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The Aquarian Theosophist

Vol. VI, #10 AUGUST 17, 2006AUGUST 17, 2006

AUGUST 17, 2006 Page 1e-mail: [email protected] Archive: http:// teosofia.com/AT.html

heorist helps develop first single moleculeThe prajnaparamita sutra

The Heart Sutra

[Book Review]: The Heart sutra,ttranslation and Commentary by Red Pine;published by Shoemaker & Hoard,Washington, D.C.; Paperback; $14.00]

The Heart Sutra is Buddhism in anutshell. It covers more of the Buddhasteachings in a shorter span than any otherscripture, and it does so without beingsuperficial or commonplace. Althoughthe author is unknown, he was clearlysomeone with a deep knowledge of thDharma and an ability to summarizelifetimes of meditation in a few well-crafted lines. Having studied the HeartSutra for the past year, I would describe itas a work of art as much as religion. Andperhaps it is one more proof, if any wereneeded, that distinguishing these twocallings is both artificial and unfortunate.

Whoever the author was, he beginsby calling upon Avalokietshvara,

Buddhisms most revered bodhisattva tointroduce the teaching ofPrajna

paramita, the Perfection of Wisdom, toBuddhas wisest disciple, Shariputra.

Avalokiteshvara then shines the light ofthis radical form of wisdom on the major

approaches to reality used by theSarvastivadins, the most prominentBuddhist sect in Northern India and

Central Asia two thousand years ago, andoutlines the alternative approach of

thePrajnaparamita. Finally,Avalokiteshvara also provides a key by

means of which we can call this teachingto mind and unlock its power on our

behalf.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

.

The Prajna PARAMITA SUTRA 1

SECRETS LONG KEPT. . . . . . . 6

PB DEFENSE FUND 13

CORRESPONDENCE

A TALE OF GOLD AND GREED

14

ORIENTAL DEPARTMENT REPORT 15

BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE 16

ORIENTAL DEPARTMENT REPORT 15

With thi s sequenc e in mind, I (Red Pine)

have divided the text into four partsand have also broken it into thirty-fivelines to make it easier to study or

chant. In the firs t part (1-11), we are

reminded of the time when the Buddhatransmitted his entire understanding of

the Abhidharma, or Matrix of Reality,during the seventh monsoon following

his Enlightenment. We then considerAv alok iteshvaras reformulat ion of

such instruction to correct Shari

putras misunderstanding of it. The

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The Aquarian Theosophist, Vol. VI, #10 AUGUST 17, 2006 Page 2

basis for this reformulation is theteaching of prajna in place of j nana1, or

wisdom rather than knowledge. Thus,the conceptual truths on which early

Buddhists relied for their practice areheld up to the light and found to beempty of anything that would separate

them from the indivisible fabric of what

is truly real. In their place,

Av alok iteshvara introduces us toemptiness, the common denominator ofthe mund ane, the metaphysical, and the

transcendent.

In the second part (lines 12-20),Avalokiteshvara lists the major

conceptual categories of the SarvastivadinAbhidharma and considers each in the

light of Prajnaprmita. Following the samesequence of categories used by the

Sarvastivadins themselves, he reviewssuch forms of analysis as the b\Bodies of

Awareness, the Abodes of Sensation, theElements of Perception, the Chain of

Dependent Origination, the Four Truths,and the attainment or non-attainment of

Nirvana, and sees them all dissolve inemptiness.

In the third part (lines (21-28),

Avalokiteshvara turns from the

Sarvastivadin interpretation of theAbhidharma to the emptiness of Prajnaparamita, which provides travelers with

all they need to reach the goal ofBuddhahood. Here, Avalokiteshvara

reviews the major signposts near the endof the path without introducing additional

conceptual categories that might obstructor deter those who would travel it.

In the fourth part (lines 29-35),

Avalokiteshvara leaves us with asummary of the teaching of

Prajnaparamita in the form of anincantation that reminds and empowers us

to go beyond all conceptual categories.This teaching has with good reason been

called the mother of buddhas. Having

1 Or, in other words Consciousness in place of conceptualknowledge based on words.ED., A.T.

survived a year-long journey through the

jungle of early Buddhism to the secretburial ground of the Abhidharma, I would

add that the Heart sutra is their womb.With this incantation ringing in our

minds, w thus enter the goddess,Prajnaparamita, and await our rebirth as

buddhas. This is the teaching of theHeart Sutra, ass I have come to

understand it over the past year. ,,,,

I began at the beginning with thewords Abhidharma. Some commentators

have interpreted this to mean higherdharmas, and others have insisted it

means the study of dharmas, ordharmology. In either case, the higher

dharmas that are the subject of study are

the entities of the mind through whichBuddhists gain their understanding ofreality. According to such a conception,

any given object or individual is viewedas nothing but a construct of the mind

fashioned out of these dharmas, orbuilding blocks of reality. In the past,

some Buddhists even held that suchdharmas constituted reality itself, which

was true of the Sarvastivadins. But as Ibegan exploring the Abhidharma, I soon

learned that during the forty-five years ofthe Buddhas ministry, he taught the

Abhidharma to only one of his disciples.

This occurred just before the onsetof the annual monsoon in the seventh year

after his Enlightenment, or in 432 B.C. (TOUSE THE DATING OF THE BUDDHA

ESTABLISHED BY HAJIMENAKAMURA). INTHIS YEAR, WHILE THE BUDDHA WAS STILL

IN RAJgir2, he told King Bimasara that he

would perform a miracle in Shravasti, the

capital of the adjacent kingdom ofKaushala, under the royal gardeners

mango tree. Hearing of this prediction,members of rival sects preceded the

Buddha to Shrvasti and cut down all the

2 HPB uses the spelling Rajaagriha in the Glossary, and says underthat entry: A city in Magadha famous for its conversion toBuddhism in the days of the Buddhist kings. It was theirresidence from Bimbisara to Asoka, and was the seat of the firstSynod or Buddhist Council, held 510 B.C.

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mango trees. But the royal gardener

managed to find a single fruit and offeredit to the Buddha. After eating the mango,

the Buddha gave the seed to the gardenerand asked him to plant it. Once it was in

the ground, the Buddha washed his handsabove the spot. As the water touched the

ground, the seed sprouted into a huge treethat burst into blooms that then turned

into fruit. According to Pali accountsdating back to the third century B.C.

(Patisamghi Dammagga I: 125), TheBuddha sat down below the tree and

suddenly appeared at the center of a hugeLotus flower from which his image

multiplied a millionfold. Then he roseinto the air with fire coming from the top

half of his body and water from the

bottom half. This was then reversed, withwater coming from the top half and firefrom the bottom half. This process was

repeated along his left side and his rightside. Then the Buddha stood up and

walked along a jeweled terrace thatappeared in the sky. After sitting down

and reclining, he finally stood back up,and as Buddhas before him had done

following the performance of such feats,in three great strides he ascended to

Trayatrinsha Heaven at the summit ofMount Sumeru.

Santushita was Maya, Shakyamunis

mother, who died a week after givingbirth. According to both Pali and Sanskrit

accounts, out of compassion for hisformer mother, the Buddha spent the

entire rainy season at the summit ofMount Sumeru teaching Santushita the

conceptual system known as the

Abhidharma, which is often described asthe way things appear to the mind of aBuddha.

