta.)
Action the whole wide world is fashioning,
By action man is ever being made :
'Tis action fetters every living thing,
As the whole chariot by its pole is swayed
Note
By acting, a man creates fresh Karma, the effects of
which must work themselves out. Thus the course of the
world and the lives and destinies of individuals are being
from moment to moment determined. The almost in-
evitable deduction from this teaching is that inaction
offers a way of freedom from these fetters, and Eastern
monachism tends always to this solution.
The doctrine is well summed up in the Milinda Pafiha
in words attributed to Gautama :
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 23
' Each being has his own action : each is heir to his own
action : each is the fruit of his own action's womb : each
is kinsman of his own action, and each has his own action
as over-lord and protector. It is their own actions that
divide men up, allotting them to high or low estate.'
The Sage Nagasena quotes the above as throwing light
upon the inequality of human destinies.
VI
KARMA
(Anguttara Nikaya III. 33.1)
The harvest of thy former birth
Must now be reaped upon this Earth
For be they many, be they few,
(0 Monks, the Law is known to you
Deeds done in envy or in hate,
Deeds of the fool infatuate,
Must bear their fitting punishment,
Till Karma's energy be spent
For lustful thought and angry word
No entry to thy life afford,
But recognize thy proper doom
And yield just retribution room :
Who seeketh wisdom flings the gate
Wide open to his fitting fate !
Note
To see things as they are, and to accept the inevitable
with a stoic fortitude — this is true wisdom according to
the Buddha.
24 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
VII
FOUR SORROWFUL THINGS : A RIDDLE AND
AN ANSWER
(Samyutta Nikaya l.6)
1 What bringeth human life to Earth ?
What still disdaineth to be bound ?
Who pass in woe from birth to birth ?
From what can no release be found ? '
' 'Tis Passion bringeth man to earth,
His mind disdaineth to be bound,
All sentient beings know rebirth,
From misery no escape is found ! '
VIII
ANOTHER RIDDLE AND ITS ANSWER
(Sutta Nipata l.10)
These are some of the questions put to Gautama by the
demon Alavaka, who threatened if he could not answer
them to hurl him into the Ganges. (See below, No. XLII.)
The demon speaks :
1 What is the best that men possess ?
What brings them truest happiness ?
What is the sweetest of the sweet ?
What is the life of lives most meet ? '
Gautama answers :
' Faith is the best that men possess,
The Law brings truest happiness,
Truth is the sweetest of the sweet,
The life of Insight is most meet ! '
THE HEAKT OF BUDDHISM 25
IX
THE SONG OF GREAT BLESSING
(Mahamangala Sutta : Sutta Nipata II.4)
This famous poem — an epitome of Buddhist ethics — is
known to almost all Buddhists of any culture ; and in
Burma every child, however humble, learns it, the Mingala
Thot being one of his first lessons. In Ceylon and other
Buddhist lands it is being increasingly taught.
In the stress it lays upon the so-called ' passive ' virtues,
humility, patience, reverence, purity, contentment, it
reminds us of the Sermon on the Mount. It may, in fact,
be regarded as a kind of Buddhist Beatitudes, depicting
the Happy Life as the Buddha conceived it.
In the original each couplet contains the words, ' This
is the greatest blessing, or happiness.'
Thus have I heard :
Once when the Blessed One was at Jetavana in
Anathapindika's Park, as night came on, a beau-
tiful deva (god) drew near, lighting up the whole
place with his presence. He greeted the Blessed
One, and then standing on one side, addressed him
in these verses :
1 What countless men and deities,
Desiring Bliss, have sought to find —
Come tell me, Master,* what it is
That brings most blessing to mankind.'
* This is eloquent of the position of the gods in
Buddhism : they are still in the thrall of Karma, and
therefore inferior to the good Buddhist. Here the god
appears as a learner ; but see XLII, Jayamangala Gatha,
Stanza V, note.
26 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
To whom the sage made answer :
' To shun the fool, to court the wise,
This is the highest Paradise :
Pay ye respect where it is due,
So will true blessing wait on you :
Seek a fit place and there remain,
Striving self-knowledge to attain :
If in past lives you've stored up merit,
The fruits thereof you'll now inherit :
Let wisdom, skill, and discipline,
And gracious kindly words be thine :
Tend parents, cherish wife and child,
Pursue a blameless life and mild :
Live thou devout, give ample alms,
Protect thy kin from life's alarms.
Do good, shun ill, and still beware
Of the red wine's insidious snare :
So do thou persevere in good :
This is the true Beatitude :
Be humble, with thy lot content,
Grateful and ever reverent :
Study the Law of Righteousness,
This is the path that leads to Bliss
Be patient thou, the Saints frequent
And ponder still their argument :
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 27
The Noble Truths, the life austere
And chaste that brings Nirvana here : 1
The life from eightfold bond secure,2
The life of peace that crowns the pure :
This is the Highest Bliss to find,
This the chief blessing of mankind.
Notes
1 Nirvana in this world is the calm and serene state of
mind of the Arahat, wholly detached from the things of
time and space.
* From eightfold bond. The eight attachments are :
Sorrow and joy, fame and contumely, wealth and poverty,
gain and loss. If a man is moved by none of these things,
he is a happy man.
Another very popular summary of Buddhist ethics is
found in the Dhammapada 183 :
Eschew all sin ;
Good deeds begin ;
Cleanse every thought ;
Thus Buddhas taught.
28 THE HEAKT OF BUDDHISM
X
THE TRUE RECLUSES : A DIALOGUE
(Therlgatha, 271-90.)
This is perhaps the most artistic of the charming Psalms
of the Sisters, inasmuch as it contains something of dramatic
development and a good deal of quiet humour. RohinI
gives the purest motives for her love of the yellow-robed
brotherhood : the worldly-minded householder adds the
motive of self-interest ; and she quietly brings him back
to the realities — this time with good effect !
As a contemporary picture of the early Sangha, this
poem is of unique interest.
• " See, Father, see the holy men," thou criest,
Awaking me from sleep, 0 KohinI :
And ever art thou praising the recluses !
Say, daughter, would'st thou join their company ?
Forever dost thou feed them on my substance :
Say why are these recluses dear to thee ?
A lazy crew of idle good-for-nothings,
Who batten on the food of honest men !
Cadgers they are, and fond of dainty feeding ;
Why dost thou love them, daughter, tell me then ? '
' Full many a time, 0 Father, hast thou asked me !
Come now I'll tell thee of their lofty work ;
For workers truly are they of the noblest ;
Battle with hate and lust they do not shirk.
Must I not love them ? For their work is holy,
Holy in inward thought and word and deed,
As pearl or ocean-shell so pure and lustrous,
Untainted they by hatred, sloth, or greed.
THE HEAKT OF BUDDHISM 29
Versed in the Righteous Law they are, and skilful :
Aye, and they practise too the law they preach ;
Learned and self-possessed and ever watchful,
Living in all things as the Sages teach.
Must I not love them ? Far afield they wander,
Wise and so lowly-minded and discreet ;
Knowing the end of every ill and sorrow —
See, Father, how they pace the village street !
Downcast their eyes ; their paces measured, sober,
They meditate, nor look to left or right :
They lay not up on earth the fleeting treasure ;
Finished their quest, their lofty goal in sight !
Poor are they too, yet touch not gold nor silver ;
Each day supplies for them their simple -needs ;
From many lands and towns they join the Order,
Bound in the sacred tie of loving deeds.'
' Lucky the day when thou wast born, 0 maiden !
Firm-founded is thy faith in Jewels Three.
These are the harvest-fields, as well thou knowest,
Where there is very fruitful husbandry.
I too will serve the worthy true recluses ;
Such service is repaid most bounteously ! '
' Father, if any evil apprehending
Thou would'st be wholly rid of evil's snare,
Go get thee to the Master and take refuge,
Straight to the Holy Norm do thou repair ;
Aye, and whate'er the noble Bhikkhus bid thee
That do : for truest happiness lies there.'
30 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
' Lo, now I'll hie me straightway to the Buddha,
His holy teaching from the Bhikkhus I'll obtain :
So shall I too observe the noble precepts
And the best bliss on earth I'll surely gain.'
(Later.)
1 Erst was I but by noble birth a Brahman,
This day am I a Brahman made in sooth,
Attaining to the threefold Vedic Knowledge,
Bathed in the cleansing waters of the Truth.' *
Note
1 The reference is to cleansing ablutions performed by
the Brahman student before leaving his teacher's house,
after acquiring knowledge of the Three Vedas.
The Buddha adapted the term tevijjo, and made it mean
' versed in the three attainments of the Arahat ' — know-
ledge of former births, the eye of insight, and the purging
out of all taints of impurity.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 31
XI
THE ABODE OF PEACE
(Chulla Vagga VI.1)
These stanzas are attributed to Gautama Buddha, and
give thanks for a gift of sixty monastic cells made by
a lay-adherent to the Sangha. Caves of this kind still
exist, notably at Nasik and Karli, looking out over wide
and peaceful vistas and forming ideal spots for meditation
and undisturbed quiet.
It is very moving to stand in one of these ancient
monasteries and to reflect that here for many centuries
the peaceful ' Sons of the Buddha ' led the ' strenuous life
of meditation ', centuries before that great tableland had
become the battlefield of the Marathas and the Moghuls.
Here cold and heat no sojourn make,
Here ravenous beasts no entry find,
Nor stinging fly, nor creeping snake,
Winter's cold rain nor summer's scorching wind.
Here is a place to concentrate
The thoughts, to dwell serene, apart,
Where men of insight meditate —
Such habitations charm the Sage's heart !
These are choice gifts : therefore ye wise,
Having your own best weal in mind,
Let sacred edifices rise
To lodge the holy Brethren of mankind
32 THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM
Raiment and fitting drink and food
And ample bedding now prepare !
These offer to the Brotherhood ;
Let them in turn the Righteous Law declare.
So shall your misery remove,
And ye be purged of every stain,
Goodness and Truth ye'll learn to love,
And loving shall the longed-for Goal attain !
Note
In this poem the following points in Buddhist ethics are
noteworthy :
1. The division of labour : The Sangha to meditate, the
laymen to provide. (Compare S. Paul, Romans
xv. 27, 1 Cor. ix. u.)
2. The Teacher appeals frankly to the motive of self -advance-
ment: Buddhist ethics are ultimately hedonistic.
3. There is much merit in giving gifts to the Sangha : The
India of A3oka was thickly sown with such ' sacred
edifices ', and Behar gets its name from the number
of ' Viharas ' it contained. In the Burma of to-day
pagodas form a distinctive part of the landscape, and
at Pagan there are said to be a thousand. Where we
say ' as many as the stars ' the Burman says ' as
many as the pagodas of Pagan '. It is I think, true
to say that Buddhism is tending more and more to
emphasize this doctrine of ' Merit ' and Christianity
to reject it.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 33
XII
MEDITATION
(Theragatha, 307.)
(Selected.)
White against the dark storm-cloud
Homeward fly the frightened cranes ;
The cave they seek is hid by rains ;
The toads awakened croak aloud :
Here where the streamlets rush in spate
Beneath dark trees I'll meditate.
