8

MATTER AND MIND.

Ignorance therefore creates matter, at the moment when we seemed to have discovered its non-existence."

"I was not sorry," remarked Blancombe, "to hear you say that our knowledge of the material world rests after all upon mental belief, or at least you said what amounted to something of the kind; only it is not clear to me how this doctrine of the Yógácháras, which you have been now expounding, differs from that of the total perishableness, which you did not like to be charged with." "Rather," said Vidyáchárya, "it is clear that there is no great difference; but the doctrines of Buddha make everything uncertain. Moreover, although the Múni here is too intelligent to maintain what had been so well refuted by Sancara, yet the doctrine of the external world having no reality, or rather even of an universal void, so that no reality can be held certain, is the original tenet of the Sútras of Buddha." "I am sorry," replied the Saugata, "that you approve as little of the doctrines of Buddha as he did of books which are by some considered venerable; but perhaps the Yógácháras would not admit that the existence of things is rendered any the less certain by being made to depend upon intelligence. Perhaps they might argue that as any man observes or infers external objects, using however mental intelligence, so when he is withdrawn, if the things continue to exist, they do so in virtue of being observed by some higher intelligence; and so, upon the man's return, he may find them as it were in the same place, so far at least as the absence of change in material forms is possible. Again, some of them might say that the ultimate reality or latent substance of matter, which we trace only by inference, does not consist in the mere parts, nor even in their arrangement, but rather in the rule which binds them, or in the thought according to which they cohere, so as to be one thing rather than another; and thus their substance will be that principle which gives form to them, and, in fact, a sort of intelligence. Some such answer as this therefore might satisfy what you objected a little time back about the table's existing after a man left the room. Although,

แ

BAUDDHA TERMS EXPLAINED.

66

9

indeed, if it were the true doctrine of our perfect teacher Sákya, that no certain stability can be traced by reason in the fluctuating forms of life and matter, I am not able to see that it is our duty to falsify the facts of the case, in order to make perishable forms appear more certain than they really are." Certainly not," here assented Mountain; "and indeed what you say reminds me of a Christian doctor, St Augustine, who teaches that God does not behold things because they are, but by beholding causes them to be; only I am not sure if I yet understand how far this doctrine, for which you now suggest an apology, resembles or differs from the perishableness of which we before spoke." Only so far," replied the Saugata, "that the total perishableness then spoken of resulted from the decomposition of material forms, which we fully maintain, without on that account acknowledging that the intelligence of which we partake perishes. Now at least the doctrine which we are at present discussing is the very opposite of the materialism of the Chárvácas; nor does it at all imply that the holders of it disown a future life, or what you call another world. But again, you are perhaps aware that the Sútras of Buddha, upon which my own belief is fashioned, do not maintain either an universal void, or the unreality of the external world, quite so clearly as the venerable Áchárya supposes." "Upon that point," remarked Blancombe, “neither my friend here nor myself can presume to judge confidently, and we shall be glad to learn from you. I had, however, a notion that the terms used in the Sútras were such as seemed to point in the direction in which you are unwilling to follow them. Do they not, for example, call matter ignorance? and body (or substance) appearance? and our senses the five roots? while again I have some impression of having heard that they call spirit the void. So that, if they take away matter and body by calling them ignorance or appearance, and spirit by calling it void, and at the same time make the senses as it were the roots of our apprehensions, I scarcely know how they can be said not to have taken away the two things most commonly believed to

10

TERMS EXPLAINED.

