II
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Soothill, William Edward and Kumārajīva
The World-honoured One, coming calmly and deliberately out of his trance, now addresses his disciple Śariputra, and through him the assembled company:
“The wisdom of Buddhas is profound and infinite. Their school of wisdom is difficult to enter and to understand.” Ascetics and those who cleave to the law of works “cannot apprehend it”. But a Buddha has been in fellowship with countless numbers of Buddhas, and knows all things. “Only a Buddha with a Buddha can fathom the reality of All-Existence.” In verse he says:
“Of yore I followed countless Buddhas,
And perfectly trod the Ways
Of the profound and mystic Law,
Hard to perceive and perform.
During infinite kotis of kalpas,
Having followed all these Ways,
Attaining fruition on the Wisdom-throne
I could perfectly understand
The meaning of every nature and form.
I and the Buddhas of the universe
Alone can understand these things—
The Truth beyond demonstration,
The Truth beyond the realm of terms.”
The wisest of his disciples, he says, will not be able to understand it, but they can apprehend it by faith. This ultimate, or absolute Truth can only be understood by Buddhas. His disciples should at once “beget great strength of faith, for at length, after his preparatory teaching, he must now proclaim the perfect Truth”. His previous teaching had only been tactical and expedient, during the time of their ignorance, but now a higher Truth must be proclaimed.
Thereupon doubts arise among the strictest set of his disciples, those who by arduous effort have made the greatest progress in his previous teaching.
“For what reason”, ask they one of another, “does the World honoured One now so earnestly extol this Way of expediency and utter these words: ‘The Truth which the Buddha has obtained is most profound and difficult to comprehend. The meaning of what he is about to proclaim is so hard to understand that it will be beyond the grasp even of his most disciplined followers.’ We have already attained to his principle of emancipation and have reached the stage of Nirvana. Now we know not whither his new principle will lead.”
Śariputra voices their discontent by asking the Buddha what is his reason for extolling this method of expediency, which now is to end in the declaration of a Truth, profound and mysterious, such as they have never before heard the Buddha mention.
“O Wisdom-Sun! Great Holy Honoured One!
. . . . .
These fault-eliminated Arhats
And those who seek Nirvana
Have fallen into nets of doubt.”
These workers of the Law, these disciples, gods, dragon-kings, spirits, and other beings “scan each the other in perplexity”. Is all that they have learnt and done in vain?
“The Buddha’s mouth-born sons
With folded hands expectant wait.
Be pleased to send forth the mystic sound
And now proclaim the Truth in reality.
Gods, nagas, spirits and others,
Numerous as sands of Ganges,
Bodhisattvas aspiring to be Buddhas,
Fully eighty thousand in number,
Also, from myriads of kotis of lands,
Holy Wheel-rolling Kings are here,
With folded hands and reverent hearts
Desiring to hear the Perfect Way.”
The Buddha replies: “Enough! enough! say no more. Were I to explain this matter, the worlds of gods and men would be startled and perplexed.”
Śariputra pleads:
“King of the Law, Honoured One Most High?