(Ibid., 211.)
Big with rain is the stormy sky ;
The crested peacock calls his mate ;
The earth gleams fresh with greenery ;
A fitting time to meditate.
In Buddha's precepts be not slack !
Hard to travel is the track
That leads to Bliss : no turning back !
Note
These poems, like many in the ' Songs of the Brethren ',
show a strong appreciation of natural scenery as an aid
to the ' religious ' life.
34
THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM
XIII
HEROIC MEASURES
(Ibid., 193.)
Not for sleep is the star-spangled night
But for work and vigil, 0 Sage !
What if the elephant's rider unseated
Be mauled by the brute in his rage ? *
Better for me, than to live on defeated,
Is to die in the thick of the fight !
XIV
HOLDING THE MIRROR UP TO NATURE
(Ibid., 169.)
The barber came to dress my hair :
I took the mirror from his hand,
And in it all my body scanned :
And whilst I gazed, lo ! then and there
I knew the vileness of the flesh :
So broke I through the clinging mesh
Of Ignorance, and cast aside
The unclean garment of my pride.
Now stript of Vanity I go ;
No more shall I be born to woe !
* As the elephant is a dangerous but very useful mount,
so meditation, even though it prove too strenuous a
practice, is the way tojpeace.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 35
XV
A CONVERTED WORLDLING
(Ibid., 157.)
A worldling I who gave my mind to dress,
A thrall to pride and wanton wickedness,
Until I listened to the Sage,
And let his gracious words assuage
My craving thirst for sensuous happiness.
XVI
NOBLESSE OBLIGE
(Ibid., 173.)
As when a blood horse falls beneath the shafts
And, stung with shame, doth struggle to arise,
So think of me, a nobly-gendered son
Whom the great Teacher's insight maketh wise.
XVII
A HERO OF THE SOLITARY WAY
(Ibid., 95.)
Blind and alone my way I wend,
The desert sands before, behind :
Shunning the haunts of evil men,
Here let me die, alone and blind !
C 2
36 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
XVIII
ALL IS FLEETING
(Ibid., 145.)
Days and nights go speeding past ;
Life itself doth pass away ;
As the river rushing fast,
Men hasten by, and may not stay !
Though they would its sting ignore,
Fools the doom of sin endure :
Retribution cometh sure !
XIX
A MEMENTO MORI*
(Ibid., 151.)
See Kali trussed for burial, loathsome sight !
Clumsy and huge she lies, the crow-black trull :
Broken her limbs, and from her broken skull
The clotted brain like curd comes oozing white.
Such, such is mortal woman ! Ponder thou
The ghastly wreckage of mortality ;
For loving such men are reborn, I trow,
From misery to endless misery !
* My excuse for including this very horrible poem is
that this practice of gazing at dead bodies and skeletons
till disgust arises and detachment from the world follows,
is still in use in Buddhist lands. There are other Buddhist
poems much more offensive than this.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 37
XX
THE BODY
(Milinda Panha, 73.24)
This body is a nest of loathly sores ;
A dank and slippery skin doth wrap it round ;
And from a thousand thousand oozing pores
It sendeth out its stenches, like an open wound.
Note
1 Buddhism is the religion of analysis.'
The Buddha, whose central thought is that all is tran-
sient and fleeting, sought to stab men's minds awake by
many such a ' Memento Mori ' as the above. If they would
only analyse the body into its constituent parts and see it
as it is, they would cease to love it and to pamper it, and
desire would die out in them.
The following passage, which is not without a certain
grim humour, emphasizes the same point ; to the mind
which is truly detached ' beauty is but skin deep '.
XXI
' THE VIEW DEPENDS UPON THE POINT OF
VIEW
(A paraphrase. Visuddhi Magga, I.)
The Elder Mahatissa was meditating near Anu-
radhapura one early morning, when a beautiful
and richly-dressed woman passed him and laughed
back at him, seeking to captivate. Seeing her
flashing teeth, he was reminded that the body is
a set of bones, and impure.
38 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
The Elder saw her teeth agleam,
And straight disgust surged up within :
1 How foul this body, rightly seen !
So think, and ye to Truth shall win.'
Soon her husband in pursuit came up with the
Elder and asked, ' Did you, 0 reverend sir, see
a woman pass this way ? ' To whom he made
answer :
' Or man or woman passed me now,
Good sir, I cannot rightly say :
But this at least is sure, I trow,
A skeleton hath gone this way ! '
Note
A mediaeval Western carving in ivory, now in the
Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge, represents in front
a beautiful woman, behind a skull.
XXII
THE HOG
(Theragatha, 17.)
Like a hog to the trough
Goes the fool to the womb !
Everlasting rebirth
Is the sluggard's sure doom.
Note
The hog in Buddhism stands for sloth — one of its three
cardinal vices.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 39
XXIII
PERSEVERANCE
(Ibid., 246.)
1. Crede experto.
Once hadst thou Faith, now hast it not \
That is thy fault, not mine, 0 Son.
Frail is this wavering faith, I wot :
Men grasp, lose hold, and are undone !
But these old legs are strong and stout :
To beg my food I must set out :
A little there, a little here !
Thus do thou also persevere.
2. Hope for the Climber.
(Ibid., 62.)
He who falls may rise again :
Falling lose not heart of hope !
Up the steep and slippery slope
I too struggled to attain :
And, because I loved the good,
Swift I found Beatitude !
40 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
XXIV
THE VICTORY OF THE STOIC
(Ibid., 39.)
Disease assailed this mortal frame,
And straight my mind awoke :
1 Come, play the man ! ' within me spoke
A voice that to the rescue came.
Note
This little poem admirably contrasts the transient frail
tody with the eternal mind of man. Similarly the following
poem contrasts the body, in its dull commonplace sur-
roundings, with the ' far-wandering ' mind, which may
not be bound.
XXV
THE KINGDOM OF THE MIND
(Ibid., 14.)
Blest is the lesson my teacher has taught !
I live in the village, but ever in thought
I escape to the jungle : no fetters for me,
For wisdom hath set me most gloriously free !
XXVI
THE UNDAUNTED HEART
(Ibid., 189.)
Alone dwell I in dreadful cave,
The rain pours gurgling ceaselessly :
These things for me no terrors have ;
Heeding them not, my mind is free.
THE HEAKT OF BUDDHISM 41
XXVII
A CONTENTED MIND IS A BLESSING KIND
(Ibid., 207.)
Cold and dark is the winter's night ;
It chaps the skin ; it freezes thought !
Where shall the shivering bhikkhu lie ?
Into safe barns the harvest 's brought ;
The Magadhans rejoice ; and I
Rejoice with them : I'll sleep all right
In good warm straw this winter's night !
Note
The people of Magadha were fellow countrymen of
Gautama Buddha.
XXVIII
THE STRENUOUS LIFE OF MEDITATION
(Ibid., 231.)
1 Too cold for work, too hot, too late it is ! '
Men think and lose their opportunities.
But some of heat and cold make light
And work away in their despite :
Come seek we jungle-solitude
And cultivate the strenuous mood !
42 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
XXIX
A BUDDHIST S. ANTHONY
(Ibid., 267.)
Fkagrant with sandal-wood and garlanded,
A girl was dancing gaily in the street
With softest strains of flute accompanied.
I chanced upon my begging round to meet
The harlot, as she plied her shameful trade:
* 0 Snare by Mara set, licentious jade ' —
My gorge arose — my mind was free !
The Dharma's work behold in me,
Fruit of the Sage's husbandry !
Note
This poem provides an instructive contrast between
Christian and Buddhist ethics. An Egyptian hermit of
the Early Christian Church also met a dancing-girl plying
her shameful trade. He burst into tears, exclaiming,
' Alas ! that she should be at such pains to please men
in her sinful vocation : whilst we in our holy calling use
so little diligence to please God.'
The Buddhist saint is disgusted, but rejoices that he
himself is not tempted. The Christian saint weeps that
the children of this world are more zealous than the
children of light.
XXX
MARRIED LOVE IS LUST
(Ibid., 299.)
With handmaidens and jewels rare
Of womankind surpassing fair,
Our little boy upon her arm,
My wife came, seeking me.
THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM 43
But I, of evil lures aware,
Beheld in her a subtle snare,
Designed to do me deadly harm,
Disguised by Mara's treachery !
Such bonds have lost their hold on me,
They chain him not whose mind is free.
XXXI
A NEW MAN
(Ibid., 43.)
Happy I in freedom blithe !
Three crooked things I've laid aside :
The plough, the hoe, the heavy scythe :
There they lie : there let them bide !
The strenuous life of meditation free,
This is the life henceforth for me !
XXXII
A NEW WOMAN
(Therlgatha, 11.)
Happy freedom ! Liberated bride !
To bondage never to return !
Three crooked things are laid aside
My mortar, and my butter-churn ;
Aye, and my crooked hunchback lord :
Freedom from birth and death 's assured
U THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
XXXIII
UNSAFE CONFIDANTS
(Milinda Pafiha, IV.16)
Nine beings are unstable, fickle, mean :
The lustful, angry, easily beguiled,
The coward, too, and he who seeks for gain,
Women and eunuchs, the drunkard and the child :
For what is told to them in secrecy
The public comes to know immediately !
Note
This poem is chiefly of interest as helping us to realize
Gautama's view of women. That this low estimate of
women was really his seems clear from two other passages :
1. Anguttara Nikaya, IV.3 :
1 Why is it, Reverend One, that women never sit in
public assemblies, nor do business, nor go to far countries
on public affairs V
' Women, O Ananda, are irritable, and envious,
miserly and foolish. For these reasons they do not
sit in public assemblies, nor do business, nor go on
embassies.'
2. Chulla Vagga, X.16 :
' As when a blight of mildew falls on the ripe crop of
rice* O Ananda, that crop is doomed : so in whatever
religion and doctrine women are allowed to leave home
for the homeless state, that religion will come to a
speedy end.'
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 45
XXXIV
A FATHER GREETS HIS SON
FINDING HIM IN THE COMPANY OF THE BUDDHA
(Theragatha, 177.)
As lions roaring each to each in mountain cave,
So speak we, heroes who have wisely fought and
won,
Defeating Mara and his host of warriors brave :
Victorious father greeteth thus victorious son ;
1 Gladsome the sight to a father's old eyes,
Beholding his son in the ranks of the wise !
We have honoured the Teacher, respected the
Law,
And reverenced the Sangha. Rejoice evermore ! '
XXXV
A SON GREETS HIS MOTHER
WHO IS WEEPING BECAUSE HE HAS TAKEN THE
YELLOW ROBE
(Ibid., 44.)
A mother may mourn for her dear dead son,
Yea, she may mourn for her absent one :
But why lament, Lady Mother, for me
Whom here in the flesh thou now dost see !
46 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
XXXVI
COMPASSION
(Sutta Nipata, 148-9.)
As, recking nought of self, a mother's love
Enfolds and cherishes her only son,
So through the world let thy compassion move
And compass living creatures every one,
Soaring and sinking in unfettered liberty,
Free from ill-will, purged of all enmity !