While he was on earth, the Buddha

taught lessons suited to whatever audiencehe was addressing. But much like a

doctor, his instructions were primarilyintended to put an end to suffering. He

never bothered trying to explain thesystem that formed the basis of his

spiritual pharmacology, which was the

Abhidharma. As later disciples and theirdisciples came to understand the

Abhidharma, they claimed that itexplained reality as a matrix (Matrika) of

dharmas, or fundamental entities of themind, much like the table of atomic

elements used in chemistry. From such aperspective, our familiar world of objects

and persons was viewed as nothing but aconceptual construct fashioned out of

dozens of these dharmas seventy-fivein the case of the Sarvastivadins. And to

know things as they really are, a personneeded to develop the ability to know the

characteristics and connections amongthese entities. In his sermons, however,

the Buddha nowhere advanced such a

system, for it was simply too vast anenterprise to attempt on earth. Only onMount Sumeru could the Buddha explain

the immense and intricate scheme of theAbhidharma. This is because only such a

place was sufficiently removed from thecoarser levels of the Realm of Desire.

Thus, the Buddha taught the

Abhidharma to Santushita at the summitof Mount Sumeru. But every day, he

reappeared briefly on earth and gave hisdisciple, Shariputra, a summary, for a

summary was all that was possible toteach or to understand on the earthly

plane far below Trayatrinsha Heaven.Shariputra has distinguished himself for

his wisdom, and the Buddha chose him,and him alone, to receive such instruction.

Finally after three months, the monsoonseason came to an end, and the Buddha

descended to earth at Sankasya, an event

depicted with great imagination inBuddhist art, and he resumed his teachingbut never spoke of the Abhidharma again.

(p. 6-16)

Red Pine points to Avalokiteshara asthe Nirmanakaya of the Heart Sutra, and

the Mantra which he gives at the end asthe genie toward a spiritual rebirth; or in

his own words:

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A mantra is like a magic lamp,

which itself is often cast in the shape of awomb., But instead of bringing forth a

genie, as other mantras are intended to do,this mantra draws us inside, where we

become the genie. Chanting this mantrathus creates the womb from which we are

reborn as buddhas. This, then, is how myunderstanding of this sutra has changed

over the past year. All together quiteunexpected, but nevertheless inescapable.

The Heart Sutra hardly fills a page,

and yet it is the best known of thethousands of scriptures in the Buddhist

Canon. Its fame, though, is relativelyrecent in terms of Buddhist history and

didnt begin until a thousand years after

the Buddhas Nirvana. During the chaosthat occurred in China between thecollapse of Sui (581-618) and the rise of

the Tang dynasty (618-907), manypeople fled the countrys twin capitals of

Loyang and Chang-and sought refuge inthe southwest province of Szechuan.

Among the refugees was a Buddhistnovice still in his teens. One day this

novice befriended a man who wasimpoverished and ill, and the man, in turn

taught him the words of the Heart Sutra.Not long afterward, the novice was

ordained a, and several years later, in 629,he embarked on one of the great journeys

of Chinese history.

The young monks name wasHsuan-tsang, and he set out on the Silk

Road for India in search of answers toquestions concerning the Buddha

teaching that this world is nothing butmind. In the course of his journey,

Hsuan-tsang is said to have traveled10,000 miles west across the

Taklamakan Desert to Samarkand, southover the Hindu Kush to the Buddhist

center of Taxila, and down the Gangesinto India and back again, and time and

again, he turned to the Heart Sutra toward off demons, dust storms, and

bandits. When he finally returned toChina in 645, he was welcomed back by

the emperor, and stories about the power

of the Heart Sutra began making therounds. .

Since then, the Heart Sutra has

become the most popular of all Buddhistscriptures, and yet no one knows where it

came from or who was responsible for itscomposition. Its earliest recorded

appearance was in the form of a Chinesetranslation made by a Central Asian monk

sometime between A.D. 200 AND 250. TheMONKS name was Chih-Chien, and he

was a disciple of Chih-lou-chia-chan.The Chih at the beginning of these

monks names indicated that they werenot Chinese, but Yueh-chih. During the

second century B.C., one branch of this

nomadic tribe migrated westward fromtheir ancestral home along Chinasnorthwest border and settled in the upper

reaches of the Oxus River. In thefollowing century, they spread south

across the Hindu Kush, and by A.D. 150they controlled a territory that included

most of Northern India. Since theirterritory straddled both sides of the Hindu

Kush, it was known as the KushanEmpire, and it was one of the great

empires of the ancient world.

In their conquest of this region, theYueh-chih made use of a network of roads

first created by the Mauryan Empire (321-181 B.C.) of Chandragupta and Ashoka

and expanded by a series of short-liveddynasties. This network also served the

purpose of administrative control andprovided the revenue from merchants and

guilds that financed the Kushan state.The same guilds and merchants also

supported hundreds, if not thousands, ofBuddhist monasteries along the same

network of roads and towns, and Buddhistflourished under the Kushans. King

Kaniska (fl. A.D.100-125) even put theimages of Shakyamuni and Maitreya

Buddha on his coins..

In his Maha PrajnaparamitaShastra, written at the end of the second

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century A.D., Nagarjuna says the ideas and

inspiration of such early Mahayanascriptures, if not the scriptures

themselves, originated in Southern Indiaand later spread west and then north.

Most of Northern India was controlled bythe Kushans during this period, and such

teachings and scriptures would havemoved easily along the trade routes under

their control through what are nowPakistan and Afghanistan, then north

through Uzbekistan, and finally east alongthe major arteries of the Silk Road to

China.

Although the teachings tht make upthe Prajnaparamita are thought to have

originated in Southern India in the first or

second century B.C., the Heart Sutra wasmost likely composed during the firstcentury A.D. further north, in the

territories under the control of theKushans.

Not long after Ashoka inherited the

Mauryan throne in 268 B.C., he sentSaarvastivadin missionaries to Gandhara.

Ashoka had been governor of Gandharaduring the reign of his grandfather,

Chandragupta, and his decision to sendSarvastivadin monks there was a sign of

favor. The cities in this part of India wereat the center of a network of

transcontinental trade routes and amongthe richest in subcontinent. Thus, it is not

surprising that the Sarvastivadins soonbecame the dominant Buddhist sect in this

region. Over the course of the nextseveral centuries preferential patronage by

merchants and the ruling elite extendedtheir dominance beyond Gandhara to

Bactria, Sogdia, and Mathurabasicallythe boundaries of the Kushan Empire.

And since the Heart Sutra was clearlyorganized as a response to the teachings

of the Sarvastivadins, it was probably aSarvastivadin monk (or former

Sarvastivadin monk) in this region whocomposed the Heart Sutra upon realizing

the limitations of the SarvastivadinAbhidharma. This was Edward Conzes

conclusion concerning other

Prajnaparamita texts and most likely itwas also the case with theHeart Sutra.

"SECRETS LONG KEPT"

[H. P. Blavatsky -Isis Unveiled1:37-8]

from the first ages of man, the

fundamental truths of all that we are

permitted to know on earth was in the

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safe keeping of the adepts of the

sanctuary; that the difference in creeds

and religious practice was only external;

and that those guardians of the

primitive divine revelation, who had

solved every problem that is within the

grasp of human intellect, were boundtogether by a universal freemasonry of

science and philosophy, which formed

one unbroken chain around the globe.

It is for philology and psychology to find

the end of the thread. That done, it will

then be ascertained that, by relaxing one

single loop of the old religious systems,

the chain of mystery may be

disentangled. . . .

The moment is more opportune than

ever for the review of old philosophies.

Archologists, philologists, astronomers,

chemists and physicists are getting nearer

and nearer to the point where they will beforced to consider them. Physical science

has already reached its limits of

exploration; dogmatic theology sees the

springs of its inspiration dry.

Unless we mistake the signs, the day

is approaching when the world will

receive the proofs that only ancient

religions were in harmony with nature,

and ancient science embraced all that

can be known .

