Chapter 10
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Unknown, Gemmell, William, and Kumārajīva
[Chapter 10]
The Lord Buddha addressed Subhuti, saying: “What think you? When the Lord Buddha, in a previous life, was a disciple of Dipankara Buddha,1 was there communicated to him any prescribed Law, or system of doctrine, whereby he eventually became a Buddha?” Subhuti replied, saying: “No! Honoured of the Worlds! When the Lord Buddha was a disciple of Dipankara Buddha, neither prescribed Law nor system of doctrine was communicated to him, whereby he eventually became a Buddha.”2
The Lord Buddha addressed Subhuti, saying: “What think you? may an enlightened disciple thus ponder within himself, ‘I shall create numerous Buddhist Kingdoms’?”3 Subhuti replied, saying: “No! Honoured of the Worlds! And why? Because, kingdoms thus created would not in reality be Buddhist kingdoms,4 therefore ‘the creation of numerous Buddhist kingdoms’ is merely a figure of speech.”
The Lord Buddha, continuing, addressed Subhuti, saying: “Enlightened disciples ought therefore to engender within themselves a pure and holy mind; they ought not to depend on the phenomena of form, sound, odour, taste, touch, or Law; they ought to sedulously cultivate a mind independent of every material aid.”
The Lord Buddha addressed Subhuti, saying: “Supposing a man with a body as pretentious as Sumeru,5 prince among mountains, would you esteem such a body as being great?” Subhuti replied, saying: “Exceedingly great, Honoured of the Worlds! And why? Because, the Lord Buddha referred not to a physical body,6 but to mental and spiritual concepts of bodies, in which sense a body may be regarded as really Great.”
Source notes
1 “Ran-Teng-Fuh—the Buddha who illuminates brightly, Ting-Kwang-Fuh—the Buddha of fixed light. The twenty-fourth predecessor of Sakyamuni, from whom the latter received the assurance of his being destined for Buddhaship.”—Handbook of Chinese Buddhism. Eitel.
It is recorded in The Diamond Sutra that the Lord Buddha, in previous incarnations, assiduously performed religious vows, and deferentially honoured all contemporary Buddhas. An image of a former master, Dipankara Buddha, may frequently be observed in Chinese Buddhist temples, immediately behind the more conspicuous figure of Sakyamuni Buddha. Amongst Chinese Buddhist anniversaries may be found the birthday of “the ancient Buddha, Ran-Teng” (Dipankara), and the period allocated for its observance is the 22nd day of the 8th month. (Compare Edkins’ Chinese Buddhism.)
2 “It is maintained by the Buddhists that the founder of their faith was entirely αὐτοδιδακτος. The wisdom that he manifested was the outbeaming of a self-enkindled flame, not an inspiration from any exterior source, nor was it the result of any process of thought or reason. To whatever object he directed his intellectual vision, whether it was near or remote, whether past, present, or future, he saw it in a moment, intuitively, and yet in a manner the most absolutely perfect.”—Eastern Monachism. Spence Hardy.
3 “Bhagavat said: If Subhuti, a Bodhisattva, should say, ‘I shall create numbers of worlds,’ he would say what is untrue. And why? Because, O Subhuti, when Tathagata preached numbers of worlds, numbers of worlds indeed! they were preached by him as no numbers. Therefore they are called numbers of worlds.”—The Vagrakkhedika. Max Müller.
“Subhuti, what think you? are the various lands and territories of the Buddhas completely perfected by the Bodhisatwas who occupy them? No! World-honoured one! for this complete perfection of which we speak is after all no perfection at all, it is only an empty name.”—Kin-Kong-King. Beal.
“The wise man is always thinking: How can I and these beings become Buddhas? I will preach this true Law, upon which the happiness of all beings depends, for the benefit of the world.”—Saddharma-Pundarika. H. Kern.
The words Chuang-Yen, in a Buddhist sense, usually refer to the erection or adornment of temples and pagodas, almsgiving, or other work of merit. Used in conjunction with Fuh-Tu—Buddhist kingdoms, as exemplified by our text, Chuang-Yen appears to convey a much wider meaning. Perhaps it refers to a spiritual creation and adornment by charity and virtue, of kingdoms owning allegiance to the Lord Buddha.
“In twelve years from the commencement of his public teaching, Buddha’s doctrines had spread over sixteen Indian kingdoms.”—Chinese Buddhism. Edkins.
4 A Buddhist kingdom has no outward manifestation; it is a pure and holy condition of mind.—Chinese Annotation.
Compare the statement attributed to Christ, “The kingdom of heaven is within you.”
5 “Sumeru is probably Elburz, an isolated mountain of the Caucasus range, 18,000 feet in height, and surrounded by low ground.”—Chinese Buddhism. Edkins.
“But when they brought the painted palanquin
To fetch him home, the bearers of the poles
Were the four Regents of the Earth, come down
From Mount Sumeru.”
—The Light of Asia. Sir Edwin Arnold.
6 “The modification which Buddhism introduced into the idea of transmigration was necessitated by the early Buddhist theories of the nature of sentient beings; according to which, man consists of an assemblage of different properties or qualities ... these are Material qualities, Sensations, abstract Ideas, Tendencies of mind, and mental Powers.... The first group, Material Qualities, are like a mass of foam, that gradually forms, and then vanishes. The second group, the Sensations, are like a bubble dancing on the face of the water. The third group, the Ideas, are like the uncertain mirage that appears in the sunshine. The fourth group, the mental and moral Predispositions, are like the plantain stalk, without firmness or solidity. And the last group, the Thoughts, are like a spectre or magical illusion. The body itself is constantly changing, ... man is never the same for two consecutive moments.” (Compare Rhys Davids’ Buddhism, and Spence Hardy’s Manual.
“For instance, Subhuti, a man might have a body and a large body, so that his size should be as large as the king, of mountains, Sumeru. Do you think then, O Subhuti, that his selfhood would be large? Subhuti said, Yes! his selfhood would be large. And why? Because, when the Tathagata preached ‘selfhood,’ selfhood indeed! it was preached by him as no selfhood. Therefore it is called selfhood.”—The Vagrakkhedika. Max Müller.