Note
Buddhagho^a, the great commentator of the fourth cen-
tury a. d., commenting upon this passage, gives a beautiful
analysis of a mother's love for her son :
Her yearning over the infant is Metta, benevolence : her
longing for his recovery from sickness is Karuna, pity :
her joy at his growing powers is Mudita, sympathy : and
her attitude of detachment when he is married and has
a home of his own is Upekha, non-interference.
A very fair idea of what Buddhism means by love may
be gathered from this passage and from Nos. XL VIII and
XLIX.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 47
XXXVII
COMPASSION TO ANIMALS
A CHARM AGAINST SNAKES
This ' charm,' which reminds us of the Fairies' Song
in Midsummer Night's Dream, may well be a bit of pre-
Buddhistic folk-lore incorporated into the Buddhist books.*
It is related that a certain priest having been killed by
snake-bite, the Buddha taught that it must have been the
fault of the dead man for not exercising compassionate
thoughts towards ' our little brothers ' the snakes.
He then enjoined upon them the duty of cultivating
such thoughts, and taught them a song to sing for their
protection. It begins with a profession of love for the
four ' royal families ' of snakes and ends thus :
On things that crawl my love is shed,
On biped and on quadruped,
On those with many feet !
May crawling things do me no wrong,
May those that run on feet along
Do no offence to me !
All creatures that have life within,
And all our sentient kith and kin,
May ye from every hurt be free
And live beside us peacefully !
* Cf . the Atharva Veda.
Note
' Not killing ' is the chief, often the only topic, of
Buddhist preaching ; and frescoes on the Temple walls
warn Buddhists of the punishment that will follow in the
next world. It is usually regarded in Buddhist lands as
more heinous to kill a flea than to tell a lie.
48 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
XXXVIII
THE SPIRITS OF THE DEPARTED
(Tiro Khuddasuttam in Khuddaka Nikaya.)
The East will take more seriously than the West has
done the beautiful doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
In all Buddhist lands spirits play a vital part in the
religion of the people. In Tibet Buddhism is almost
entirely superseded by spirit-worship ; in Burma the
Nats are more thought of than the Buddhas ; and in Japan
and Ceylon any tree or deserted temple, any house or
garden, may have its guardian deity.
This is readily understood if we reflect that every good
man may become a god, and every bad man a demon ;
and the world is largely the stage upon which these spirit-
armies wage their warfare. Thus every family will have
its household god, who is some departed ancestor ; and
many a house has some snake or rat which is fed nightly —
very much as Puck and the goblins were fed in Shake-
speare's England by the unsophisticated. In many
Buddhist lands there are regular occasions for ' feeding '
the spirits of the departed.
According to a Japanese writer, the dead influence not
only men's thoughts and actions, but also the conditions
of nature : ' they direct the changes of the seasons, the
wind and the rain, the good and the bad fortunes of states
and of individual men.' And Gautama is recorded as
having taught, as he lay dying, that there was ' not a spot
for twelve leagues round of the size of the tip of a hair that
was not crowded with powerful spirits '.
Of ancestor- worship in Japan, Lafcadio Hearn writes :
' It is probably the most profound and powerful of the
emotions of the race — that which especially directs
national life and shapes national character. Patriotism
belongs to it. Filial piety depends upon it. Family love
is rooted in it. Loyalty is based upon it.'
To the dim margin of the world of men,
Or to the cross-roads hungry spirits come,
Or by the junction of the walls they stand
Or at the threshold of their ancient home
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 49
And though there 's ample food and drink set out,
None thinks of them in thrall of iron fate,
Save here and there, some kindlier mindful soul
Looks to his kinsfolk's weal, compassionate ;
' Let this my honoured kinsmen's need supply,
And this their longing spirit-hearts rejoice ' :
And they assent, and take the proffered food,
And bless him, uttering in a weak thin voice :
1 Long live our kinsman, by whose kindly act
We now enjoy this rich and bounteous meal ;
For we his kith and kin are honoured :
Now may this offering bring our kinsman weal.'
For there 's no farming in the spirit-world,
No tilth, nor herds, nor any merchandise :
Alms of the faithful are their only hope,
Their charity alone the under-world supplies.
For even as water droppeth from a crag,
And streams descending reach the far-off sea,
So do the gifts the faithful offer here
Pass to the spirit-world assuredly.
Then all their kindly deeds of former days,
The gifts they gave, the words of love they spoke,
Let us their kinsmen now recall to mind ;
They are our trusty friends, our own dear folk.
What boots for them your wailing and your tears ?
Mourning ye do but plough the desert sand !
But gifts made to the Sangha sure will bring
Rich harvests to the hungry wakeful spirit-band.
SAUNDERS J)
50 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
So doing shall ye purchase threefold merit,
Fulfilling duty to the needy dead ;
For by your offerings to the pious Bhikkhus
Both they and ye are richly profited.
Note
All roads lead to Rome ! So the Buddhist is led ty
many devious paths always back to this cardinal tenet
the supreme fruitfulness of offerings to the Sangha.
has become an obsession in modern Buddhism, and
sapping the vigour of Buddhist countries. There are
many as ten thousand Buddhist ' lamas ', or priests,
Lhassa, and one-third of the arable land of Ceylon belongs
to the monasteries. This teaching, which is still current
among the Brahmans, that gifts to them will benefit the
departed, seems to have passed over from Hinduism, in
common with much else, to the Buddhists ; and as young
India is rebellious against the tyranny of the Brahman, so
young Burma and Ceylon are beginning to see in the Sangha
a ' Yellow Peril ' ! But this reaction is found only amongst
the educated; the authority of Bhikkhus and Brahmans
is still almost undisputed by the great bulk of the people.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 51
XXXIX
THE TRUE BRAHMAN
(Dhammapada, 393—4.)*
Like other social reformers, Gautama set himself to
redefine current terms. Very much as S. Paul redefined
the term ' Jew ', he gave to the proud title Brahman
a new meaning, and showed that he is the true noble who
acts nobly.
Not matted hair nor heritage of birth
Can prove the Brahman ; nay, but sterling worth
And truthfulness and inward purity.
What boots your sackcloth and your tousled hair ?
On outward things, poor fools, ye lavish care !
Ye who are rotting, rotting, inwardly !
XL
LABELS, FALSE AND TRUE
(Vasala Sutta.)
Not by birth the Out caste label,
Not by birth the Brahman know !
By actions only are we able
To judge a man or high or low.
* I have introduced into this anthology very little from
the Dhammapada, because I have already published a
translation of it under the title The Buddha's Way of Virtue
in the * Wisdom of the East ' Series.
D 2
52 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
XLI
THE FALSE AND THE TRUE
(Ibid., 283.)
Borne on the flood of false austerity,
Full threescore years lived I, in misery !
Clothed me with dirt, and plucked out beard
hair,
Fed me with dung, and sitting did forswear ;
Refusing proffered hospitality,
I practised penances which lead to hell,*
Until I came beneath the Buddha's spell.
Behold the Dharma's glorious work in me ;
Behold the Threefold Lore hath set me free !
Note
* 'Penances which lead to helV Buddhism teaches that
from false asceticism arise pride, ignorance, and false
beliefs. It claims to be a Middle Path between the sensual
life on the one hand and the ascetic life on the other.
XLII
THE SONG OF VICTORY AND BLESSING
(Jaya-mangala Gat ha.)
This mediaeval poem, probably composed in Siam, is
very popular in Buddhist lands. It commemorates eight
' victories ', some purely legendary, some founded upon
fact, and is used as a kind of mantra or charm, the re-
petition of which is potent for good.
To the educated Buddhist, however, it is more in the
nature of a meditation upon the Teacher — a reminder of
his character and of his victorious example. From it we
may learn much of the ' perfections ' which make up the
Buddhist Ideal.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 53
By wondrous liberality
The Sage attained to victory,
Such was his chosen armoury !
Mara, by all his host attended,
With thousand flashing swords defended,
On his war-elephant so proudly seated,
In panoply of steel, the Sage defeated.
Be yours his glorious victory,
And yours its ample blessing be !
This stanza refers to the legendary attempts by Mara,
King of Death and Lord of Hell, to prevent Gautama the
Buddha eluding his realm by passing to Nirvana, from
the ' conditioned ' to the ' unconditioned ' state.
The story is told with much elaborate detail in the
Lalita Vistara, an early Sanskrit poem belonging probably
to the first century of our era. The fixing of the date of
this poem is most important, as many of the so-called
parallels between the Buddhist and the Christian stories
are drawn from this source. Professor Rhys Davids com-
pares the Lalita Vistara to the Paradise poems of Milton,
. e. it is not history so much as allegory and legend.
The story goes that Mara and the Sage had a wordy
duel as to the relative merit obtained by them : ' What
evidence is there, 0 Siddartha,' asked the Evil One, ' that,
you have given alms ? ' Whereupon the Sage called upon
the earth to bear him witness, and she replied with a roar
so terrible that even Mara's war-elephant, Mountain-
girdled, fell at the Sage's feet.
The Buddhist estimate of the relative worth of the Buddha
and the gods is brought out in the account of Mara's on-
slaught, which was so terrible that the gods in attendance
upon theBuddhafled in dismay, whilstthe Sage sat unmoved.
II
By patience and tranquillity
(Such was his chosen panoply)
The Sage achieved the victory.
Alavaka, the demon dread,
54 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
The livelong night he combated,
With heart of brass redoubtable
Fiercer than Mara, lord of hell !
Be yours his glorious victory,
And yours its ample blessing be !
The story goes that in the sixteenth year of Gautama's
Buddhahood, Alavaka, a demon who used to devour
children, appeared before his retreat, and thrice ordered
him to come out and go in again. He obeyed patiently
and calmly, and then at last refused, whereupon the demon
threatened that, if the Sage failed to answer some riddles
he would put to him, his head would be broken and his
body cast into the Ganges. (See No. VIII above. )
III
By compassion flowing free
He won the glorious victory
O'er elephant Nalagiri !
As the dreadful thunder crashing,
As the lurid lightning flashing,
As the jungle-fire encroaching,
He beheld the brute approaching.
Be yours his glorious victory,
And yours its ample blessing be !
This stanza commemorates the last of the murderous
attempts of Devadatta, the cousin and would-be supplanter
of the Buddha. In mad jealousy of Gautama he plotted
with Ajatasatru, who in turn was jealous of King Bimbi-
sara : each was to murder his kinsman and to succeed to
his office. Ajatasatru succeeded in supplanting Bimbisara,
who retired in his favour, but Devadatta failed either to
kill the Buddha or to force him to resign.
' By compassion flowing free.'' The words refer to the effect
of his compassion upon the elephant Nalagiri, who was in
rut, and further maddened by spirits given to him by
Devadatta. The brute, on beholding the Sage fell at his
feet and with his trunk removed the dust from them and
scattered it over his own head.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 55
IV
By his wondrous magic power,
Stood he as a mighty tower,
In a still more fearsome hour.
Angulimala, bandit dread
With human fingers garlanded,
Trophies of his victims dead —
Him too the Sage discomfited.
Be yours his glorious victory,
And yours its ample blessing be !