Secrets long kept may be revealed;books long forgotten and arts long time

lost may be brought out to light again;

papyri and parchments of inestimable

importance will turn up in the hands of

men who pretend to have unrolled them

from mummies, or stumbled upon them in

buried crypts; tablets and pillars, whose

sculptured revelations will stagger

theologians and confound scientists, may

yet be excavated and interpreted.

Who knows the possibilities of the

future? An era of disenchantment and

rebuilding will soon begin nay, hasalready begun. The cycle has almost run

its course; a new one is about to begin,

and the future pages of history may

contain full evidence, and convey full

proof that

"If ancestry can be in aught believed,

Descending spirits have conversedwith man,

And told him secrets of the worldunknown."

Hi Jerome,

I finished this Vol. of the OrientalDepartment articles. Check it out, and see

if the way that I got it referenced wellenough for the fussy people.

http://www.phx-ult-

lodge.org/oriental_department_appendix.ht

m

Peace,

Robin

.

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BONDAGE THROUGH IMAGINATION.

RECOGNIZINGas thine own the hidden

Self, the witness of the soul and its

activities, perceiving truly "That am I,"destroy the thought of Self in all not Self.

Give up following after the world, give

up following after the body, give up

following after the ritual law; make an end

of transferring self-hood to these.

Through a man's imagination being full

of the world, through his imaginationbeing full of the ritual law, through his

imagination being full of the body,wisdom, truly, is not born in him.

For him who seeks freedom from the

grasping hand of birth and death, an iron

fetter binding his feet, say they who know

it, is this potent triad of imaginings ; he

who has got free from this enters intofreedom.

The scent of sandalwood that drives all

evil odors away comes forth through

stirring it with water and the like ; all other

odors are driven altogether away.

The image of the supreme Self, stained

by the dust of imaginings, dwelling

inwardly, endless, evil, comes forth pure,

by the stirring power of enlightenment as

the scent of the sandalwood comes forth

clear.

In the net of imaginings of things not

Self, the image of the Self is held back; by

resting on the eternal Self, their destruction

comes, and the Self shines clear.

As the mind rests more and more on the

Self behind it, it is more and more freed

from outward imaginings; when

imaginings are put away, and no residue

left, he enters and becomes the Self, pure

of all bonds.

SELFHOOD TRANSFERRED TO

THINGS NOT SELF.

By resting ever in the Self, the restlessmind of him who seeks union is stilled,

and all imaginings fade away; therefore

make an end of transferring Selfhood to

things not Self.

Darkness is put away through force and

substantial being; force, through

substantial being; in the pure, substantialbeing is not put away; therefore, relying on

substantial being, make an end of

transferring Self-hood to things not Self.[80]

The body of desire is nourished by all

new works begun; steadily thinking on

this, and effort-fully holding desire firm,

make an end of transferring self hood to

things not Self.

Thinking: "I am not this separate life but

the supreme Eternal," beginning by

rejecting all but this, make an end of

transferring selfhood to things not Self; it

comes from the swift impetus of

imaginings.

Understanding the all-self hood of the

Self, by learning, seeking union, entering

the Self, make an end of transferring

selfhood to things not Self; it comes from

the Self's reflected light in other things.

Neither in taking nor giving does the

sage act at all; therefore by ever resting on

the One, make an end of transferring

selfhood to things not Self.

Through sentences like "That thou art"

awaking to the oneness of the Eternal and

the Self, to confirm the Self in the Eternal,

make an end of transferring selfhood to

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things not Self.

While there yet lingers a residue

undissolved of the thought that this body is

the Self, carefully seeking union with the

Self, make an end of transferring selfhood

to things not Self.

As long as the thought of separate life

and the world shines, dreamlike even, so

long incessantly, O wise one, make an end

of transferring selfhood to things not Self.

The body of desire, born of father and

mother of impure elements, made up of

fleshly things impure, is to be abandoned

as one abandons an impure man afar; gain

thy end by becoming the Eternal.

THE REAL IN THINGS UNREAL.

As the space in a jar in universal space, so

the Self is to be merged without division in

the Self supreme; rest thou ever thus, O

sage. [290.]

Through the separate self gaining the

Self, self-shining as a resting-place, let alloutward things from a world-system to a

lump of clay be abandoned, like a vessel of

impure water.

Raising the thought of "I" from the body

to the Self that is Consciousness, Being,Bliss, and lodging it there, leave form, and

become pure for ever.

Knowing that "I am that Eternal''

wherein this world is reflected, like a cityin a mirror, thou shalt perfectly gain thy

end.

What is of real nature, self-formed,

original consciousness, second-less bliss,

formless, act-less,entering that, let a

man put off this false body of desires,

worn by the Self as a player puts on a

costume.

For the Self, all that is seen is but

mirage; it lasts but for a moment, we see,

and know it is not "I"; how could "I know

all" be said of the personal self that

changes every moment?

The real " I " is witness of the personal

self and its powers ; as its being is

perceived always, even in dreamless sleep.

The scripture says the Self is unborn,

everlasting; this is the hidden Self,

distinguished neither as what exists nor

what has no existence.

The beholder of every change in things

that change, can be the unchanging alone ;in the mind's desires, in dreams, in

dreamless sleep the insubstantial nature of

things that change is clearly perceived

again and again.

Therefore put away the false self-hood

of this fleshly body, for the false self-hoodof the body is built up by thought;

knowing the Self as thine own, unhurt by

the three times, undivided illumination,

enter into peace.

Put away the false selfhood of family

and race and name, of form and rank, for

these dwell in this body; put away the

actor-hood and other powers of the body of

form; become the Self whose self is part-less joy.

Other bonds of man are seen, causes of

birth and death, but the

[July/August 1896 Oriental Department

Papers: Finding the Real Self, ps 55-57,

Shankaracharyas Vivekachudamani.]

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MAY

7 White Lotus day H.P.Blavatsky a True Benefactor

Commemorative meeting devoted to the

Life & Workof H.P.Blavatsky

14

The Transmigration of Life Atoms

Are life atoms, life after life, drawn by karma tothe same individuals?

21

The Mysteries of Spiritual Beings

(talk)Adepts, Sages and Mahatmas fevered

inventions or facts to theinitiated?

28 The Pantheists the source of Pantheism

The concept of a general Spirit-Soulpervading all Nature is one ofthe oldest

JUNE

4

Is Utopia possible? (talk)

All conceptions of the perfect societyinvolve transforming man himself

11 Instinct, Intuition and ReasonReason develops at the expense of instinct;

intuition is the Sages guide

18 Giordano Bruno : Martyr Theosophist(talk)

Far ahead of his time, he spoke of an

infinity of worlds in infinite space

25 The ULT : Special CommemorativeMeeting

Its work for humanity in todaysworld

Meetings are free & open to all

ULT IS NEAR THE DEVONSHIRE TERRACE END OF

QUEENS GARDENS

ULT IS NEAR THE DEVONSHIRE TERRACE END OF

QUEENS GARDENS

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Tube to Paddington or Lancaster Gate or Buses 7,

15, 23, 27, 36 or 205

United Lodge of Theosophists

62 Queens Gardens London W2

3AH

020 7723 0688 www.ultlon.freeserve.co.uk

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and the Bhagavad Gita, the precepts of

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Enquiries about theosophy are

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Regular meetings are open to the public

Talks and discussion on Sundays 7 815

pm

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Reference library at the Paddingtoncentre

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The ULT is an association of students

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has little formality & is not affiliated to any

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Our effort is to disseminate among

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unity regardless of organization. the

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United Lodge of Theosophist3766 El Cajon BlvdSan Diego, Ca 92105

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Masters letter to Mr. Judge

THE AQUARIAN THEOSOPHIST is acomputer generated magazine with a

major issue and supplement each month.When received as an email attachment, itis free.