exist, namely, body and spirit, and with these, all other certainties." Here the Saugata fully acknowledged that such terms as those mentioned occur in the earliest Sútras, and that those who follow them most literally were considered by some the earliest Bauddha sect; "But I am not sure," he continued with a gentle smile, "that the natives of Europe in general, with the exception of a few, such as those happily present, are the fittest interpreters of the wise language of our sacred books. We do indeed call body appearance, for which name I have already given some reasons, and we call matter ignorance, which is not an inappropriate name for that which is unintelligent, and even comparatively passive, as opposed to mind, which is intelligently active; and again, we call spirit void, because the very idea of spirit is to be unlike, and negative of, all colours and shapes such as we see or handle by what better name therefore could it be designated than simply void? Whatever other name we selected would only lead the simple to confound it with outward and visible forms, whereas we judge it to be something far more mysterious, ineffable, and sacred." "You would not then, it appears, concede," asked Blancombe, "that your system is one of absolute negation, or of mystical nihilism, as if you loosened in turns the several foundations on which the belief of everything depends." "Certainly not," answered the Saugata, "though such a description of it, as I have heard, has been given. Whereas the Bauddha faith, so far as I am capable of judging, reposes, as all true knowledge amongst mankind must ultimately repose, upon the two foundations of perception and intelligence, external things being perceived by the senses, and internal or spiritual things inferred by reasoning. Hence I both believe in the revolution of life and external forms, on some such evidence as to yourself appeared probable, and I also seek the sanctification of my intelligence by purity and knowledge, as well as by religious worship." "May I then ask farther," continued Blancombe, "with respect to Him whom we consider both the Creator of the external world and the Giver of intelligence, do you both acknowledge and

BAUDDHA RELIGION.

11

honour him? in which case I suppose the Bauddha designation of Him must be explained on the same principle as those other terms already mentioned: or is it true, as some have said, that your religion is only a deification of the human reason, and thereby a putting of man in the place of God?" "You have asked indeed a hard question," answered the Saugata; "but assuredly we do not deify each man his own reason. On the contrary, we subject it to the necessity of practising virtue, of reverencing all life, of worshipping with pure oblations of honey or flowers, restraining the passions, forgiving injuries, doing good to all men, and especially promoting their eternal welfare, holding fast the faith, obeying the true priests, and honouring the relics of holy men. By persevering in such practices we trust finally to attain Nirvana, or the blessedness of a perfect calm, and freedom from the passions which attend a personality involved in the errors and obstructions of this life: but we are well aware, that by passion the intelligence may become darkened, and so entangled in the necessity of suffering, that it must undergo many transmigrations before it arrive at the blessedness of repose. Seeing then that we acknowledge the allegiance of piety and duty, and do not pretend that these are established by ourselves, it cannot fairly be said that we deify our own reason: least of all should such an account of us be given by any Christian: for many of our doctrines correspond so nearly, that whoever ridicules the one may be said to injure the other. You have sacred books or treatises upon retributive justice; so have we; you also recommend 'universal repentance,' and so do we; and if you boast of expecting 'everlasting life,' we also entertain the same expectation." "These remarks of yours," said Blancombe, "interest me highly; and I should be desirous of learning hereafter on what grounds the great expectation which you have just mentioned is entertained among yourselves; but first it occurs to me to ask, since you have spoken of worship, to what Being in particular is your worship addressed?" "Evidently," answered the Saugata, "to the supreme Buddha." "And Buddha, if

12

THEORY OF THE WORLD.

I understand aright," interposed Blancombe, "means intelligent."

SAUG. "Precisely so."

BLAN. "Well, since the Deity must be conceived to have created and disposed all things by wisdom, and since the commands which he utters to his creatures must be the expression of intelligence, I do not know that any better name need be given to Him who is properly ineffable, than the one you appear to have chosen."

SAUG. "But here, if you please, we must go gently; for although some of my friends would willingly acquiesce in even the appearance of agreement with one so much honoured as yourself, you must not suppose me to believe that the Highest of all intelligences is degraded by contact with such grovelling things as are employed in the fashioning of the world, or that his blessed calm is disturbed by anxiety about things constantly changing, and being destroyed. For, unless you think otherwise, that would appear to me an impious lowering of the Most Blessed to our imperfect conceptions; and again, there are many things daily happening, so full of passion, and darkness, and suffering, that we cannot piously make the Deity accountable for them, instead of rather laying the blame, as we ought, upon our own folly, negligence, and ignorance. As to creation, you may, if you think proper, suppose certain inferior intelligences, or Bodhisatwas, either stooping from the higher blessedness of the supreme Buddha, or, as I should rather say, not having yet attained to that highest tranquillity, though far above our troubled state, to have fashioned the existing form of the world, and arranged its contents in some such self-regulating order as might work like a vast machine; so at least many Bauddha philosophers have taught, and I find no fault with their mode of conceiving the theory. If, however, you ask me what is necessary, I do not see in what respect an utter blank would be better than the world as it exists, or therefore why we should suppose a blank ever to have been; nor again,