The Gospel of Buddha, Compiled from Ancient RecordsCarus, Paul
ReligionEastern
The Gospel of Buddha, Compiled from Ancient Records
Carus, Paul
Buddhism; Christianity and other religions -- Buddhism; Gautama Buddha; Gautama Buddha -- Teachings
"As to Name and Form we must understand how they interact. Name
has no power of its own, nor can it go on of its own impulse,
either to eat, or to drink, or to utter sounds, or to make a
movement. Form also is without power and cannot go on of its own
impulse. It has no desire to eat, or to drink, or to utter
sounds, or to make a movement. But Form goes on when supported by
Name, and Name when supported by Form. When Name has a desire to
eat, or to drink, or to utter sounds, or to make a movement, then
Form eats, drinks, utters sounds, makes a movement. 6
"It is as if two men, the one blind from birth and the other a
cripple, were desirous of going traveling, and the man blind from
birth were to say to the cripple as follows: 'See here! I am able
to use my legs, but I have no eyes with which to see the rough
and the smooth places in the road.' 7
"And the cripple were to say to the man blind from birth as
follows: 'See here! I am able to use my eyes, but I have no legs
with which to go forward and back.' 8
"And the man blind from birth, pleased and delighted, were to
mount the cripple on his shoulders. And the cripple sitting on
the shoulders of the man blind from birth were to direct him,
saying, 'Leave the left and go to the right; leave the right and
go to the left.' 9
"Here the man blind from birth is without power of his own, and
weak, and cannot go of his own impulse or might. The cripple also
is without power of his own, and weak, and cannot go of his own
impulse or might. Yet when they mutually support one another it
is not impossible for them to go. 10
"In exactly the same way Name is without power of its own, and
cannot spring up of its own might, nor perform this or that
action. Form also is without power of its own, and cannot spring
up of its own might, nor perform this or that action. Yet when
they mutually support one another it is not impossible for them
to spring up and go on. 11
"There is no material that exists for the production of Name and
Form; and when Name and Form cease, they do not go anywhither in
space. After Name and Form have ceased, they do not exist
anywhere in the shape of heaped-up music material. Thus when a
lute is played upon, there is no previous store of sound; and
when the music ceases it does not go anywhither in space. When it
has ceased, it exists nowhere in a stored-up state. Having
previously been non-existent, it came into existence on account
of the structure and stem of the lute and the exertions of the
performer; and as it came into existence so it passes away. In
exactly the same way, all the elements of being, both corporeal
and non-corporeal come into existence after having previously
been non-existent; and having come into existence pass away. 12
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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