Angulimala was a notorious robber of Kosala who had
vowed a garland of 1,000 human fingers, one from each
of his victims, as an offering to his tree-god. The Buddha
heard of him and sought mm out. At first the robber —
who had piled up 999 out of the 1,000 fingers he wanted —
tried to complete the vow by killing Gautama, but he was
soon converted and became an Arahat, so escaping the
punishment of his murderous career !
To-day, in Ceylon, Siam, and other Buddhist lands, the
following stanza, known as ' Angulimala's Pirit ', is recited
over pregnant women to ensure a painless delivery :
' Since I was numbered in the noble company
Of Arahats, no life I've taken willingly.'
By peace and self-control serene
Was the mighty Sage victorious seen,
(A glorious victory, I ween !)
When Chincha, feigning pregnancy,
Accused him of unchastity,
And sland'rous lying rumours woke,
Amongst the simple country-folk.
Be yours his glorious victory,
And yours its ample blessings be !
A heretical sect, jealous of the Sage, persuaded a lay
devotee of their sect, the girl Chincha, to frequent the
56 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
neighbourhood of his retreat and finally to feign pregnancy
and accuse him of being the author of her shame. She
tied a heavy wooden bowl beneath her garments, and one
day appeared as he was preaching, and before all the people
reviled him as her seducer. ' Sister,' he replied with serene
calmness, ' no one save only thou and I can tell if these
words be false or true.' But though he had forgotten the
gods they did not forsake him. For Indra and four
attendant gods, veritable dei ex machina, appeared in the
semblance of mice, ran up her skirts and gnawed the strings
by which the bowl was fastened. She disappeared in a
flame of fire, and descended to the Avici-hell.
The gods are conceived in this legend as unseen witnesses
of the affairs of men, and able on occasion to interfere on
their behalf.
VI
By wisdom's piercing levin-flash,
False Sachcha too did he abash,
And all his trumpery weapons smash :
With envious heart of enmity,
And blinded with perversity,
He came against the mighty Sage
And sought with lies the war to wage.
Be yours his glorious victory,
And yours its ample blessing be !
Sachcha was a false teacher whom the Buddha over-
threw.
VII
His pupil too by magic might
Did aid him in the heroic fight,
And put the dreadful snakes to flight :
The Sage's spiritual son,
In serpent's guise, the victory won,
Prevailing by his magic power
O'er demons twain in that dread hour.
Be yours his glorious victory,
And yours its ample blessing be !
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 57
Two demons, Nando and Upanando, using magic powers
and appearing in the guise of serpents, used to work
great havoc amongst the people till Moggallana, one of
Gautama's chief disciples, himself assuming the guise
of a serpent, put them to flight.
The Arahat has power to assume other forms and to pass
through the air unseen to great distances.
VIII
By knowledge did the mighty Sage
(Such was the warfare he did wage)
Bako, the Brahma god, engage ;
A god was he of power and light,
But poisoned by the envenomed bite
Of the sharp fang of wrong belief ;
In wisdom's drug he found relief !
Be yours his glorious victory,
And yours its ample blessing be !
This is one of many passages in which Gautama is
depicted as a physician of the soul, curing those who are
mentally sick. In this case he cures a heretical god !
Whoso is wise, with wakeful mind alert
Shall say these victory-blessings constantly :
So shall he every threatening ill avert
And tranquil come to Happy Freedom
presently.
Note
This poem is of especial value to the student of religions,
for it shows how the modern Buddhist thinks of the
Buddha, and how the doctrine of ' reversible merit ' —
that the world to-day can share the merit of Gautama
Buddha — has established itself.* Here is the link between
the stoicism of primitive Buddhism and the Ami da -
worship of Japan. May it not also prove a step from the
* Cf. LI.
58 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
dim longings of the Buddhist heart for a Saviour to the
sure knowledge of salvation in Christ ?
' Long years Thy shadow, brooding o'er these lands,
Hath told of Peace and Hope for sinful men ;
Now turn the Shadow to Reality,
And bless us as we gather round Thy Feet,
Oh ! Amitabha- Christ, sole Lord of All ! '
XLIII
PROOFS OF THE BUDDHA'S EXISTENCE
(Milinda Panha, 345-7.)
This poem, probably of early post -Christian composition,
together with the monuments, provides an effective reply
to those critics who have sought to find the origin of the
Buddha legends in a Sun -Myth.
As men who see a city fitly planned
Infer the greatness of its architect,
So when the ' City of Good Law ' is scanned
Work of the Blessed One can those who will detect.
As men who see the ocean rollers break
Infer the greatness of th' encompassing sea,
So may they judge of him whose teachings take
Throughout the listening world their course of
victory.
Of him, the Victor who allays all grief
Who purged his heart of Tanha, seed of woe,*
Well may the men to whom he brings relief
Cry, ' Great our Master, far his goodly precepts
flow!'
* See p. 10,
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 59
As men who see far-off Himalaya's snows
Can judge the mountain-barriers' soaring height :
So they on whom the Teacher peace bestows
Behold the ' Mount of Dharma ' gleaming clear
and white,
Steadfast, unshaken, towering on high,
Unmoved by all the passion-blasts of lust,
In air serene, where ill and Karma die,
Infer ' How great the Hero in whose word we
trust ! '
As those who find some track of elephant
Infer the vastness of his kingly form,
So when they see the work of Bhagavant,*
' How mighty ', cry they, ' was the Teacher of the
Norm ! '
As men behold the jungle-folk afraid
And know ' The King of beasts is surely near ',
So when false teachers fly, and are dismayed,
We judge ' 'Tis wisdom of the royal Sage they fear ! '
And when the earth rejoices fresh and green,
1 The gracious rain ', we say, ' hath come at last.'
So judge we, when the hearts of weary men
Rejoice, ' His gracious words into their lives have
passed.'
Seeing the wide fields turned into a flood,
' Some mighty stream hath poured its waters here,'
Men cry : so judge they of the Law how good
It is, because they see men here and everywhere
* The regular title for Gautama, The Blessed One.
60 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
In the wide ocean of its waters pure,
Cleansed from the mud of sin and suffering.
As men who scent the fragrant air are sure
That the great forest trees hard-by are blossoming ;
So, finding righteous actions wafting round
All the sweet fragrance of their loveliness,
Men gladly sniff the air, and cries resound,
' Here surely lived a Buddha, Lord of Righteous-
ness ! '
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 61
XLIV
THE TALE OF THE OGRESS KALI
(Translated by Professor Charles Duroiselle)
Never through hate can hatreds cease ;
Love only ends them, evermore :
Love only brings all strife to peace ;
Such is the true, the ancient lore.
1 Never through Hate.' This story did the
Master tell what time he dwelt at the Jetavana,
about a childless woman.
'Tis said that a certain householder's son, after
his father's death, managed by himself the whole
of his domestic concerns ; alike in the fields and in
the house he worked, taking tender care of his
mother. One day his mother said to him :
1 I will find thee a maiden (as a wife to thee).'
1 Mother,' replied the youth, ' do not speak thus ;
so long as my life lasts I will cherish thee alone.'
1 Son,' said the mother, ' I am not happy thus,
seeing that thou hast now to work both in the
fields and in the house ; let me find thee a wife.'
The son, having again and again refused this
offer, at the last was silent ; whereupon the
mother, having in mind a certain family (in which
there was a marriageable daughter), left the house.
He asked her :
1 To what family dost thou go ? '
But, learning from her ' Such-and-such a family ',
he dissuaded her ; and indicated the family he
himself preferred. Thither she went, asked for
the hand of their daughter, fixed the day (for the
wedding), and took her home.
Time passed, and the young wife bore no child,
seeing which the mother said to the young man :
62 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
* My son, the maiden of thine own choice did
I bring to our home ; and lo ! she is without
offspring. A sonless family falls into ruin, the
line of its succession lost ; let me seek out another
maiden ! ■
' Enough ! my mother ! ' he replied ; but not-
withstanding this she again and again brought up
the subject. The childless wife, hearing of this,
bethought her : ' Sons verily cannot transgress the
commands of their parents ; sooner or later they
will bring into our home a maiden that will bear
a child and will use me as a slave. How, now, if
I were to go and myself seek for such a one?'
Going to a certain family she asked the daughter of
them in marriage to her husband.
1 But how, madam, can you ask this ? ' they
inquired.
1 I am childless, and verily a childless family
goes to ruin. Your daughter, having borne a son,
will become the mistress of the property.' And,
obtaining their consent, she herself took the
maiden to her husband's home.
But presently she bethought her : ' If this
maiden shall bear either a son or a daughter, she
will become the mistress of the property. It
behoves me so to act that she bears no child.'
Whereupon she told the other :
'When thou knowest thou shalt become a mother,
make me acquainted with the fact.' The other
assented, and, later, finding she was in the way of
motherhood, informed the first wife of the matter.
Now the childless woman was wont herself to serve
the other with her food ; and, learning this, she
placed in the younger's rice a potent poison, so
that no child was born. Even a second time did
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 63
matters follow the same course. The neighbouring
matrons asked of the young wife :
1 Think you some enemy is against you ? ' And
she told them what had occurred.
1 Foolish girl ! ' cried they, ' wherefore didst
thou give her information ? Through fear that
thou shouldst become mistress has she wronged
thee ! On no account tell her aught again.'
Thus warned, on the third occasion she said
naught to the elder wife. But the latter, later
understanding, asked her :
' Why didst thou not acquaint me ? '
' Wherefore, indeed, should I inform thee,'
replied the younger, ' seeing that twice thou hast
brought me to harm ? '
The childless woman thought,' Now am I undone ! '
But, watching for her opportunity in the other's
carelessness, she at last, when the time of mother-
hood was nigh, administered again and again her
poison. Because of the advanced progress of the
matter, the poison acted not as formerly ; and the
young mother, in danger of death and suffering
the most terrible pain, made this act of resolve
concerning the elder wife : ' I, woe is me, am
undone ! Brought hither by thyself, these three
times hast thou slain my offspring, and now am
I myself about to die. May I, passing hence, take
re-birth as an Ogress,* and may I have power
in future lives always to devour thy children.' So
resolving, she died, in that very household, and
took re-birth in the form of a Cat. j"
* Yakkhim. The Yakkhas are an order of beings gifted
with various magical powers, and commonly supposed to
feed mainly on human or other flesh.
f Buddhist psychology teaches that the particular
64 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
The householder, seizing the childless woman,
reproaching her with being the cause of destroying
the succession of his family, maltreated her so
terribly, beating her with elbows and knees that
she died ; and she also in that same house took
re-birth in the shape of a Hen. The Hen laid eggs,
and the Cat devoured them ; and so a second,
and yet again for the third time. On this last
occasion the Hen, perceiving 'Now will this Cat
devour me also,' formed the resolve :
'Having died and passed from this existence,
may I devour both her and her offspring.'
Dying, she took re-birth as a Panther ; and she
that was the Cat was re-born as a Doe. Thrice
did the Panther come forth and devour the
young of that Doe, lastly slaying also the Doe
herself. The Doe, at point of death, formed the
resolve :
1 Thrice have my young been devoured by this
Panther ; now also will she devour myself. De-
parting hence, may I in future come to likewise
devour her offspring.'