The magazine has a small hardcopylist to which one may subscribe at $30 peryear, domestic; and $40 per yearinternational. All internationalsubscriptions travel airmail. Themagazine is NOT self-supporting andsubsists on donations to cover the

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HPB DEFENSE FUNDREPORT

Not ice Thanks to friends ofHPB all over the world, and mostrecently, Biosofia Centro Lusitano,

Portugal, The HPB Defense Fund hasreached its goal and now stands at10,157.87 as of May30, 2006. Theforest of helping hands is 2006.gratefully appreciate. Work can nowproceed at a faster pace in thepreparation of the MSS. The DefenseFund Report will now appear everyother month with the assurance that allletters inquiries about the project willbe welcome and answered.Donations are still welcome but thecurrent balance of $10,157.87 willwehope, underwrite expenses, as theproject moves closer to its stated goal:An authentic Vol. I of H. P. BlavatskysLetters. The student will then have analternative to the current Adyar volume.jw

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The HPB Defense Fund is specifically dedicated tothe publication of an authentic Volume I of

Madame Blavatskys letters. The proposedvolume will have the fraudulent letters in thecurrent Adyar edition removed and also take noteof other authors who follow the practice of mixinglies side by side with truth as if they were equally

relevant. It is our intent to equip the student andinquirer with eyes to discriminate the authenticfrom the fraudulent, the clean from the corrupt.A good companion volume for an unbiasedoverview of the life of Madame Blavatsky. Isalready in print: The Extraordinary Life andInfluence of Helena Blavatsky. (600+ pages).This volume is by far the most readable and best

documented work available. ED., A.T

She has no need of any mans praise;but even she has need of Justice. William Q. Judge

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CORRESPONDENCE

A Tale of Gold and Greed

Perry Coles writes

Original Message-Dear friends

who care about our earth. Judge for

yourself if you want to take action.

Water is a most precious resource, and

wars will be fought for it. Indigenous

farmers use the water, there is no

unemployment, and they .provide the

second largest source of income for the

area. Under the glaciers has been found ahuge deposit of gold, silver .and otherminerals. To get at these, it would be

necessary to break, to destroy the glaciers

something never conceived of in the

history of the worldand to make 2 huge

holes, each as big as a whole .mountain,

one for extraction and one for the mine's

rubbish tip. The project is called

PASCUA LAMA. The company is called

BarrickGold. The operation is planned by

a multi-national company, one of whosemembers is George Bush Senior. The

Chilean Government has approved the

project to start this year, 2006. The only

reason it hasn't started yet is because the

farmers have .got a temporary stay of

execution. If the Glaciers are destroyed,

this will not only destroy the source of

especially pure water, but will permanently

contaminate the 2 rivers so they will neveragain be fit for human or animal

.consumption, .because of the use of

cyanide and sulphuric acid in the

extraction process. Every last gram of

gold will go abroad to the multi-national

company and none will be left with the

people whose land it is. They willbe left

with the poisoned water and the resulting

illnesses. The farmers have been fightinga long time for their land, but have been.

forbidden to make a TV appeal by a ban

from the Ministry of the Interior. Their

only hope now of putting brakes on this

project is to get help from international

justice. The world must know what is

happening in Chile. The only place to start

changing the world is from here. We ask

you to circulate this message amongst yourfriends.

Please copy this text, paste it into a new

email adding your signature and send it to

everyone in your address book. Please,

will the 100th person to receive and sign

the petition, send it to:

[email protected] to be

forwarded to the Chilean Government:.

NO to Pascua Lama Open-cast mine in

the Andean Cordillera on the Chilean-

Argentine frontier.

We ask the Chilean Government notto authorize the Pascua Lama project to

protect the whole of 3 glaciers, the purityof the water of the San Felix Valley and

El Transito, the quality of the agriculturalland of the region of Atacama, the quality

of life of the Diaguita people, and of thewhole population of the region.

Fraternally,

Perry Cole, Australia

NOTE: Thanks to the kind

generosity of our industrious friend inPhoenix, Arizona, And Dallas Tenbroeck

in Los Angeles, we will begin reissuingsome of William Q. Judges Oriental

Department Papers. We will begin withIssue #14: The story of Buddhas death

as told by the Maha-ParinibbanaSUTTA.To give the reader some orientation

regarding the original plan for the project,the introductory note by Charles Johnston

hasbeen inserted:

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THE ORIENTALDEPARTMENT REPORT

When the Oriental Department was

entrusted to the present editor by Mr.Judge, two years and a half ago, it was

decided to lay special stress on the

Upanishads, and, after them, on the worksof Shankara Acharya and Buddha, whilegiving such space to other religions as

might be found advantageous.

The reasons for putting theUpanishads in the first place were these

traces of the teachings which havebecome known to us as Theosophy, are

found in the records of all ancientreligions in both hemispheres, but

nowhere are these teachings so fully,lucidly and profoundly recorded as in the

oldest Upanishads and this is true not onlyof large generalizations, like the doctrines

of rebirth and liberation, but also of thosemore particular and recondite doctrines

which come gradually to the knowledgeof students who follow a special line of

study and work. So that, in theUpanishads, we have an invaluable proof

of the antiquity and authenticity of both

general and particular doctrines aguarantee at least three thousand yearsold, and, in all probability, very much

older. And if the Upanishads lend thisinvaluable support to our modern

teachings, it is, on the other hand, true,that without these modern teachings,

much that is most profound and ofgreatest value in the Upanishads is hardly

intelligible, so that one may read theordinary translations without gaining any

idea of the meaning, or even the presence,of those particular teachings which we

have spoken of. It was, therefore,necessary to read and translate, the

Upanishads, in the light of Theosophy.

Following out this purpose, sevenout of the ten chief Upanishads have

already been translated, and very fullycommented on; the eighth is in course of

translation, and a considerable part of it

has already appeared in the Oriental

Department. The greatest and mostprofound of Upanishads will be translated

in the future, and commented on in thelight of the Upanishads already translated.

Besides this, its most important part,

the Oriental Department has containedportions of three of the Buddhist Sutras

three hitherto untranslated works ofShankara Acharya, and a fourth work,already somewhat loosely translated, butonly obtainable with great difficulty.

Other translations have been taken fromthe hymns of Rig Veda, Manus Code, the

Mahabharata, and the Purnas; while theMohammedan religion has been

represented by a tract on the Sufi adepts

and their precepts, here for the first timetranslated into English, and the extremelyinteresting Mussulman traditions of Issa

or Jesus, which show the son ofMariain as a master-magician and

teacher of pure morality.

Various essays on Oriental subjectshave been added; amongst them short

accounts of the scholars who brought thesacred books and ancient languages of the

east to the west, and this series willshortly be completed.

C. J.1

BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE.

MAHA-PARINIBBANA SUTTA.

No.14(Concluded from No. 13, June,1893.)

CHAPTER III.

VERSES 13.Now the Blessed Onerobed himself early in the morning, andtaking his bowl in the robe went intoVesali for alms, and when he hadreturned he sat down on the seatprepared for him, and after he hadfinished eating the rice he addressed thevenerable Anandaand said, Take up

1 Charles Johnston, though a youth, was already regarded as aneminent Sanskritist.ED.,A.T.

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the mat, Ananda; I will go to spend theday at the Chapala Chetiya . Ananda,assenting, took up the mat and followedstep for step behind the Blessed One.And when he had come to Vesali he saidto Ananda, How delightful a spot,Ananda, is Vesali and the Udena Chetiya

and the Gotamaka Chetiya and theSattambaka Chetiya and the BahupattaChetiya ,and the Sarandada Chetiya andthe Chapala Chetiya. Ananda, whoeverhas thought out, developed andpracticed, accumulated and ascended tothe very heights of the four paths toIddhi1and so mastered them as to beable to use them as a means of mentaladvancement and as a basis foredification, he, should he desire it, couldremain in the same birth for a kalpa or

for that portion of the kalpa which is yetto run. Now the Tathagatahas thoughtthem out and thoroughly practiced anddeveloped them, and could therefore,should he desire it, live on yet for akalpa or for that portion of the kalpawhich has yet to run.

