Gospel of Buddha (1917)/Conclusion
CONCLUSION.
XCVIII.
THE THREE PERSONALITIES OF THE BUDDHA.
WHEN the Blessed One had passed away into Nirvāna, the disciples came together and consulted what to do in order to keep the Dharma pure and uncorrupted by heresies.1
And Upāli rose, saying:2
"Our great Master used to say to the brethren: 'O bhikkhus! after my final entrance into Nirvāna you must reverence and obey the law. Regard the law as your master. The law is like unto a light that shines in the darkness, pointing out the way; it is also like unto a precious jewel to gain which you must shun no trouble, and be ready to bring any sacrifice, even, should it be needed, your own lives. Obey the Dharma which I have revealed to you; follow it carefully and regard it in no way different from myself.'3
"Such were the words of the Blessed One.4
"The law, accordingly, which the Buddha has left us as a precious inheritance has now become the visible body of the Tathāgata. Let us, therefore, revere it and keep it sacred. For what is the use of erecting dāgobas for relics, if we neglect the spirit of the Master's teachings?"5
And Anuruddha arose and said:6
"Let us bear in mind, O brethren, that Gotama Siddhattha has revealed the truth to us. He was the Holy One and the Perfect One and the Blessed One, because the eternal truth had taken abode in him.7
"The Tathāgata taught us that the truth existed before he was born into this world, and will exist after he has entered into the bliss of Nirvāna.8
"The Tathāgata said:9
"'The truth is omnipresent and eternal, endowed with excellencies innumerable, above all human nature, and ineffable in its holiness.10
"Now, let us bear in mind that not this or that law which is revealed to us in the Dharma is the Buddha, but the entire truth, the truth which is eternal, omnipresent, immutable, and most excellent.11
"Many regulations of the Sangha are temporary; they were prescribed because they suited the occasion and were needed for some transient emergency. The truth, however, is not temporary.12
"The truth is not arbitrary nor a matter of opinion, but can be investigated, and he who earnestly searches for the truth will find it.13
"The truth is hidden to the blind, but he who has the mental eye sees the truth. The truth is Buddha's essence, and the truth will remain the ultimate standard by which we can discern false and true doctrines.14
"Let us, then, revere the truth; let us inquire into the truth and state it, and let us obey the truth. For the truth is Buddha our Master, our Teacher, our Lord."15
And Kassapa rose and said:16
"Truly thou hast spoken well, O brother Anuraddha. Neither is there any conflict of opinion on the meaning of our religion, For the Blessed One possesses three personalities, and every one of them is of equal importance to us.17
"There is the Dharma Kāya, There is the Nirmāna Kāya. There is the Sambhoga Kāya.18
"Buddha is the all-excellent truth, eternal, omnipresent, and immutable. This is the Sambhoga Kāya which is in a state of perfect bliss.19
"Buddha is the all-loving teacher assuming the shape of the beings whom he teaches. This is the Nirmāna Kāya, his apparitional body.20
"Buddha is the all-blessed dispensation, of religion. He is the spirit of the Sangha and the meaning of the commands which he has left us in his sacred word, the Dharma. This is the Dharma Kāya, the body of the most excellent law.21
"If Buddha had not appeared to us as Gotama Sakyamuni, how could we have the sacred traditions of his doctrine? And if the generations "to come did not iave the sacred traditions preserved in the Sangha, how could they know anything of the great Sakyamuni? And neither we nor others would know anything about the most excellent truth which is eternal, omnipresent, and immutable.22
"Let us then keep sacred and revere the traditions; let us keep sacred the memory of Gotama Sakyamuni, so that people may find the truth; for he whose spiritual eye is open will discover it, and it is the same to every one who possesses the comprehension of a Buddha to recognize it and to expound it."23
Then the brethren decided to convene a synod in Rājagaha in order to lay down the pure doctrines of the Blessed One, to collect and collate the sacred writings, and to establish a canon which should serve as a source of instruction for future generations.14
XCIX.
THE PURPOSE OF BEING.
Eternal verities dominate the formation of worlds and constitute the cosmic order of natural laws. But when, through the conflicting motion of masses, the universe was illumined with blazing fire, there was no eye to see the light, no ear to listen to reason's teachings, no mind to perceive the significance of being; and in the immeasurable spaces of existence no place was found where the truth could abide in all its glory.1
In the due course of evolution sentiency appeared and sense-perception arose. There was a new realm of being, the realm of soul-life, full of yearning, with powerful passions and of unconquerable energy. And the world split in twain: there were pleasures and pains, self and notself, friends and foes, hatred and love. The truth vibrated through the world of sentiency, but in all its infinite potentialities no place could be found where the truth could abide in all its glory.2
And reason came forth in the struggle for life. Reason began to guide the instinct of self, and reason took the sceptre of the creation and overcame the strength of the brutes and the power of the elements. Yet reason seemed to add new fuel to the flame of hatred, increasing the turmoil of conflicting passions; and brothers slew their brothers for the sake of satisfying the lust of a fleeting moment, And the truth repaired to the domains of reason, but in all its recesses no place was found where the truth could abide in all its glory.3
Now reason, as the helpmate of self, implicated all living beings more and more in the meshes of lust, hatred, and envy, and from lust, hatred, and envy the evils of wrong-doing originated. Men broke down under the burdens of life, until the saviour appeared, the great Buddha, the Holy Teacher of men and gods.4
And the Buddha taught men the right use of sentiency, and the right application of reason; and he. taught men to see things as they are, without illusions, and they learned to act according to truth. He taught righteousness and thus changed rational creatures into humane beings, just, kind-hearted, and faithful. And now at last a place was found where the truth might abide in all its glory, and this place is the heart of mankind.5
Buddha, O Blessed One, O Holy One, O Perfect One, thou hast revealed the truth, and the truth has appeared upon earth and the kingdom of truth has been founded.6
There is not room for truth in space, infinite though it be.7
There is not room for truth in sentiency, neither in its pleasures nor in its painsj sentiency is the first footstep of truth, but there is not room in it for the truth, though sentiency may beam with the blazing glow of beauty and life.8
Neither is there any room for truth in rationality. Rationality is a two-edged sword and serves the purpose of love equally as well as the purpose of hatred. Rationality is 'the platform on which the truth standeth. No truth is attainable without reason. Nevertheless, in mere rationality there is no room for truth, though it be the instrument that masters the things of the world,9
The throne of truth is righteousness; and love and justice and good-will are its ornaments.10
Righteousness is the place in which truth dwells, and here in the hearts of mankind aspiring after the realization of righteousness, there is ample space for a rich and ever richer revelation of the truth.11
This is the Gospel of the Blessed One. This is the revelation of the Englightened One. This is the bequest of the Holy One.12
Those who accept the truth and have faith .in the truth, take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.13
Receive us, O Buddha, as thy disciples from this day hence, so long as our life lasts.14
Comfort, O holy Teacher, compassionate and all-loving, the afflicted and the sorrow-laden, illumine those who go astray, and let us all gain more and more in comprehension and in holiness.15
The truth is the end and aim of all existence, and the worlds originate so that the truth may come and dwell therein.16
Those who fail to aspire for the truth have missed the purpose of life.17
Blessed is he who rests in the truth, for all things will pass away, but the truth abideth forever.18
The world is built for the truth, but false combinations of thought misrepresent the true state of things and bring forth errors.19
Errors can be fashioned as it pleases those who cherish them; therefore they are pleasant to look upon, but they are unstable and contain the seeds of dissolution.20
Truth cannot be fashioned. Truth, is one and the same; it is immutable.21
Truth is above the power of death; it is omnipresent, eternal, and most glorious.22
Illusions, errors, and lies are the daughters of Mara, and great power is given unto them to seduce the minds of men and lead them astray upon the path of evil.23
The nature of delusions, errors, and lies is death; and wrong-doing is the way to perdition.24
Delusions, errors, and lies are like huge, gaudy vessels, the rafters of which are rotten and wormeaten, and those who embark in them are fated to be shipwrecked.25
There are many who say: "Come error, be thou my guide," and when they are caught in the meshes of selfishness, lust, and evil desires, misery is begot.26
Yet does all life yearn for the truth and the truth only can cure our diseases and give peace to our unrest.27
Truth is the essence of life, for truth endureth beyond the death of the body. Truth is eternal and will still remain even though heaven and earth shall pass away.28
There are not different truths in the world, for truth is one and the same at all times and in every place.29
Truth teaches us the noble eightfold path of righteousness, and it is a straight path easily found by the truth-loving. Happy are those who walk in it.30
C.
THE PRAISE OF ALL THE BUDDHAS.
All the Buddhas are wonderful and glorious.
There is not their equal upon earth.
They reveal to us the path of life.
And we hail their appearance with pious reverence.1
All the Buddhas teach the same truth.
They point out the path to those who go astray.
The Truth is our hope and comfort.
We gratefully accept its illimitable light.
All the Buddhas are one in essence,
Which is omnipresent in all modes of being,
Sanctifying the bonds that tie all souls together,
And we rest in its bliss as our final refuge.
