"We will ask the muni of great understanding, who has crossed the stream, gone to the other sh.o.r.e, is blessed and of a firm mind: How does a bhikkhu wander rightly in the world, after having gone out from his house and driven away desire?" 3

The Buddha said: 4

"Let the bhikkhu subdue his pa.s.sion for human and celestial pleasures, then, having conquered existence, he will command the Dharma. Such a one will wander rightly in the world. 5

"He whose l.u.s.ts have been destroyed, who is free from pride, who has overcome all the ways of pa.s.sion, is subdued, perfectly happy, and of a firm mind. Such a one will wander rightly in the world. 6

"Faithful is he who is possessed of knowledge, seeing the way that leads to Nirvana; he who is not a partisan; he who is pure and virtuous, and has removed the veil from his eyes. Such a one will wander rightly in the world." 7

Said the bhikkhus: "Certainly, O Bhagavat, it is so: whichever bhikkhu lives in this way, subdued and having overcome all bonds, such a one will wander rightly in the world." 8

The Blessed One said: 9

"Whatever is to be done by him who aspires to attain the tranquillity of Nirvana let him be able and upright, conscientious and gentle, and not proud. 10

"Let a man's pleasure be the Dharma, let him delight in the Dharma, let him stand fast in the Dharma, let him know how to inquire into the Dharma, let him not raise any dispute that pollutes the Dharma, and let him spend his time in pondering on the well-spoken truths of the Dharma. 11

"A treasure that is laid up in a deep pit profits nothing and may easily be lost. The real treasure that is laid up through charity and piety, temperance, self-control, or deeds of merit, is hid secure and cannot pa.s.s away. It is never gained by despoiling or wronging others, and no thief can steal it. A man, when he dies, must leave the fleeting wealth of the world, but this treasure of virtuous acts he takes with him. Let the wise do good deeds; they are a treasure that can never be lost." 12

And the bhikkhus praised the wisdom of the Tathagata: 13

"Thou hast pa.s.sed beyond pain; thou art holy, O Enlightened One, we consider thee one that has destroyed his pa.s.sions. Thou art glorious, thoughtful, and of great understanding. O thou who puttest an end to pain, thou hast carried us across our doubt. 14

"Because thou sawst our longing and carriedst us across our doubt, adoration be to thee, O muni, who hast attained the highest good in the ways of wisdom. 15

"The doubt we had before, thou hast cleared away, O thou clearly-seeing one; surely thou art a great thinker, perfectly enlightened, there is no obstacle for thee. 16

"And all thy troubles are scattered and cut off; thou art calm, subdued, firm, truthful. 17

"Adoration be to thee, O n.o.ble sage, adoration be to thee, O thou best of beings; in the world of men and G.o.ds there is none equal to thee. 18

"Thou art the Buddha, thou art the Master, thou art the muni that conquers Mara; after having cut off desire thou hast crossed over and carriest this generation to the other sh.o.r.e." 19

LX.

AMITABHA.

One of the disciples came to the Blessed One with a trembling heart and his mind full of doubt. And he asked the Blessed One: "O Buddha, our Lord and Master, why do we give up the pleasures of the world, if thou forbiddest us to work miracles and to attain the supernatural? Is not Amitabha, the infinite light of revelation, the source of innumerable miracles?" 1

And the Blessed One, seeing the anxiety of a truth-seeking mind, said: "O savaka, thou art a novice among the novices, and thou art swimming on the surface of samsara. How long will it take thee to grasp the truth? Thou hast not understood the words of the Tathagata. The law of karma is irrefragable, and supplications have no effect, for they are empty words." 2

Said the disciple: "So sayest thou there are no miraculous and wonderful things?" 3

And the Blessed One replied: 4

"Is it not a wonderful thing, mysterious and miraculous to the worldling, that a man who commits wrong can become a saint, that he who attains to true enlightenment will find the path of truth and abandon the evil ways of selfishness? 5

"The bhikkhu who renounces the transient pleasures of the world for the eternal bliss of holiness, performs the only miracle that can truly be called a miracle. 6

"A holy man changes the curses of karma into blessings. The desire to perform miracles arises either from covetousness or from vanity. 7

"That mendicant does right who does not think: 'People should salute me'; who, though despised by the world, yet cherishes no ill-will towards it. 8