1 Note, Iddhi means power, as Siddhiin Sanskri t.

Verses 46. But even though such anevident suggestion was thus given bythe Blessed One to Ananda, the latterwas incapable of comprehending it, andhe besought not the Blessed One,saying, Vouchsafe, Lord, to remainduring the kalpa. Live on through thekalpa, O Blessed One, for the good andhappiness of the great multitudes, out ofpity for the world, for the good and thegain and the weal of gods and men; sofar was his heart possessed by the Evilone. A second and a third time did the

Blessed One say the same thing, and sofar was Anandas heart thus hardened.And the Blessed One said to thevenerable Ananda that he might leavehim awhile, and Ananda, saluting him,rose and sat down at the foot of a treenot far off.

Verse 710.Not long after Anandahad been gone, Mrathe Evil Oneapproached the Blessed One, and

standing there addressed himPass away, Lord, now from

existence: let the Blessed One now die,even according to the word which theBlessed One spoke when he said, I shallnot die, O Evil One, until the brethrenand sisters and the lay disciples of either

sex shall become true hearers, wise andwell trained, ready and learned, versedin the scriptures, fulfilling all the greaterand the lesser duties, correct in life,walking according to the precepts; shallbe able to tell it to others, preach it,make it known, establish it, open itminutely, explain it and make it clear;shall, when others start vain doctrine, beable by the truth to vanquish and refuteit and to spread the wonder-workingtruth abroad. And now, Lord, all these

brethren and sisters have become alland are able to do all this. Pass away,therefore, for the time has come, evenaccording to the word of the BlessedOne when he said, I shall not die untilthis pure religion of mine shall havebecome successful, prosperous,widespread, and popular to its fullextent; until, in a word, it shall havebeen well-proclaimed to all men, for thypurer religion has now become all this,and the time has come for the Blessed

One to pass away.

And when he had thus spoken, theBlessed One addressed Mra and said:O Evil One, make thyself happy; thefinal extinction of the Tathagata shalltake place before long. At the end ofthree months from this time theTathagata will die . Thus the BlessedOne while at Chapala deliberately andconsciously rejected the rest of hisallotted sum of life. And on his sorejecting it there arose a mightyearthquake and the thunders of heavenburst forth. And on beholding this theBlessed One said this hymn of exaltation:

His sum of life the Sage renounced,The

cause of life immeasurable or small;With

inward joy and calm he brokeLike

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coat of mail his lifes own cause.

Verses 1112.Now the venerableAnanda thought: Wonderful andmarvelousis this mighty earthquake,and that the thunders of heaven shouldburst forth! What may be the proximate

and remote cause of this? Thenhewent up to the Blessed One, and aftersaluting him seated himself respectfullyat one side and asked him what was thecause remote and proximate of theearthquake.

Verses 1316.Eight are theproximate and eight the remote causesfor the appearance of a mightyearthquake. What are the eight? Thisgreat earth is established on water, the

water on wind, and the wind rests onspace. And when the mighty windsblow they shake the mighty waters, andby the moving waters the earth isshaken. These are the first causes,proximate and remote. Again, Ananda,a Samanaor a Brahman of great powerand who has the feelings of his heartwell under control; or a god or devataofgreat might and power; who by intensemeditation on the finite idea of earth orthe infinite idea of earth has succeeded

in realizing the real value of things, hecan make this earth tremble and beshaken violently.2These are the secondcauses, proximate and remote.Again, when a Bodhisattva consciouslyand deliberately leaves his temporaryform in the heaven of delight anddescends into the womb, then this earthshakes and trembles. These are the thirdcauses. And when a Bodhisattvadeliberately and consciously quits hismothers womb, then also does theearth tremble. This is the fourth cause.

Verses 1720.Again, Ananda, when aTathagata arrives at the supreme andperfect enlightenment, then the earthquakes and trembles and is violentlyshaken, and this is the fifth cause. Andwhen a Tathagata founds the sublimekingdom of righteousness is there atrembling which is the sixth cause.Again, when a Tathagata consciously

and deliberately rejects the remainder ofhis life, the earth quakes, and this is theseventh cause.

1 Note, devata means one of the nature sprites.2 Note, one of the first practices given to theBuddhist disciple is to medita te on the eart hboth as an abstract idea and as mere earth.

Andwhena Tathagata passes entirelyaway with that utter passing away inwhich nothing whatever is left behind,then is the earth shaken violently. This isthe eighth cause.

(ED. At th is point there is a break in connectionand the next verse continues abruptly wit hanother subject. The tr ansla tor says i t suggeststh e manner of composit ion.)

Verses 2123.The eight kinds ofassemblies are as follows: of nobles, ofBrahmanas,of householders, Samanas,the angel hosts of guardian angels, thegreat thirty-three, Mara, and Brahma.Now, Ananda, I call to mind that when Iused to enter into an assembly of manyhundred nobles, before I had seatedmyself or begun conversation, I becamelike unto them in color and in voice.Then with religious discourse I used toinstruct, incite, and fill them withgladness. But they knew me not when Ispoke, and would say, Who may thisbe who thus speaks, a man or a god ?Then having instructed and gladdenedthem, I would vanish away, at whichthey wondered . And referring to allthe other kinds of assemblies, theBlessed One told how he, used to appearthere, teach, and vanish away.

Verses 24-32.There are eight positions

of mastery over the delusions arisingfrom the apparent permanence ofthings.When a man having subjectively theidea of form sees externally forms whichare finite, pleasant, or unpleasant, andhaving mastered them is conscious thathe sees and knows, that is the first. Andwhen in the same way he sees formsthat are boundless, unpleasant, orpleasant, masters them, and is conscious

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that he sees and knows, that is thesecond position. When without the ideaof form subjectively, the same as aboveis the case, these are the third andfourth. When without the idea of formhe sees forms that are blue in color, bluein appearance, and reflecting blue as the

Ummaflower or a piece of fine Benaresmuslin, and having mastered them andis conscious that he sees and knows, thatis the fifth position. The sixth, seventh,and eighth positions are explained inidentical words with those for the fifth,except that yellow is substituted withred and white for blue, and for theUmma flower are given the Karikaflower, the Bandhu jivaka, and themorning star as examples.

Verses 3342.Now these stages ofdeliverance from the hindrance ofthought arising from the sensations andideas due to external forms are eight innumber.

First, a man possessed with the idea ofform sees form. The second is, withoutthe subjective idea of form he sees formexternally. Becoming intent on what hesees, with the thought. It is well isthe third stage. By passing quite beyondall idea of form, putting an end to all

resistance, paying no attention to theidea of distinction, thinking It is allinfinite space, he mentally reaches andremains in that state of mind in whichthat idea alone is present, and itis thefourth stage. Passing beyond the laststage, thinking It is all infinite reason,reaching and remaining mentally in thatstate of mind, is the fifth stage. Passingquite beyond the stage of infinity ofreason, thinking Nothing at all exists,he reaches mentally and remains in thestate of when nothing at all is especiallypresent, this is the sixth stage. Theseventh is not reached by passingbeyond the last stage and remaining inthe state to which ideas nor the absenceis present. By passing quite beyond thestate of neither ideas nor the absence ofideas he reaches mentally and remainsin the state of mind in which bothsensations and ideas have ceased to bethis is the eighth stage of deliverance.