Dying, she was re-born as an Ogress. Later, the
Panther herself died, and took re-birth as the
daughter of a noble family in Savatthi. Coming
to maturity, she went to live in her husband's
thought entertained at the moment of death has a special
and immediate influence in deciding the Karma, the
character of the re-birth taken. In this case the hatred
predominant in the woman's mind not only resulted in
the achievement of her purpose, but by reason of its inti-
mate association with one of the three forms of Ignorance
(Greed, Hatred, and the Delusion of Selfhood) caused her
to take re-birth in the Animal World, in the body of an
animal in whose nature cruelty, so manifest in the dying
woman's wish, plays so predominant a part.
THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM 65
home, in a village hard by the city gate. Time
passed by, and she bore a son.
Then the Ogress, taking upon herself the form of
a dear friend of that young woman, came to her
house and inquired : ' Where is my friend ? '
' She rests within, in the inner room ; she has
become a mother.'
' Is it a son or a daughter ? ' asked the Ogress ;
and saying, ' Well, I will go and see,' she entered
the inner room ; took up the child as if to look at it,
and went away. A second time also did the same
series of events transpire. The third time the
young woman was about to bear offspring she told
her husband :
' Beloved, on these two occasions came the
Ogress to this house, and devoured both my sons.
This time will I go to the house of mine own
family.' So saying, she went to her family's house,
and in due course became a mother.
Now at that time it chanced to be the turn of the
Ogress to carry water. For Kuvera * makes the
Ogresses, each in turn, carry for him water from the
Anotatta Lake,f passing it from head to head.
But our Ogress, so soon as she was relieved from
her task, speedily repaired to the young woman's
house.
' Where is my friend ? Where shall I find her ? '
asked she.
1 In this place an Ogress devours all the sons
* Kuvera, or Vessavana, the King of the Demons, the
Guardian of the Eastern quarter of the Heavens, rules
over the spirits of the air, and the guardians of treasure.
t Anotatta Lake, one of seven mystical lakes in the
Buddhist wonderland, said to be situate amongst the
Himalaya Mountains.
SAUNDERS J2
66 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
that are born unto her ; she, therefore, has gone to
the house of her own family.'
The Ogress, thinking ' Whithersoever she may
go, she shall not escape me ', and animated by the
depth of her hatred, rushed towards the city.
But the young woman, on the naming day of her
child, bathed him ; and, a name having been given
him, addressed her husband, saying, ' Let us,
beloved, now return to our own house.'
Taking her little son, accompanied by her hus-
' band, she went along the road. Crossing by the
monastery, she gave the babe to him, what time she
bathed herself in the pool ; and then, whilst her
husband bathed, she waited, nursing the child.
Suddenly she perceived the Ogress coming ;
recognizing her, she cried in a loud voice :
' Haste thee ; haste thee ! 0 mine husband !
This is the Ogress ! '
Unable to wait till he could come, she turned
back and swiftly ran towards the interior of the
monastery.
Now that time, the Teacher was expounding the
Dharma in the midst of the congregation. The
woman laid the babe at his feet, crying : ' To
thee do I make offering of this babe ! Save,
oh save the life of my child ! '
But Sumana, the Deva, who guarded the thres-
hold of the audience hall, did not permit the Ogress
to enter. The Master, addressing the Elder
Ananda, said : ' Go thou, Ananda, and call
hither this Ogress ! '
The Elder called her. The woman, in terror,
cried out :
* She comes, Lord ! she comes ! '
1 Let be ! Make no disturbance ! ' was the answer.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 67
And, the Ogress having entered and stood by, the
Master said to them :
1 Wherefore do ye thus ? Had ye not encoun-
tered with a Buddha, even as am I, this enmity ye
hold one for the other would have endured for the
whole period of an aeon ; as did that of the snake
and the mongoose ; or that of the crow and the
owl. Wherefore do ye thus render back hate for
hatred ? Hate verily ceaseth by love alone, by
hatred never.' And, thus saying, he uttered the
stanza : —
Never through hate can hatreds cease ;
Love only ends them, evermore :
Love only brings all strife to peace ;
Such is the true, the ancient lore.
On the recitation of this stanza, the Ogress was
established in the fruition of the First Path ; also
was this instruction beneficial to all beings assem-
bled. Concluding, the Master said to the woman :
1 Give her thy little son ! '
* Ah, Lord, I fear to give ! ' replied the woman.
1 Naught hast thou now to fear from her,' said
the Master. And the woman obeyed. The Ogress
fondled it, caressed it, returned it to the mother,
and then sat weeping.
* What is this trouble ? ' asked the Teacher.
1 Formerly, Lord, with but difficulty could
I obtain food, making a bare livelihood some way
or another ; but now how shall I live at all ? '
* Have no fear on that matter,' replied the
Master, and, addressing the woman, he said :
1 Take her with thee to thy house ; lodge her,
and feed her with the rice and gruel first drawn out
of the dish.' *
* This is a mark of respect ; the custom still obtains in
E 2
68 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
The woman took home with her the Ogress ;
settled her on the cross-beam of the roof, and
ministered to her as commanded. But when they
pounded the paddy, it seemed to that Ogress as
if her head were being battered by pestles. The
Ogress, addressing her own friend, said : * I shall
not be able to dwell in this place ; let me abide
elsewhere.' She was then accommodated in the
hut wherein the pestles were kept, in the drinking-
water stand, in the kitchen, at the extreme end of
the eaves, on the rubbish-heap, and at the village
gate, successively. But all these, one after the
other, she rejected, saying :
1 Here it is as though my head were broken with
pounding ; there at the water-stand, the children
throw in my direction the water with which they
have cleansed their hands or rinsed their mouths ;
in the kitchen dogs come to sleep ; on the ground
below the end of the eaves there are impurities ;
on the rubbish-heap sweepings are cast ; and at
the village-gate boys shoot as at a target.' Finally
they put her in a solitary place without the village ;
and thither brought to her the rice first drawn
from the dish. So she lived satisfied, and was wont
to tell her friend (that for so many lives had
followed her as enemy) : ' This year the rains
will be good ; sow on high ground your seed.
This year the rains will be little ; sow on low-lying
ground.' Thus it happened that her crops always
succeeded well ; whilst those of others were spoilt,
betimes by overmuch water and betimes by drought.
The villagers, seeing this, asked her on what account
the East. Elders, parents, or guests must serve them-
selves, or be served, first. An infringement of this rule is
considered a gross breach of etiquette.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 69
it was that her crops were always successful, and
in what fashion she knew that the rains each year
would be good or bad, and sowed accordingly.
She replied : ' Thus are we instructed by the
Ogress, and, attending to her words, we sow,
betimes on low land and betimes on high ; thus is
it that our crops are always a success. Have you
not seen that the first of everything is carried to
her from our house ? You, likewise, do the same ;
and she will also take interest in your work.'
Thenceforward the villagers made offerings to
the Ogress ; who, in return, advised them as to
their domestic concerns ; thus she constantly was
in receipt of the best of gifts, and found many
adherents. She it was who, subsequently, in-
stituted the system of issuing tickets for the dis-
tribution of the eight kinds of food; and this
system is in vogue, even to this day.
XLV
THE STORY OF PRINCE WESSANTARA
Prince Wessantara waa the son of Visvamitta, and is
described as ideally handsomo according to Indian
standards : ' his complexion golden, his brow like a dome,
his arms long, his eyebrows meeting, and his nose aquiline '.
He was as good as he was beautiful, and so liberal in giving
that his father in a rage banished him from his kingdom.
The story of his wonderful self-effacement is very
popular in Buddhist lands, forming the subject of frescoes
on the temple walls, and the subject of never-ending
comment.
The following is a paraphrase which keeps close to the
original, but is condensed for the sake of brevity.
Being banished by his father, Wessantara the
Bodhisat went to his wife Maddi and told her that
70 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
he had vowed to go out into the jungle and lead
the solitary life of contemplation. ' I too will
come with my lord,' said the faithful wife : ' how
can I live parted from thee for a moment ? As
the moonless sky, as the waterless earth, so is a
wife without her husband.'
So they went out together into the jungle.
After some days a Brahman approached and
asked that the prince should give him his splendid
chariot ; and when the Princess Maddi grew angry
at his request the prince rebuked her, saying,
1 0 Maddi, if there were none to make requests
there would be no giving ; whence then should
we mortals gain the true insight that comes only
to the liberal ? ' and with great joy he gave both
chariot and horses to the Brahman, exclaiming,
1 0 Brahman, through this gift freely given, may I
be empowered to guide the chariot of the Righteous
Law ! '
Then taking up their children Jaliya and
Krishnayina upon their shoulders, they passed on
their way.
One day, whilst the Princess was out gathering
roots and wild fruits for their evening meal,
a hunchbacked Brahman drew near and addressed
the Prince, * 0 Prince of the Kshatriya stock, all
hail ! No servant have I, and alone I wander
through the jungle. Give me, I pray thee, thy
children.' And when Wessantara hesitated, he
reminded him of his name for liberality and
adjured him to live worthy of it. Wessantara
thereupon laying aside the yearning of his heart,
reasoned with himself, 'If now I give the children
to the Brahman, then will Maddi and I feel the
cruel pain of bereavement : but if I give them not
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 71
I shall prove faithless to my vow, and the Brahman
will be disappointed of his hope.' He reflected
further that these sufferings were coming upon him
that he might in due season become the Enlightened
and save from the ocean of ignorance those who are
sinking in its bottomless depths.
So he gave the children to the Brahman.
Whereupon the earth quaked six times ; and the
children fell at their father's feet crying, ' 0 father,
let us but see our mother e'er we leave you both
for ever.' And the Prince, covering his face with
his hand to hide his tears, said in a breaking voice,
1 0 my children, in my heart is no harshness, only
boundless compassion. I give you away that I
may attain perfect insight.'
And they, with hands placed palm to palm, laid
their heads upon his feet and prayed for forgive-
ness of all their faults ; and so went forth. And he,
as they looked back and ever turned to look one
long last look, consoled them with compassionate
words.
Then, desiring perfect insight, he entered alone
into his hut of leaves.
The air straightway was filled with cries of
legions of gods exclaiming, ' 0, the great deed of
sacrifice ! Wondrous is he whose mind is unshaken
even at the loss of both his children ! '
Then Maddi the mother drew near, and her heart
was full of foreboding as she saw the little house
they had built of mud, and all their playthings
lying deserted : weeping she threw herself at her
husband's feet, and asked him of them. And he
made answer, ' Rejoice, my wife ! A Brahman
came and asked me for them, and I gave them to
him.' As a stricken hart, she fell at his feet and
72 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
lay as a fish that breathes out its life upon the
shore : and as a cow robbed of her calf she mourned :
1 As young tender lilies my children suffer : as
young gazelles snared by the huntsman are they
dwelling with strangers. They whom I nourished
at these breasts are now in the hands of sinful
men ; hungry and thirsty they cry for me in
despair. 0 miserable woman ! What dreadful
sin have I sinned that this suffering has overtaken
me?'
And she called upon the trees that they
had watered and upon their playmates the
gazelles to witness the dreadful torments of her
heart.
