"Reverence be unto thee in the form of Buddha! Reverence be unto thee, the Lord of the Earth! Reverence be unto thee, an incarnation of the Deity! Of the Eternal One! Reverence be unto thee, O God, in the form of the God of Mercy; the dispeller of pain and trouble, the Lord of all things, the deity, the guardian of the universe, the emblem of mercy."[116:5] The incarnation of Gautama Buddha is recorded to have been brought about by the descent of the divine power called The "_Holy Ghost_" upon the Virgin _Maya_.[116:6] This Holy Ghost, or Spirit, descended in the form of a _white elephant_. The _Tikas_ explain this as indicating power and wisdom.[117:1] The incarnation of the angel destined to become Buddha took place in a spiritual manner. The Elephant is the symbol of power and wisdom; and Buddha was considered the organ of divine power and wisdom, as he is called in the Tikas. For these reasons Buddha is described by Buddhistic legends as having descended from heaven in the form of an Elephant to the place where the Virgin Maya was. But according to Chinese Buddhistic writings, it was the Holy Ghost, or _Shing-Shin_, who descended on the Virgin Maya.[117:2] The _Fo-pen-hing_ says: "If a mother, in her dream, behold A white elephant enter her right side, That mother, when she bears a son, Shall bear one chief of all the world (Buddha); Able to profit all flesh; Equally poised between preference and dislike; Able to save and deliver the world and men From the deep sea of misery and grief."[117:3] In Prof. Fergusson's "_Tree and Serpent Worship_" may be seen (Plate xxxiii.) a representation of Maya, the mother of Buddha, asleep, and dreaming that a white elephant appeared to her, and entered her womb. This dream being interpreted by the Brahmans learned in the _Rig Veda_, was considered as announcing the incarnation of him who was to be in future the deliverer of mankind from pain and sorrow. It is, in fact, the form which the Annunciation took in Buddhist legends.[117:4]