"That mendicant does right to whom omens, meteors, dreams, and signs are things abolished; he is free from all their evils. 9

"Amitabha, the unbounded light, is the source of wisdom, of virtue, of Buddhahood. The deeds of sorcerers and miracle-mongers are frauds, but what is more wondrous, more mysterious, more miraculous than Amitabha?" 10

"But, Master," continued the savaka, "is the promise of the happy region vain talk and a myth?" 11

"What is this promise?" asked the Buddha; and the disciple replied: 12

"There is in the west a paradise called the Pure Land, exquisitely adorned with gold and silver and precious gems. There are pure waters with golden sands, surrounded by pleasant walks and covered with large lotus flowers. Joyous music is heard, and flowers rain down three times a day. There are singing birds whose harmonious notes proclaim the praises of religion, and in the minds of those who listen to their sweet sounds, remembrance arises of the Buddha, the law, and the brotherhood. No evil birth is possible there, and even the name of h.e.l.l is unknown. He who fervently and with a pious mind repeats the words 'Amitabha Buddha' will be transported to the happy region of this pure land, and when death draws nigh, the Buddha, with a company of saintly followers, will stand before him, and there will be perfect tranquillity." 13

"In truth," said the Buddha, "there is such a happy paradise. But the country is spiritual and it is accessible only to those that are spiritual. Thou sayest it lies in the west. This means, look for it where he who enlightens the world resides. The sun sinks down and leaves us in utter darkness, the shades of night steal over us, and Mara, the evil one, buries our bodies in the grave.

Sunset is nevertheless no extinction, and where we imagine we see extinction, there is boundless light and inexhaustible life." 14

"I understand," said the savaka, "that the story of the Western Paradise is not literally true." 15

"Thy description of paradise," the Buddha continued, "is beautiful; yet it is insufficient and does little justice to the glory of the pure land. The worldly can speak of it in a worldly way only; they use worldly similes and worldly words. But the pure land in which the pure live is more beautiful than thou canst say or imagine. 16

"However, the repet.i.tion of the name Amitabha Buddha is meritorious only if thou speak it with such a devout att.i.tude of mind as will cleanse thy heart and attune thy will to do works of righteousness. He only can reach the happy land whose soul is filled with the infinite light of truth. He only can live and breathe in the spiritual atmosphere of the Western Paradise who has attained enlightenment. 17

"Verily I say unto thee, the Tathagata lives in the pure land of eternal bliss even now while he is still in the body; and the Tathagata preaches the law of religion unto thee and unto the whole world, so that thou and thy brethren may attain the same peace and the same happiness." 18

Said the disciple: "Teach me, O Lord, the meditations to which I must devote myself in order to let my mind enter into the paradise of the pure land." 19

Buddha said: "There are five meditations. 20

"The first meditation is the meditation of love in which thou must so adjust thy heart that thou longest for the weal and welfare of all beings, including the happiness of thine enemies. 21

"The second meditation is the meditation of pity, in which thou thinkest of all beings in distress, vividly representing in thine imagination their sorrows and anxieties so as to arouse a deep compa.s.sion for them in thy soul. 22

"The third meditation is the meditation of joy in which thou thinkest of the prosperity of others and rejoicest with their rejoicings. 23

"The fourth meditation is the meditation on impurity, in which thou considerest the evil consequences of corruption, the effects of wrongs and evils. How trivial is often the pleasure of the moment and how fatal are its consequences! 24

"The fifth meditation is the meditation on serenity, in which thou risest above love and hate, tyranny and thraldom, wealth and want, and regardest thine own fate with impartial calmness and perfect tranquillity. 25

"A true follower of the Tathagata founds not his trust upon austerities or rituals but giving up the idea of self relies with his whole heart upon Amitabha, which is the unbounded light of truth." 26

The Blessed One after having explained his doctrine of Amitabha, the immeasurable light which makes him who receives it a Buddha, looked into the heart of his disciple and saw still some doubts and anxieties. And the Blessed One said: "Ask me, my son, the questions which weigh upon thy soul." 27

And the disciple said: "Can a humble monk, by sanctifying himself, acquire the talents of supernatural wisdom called Abhinnas and the supernatural powers called Iddhi? Show me the Iddhi-pada, the path to the highest wisdom? Open to me the Jhanas which are the means of acquiring samadhi, the fixity of mind which enraptures the soul." 28