But the Bodhisat comforted her and exhorted
her to be strong : and she came to herself at length
and said : ' I will not be a hindrance to you, 0
my husband ! If it please you, give me also as
a gift.'
Then Sakra, the chief of gods, wondering at the
fortitude of Wessantara, thought thus with himself,
1 Surely this man, if he be left quite alone, may fail
of his endurance,5 and taking the form of a Brah-
man he came to the Bodhisat and addressed him
thus : ' Fair is the Princess ; blameless wife and
peerless among women. Give her to me as my
slave.' But Maddi reviled him, ' 0 man of lust,
long not for her who delights only in the law of
righteousness.'
Then the Bodhisat; looking upon her with heart
of compassion, spoke : ' 0 wife, I seek after the
heights, and I must pass beyond anguish to calm.
No lament or complaint must I utter. Do thou
therefore go with the Brahman uncomplainingly,
and I will live alone in the jungle.'
.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 73
So saying, he exulted and cried, ' Best of my gifts
is this ! Take, 0 Brahman, my dear dear wife ;
loving and submissive is she in all things.'
Then the earth shook to its foundations, as a boat
on a stormy sea : and Sakra, the chief of gods,
revealed himself and promised to give the Princess
whatever she should wish.
And she, motherlike, besought him that her
children might find their way to their grandfather's
court. He granted her request, and restored her to
the Bodhisat, warning him never again to part
with so devoted a wife.
Note
The gods are still subject to frailty, and have not yet
reached the heights which are above all feeling ! In com-
menting upon this story to a learned Buddhist, I remarked
that the fate of these children was too terrible to be con-
templated with equanimity, and that no Western mind
could bring itself to believe that Wessantara did well. He
replied with a shrug, ' Unless their Karma had brought it
upon them, it would not have come to pass.'
XLVI
A BUDDHIST SOLOMON
(Ummagga Jataka.)
This story is one of a series which show the wisdom of
the Bodhisat, or future Buddha. At the age of seven he
gave various judgements, of which this is one. The simi-
larity of it to that of the judgement of Solomon inevitably
suggests the possibility of borrowing, and this is one of
the few cases where it seems quite likely to have occurred.
For, as we read, Solomon, whose date is about 1000 B.C.,
sent ships to get ' ivory, apes, and peacocks ', all products
of India, and they may well have carried this story with
74 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
them. It is quite certain that Buddhism did not hesitate
to use existing folk-lore to illustrate its teachings, and that
the Jataka Book is very largely composed of such material.
Possibly No. LI also shows traces of Old Testament
influence. (Cf. the story of Daniel.)
It is said that a woman carrying her child on
her hip went to the tank to bathe, and leaving him
lying upon her clothes entered the water. There-
upon straightway an Ogress, seeing the boy and
desiring to eat him, took the form of a woman and
standing by him called to the mother, ' What
a pretty child this is ! May I suckle him ? ' The
mother agreed, and the Ogress, taking him up, gave
him some milk, and then ran away with him.
When the mother seized her she put on a bold face
and claimed the child as her own. Now it chanced
that, as they wrangled over the child, they passed
by the Judgement Hall ; and the Bodhisat, hearing
their quarrel, sent for them and asked them the
cause of the dispute. As he looked upon the
Ogress he perceived that her eyes were red as
Olinda seeds * and did not blink, and knowing her
to be an ogress, he asked, ' Will you be content to
abide by my decision ? ' They agreed, and he bade
the attendants draw a line upon the ground, and
lay the child upon it exactly in the middle. He
then told the ogress to grasp the boy's arms, and
the mother to grasp his legs, and both to pull, until
one prevailed and pulled him over the line. ' Who-
so wins ', he declared, ' shall become the possessor
of the child ! '
They began to tug and the child to scream with
pain ; whereat the mother, yearning over him, let
* A beautiful red bean with a black base, much used
in Ceylon in a game called ' Olinda '.
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 75
go her son and stood lamenting. The Bodhisat
turned to those who stood by and asked them,
1 Whose heart is pitiful to children, the heart of
a mother or the heart of a stranger ? ' And they
answered, ' 0 wise man ! it is the heart of a mother
that is tender.' ... So the mother took her child in
her arms and went out saying, ' Long may you live,
0 master ! '
The Ogress took the Five Precepts, and then she
too went her way.
XLVII
THE CRUEL CRANE OUTWITTED
(Baka Jataka.)
(Translated by Professor Rhys Davids in Buddhist
Birth- Stories.)
The villain though exceeding clever. — This the
Master told when at Jetavana about a monk who
was a tailor.
There was a monk, says the tradition, living at
Jetavana, who was exceeding skilful at all kinds of
things that can be done to a robe, whether cutting
out, or piecing together, or valuing, or sewing it.
Through this cleverness of his he was always
engaged in making robes, until he became known
as ' The robe-maker '.
Now what used he to do but exercise his handicraft
on some old pieces of cloth, so as to make out of
them a robe soft and pleasant to the touch ; and
when he had dyed it, he would steep it in mealy
water, and rub it with a chankshell so as to make
it bright and attractive, and then lay it carefully
bv. And monks who did not understand robe
76 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
work would come to him with new cloths, and
say:
* We don't understand how to make robes. Be
so kind as to make this into a robe for us/
Then he would say, ' It takes a long time,
Brother, before a robe can be made. But I have
a robe ready made. You had better leave these
cloths here and take that away with you.'
And he would take it out and show it to them.
And they, seeing of how fine a colour it was, and
not noticing any difference, would give their new
cloths to the tailor monk, and take the robe away
with them, thinking it would last. But when it
grew a little dirty, and they washed it in warm
water, it would appear as it really was, and the
worn-out places would show themselves here and
there upon it. Then, too late, they would repent.
And that monk became notorious, as one who
passed off old rags upon anybody who came to
him.
Now there was another robe-maker in a country
village who used to cheat everybody just like the
man at Jetavana. And some monks who knew
him very well told him about the other, and said
to him :
' Sir, there is a monk at Jetavana who, they say,
cheats all the world in such and such a manner.'
1 Ah ! ' thought he, ' 'twould be a capital thing
if I could outwit that city fellow ! '
And he made a fine robe out of old clothes, dyed
it a beautiful red, put it on, and went to Jetavana.
As soon as the other saw it, he began to covet it,
and asked him :
* Is this robe one of your own making, sir ? '
1 Certainly, brother,' was the reply.
THE HEAKT OF BUDDHISM 77
' Sir ! let me have the robe. You can take
another for it,' said he.
1 But, brother, we village monks are but badly
provided. If I give you this, what shall I have
to put on ? '
* I have some new cloths, sir, by me. Do you
take those and make a robe for yourself.'
1 Well, brother ! this is my own handiwork ; but
if you talk like that, what can I do ? You may have
it,' said the other ; and giving him the robe made
of old rags, he took away the new cloths in triumph.
And the man of Jetavana put on the robe ; but
when a few days after he discovered, on washing it,
that it was made of rags, he was covered with con-
fusion. And it became noised abroad in the Order,
1 That Jetavana robe-maker has been outwitted,
they say, by a man from the country ! '
And one day the monks sat talking about this in
the Lecture Hall, when the Teacher came up and
asked them what they were talking about, and they
told him the whole matter.
Then the Teacher said, ' Not now only has the
Jetavana robe-maker taken in other people in this
way ; in a former birth he did the same. And not
now only has he been outwitted by the country-
man ; in a former birth he was outwitted too.' And
he told a tale.
Long ago the Bodhisat was born to a forest life
as the Genius of a tree standing near a certain
lotus pond.
Now at that time the water used to run short at
the dry season in a certain pond, not over large, in
which there were a good many fish. And a crane
thought, on seeing the fish :
78 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
1 1 must outwit these fish somehow or other, an<
make a prey of them.'
And he went and sat down at the edge of th(
water, thinking how he should do it.
When the fish saw him, they asked him, ' What
are you sitting there for, lost in thought ? '
' I am sitting thinking about you,' said he.
1 0 sir, what are you thinking about us ? ' said
they.
1 Why,' he replied, ' there is very little water in
this pond, and but little for you to eat ; and the
heat is so great ! So I was thinking, " What in the
world will these fish do now ? " '
' Yes, indeed, sir ! what are we to do ? ' said
they.
' If you will only do as I bid you, I will take you
in my beak to a fine large pond, covered with all
the kinds of lotuses, and put you into it,' answered
the crane.
1 That a crane should take thought for the fishes
is a thing unheard of, sir, since the world began.
It's eating us, one after the other, that you're
aiming at ! '
* Not I ! So long as you trust me, I won't eat
you. But if you don't believe me that there is such
a pond, send one of you with me to go and see it.'
Then they trusted him, and handed over to him
one of their number — a big fellow, blind of one eye,
whomthey thought sharp enough in any emergency,
afloat or ashore.
Him the crane took with him, let him go in the
pond, showed him the whole of it, brought him
back, and let him go again close to the other fish.
And he told them all the glories of the pond.
And when they heard what he said, they ex-
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 79
claimed, ' All right, sir ! You may take us with
you.'
Then the crane took the old purblind fish first
to the bank of the other pond, and alighted in
a Varana-tree growing on the bank there. But he
threw it into a fork of the tree, struck it with his
beak, and killed it ; and then ate its flesh, and
threw its bones away at the foot of the tree. Then
he went back and called out :
' I have thrown that fish in ; let another
come
I '
And in that manner he took all the fish, one by
one, and ate them, till he came back and found no
more !
But there was still a crab left behind there ; and
the crane thought he would eat him too, and called
out :
' I say, good crab, I've taken all the fish away,
and put them into a fine large pond. Come along.
I'll take you too ! '
1 But how will you take hold of me to carry me
along ? '
1 I'll bite hold of you with my beak.'
1 You'll let me fall if you carry me like that.
I won't go with you ! '
' Don't be afraid ! I'll hold you quite tight all
the way.'
Then said the crab to himself, * If this fellow
once got hold of fish, he would never let them go
in a pond ! Now if he should really put me into
the pond, it would be capital ; but if he doesn't —
then I'll cut his throat, and kill him ! ' So he said
to him :
' Look here, friend, you won't be able to hold me
tight enough ; but we crabs have a famous grip.
80 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
If you let me catch hold of you round the neck with
my claws, I shall be glad to go with you.'
And the other did not see that he was trying to
outwit him, and agreed. So the crab caught hold
of his neck with his claws as securely as with a pair
of blacksmith's pincers, and called out, ' Off with
you, now ! '
And the crane took him and showed him the
pond, and then turned off towards the Varana-tree.
' Uncle ! ' cried the crab, ' the pond lies that way,
but you are taking me this way ! '
' Oh, that 's it, is it ! ' answered the crane.
' Your dear little uncle, my very sweet nephew, you
call me ! You mean me to understand, I suppose,
that I am your slave, who has to lift you up and
carry you about with him ! Now cast your eye
upon the heap of fish-bones lying at the root of
yonder Varana-tree. Just as I have eaten those
fish, every one of them, just so I will devour you
as well ! '
' Ah ! those fishes got eaten through their own
stupidity,' answered the crab ; ' but I'm not going
to let you eat me. On the contrary, it is you that
I am going to destroy. For you in your folly have
not seen that I was outwitting you. If we die,
we die both together ; for I will cut off this head of
yours, and cast it to the ground ! ' And so saying,
he gave the crane's neck a grip with his claws, as
with a vice.
Then gasping, and with tears trickling from his
eyes, and trembling with the fear of death, the crane
besought him, saying, ' 0 my Lord ! Indeed I did
not intend to eat you. Grant me my life ! '
* Well, well ! step down into the pond, and put
me in there.'
THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM 81
And he turned round and stepped down into the
pond, and placed the crab on the mud at its edge.
But the crab cut through its neck as clean as one
would cut a lotus-stalk with a hunting-knife, and
then only entered the water !
When the Genius who lived in the Varana-tree
saw this strange affair, he made the wood resound
with his plaudits, uttering in a pleasant voice the
verse :
' The villain, though exceeding clever,
Shall prosper not by his villany.
He may win, indeed, sharp-witted in deceit,
But only as the crane here from the crab ! '
When the Teacher had finished this discourse,
showing that ' Not now only, Q mendicants, has
this man been outwitted by the country robe-
maker, long ago he was outwitted in the same way,'
he established the connexion, and summed up the
Jataka, by saying, 'At that time he was the
Jetavana robe-maker, the crab was the country
robe-maker, but the Genius of the Tree was
I myself.'
XLVIII
TRUE LOVE
The Story of Visahka
(Dhammapada Commentary.)
The Upasika Visakha was in the habit of giving
alms to the Bhikkhus. One day her grand-
daughter Suddata, who lived with her, fell ill and
died, and Visakha, throwing the body into the
charnel-pit, was unable to bear the grief. So she
betook her to the Buddha and sat on one side sad
SAUNDERS Y
82 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
and tearful. ' 0 Visakha ! ' asked the Blessed One,
1 wherefore dost thou sit sad and mournful, shedding
tears ? ' She told him of her granddaughter's
death, saying, ' She was a dutiful girl, and I cannot
find her like.'
* How many men are there dwelling in Savatthi,
0 Visakha ? '
1 Lord, men say there are seven kotis ' (seventy
millions).
' If all these were like thy granddaughter,
wouldst thou not love them ? '
' Verily, Lord.'
' And how many die daily in Savatthi ? '
1 Many, Lord.'
' Then there is never a moment when thou
wouldst not be grieving for some one ! '
' True, Master.'
1 Wouldst thou then spend thy life weeping day
and night ? '
1 I understand, Lord ; it is well said ! '
' Grieve then no more.'
Note
This anecdote is told to illustrate the Buddha's teaching
as to affection. It is said in the Dhammapada (213), ' From
affection come grief and fear. He who is free from affection
knows neither grief nor fear.' This is a part of the 'in-
tellectual landscape ' of Buddhism which is so strange to
Western eyes ; and misunderstanding is rife in the writings
of Western students, both friendly and hostile. As this
story clearly shows, Buddhism teaches benevolence to all,
but attachment to none i all are to be equally regarded.
The common title for Ananda in Western books, 'the
beloved disciple ', is due to an unwarrantable seeking after
parallels between the Buddha and the Christ. Gautama
would have strongly repudiated the idea that he had any
special affection for any one of his disciples. It must be
noted that Pema, the word here rendered ' affection ', is
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 83
one of the subdivisions of Tariha, that * desire ' which is
the root of all evil. The following story, also from the
Dhammapada Commentary, and translated by Mr. D. J.
Subasinha, illustrates the same point.
XLIX
WRONG LOVE
The Story of Gosaka
(Dhammapada, 213.)
(Translated from the Dhammapada Commentary
by Mr. D. J. Subasinha.)
In the town of Kosambi a courtesan gave birth
to a child. Knowing that it was a son, she ordered
it to be thrown on a dunghill, upon which a crowd
of dogs and crows surrounded the child. A neigh-
bour being attracted by the sight, came hither and
carried the child home with great affection. A
Sitana (a millionaire) of the town, on his way to
the palace, met the royal astrologer returning home,
and inquired from him as to the position of the
planets on that day. 'Any child born to-day', he
said, ' will become the chief Sitana of the town.'
During the day, his wife was in labour, and he,
therefore, being anxious to get home, hastened to
the palace and returned. He then ordered a maid-
servant named Kali to bring any male child born
in the town on that day by giving for it one thou-
sand pieces of money. She went about inquiring,
and finding a child born on that day, paid one
thousand pieces of money to the parents and
brought it to the Sitana, who thought that if his
wife should bring forth a daughter she could be
married to this child, but if a son, then this child
should be destroyed. His wife gave birth to a son,
F 2
84 THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM
so he resolved to destroy the other child, and various
methods were adopted to carry out his design.
This child was first left at the gate of a cattle-shed
to be trampled on by the cattle ; then it was placed
on the high road, to be run over by carts or
trampled on by oxen. Again it was left in
a cemetery, to be eaten by the Yakkhas (demons),
but there it was nursed by a she-goat ; and on
another occasion it was thrown down a precipice,
over which condemned criminals were cast. Each
time the Sitana spent one thousand pieces of
money to get back the child from those who had
rescued it on the several occasions. The child
now began to grow steadily and was named Gosaka.
The Sitana had a friend, who was a potter by
profession, to whom he said, 'Eriend, do me the
favour of destroying my illegitimate son, by
throwing him into your oven, for doing which I
now advance you one thousand pieces of money.
To-morrow I shall send the boy on to you,' and to
this the potter agreed. The following morning
the Sitana summoned Gosaka and said to him,
1 Son, I entrusted some work to that potter
yesterday, go and tell him to do that work to-day.'
Now Gosaka started on this mission, and his
brother, who was playing ball, observing him bound
on a journey inquired where he was going to, and
Gosaka duly informed him ; whereupon the
brother volunteered to undertake the work, and
in turn told Gosaka to make up whatever he had
lost in playing. At first Gosaka disliked the idea,
but on his brother insisting, Gosaka remained
playing and his brother went on the errand. When
the brother met the potter, the latter took him
up and threw him into the oven.
THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM 85
Some time afterwards Gosaka went home and
the Sitana asked him whether he had gone to the
potter ; and being informed of what had happened,
immediately went running to the potter, only to be
told that he had done as he had promised him.
The Sitana was overwhelmed with grief, and passed
his days in great misery. The Sitana committed
these crimes owing to the affection he bore towards
his own son.
THE PROBLEM OF SUFFERING
' As a man soweth, so shall he reap.'
(Milinda Pafiha, 111.42)
Thus spake King Milinda : 'How comes it,
reverend sir, that men are not alike ? Some live
long, and some are short-lived ; some are hale, and
some weak ; some comely, and some ugly ; some
powerful, and some with no power ; some rich,
some poor ; some born of noble stock, some meanly
born ; some wise, and some foolish.'
To whom Nagasena the Elder made answer :
'How comes it that all plants are not alike ?
Some have a sour taste and some are salt, some
are acid, some acrid, some bitter, and some sweet.'
'It must be, I take it, reverend sir, that they
spring from various kinds of seed.'
'Even so, 0 Maharaja, it is because of differences
of action that men are not alike : for some live
long, and some are short-lived ; some are hale, and
some weak ; some comely, and some ugly ; some
powerful, and some without power ; some rich,
some poor ; some born of noble stock, some meanly
born ; some wise, and some foolish.'
86 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
LI
THE POWER OF THE NORM
In olden times there lived in the town of Kosambi
a very pious king, whose queen Wessamitta was
very dear to him. She was a devoted adherent of
the Triple Gem, and faithfully kept the Five Pre-
cepts. Now when an enemy invaded his kingdom,
and he was setting out with his fourfold army to
meet him, Wessamitta would fain accompany him.
The King sought to dissuade her, for she was
great with child ; but she would not hearken, and at
last he yielded and took her with him. But before
he went on to the field of battle he placed her in
safety, and bade his men if he were defeated to
hoist a red flag, that she might take warning and
escape.
The battle lasted long, and he was slain ; and the
Queen, seeing the red flag, began to wail and lament.
Thus the spies of the enemy captured her and
brought her to their lord. And he, seeing her
beauty, was enamoured of her and would fain
have made her his. But she, who dearly loved
her dead lord, would not consent. In various
ways he tempted her, and at last sought by terror
to win her consent.
When she remained steadfast he bade them
throw her into a pit of fire ; but she besought him
in these words to have pity :
1 It was said, 0 King, by them of old time that to
slay holy men, Brahmans, parents, children, the
sick or women, is a deed which no man praises.
Therefore slay me not.'
But the King was the more enraged, and bade
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 87
his men carry out his orders. And she, cherishing
no idea of vengeance or of hatred towards her
enemy, began to meditate upon the qualities of the
Three Refuges and the Five Precepts. And by
their power it came to pass that the fire which
raged all round her seemed like a pool of cold
water in summer, soothing and cool.
The King, moved to repentance, lifted her out of
the flames, and she uttered the following stanza :
The Buddha have I taken as my fortress ;
He alone hath been my mighty tower ;
Trusting midst the raging of the furnace
I was rescued by his all-availing power.
And she taught him of the fruits of the Five Pre-
cepts and of the Three Refuges, how by their power
she remained calm even in the midst of the flames :
'No other charms I had to protect me.'
And he rejoiced and took the Three Refuges and
the Five Precepts, and restored the Queen to her
own kingdom.
LII
DO THE DEAD MEET AGAIN ?
The Stoky of Noktjla's Father
(Anguttara Nikaya, IV.1)
Once the Blessed One was dwelling amongst
the Bhaggas on the Peak of Sumsumaro in the
Bhesakala Garden of the Deer Park ; and taking
his robe and bowl, he came to the home of Nokula's
father, and sat him down upon the seat they had
prepared for him. Then the good man of the
house, Nokula's father, came with his wife to
the Blessed One, and sitting on one side, addressed
88 THE HEAET OF BUDDHISM
him thus : ' 0 sir, the mother of Nokula came at
a very tender age to my home. And since that
day, she has not, I think, been unfaithful to me
even in thought. I would be with her in the next
life as well as in this.'
And the mother of Nokula also came to the
Blessed One and said, ' 0 sir, since I was brought
as a very young wife to the house of Nokula's
father he has not, I think, been unfaithful to me
even in thought. I would fain be his in the next
life as in this.'
Then the Blessed One spoke : ' If man and wife
wish to be together in the next life as in this, let
them be peers in faith, peers in morality, and peers
in liberality and wisdom : then shall they meet
in the next life.
When man and wife are peers in chastity,
In faith and righteousness and charity,
When each the other serveth lovingly,
Then shall they dwell in bliss and health.
Their foes shall grieve to see their wealth :
And since in all things they are peers
Rebirth in heavenly realms is theirs,
And gladly each with other shares
The bliss they've won in lower spheres ! '
Note
This is a question which naturally exercises the mind
of Buddhists, and the chances of re-union are, according
to this teaching, so slender that the most orthodox believer
is often a heretic in this one respect. When we reflect that
it is the common belief that a good woman will be reborn
as a man, it will be seen how far the teaching here given
is from satisfying the craving of their hearts. Neverthe-
less, they would account for the phenomenon of ' love at
first sight ' in this way : the lovers were together in a
former birth, and when Karma brings about a meeting
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 89
each instinctively recognizes the beloved, though outward
forms have changed.
