Chinese literature : $b Comprising the Analects of Confucius, the Sayings of Mencius, the Shi-King, the Travels of Fâ-Hien, and the Sorrows of HanFaxian
Philosophy
Chinese literature : $b Comprising the Analects of Confucius, the Sayings of Mencius, the Shi-King, the Travels of Fâ-Hien, and the Sorrows of Han
Faxian
China -- Literary collections; Chinese literature; Chinese literature -- Translations into English
[Footnote 2: A first cousin of Sâkyamuni, and born at the moment when he
attained to Buddhaship. Under Buddha's teaching, Ânanda became an Arhat,
and is famous for his strong and accurate memory; and he played an
important part at the first council for the formation of the Buddhist
canon. The friendship between Sâkyamuni and Ânanda was very close and
tender; and it is impossible to read much of what the dying Buddha said
to him and of him, as related in the Mahâpari-nirvâna Sûtra, without
being moved almost to tears. Ânanda is to reappear on earth as Buddha in
another Kalpa.]
[Footnote 3: On his attaining to nirvâna, Sâkyamuni became the Buddha,
and had no longer to mourn his being within the circle of
transmigration, and could rejoice in an absolute freedom from passion,
and a perfect purity. Still he continued to live on for forty-five
years, till he attained to pari-nirvâna, and had done with all the life
of sense and society, and had no more exercise of thought. He died; but
whether he absolutely and entirely ceased to be, in any sense of the
word being, it would be difficult to say. Probably he himself would not
and could not have spoken definitely on the point. So far as our use of
language is concerned, apart from any assured faith in and hope of
immortality, his pari-nirvâna was his death.]
[Footnote 4: Jambudvîpa is one of the four great continents of the
universe, representing the inhabited world as fancied by the Buddhists,
and so-called because it resembles in shape the leaves of the jambu
tree.]
[Footnote 5: Compare the narrative in Luke's Gospel, xxi. 1-4.]
[Footnote 6: This story of Hwuy-king's death differs from the account
given in chapter xiv.--EDITOR.]
CHAPTER XIII
~Festival of Buddha's Skull-bone~
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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