Verses 4355 On one occasion,Ananda, I was resting under theshepherds Nogrodatree on the banksof the Nerangaraimmediately afterhaving reached the great enlightenment,when Mara, the Evil One, came and

addressed me, saying that I should passaway from existence, for which the timehad come. But I addressed him, Ananda,and said that I should not die until notonly the brothers and sisters of theorder but all the lay disciples hadbecome true believers (here he repeatswhat is before). And now again to-day,Ananda, the Evil One came to me andaddressed me in the same words, towhich I replied that he could makehimselfhappy, as I should die in three

months. Thus - I have to-day, at theKapalaChetiya, consciously anddeliberately rejected the rest of myallotted term of life. And then Anandaaddressed the Blessed One and askedhim to remain for the rest of the Kalpafor the good and happiness of theworld, out of pity, for the gain of godsand men. But the Lord replied: Enoughnow, Ananda; beseech not theTathagata; the time for making suchrequest is past.

Three times in the same way didAnanda request him to remain on earth,receiving the same reply, until the thirdtime when the Blessed One asked him ifhe had faith in the wisdom of theTathagata, and Ananda saying he had,the Lord asked him why he had askedhim to the third time. When Anandarepeated what the Blessed One had toldhim of the ability of a Tathagata toremain during the Kalpa, or itsremaining portion, the Lord asked himagain if he had faith, to which Anandareplied, yes.

Then, said the Blessed One, thine isthe fault in that, when a suggestion soevident and a hint so clear were giventhee, thou didst not comprehend themand ask me to remain as thou just nowhast.If thou shouldst then havebesought the Tathagata, the appeal

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might have been rejected to the secondtime, but at the third time it would havebeen granted. Thine, therefore, OAnanda, thine is the fault, thine is theoffence.

Verses 5662. The Tathagata then

related to Ananda how once he wasdwelling at Rajagrahaon the billVultures Peak and had there spoken tohim of its pleasantness and then toldhim how a Tathagata could, if hewished, remain in the world for a Kalpa,and yet that Ananda had not asked him.For that reason, he said, the fault andoffence were Anandas. He then recalledspecifically to Anandas memory nineother occasions when the same remarkshad been made about remaining in the

world, but that at each Ananda hadfailed to ask him to remain. Also how atVesali the same thing took place on fivedifferent occasions, and now at the veryplace, at the Kapala Chetiya, the samewords, had been used and the same hintgiven with the same result.

Verses 6364.Then the Tathagatareminded Ananda how he had formerlydeclared it to be in the very nature ofthings that we should divide ourselves

from them, leave them. Everythingborn, brought into being, andorganized, contains within itself theinherent necessity of dissolution. Andthen he said that he having renouncedmortality and given up his remainingsum of life, it was impossible that theTathagata should for the sake of livingrepent of that saying. Then he requestedAnanda to go with him to the KulagasaHall to see the Mahavana. Theyproceeded then to the Mahavana, andwhen they arrived Ananda was sent toassemble in the Service Hall such of thebrethren as resided in the neighborhoodof Vesali. And when the brethren wereassembled, Ananda said to the BlessedOne, Lord, the assembly of thebrethren has met together. Let theBlessed One do even as seemeth to himfit.

Verse 65.Then the BlessedOne went

to, the Hall, and seated on a mataddressed the brethren. He told them tothoroughly master, to practice,meditateupon, and spread abroad the truthsperceived by him whichhe had madeknown to them, so as to cause the purereligion to remain and be perpetuated

for the benefit of the world, for thegood and the gain of gods and men.Then asking him what were those truthsso given by him, he repeated them thus:The four earnest meditations;

The fourfold great struggle againstsin;

The four roads to saintship;The five moral powers;The five organs of spiritual sense;The seven kinds of wisdom;

The noble eightfold path.

Verse 66.Exhorting the brethren hesaid: All component things must growold. Work out your salvation withdiligence.The final extinction of the Tathagata willtake place before long. At the end ofthree months from this time theTathagata will die.

My age is now full ripe, my life draws

to its close;I leave you, I depart, relying on

myself alone.Be earnest then, O Brethren, holy, full

of thought.Be steadfast in resolve. Keep watch

oer your own hearts.Who wearies not, but holds fast to this

truth and law.Shall cross this sea of life, shall make

an end of grief.

CHAPTER IV.

Verses 14.Early in the morning theBlessed One robed himself, and takinghis bowl entered Vesali for alms, andwhen he had passed through and eatenhis meal he gazed at Vesali with an

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elephant look,11saying to Ananda itwould be the last time he should see it.He then went toBhandagama. There headdressed the brethren, saying that heand they had to go so long throughtransmigrations because they had notunderstood the four truths of noble

conduct of life, noble earnest meditation,noble wisdom, and noblesalvation offreedom. When all these are known thecraving for existence is rooted out, thatwhich leads to rebirth is destroyed, andthere is no rebirth. There, too, atBhandagama the Blessed One discoursedof upright conduct, contemplation, andintelligence. Great the fruit andadvantage of contemplation, of intellect,and of conduct when set round witheach other. Thus the mind is freed from

sensuality, individualism, andignorance,the great evils.

Verses 516. From there he went toHathigama,from there to Ambagama,toJambugama, to Bhojanagara. At thelast place he addressed the brethren toteach them the four great References.The first is when one says the truth is soand he has thus heard from the Master,he must not be scorned nor praised, butwith calmness his words are to be

compared with the scripture and therules of the order. If they agree, then itis to be accepted

1

Ed;if they do not, you are to say thatthe brother has wrongly grasped thewords. The second is when one says hereceived it from a company of brethren

and elders. The same comparison is tobe made asbeforeand if not acceptedyou are to say that the company ofbrethren and elders has wronglygrasped the truth. The third is when onesays the same as to a company of elders,

1 The Elephant Look is an Indian metaphor. It is held there thatthe Sage is so built physically that in order to look back or aroundhe has to turn his whole body majestically as the elephant does:hence the phrase.

in which the same course is to bepursued. The fourth great reference iswhen one says he has the truth from abrother well versed and read, in whichcase the same rule is to be followed as inthe others.

And there too he held acomprehensive discourse on conductand life and intelligence and meditation.He then went to Pavawith a greatcompany and stayed in the mangogrove of Chundathe smith, who whenhe heard of the arrival went and salutingthe Blessed One sat down at one side.Then the Blessed One instructed Chundawith religious discourse, which beingended, Chunda invited him and thebrethren for the next days meal. By

silence the Blessed One consented,seeing which Chunda rose, boweddown, and keeping the Blessed One onhis right hand as he passed himdeparted thence.

Verses 1723.At the end of the night,Chunda, having made ready sweet rice,cakes, and a quantity of boars flesh,announced the hour and that the mealwas ready. The Blessed One robedhimself early and went with the

brethren toChundashouse, and whenhe was seated he said, As to the driedboars flesh you have made ready, serveme with it; and as to the other food,sweet rice and cakes, serve the brethrenwith it. This Chunda did. Then theBlessed One said, Whatever driedboars flesh is left over, that bury in ahole. I see no one, Chunda, in earth, norin Maras heaven, nor Brahmas, noSamana or Brahmana among gods ormen, by whom when he has eaten itthat food can be assimilated, save by theTathagata. And Chunda did as he wastold. Then the Blessed One instructedhim with religious discourse, after whichhe departed. Then a dire sickness,dysentery, fell upon the Blessed One,even unto death:, but mindful and self-possessed he bore it uncomplainingly.After that he went to Kusinara.

Verses 2432. The Blessed One went

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aside from the path to the foot of a tree,and when he was seated asked Anandato fetch water, as he was thirsty. ButAnanda told him that five hundred cartshad just gone through the streamlet,making it muddy, and advised going tothe river Kakutthanot far off. Three

times he did this, and three times theBlessed One asked for drink. ThenAnanda went and found that thestreamlet where the carts had justpassed and fouled was running brightand free. How wonderful, howmarvelous,thought Ananda, is thegreat might and power of theTathagata! And taking water in thebowl he returned, relating the matter tohis Lord.

Verses 3346.At that timePukkusa,a young Mallian, a disciple of AlaraKalama, passed along the road, andseeing the Blessed One went up to him,saluted, and sat down Then, after sayinghow wonderful it was to be so calm,related a story of Alara Kalamas notbeing disturbed in the least by not evenseeing, though awake, five hundredcarts that passed him. The Blessed Oneasked him which was the more difficult,to do as Alara Kalama or to do it when

the rain was falling and beating andthunder crashing as lightningflashed; towhich Pukkusa replied, the latter wasmore difficult. Whereupon the BlessedOne related how once he was at athreshing-floor in such a storm whentwo men and four oxen were killed, sothat a great multitude of people camewho disturbed him, and that he had notknown of the storm orthe deaths of themen and was wholly undisturbed. Atthis Pukkusa said that he gave up hisfaith in Alara, and asked the Blessed Oneto accept him as a believer. He thenpresented a pair of robes of burnishedcloth of gold to the Blessed One, whoaccepted them for himself and Ananda,after which he instructed Pukkusa withreligious discourse.

Verse 4756.Not long after, Anandaplaced the burnished robe on the bodyof the Blessed One, and when it was so

placed it appeared to have lost itssplendor, his skin was so bright, atwhich Ananda marveled. Then theBlessed One explained that on twooccasions the body of a Tathagatabecomes exceedingly bright. The first iswhen he attains to supreme, perfect

enlightenment, and the other on thenight when he passes finally away inthat utter passing away which leavesnothing whatever to remain. Then hesaid that that day, at the third watch ofthe night, in theUpavattanaof Kusinara,between the twin Sala trees in the Salagrove of the Mallians, his utter passingaway would take place. Then they wentto the river with a great company ofbrethren, where he bathed and drank,and on the other side went up to the

Mango Grove. Having come there helay down to rest on his right side, onefoot resting on the other, and calm andself-possessed he meditated on the ideaof rising again.

Verses 5758.Then the Blessed Oneaddressed Ananda and said that it mighthappen some one would stir up remorsein Chunda the smith by saying thatwhen the Tathagata had eaten his lastmeal with Chunda he had died, but that

such remorse should be checked bysaying it was good and gain to the smithfor the reason: These two offerings offood are of equal fruit and profit, andmore than others. First, that foodoffered to a Tathagata after which hegains supreme enlightenment; andsecond, the offering of food after whichhe passes away with that utter passingaway that leaves nothing whateverbehind. Thus Chunda had laid up goodkarma for length of life, good birth,good fortune, and heaven.

CHAPTER V.

Verses 115.They then went to theSala Grove of the Malhanson the otherside of the river Hiranyavati, with agreat company of the brethren, wherehe lay down to rest. At that time the Salatrees were in full bloom out of season

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with flowers which dropped over thebody of the Tathagata as the successorof all the Buddhas, and heavenly musicsounded, with celestial songs, out ofreverence to him: heavenly sandalpowder fell also from the skies. And theBlessed One said it was for him, to give

him reverence as successor to all theBuddhas. But he said that the right wayfor the brethren to honor him was notthus, but by following his teachings,walking according to the precepts,fulfilling all the greater and lesser dutiesof life. And while he was thus saying thevenerable Upavanawas standing infront of him fanning him, when theBlessed One asked him to stand aside.Ananda asked why he so told him, asUpavana was a good man, long in the

service. The Blessed One explained thatFor twelve leagues around the grovethere is no spot in size even as thepricking of the point of a hair which isnot pervaded by powerful spirits,1andthose complain and say that Tathagatasare few and far between, and now one isto die, and here is this eminent brotherUpavana who stands in front of theTathagata concealing him, so that in hislast hour we cannot see him. He saidthose spirits were weeping, as they were

worldly minded at the approachingdeath of the Tathagata, and they wereboth of the sky and the earth; but otherspirits calm and self-possessed wept not,as they were mindful of the saying thatall component things could not last.Ananda then expressed sorrow thatwhen the Blessed One was gone theycould no more receive good and greatmen and the brethren to audience.

1 This is just what the religious disputers in themiddle ages of Europe discussed, How manyangels could stand on a space as la rge as theprick of a needle point.

Verses 1622.The Blessed One saidthen that there were four sorts of placesa believing man might visit with feelingsofreverence : Where the Tathagata wasborn where he attained to supreme andperfect enlightenment ; where he set on

foot the kingdom of righteousness;where he passed finally away with thatutter passing away which leaves nothingwhatever to remain behind. He said thatto such spots would comebelievers,brethren and sisters of the order,relating what took place there; and

those who died while journeying tothem would be reborn in the happyrealms of heaven.

Verse 23. How are we to conductourselves, Lord, with regard towomankind?

Dont see them, Ananda.But if we should see them, what are

we to do?Abstain from speech, Ananda.But if they should speak to us, Lord,

what are we to do?Keep wide awake, Ananda.

Verses 2431. Ananda asked whatwas to be done with the remains of theTathagata, and he replied not to hinderthembut be zealous in their own behalf,to their own good, intent on it, as therewere wise men, nobles, householderswho would do honor to the remains. Asto the treatment of the remains, he saidit should be as with those of a king of

kings, and then described that. Theyshould be wrapped in a new cloth, thenin cotton wool, then in new cloth, untilthere were five hundred successivelayers of both kinds. Then place thebody in an oil vessel of iron, that to becovered with another the same. Afuneral pile should then be made of allkinds of perfumes, and then all burned.At the four cross roads adagoba shouldbe erected to the Tathagata for people toplace perfumes and garlands for theirown good. Then he enumerated thefour men worthy of a dagoba: ATathagata, a PacchekaBuddha, a truehearer of the word, and a king of kings.Because at the thought had by personsthat at such a place is a dagoba of aTathagata, they would be calm andhappy, leading to a good state inheaven. And the same reasons weregiven for the other cases.

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Verses 3244.Then the venerableAnanda went into the temple and weptat the thought that he was still a learnerand that the Master so kind to him wasabout to pass away. His absence wasnoticed by the Buddha, who being toldof his weeping called him, and Ananda

came, and then the Blessed Onecomforted him and told him how allcomponent things had to pass away,reminding him how so often that hadbeen taught. He also said how oftenAnanda had been near and done acts oflove for him never varying and beyondmeasure, the same in word and thoughtalso, and that if he was earnest he wouldsoon be free from all evils ad ignorance.Then he told the brethren that in thelong past whenever there was a Buddha

there were servitors like Ananda, and soit would be in the future. He extolledAnandas wisdom, how he knew theright time to visit himself and let othersvisit the Buddha, and that he had fourwonderful qualities, bringing joy by hispresence and by his words, and peoplenot being at ease if he were silent.Ananda then reminded the Buddha thatit was not well to die in a little watteltown, a mere village like Kusinara, asthere were many cities where great,

good, and noble men would do honorto his remains. But the Blessed One saidthat formerly that town was a great cityruled by Maha-Sudasannaunder thename of Kusavati;that it wasprosperous, full of people, and happy.

Verses 4569.The Blessed One thensent Ananda to the Mallasof Kusinara totell them that in the last watch of thenight he would finally pass away, andfor them to give no occasion to reproachthemselves afterwards if they did notvisit him. At that time the Mallas wereholding a council, and Ananda told themas he was bid. When the people heard itthey wept and bewailed the passingaway of the Light of the World. Theythen went in a body to visit theTathagata, and Ananda arranged it sothat they went in groups, presenting theheadmen to the Buddha, for fearotherwise all the time would be used.

And at the same time a mendicantnamed Subhaddaliving there heard thenews and thought that as Tathagatasseldom came it would be well to visithim, as he had a doubt whether histeachers were right. So he went to theSala grove and asked permission of

Ananda to see the Buddha, but Anandarefused, as the Blessed One was weary.Buddha heard the request refused threetimes, and then asked Ananda to admitthe man, which he did, as the Buddhasaid Subhadda would ask from a desireto know and not to annoy, and wouldunderstand the answers.Subhadda being admitted referred tomany teachers and asked if they hadrightly comprehended. To this theBuddha replied that it might be waived

as to whether they had or had notunderstood, and he would tell the truth.He then said that in whatever doctrinethe noble eightfold path was not foundthere was no true saintliness, but whereit was found there was true saintliness.All other systems were void of truesaints. Subhadda was convinced andasked to be taken into the order. TheBuddha told him there was a fourmonths probation, but that in his casehe recognized a difference in persons.

Subhadda offered to go on probationfor four months, but the Buddha calledAnanda and directed him to receive themendicant into the order then. So intothe higher grade of the order Subhaddawas taken, and immediately heremained by himself, very soonattaining to the supreme goal. And hewas the last disciple the Blessed Onehimself converted.

CHAPTER VI.

Verse I4. The Blessed One said toAnanda that in some the thought mightarise that the word of the Master wasended and they had no teacher, but theyshould not think so, as the truths andrules of the order were the teacher.Younger brothers might be addressedas friend, but the elders should be calledLord or Venerable Sir. He said too

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that the lesser and minor precepts mightbe abolished if the order so wished. Andas to a brother named Channahedirected that the higher penalty shouldbe imposed. Ananda then asked whatthat was,11and he said Let Channa saywhatever he may like, the brethren

should neither speak to him, nor exhorthim, nor admonish him.

Verses 510.Referring to possibledoubts, the Buddha asked the brethrento freely inquire so as not to have self-reproach afterwards. This he askedthemthree times, and each time theywere silent, and then he asked them tospeak to each other, but they weresilent, at which Ananda said no one hadany doubts. The Buddha told him he had

spoken out of faith, but he himself knewnone had doubts and that the mostbackward had been converted and wassure of final bliss. 2Then the Blessed Oneaddressed the brethren and said:Behold now, brethren, I exhort you,saying, Decay is inherent in allcomponent things. Work out yoursalvation with diligence. This was thelast word of the Tathagata.

Verses 1121. Then the Blessed One

entered into the first stage of deepmeditation, from which he passed intothe second, and from that to the third, tothe fourth, from that to where infinity ofspace only was present, then to wherenothing at all was present, and from thatinto a state between consciousness andunconsciousness; and from that towhere consciousness of sensations andideas had wholly passed away. ThenAnanda said to Anuruddhathat theBlessed One was dead, but Anuruddhareplied he was not dead but was in thestate where sensations and ideas hadceased to be. Then the Blessed Onepassed out of that state back to betweenconsciousness and unconsciousness,

1 1 From this it seems the higher penalty hadnot been laid down before.2 It is said that this was said to encourageAnanda who was the most backward.

from that to having nothing speciallypresent, from that to infinity of thoughtalone; passing from that to where theinfinity of space was present alone, heentered the fourth state of meditation,from that to the third, to the second, tothe first; back again to the second, to the

third, to the fourth, and then heimmediately expired. And then therearose a mighty awe-inspiringearthquake with thunder from heaven.Brahma-Sahampatiuttered verses, andSakkathe king of the gods repeatedstanzas on dissolution. So also didAnuruddha, as well as Ananda. Some ofthe brethren not yet free from passionwept and rolled to and fro in anguish,but those who were free said,Impermanent are all component

things. How is it possible that theyshould not be dissolved? AndAnuruddha exhorted them all to thesame effect, saying that even the spiritswould reproach them. On being askedof this he explained it in the same way asbefore explained by the Master.

Verse 2241.The rest of the nightwas spent in religious discourse, andthen the Mallas were informed of theBlessed Ones death by Ananda at the

council hall where they were assembledon the same matter. And when theyheard it they also wept. Taking garlandsand music and perfumes they went towhere the body of the Blessed One lay,and passed the day in paying reverenceto it and in music and dancing, makingcanopies and preparing decorationwreaths. This they continued until thesixth day. And on the seventh day theycarried the body outside by the southfor cremation. Eight chieftains bathedtheir heads and put on new garments,intending to bear the body, but theycould not lift it. Of this they inquired ofAnuruddha, who told them that thespirits desired to have the body carriedby the north to enter by the north to themidst of the city and then to go out bythe eastern gate to the shrine of theMallas, called Makuta-bandhana to theeast of the city for cremation. To this theMallas consented, and at once there was

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a rain of Manadaravaflowers from thesky, and the body was carried out asdirected. There they were told what todo with the remains as told by theBlessed One to Ananda, all of which theycarried out. At that time venerableMaha-Kassapwas coming from Pava

with five hundred brethren and restedby the road, when an ascetic came alongthe road with a Mandaravaflower hehad picked up at Kusinara. And MahaKassapa asked him if he knew theMaster, to which he replied, Yes, friend,I know him. This day the SamanaGotamahas been dead a week.

Then those brethren wept exceptthose free from passion. Subhadda, whohad been received in the order in his old

age, said not to weep, that they werewell rid of the great Samana and wouldno longer be annoyed by being toldwhat to do and not to do. Now theywould not be so annoyed any more.

Verse 4250.At this time the fourchieftains of the Mallas were about to setfire to the funeral pile but were not ableto do so, and they asked Anuruddha thereason. He replied that the spirits hadthe purpose of not letting it be lighted

until Maha Kassapacame with hisbrethren, as now on the road. So theywaited. Maha Kassapa then came, andplacing his robe on one shoulder heuncovered the feet of the Blessed Oneand worshipped them, and the fivehundred brethren did the same. Andwhen the homage of these brethren wasended the funeral pile caught fire ofitself. As the body burned away neithersoot nor ash was seen. Only the bonesremained behind, and all the raimentwas consumed. From the sky fellstreams of water when it was consumedand extinguished the fire. And theMaliasbrought scented water also toextinguish it. And the bones were placedin the Mallas council hall surroundedwith a lattice work of spears and arampart of bows, homage and respectbeing paid to them for seven days.

Verse 5161.Then the king of

Maghadaand others heard the newsand sent asking for portions of theremains from many different quarters,each enumerating reasons, some that asBuddha was of the soldier caste theywere entitled to them. When the Mallashad all these requests they said they

would give none away, as he died withthem. But Dona the Brahmincounseledthem, as Buddha had preachedmoderation thatno strife ought to ariseover him, advising that eight portionsbe made so that in every land stupasmight arisethat mankind might trustthe enlightened one. To this they allagreed, and Dona made the division,asking for himself the vessel.

Verse 61. The Moriyasof Pipphalivana

having heard the news of the passingaway and cremation asked: The BlessedOne belonged to the soldier caste, andwe too are of that caste. We are worthyto receive a portion of the relics. Overthe remains we will erect a cairn and wewill celebrate a feast. And when theyheard that no portion of the remainswas left, they took away the embers.

Verse 62.At Rajagahaa mound wasmade over the remains; at Vesali

another; one at Allakappa; another atRamagama; one at Vethadipaka;in Pavaanother; at Kusinara one. Dona madeone over the vessel in which the bodywas burnt, and the Moriyas ofPipphalivanamade one over the embersand held a feast. Thus were eightmounds made over the remains, andone for the vessel and one for theembers.

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