Dialogues of the Buddha, Part II — trans. T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids (1910)

' In the Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, there were eighty-four thousand chambers of four kinds. One kind of chamber was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal.

' In the golden chamber a silver couch was spread ; in the silver chamber a golden couch ; in the beryl chamber a couch of ivory ; and in the crystal chamber a couch of coral.

1 At the door of the golden chamber there stood a palm tree of silver ; and its trunk was of silver, and its leaves and fruits of silver.

' At the door of the beryl chamber there stood a palm

214 XVII. MAIIA-SUDASSANA-SUTTANTA. D. ii. 182.

tree of crystal ; and its trunk was of crystal, and its leaves and fruits of beryl.

' At the door of the crystal chamber there stood a palm tree of beryl ; and its trunk was of beryl, and its leaves and fruits of crystal.'

27. ' Now there occurred, Ananda, to the Great King of Glory this thought : —

' " Suppose, now, I were to make a grove of palm trees, all of gold, at the entrance to the chamber of the Great Complex \ under the shade of which I may pass the heat of the day."

' Then, Ananda, the Great King of Glory made a grove of palm trees, all of gold, at the entrance to the chamber of the Great Complex, under the shade of which he might pass the heat of the day.

28. ' The Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, was surrounded by a double railing. [183] One railing was of gold, and one was of silver. The golden railing had its posts of gold, and its cross bars and its figure-head of silver. The silver railing had its posts of silver, and its cross bars and its figure-head of gold.

29. ' The Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, was hung round with two networks of bells. One network of bells was of gold, and one was of silver. The golden network had bells of silver, and the silver network had bells of sfold.

' And when those networks of bells, Ananda, were shaken by the wind there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.

'Just, Ananda, as the seven kinds of instruments yield, when well played upon, to the skilful man, a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating— just even so, Ananda, when those networks of

1 Mahavyuhassa ku/agarassa dvare. The ' Great Complex ' contains a double allusion, in the same spirit in which the whole legend has been worked out: (1) To the Great Complex as a name of the Sun God regarded as a unity of the deities; and (2) To the Great Complex as a name of a particular kind of deep religious meditation or speculation.

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bells were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant) and charming, and intoxicating.

' And whoever, Ananda, in the royal city Kusavati were at that time gamblers, drunkards, and given to drink, they used to dance round together to the sound of those networks of bells when shaken by the wind.'

30. ' When the Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, was finished it was hard to look at, destructive to the eyes. Just, Ananda, as in the last month of the rains in the autumn time, when the sky has become clear and the clouds have vanished away, the sun, springing up along- the heavens, is hard to look at, and destructive to the eyes — [184] just so, Ananda, when the Palace of Righteousness was finished was it hard to look at, and destructive to the eyes.'

31. ' Now there occurred, Ananda, to the Great King of Glory this thought : —

' " Suppose, now, in front of the Palace of Righteousness, I were to make a Lotus-lake to bear the name of Righteousness'."

' Then, Ananda, the Great King of Glory made a
Lotus-lake to bear the name of " Righteousness".

1 The Lake of Righteousness, Ananda, was on the east and on the west a league in length, and on the north and on the south half a league in breadth.

' The Lake of Righteousness, Ananda, was faced with tiles of four kinds. One kind of tile was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal.