"Chinese Buddhists," says Eitel,
p. 79, "when speaking of nagas as boa spirits, always represent them
as enemies of mankind, but when viewing them as deities of rivers,
lakes, or oceans, they describe them as piously inclined." The dragon,
however, is in China the symbol of the Sovereign and Sage, a use of it
unknown in Buddhism, according to which all nagas need to be converted
in order to obtain a higher phase of being. The use of the character
too {.}, as here, in the sense of "to convert," is entirely
Buddhistic. The six paramitas are the six virtues which carry men
across {.} the great sea of life and death, as the sphere of
transmigration to nirvana. With regard to the particular conversion
here, Eitel (p. 11) says the Naga's name was Apatala, the guardian
deity of the Subhavastu river, and that he was converted by Sakyamuni
shortly before the death of the latter.
[4] In Chinese Na-k'eeh, an ancient kingdom and city on the southern
bank of the Cabul river, about thirty miles west of Jellalabad.
[5] We would seem now to be in 403.
[6] Soo-ho-to has not been clearly identified. Beal says that later
Buddhist writers include it in Udyana. It must have been between the
Indus and the Swat. I suppose it was what we now call Swastene.
CHAPTER IX
SOO-HO-TO. LEGEND OF BUDDHA.
In that country also Buddhism[1] is flourishing. There is in it the
place where Sakra,[2] Ruler of Devas, in a former age,[3] tried the
Bodhisattva, by producing[4] a hawk (in pursuit of a) dove, when (the
Bodhisattva) cut off a piece of his own flesh, and (with it) ransomed
the dove. After Buddha had attained to perfect wisdom,[5] and in
travelling about with his disciples (arrived at this spot), he
informed them that this was the place where he ransomed the dove with
a piece of his own flesh. In this way the people of the country became
aware of the fact, and on the spot reared a tope, adorned with
layers[6] of gold and silver plates.
NOTES
[1] Buddhism stands for the two Chinese characters {.} {.}, "the Law
of Buddha," and to that rendering of the phrase, which is of frequent
occurrence, I will in general adhere. Buddhism is not an adequate
rendering of them any more than Christianity would be of {to
euaggelion Xristou}. The Fa or Law is the equivalent of dharma
comprehending all in the first Basket of the Buddhist teaching, - as
Dr. Davids says (Hibbert Lectures, p. 44), "its ethics and philosophy,
and its system of self-culture;" with the theory of karma, it seems to
me, especially underlying it. It has been pointed out (Cunningham's
"Bhilsa Topes," p. 102) that dharma is the keystone of all king
Priyadarsi or Asoka's edicts. The whole of them are dedicated to the
attainment of one object, "the advancement of dharma, or of the Law of
Buddha." His native Chinese afforded no better character than {.} or
Law, by which our author could express concisely his idea of the
Buddhistic system, as "a law of life," a directory or system of Rules,
by which men could attain to the consummation of their being.
[2] Sakra is a common name for the Brahmanic Indra, adopted by
Buddhism into the circle of its own great adherents; - it has been
said, "because of his popularity." He is generally styled, as here,
T'een Ti, "God or Ruler of Devas." He is now the representative of the
secular power, the valiant protector of the Buddhist body, but is
looked upon as inferior to Sakyamuni, and every Buddhist saint. He
appears several times in Fa-hien's narrative. E. H., pp. 108 and 46.
[3] The Chinese character is {.}, "formerly," and is often, as in the
first sentence of the narrative, simply equivalent to that adverb. At
other times it means, as here, "in a former age," some pre-existent
state in the time of a former birth. The incident related is "a Jataka
story."
[4] It occurs at once to the translator to render the characters {.}
{.} by "changed himself to." Such is often their meaning in the
sequel, but their use in chapter xxiv may be considered as a crucial
test of the meaning which I have given them here.
[5] That is, had become Buddha, or completed his course {.} {.}.
[6] This seems to be the contribution of {.} (or {.}), to the force of
the binomial {.} {.}, which is continually occurring.
CHAPTER X
GANDHARA. LEGENDS OF BUDDHA.
The travellers, going downwards from this towards the east, in five
days came to the country of Gandhara,[1] the place where Dharma-
vivardhana,[2] the son of Asoka,[3] ruled. When Buddha was a
Bodhisattva, he gave his eyes also for another man here;[4] and at the
spot they have also reared a large tope, adorned with layers of gold
and silver plates. The people of the country were mostly students of
the hinayana.
NOTES
[1] Eitel says "an ancient kingdom, corresponding to the region about
Dheri and Banjour." But see note 5.
[2] Dharma-vivardhana is the name in Sanskrit, represented by the Fa
Yi {.} {.} of the text.
[3] Asoka is here mentioned for the first time; - the Constantine of
the Buddhist society, and famous for the number of viharas and topes
which he erected. He was the grandson of Chandragupta (i.q.
Sandracottus), a rude adventurer, who at one time was a refugee in the
camp of Alexander the Great; and within about twenty years afterwards
drove the Greeks out of India, having defeated Seleucus, the Greek
ruler of the Indus provinces. He had by that time made himself king of
Magadha. His grandson was converted to Buddhism by the bold and
patient demeanour of an Arhat whom he had ordered to be buried alive,
and became a most zealous supporter of the new faith.
![A Record Of Buddhistic Kingdoms - Being An Account By The Chinese Monk Fa-hien Of His Travels In India And Ceylon (a.d. 399-414) By James Legge
- Sometimes the two names are used
together by our author.
[3] Naga is the Sanskrit name for the Chinese lung - Page 14](../images/travel.jpg)