The Christian doctrine of a Heaven where there is a
' knitting up of sundered ties ' attracts Buddhists very
powerfully, and many of them have taken it over into their
religion.
LIII
THE LAYMAN'S PART
(Vyaggapajja Sutta.)
(Translated by Mb. D. J. Subasinha.)
Thus I (Ananda) heard.
Once the Blessed One was residing among the
Koliyans at Kakkarapattam, a village in the terri-
tory of the Koliyan King.
Now at that time a Koliyan named Dhigajanu
(Longshanks) went to where the Blessed One was,
and having paid due obeisance to Him, sat down
on one side. Being thus seated, the Koliyan named
Dhigajanu addressed the Blessed One thus :
' Venerable Lord, as laymen we pass, our days
enjoying the five sensual pleasures ; and on account
of the maintenance of our wives and children we
do not find sufficient time to devote to the per-
formance of meritorious deeds. We perfume our
bodies with sandal-wood grown in the country
called Kasi and with different other odours. We
adorn our bodies with garlands of beautiful and
fragrant flowers of different varieties. We anoint
our bodies with sweet-scented unguents. We
possess gold and silver, and we enrich our bodies
with ornaments made of gold and embossed with
pearls and jewels.
1 Venerable Lord, if there be a doctrine which
90 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
will be of use to us as laymen, and which will con-
duce to our welfare in this world, and for our
happiness in the world to come, pray declare unto
us that doctrine.'
The Lord spoke and said : ' Vyaggapajja, by the
observation of these four doctrines the layman will
be enabled to lead a virtuous life in this world, and
in the life hereafter enjoy a happy life. What are
these four ?
1 They are :
1. Perseverance.
2. Protection of wealth.
3. True friendship.
4. Frugality.
* What, 0 Vyaggapajja, is perseverance ? In
this world, Vyaggapajja, whatever profession a
layman may pursue for his sustenance, be it either
agriculture, or commerce, or cattle-farming, or
fencing, or statesmanship, or any other profession,
such as smithy and pottery, and gain his liveli-
hood by being efficient in these arts, and unre-
mitting in his endeavours, and if he watch the
right time to do a piece of work and do it at the
proper time, or without sloth if he cause the
work to be done at the proper time and super-
vise it, he judges and acts wisely. Acquisition of
wealth or achievement of success, 0 Vyaggapajja,
by persistent effort and unremitting energy in this
manner, is called perseverance.
* What, 0 Vyaggapajja, is protection of wealth ?
Vyaggapajja, a layman may have wealth acquired
by constant diligence, by the strength of his limbs,
by the sweat of his brow, by well-concerted plans,
and by right means of livelihood. One shall then
consider : this wealth acquired by me I shall pro-
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 91
tect from burglars, protect from danger arising by
fire, protect from inundations, protect from danger
arising from authorities, and protect from dis-
agreeable and jealous relatives. The taking care
of wealth acquired with difficulty in this manner,
Vyaggapajja, is called protection.
' What, Vyaggapajja, is true friendship ? In this
world, Vyaggapajja, if a householder, living in a
village or hamlet, find there a householder or his
son, who is a strict observer of the precepts
(Dharma), has cultivated his intellect, is spiritu-
ally developed, is firm in faith, performs duties
devolving on laymen, is liberally disposed towards
others, has a profound acquaintance with different
sciences, and if he associate with the householder
or his son as above described, discuss with him,
converse with him, that householder will become a
strict observer of the precepts, cultivate his intel-
lect, develop spiritually, be firm in faith, perform
duties devolving upon laymen, be liberally dis-
posed towards others, acquire a profound know-
ledge of the sciences, and do all that is good, and
refrain from all that is bad. This, Vyaggapajja,
is called true friendship.
* What, Vyaggapajja, is frugality ? In this world,
Vyaggapajja, if a householder, considering wisely
and realizing the difficulty of acquiring wealth
and the manner in which the wealth so acquired
should be spent, be moderate in his expenses, that
is, earn twice as much as is spent, and neither
spend too much, nor spend too little, then the
wealth so acquired will not be wasted, but be
preserved.
'Vyaggapajja, as a trader or his subordinate
uses a balance and perceives that when a weight
92 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
is introduced to a scale pan that one side is
lowered owing to excess of weight, while the
other is raised owing to the want of an equal
weight ; in like manner the householder should
understand well the extent of his income and
spend proportionate to his means, considering the
difficulty of acquiring wealth and the impropriety
of spending it lavishly. He should spend econo-
mically according to his means and sustain himself.
In this manner a householder should refrain from
extravagance, and be economical in his expenses.
Then his earnings will not be wasted, but be
preserved.
1 Vyaggapajja, a householder who earns little but
spends beyond his means is compared unto a man,
who, desirous of eating wood-apple, climbs up
a tree, shakes the branches, letting both the ripe
and unripe fruits fall down, collects them, eats
the ripe fruits, and throws aside the unripe ones.
People will readily deprecate such wastage.
1 Vyaggapajja, if a householder be miserly,
making no proper use of his earnings, and die,
he will be subjected to blame, in not having
spent them during his lifetime for what was
worthy.
1 Vyaggapajja, in this manner a householder
should wisely consider the difficulty of acquiring
wealth and the impropriety of spending beyond
his means the wealth acquired by persistent
efforts. He should consider in this wise, ' This
wealth acquired by me I shall not spend lavishly,
but spend it economically and solely for my
wants.' The spending of wealth in this manner,
Vyaggapajja, is called frugality.
1 Vyaggapajja, there are four ways in which the
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 93
wealth lawfully acquired by indefatigable energy
is liable to be destroyed. What are these four
ways ? They are :
1. Indulgence in unlawful sexual intercourse.
2. Indulgence in the use of intoxicating liquors.
3. Indulgence in gambling.
4. Indulgence in associating with unrighteous
friends.
1 Vyaggapaj ja, if a lake, well fortified by embank-
ments, has four feeding streams, and four outlets ;
and if the four inlets be blocked, and the passage
of the four outlets be cleared up by the removal of
silt to facilitate the outflow of water, and if there
be no currents of air to obstruct the movement
of water, the water in the lake will gradually flow
out and the lake will be emptied. In like manner,
Vyaggapaj ja, will the wealth of a man be destroyed,
who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, in-
dulges in the use of intoxicating liquors, indulges
in gambling, and indulges in the association of
unrighteous friends, such as joining vicious men
in the time of their prosperity and moving in their
society.
' Vyaggapaj j a, there are four ways in which the
wealth acquired by persistent efforts may be
increased and saved. What are these four ?
They are (1) refraining from the indulgence in
unlawful sexual intercourse, (2) refraining from
the indulgence in the use of intoxicating liquors,
(3) refraining from the indulgence in gambling,
(4) the association with righteous men. These are
the four ways tending to the increase of wealth.
' Vyaggapaj ja, if a lake, well fortified by embank-
ments, has four feeding streams and four outlets,
and if the four outlets be blocked up, and the
94 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
passage of the four inlets be cleared up by the
removal of silt to facilitate the influx of water,
and if there be no current of air to obstruct the
inward flow of water, the water of the lake will
not be diminished, but be gradually increased,
and consequently the lake will be full.
' In the same manner, Vyaggapajja, will the
wealth of a man be increased who refrains from
indulgence in unlawful sexual intercourse, indul-
gence in the use of intoxicating liquors, indulgence
in gambling, indulgence in associating with
unrighteous men. Vyaggapajja, by the observa-
tion of these four principles will the layman be
enabled to lead a virtuous life in this world, and
be happy in the world to come.
'Vyaggapajja, adherence to the following four
principles will enable a layman to attain a good
birth in the world to come, and enjoy heavenly
bliss. What are these four ? (1) Faith, (2) Obser-
vation of the precepts, (3) Liberality, (4) Prudence.
1 What, 0 Vyaggapajja, is faith ? If in this world,
Vyaggapajja, a layman have faith, he will repose
confidence in the sublime wisdom of Lord Buddha.
Thinking in this manner will he repose confidence :
'Lord Buddha has overcome all sins. He has by
self-exertion fully comprehended the cause of all
things. He has kind words for all, and his actions
are actuated by infinite love towards mankind.
He understands all about the world. He causes
men to refrain from sin and sets them on the right
path. He is the adviser of the Devas and of all
mankind. He discovered the four Noble Truths and
expounded those doctrines to others. He has sub-
jugated all kinds of passions and killed desire.'
Reposing confidence in this manner on the sublime
THE HEART OF BUDDHISM 95
wisdom of Lord Buddha, Vyaggapajja, is called
faith.*
1 What, 0 Vyaggapajja, is meant by the obser-
vation of the precepts ? If in this world, Vyagga-
pajja, a layman refrain from destroying life, refrain
from taking that which is not given, refrain from
unlawful sexual intercourse, refrain from the use
of intoxicating liquors, this is called the observa-
tion of the precepts.
1 What, 0 Vyaggapajja, is liberality ? If in this
world a layman would, by insatiate desire and
selfishness, envy others' wealth and consider,
' May this wealth of mine not pass away unto
others,' that is not liberality. But if he have a
compassionate heart towards others and be ready
to give unto others proportionate to his means,
and if he give unto others when demanded and
make others to partake of his riches, that, Vyagga-
pajja, is called liberality.
' What, 0 Vyaggapajja, is prudence ? If in this
world, Vyaggapajja, a layman dispels ignorance,
which stands in the way of one's spiritual develop-
ment, or the achievement of success in this world,
and acquire enlightenment, and ponder over the
dissolution of the Skandhas, by the conjunction
of which man is constituted, and the subjection
of everything in this world to impermanence, this,
Vyaggapajja, is called prudence.
* Vyaggapajja, by the observation of these four
principles will laymen be enabled to attain a good
birth in the world to come, and enjoy heavenly
bliss.'
* Faith in Buddhism is reliance upon the system
expounded by Gautama : Faith in Christianity is trust
in a Person.
96 THE HEART OF BUDDHISM
After the Blessed One had preached unto
Vyaggapajja in this manner, treating about the
principles, the observance of which will tend to
bring happiness in this world and in the world to
come hereafter, he again uttered the following
concisely in verses (Gathas) :
' That layman knows no sinful thought,
Who does with promptness what he ought,
Protects his wealth with prudent care,
Yet gives away a fitting share ;
And, full of faith in Buddha's Law,
Holds to its precepts fast and sure.
Thus frugal, prudent, liberal he
By Faith and Zeal shall sinless be ;
Thus happy here he lives below,
And later glad to heaven shall go.'
Note
It will be noticed that the Goal here set before the laity
is not Nirvana, which does not attract them, but a Heaven
of Bliss, which does. The question ' How can we even
achieve this much of the Eightfold Path ? ' greatly
exercises the earnest Buddhist ; and in practice he prays
and makes offerings that he may be reborn in this world
when Maitri, or Metteyya, the next Buddha, comes.
That this ' Loving One ' has already come, and will return,
it is the privilege of the missionary to proclaim.
THE END
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