The Gâtakamâlâ; Or, Garland of Birth-StoriesAryasura
Religion
The Gâtakamâlâ; Or, Garland of Birth-Stories
Aryasura
Gautama Buddha -- Pre-existence
8. 'Further there are now and then persons who, owing to their practice
of dhyâna and the vividness of their memory, remember their former
existences. From this it must likewise be inferred, there exists a world
after this. And myself, do I not give thee the evidence of a witness?
9. 'Moreover, thou must infer its existence also from this. The
perfection of the intellect presupposes a previous existence of that
intellect. The rudimentary intellect of the fetus is the uninterrupted
continuation of the intellect in the preceding existence.
10. 'Further, it is the faculty for catching matter of knowledge that is
called intellect (buddhi). Therefore there must be a sphere of
employment for the intellect at the beginning of existence[206]. But it
is not possible to find it in this world, because of the absence of the
eyes and the other (organs of sense). By inference, the place where it
is to be found, is the other world.
[206] In other words, in the state of the fetus.
11. 'It is known by experience that children diverge from the nature of
their fathers and show discrepancies of conduct and the like. Now, since
this fact cannot arise without a cause, it follows that we have to do
here with habits acquired in other existences.
12, 13. 'That the new-born child, though his mental powers are wholly
rude and his organs of sense in a torpid state, makes an effort to take
the breast without being instructed so and almost in a state of deep
sleep, this proves his having in former existences exercised himself as
to the fit ways of taking his food. For practice, perfecting the mind,
sharpens its faculty for acquiring knowledge for different special
performances.
'Perhaps, since thou art not accustomed to the idea of the existence of
another world, thou mayst still be doubtful about the last statement.
(Should this be the case and shouldst thou reason in this way:)
14. '"Then the lotuses shutting and opening themselves are also a proof,
indeed, of their having already practised those movements in other
existences. Otherwise, this not being admitted, why dost thou affirm
that the suckling's effort of taking the breast is the effect of
exertion made in previous births?"
'then thou art obliged to put aside that doubt by the consideration that
in one case there is compulsion, in the other freedom, and exertion is
not made there, but that it is made here.
15. 'In the case of the lotuses, their opening and shutting depend on
time, but the effort to take the breast not so. Moreover, there is no
exertion in the lotus, but in the case of the suckling it is evident
there is. It is the power of the sun that is the cause of the lotuses
expanding.
'In this manner, then, Your Majesty, by a close and careful examination
it is possible to have faith in the world hereafter.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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