1 Vissakamma^ devaputta/ra, where devaputtaa* means not ' son of a god/ but ' belonging to, born into the class of, the gods/
2 D ham maw nama Pasadaw.
3 Dhammassa pasadassa vatthu/ra.
73. 'To the Palace of Righteousness, Ananda,
there were eighty-four thousand pillars of four kinds.
One kind of pillar was of gold, and one of silver,
and one of beryl, and one of crystal.
74. ' The Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, was
fitted up with seats of four kinds. One kind of seat
was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and
one of crystal.
75. 4 In the Palace of Righteousness, Ananda,
there were twenty-four staircases of four kinds.
One staircase was of gold, and one of silver, and
one of beryl, and one of crystal. The staircase of
gold had balustrades of gold, with the cross bars
and the figure head of silver. The staircase of silver
had balustrades of silver, with the cross bars and the
figure head of gold. The staircase of beryl had
balustrades of beryl, with the cross bars and the
figure head of crystal. The staircase of crystal had
balustrades of crystal, with cross bars and figure
head of beryl.
76. '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 cham-
ber a couch of coral.
* 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 gold.
1 At the door of the silver chamber there stood
a palm tree of gold ; and its trunk was of gold, and
its leaves and fruits of silver.
mahA-sudassana sutta.
' At the door of the beryl chamber there stood a
palm 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.
77. * 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 1 , 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.
78. * The Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, was
surrounded by a double railing. 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 2 .
79. ' The Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, was
hung round with two networks of bells. One net-
work of bells was of gold, and one was of silver.
1 Mahavyuhassa ku/agarassa dvdre. The 'Great Com- plex ' 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 four mytho- logical deities, Vasudeva, Sahkarshawa, Pra^umna, and Aniruddha; and 2. To the Great Complex as a name of a particular kind of deep religious meditation or speculation.
2 See above, § 60, and the note on § 54.
The golden network had bells of silver, and the silver network had bells of gold.
80. ' 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 kind 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 bells were shaken by the wind, there
arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming,
and intoxicating.
81. 'And whoever, Ananda, in the royal city
KusAvatt were at that time gamblers, drunkards,
and given to drink, they used to dance round toge-
ther to the sound of those networks of bells when
shaken by the wind.
82. '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, — just so, Ananda, when
the Palace of Righteousness was finished was it hard
to look at, and destructive to the eyes.
83. ' Now there occurred, Ananda, to the Great King of Glory this thought :
' " Suppose, now, in front of the Palace of Right-
eousness, 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."
mahA-sudassana sutta.
84. * 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.
85. * 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.
86. ' The Lake of Righteousness, Ananda, had four
and twenty flights of steps, of four different kinds.
One flight of steps was of gold, and one of silver,
and one of beryl, and one of crystal. The flight of
golden steps had balustrades of gold, with the cross
bars and the figure head of silver. The flight of
silver steps had balustrades of silver, with the cross
bars and the figure head of gold. The flight of beryl
steps had balustrades of beryl, with the cross bars
and the figure head of crystal. The flight of crystal
steps had balustrades of crystal, with cross bars and
figure head of beryl.
87. ' Round the Lake of Righteousness, Ananda,
there ran a double railing. One railing was of gold,
and one was of silver. The golden railing had
its posts of gold, and its cross bars and its capitals
of silver. The silver railing had its posts of silver,
and its cross bars and its capitals of gold.
88. ' The Lake of Righteousness, Ananda, was
surrounded by seven rows of palm trees. One row
was of palms of gold, and one of silver, and one
of beryl, and one of crystal, and one of agate, and
one of coral, and one of all kinds of gems.
89. ' And the golden palms had trunks of gold,
and leaves and fruits of silver. And the silver
palms had trunks of silver, and leaves and fruits of
gold. And the palms of beryl had trunks of beryl,
27O THE GREAT KING OF GLORY. CH.
and leaves and fruits of crystal. And the crystal
palms had trunks of crystal, and leaves and fruits
of beryl. And the agate palms had trunks of agate,
and leaves and fruits of coral. And the coral palms
had trunks of coral, and leaves and fruits of agate.
And the palms of every kind of gem had trunks
and leaves and fruits of every kind of gem.
90. ' And when those rows of palm trees, Ananda,
were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound sweet,
and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.
* Just, Ananda, as the seven kind of instruments
yield, when well played upon, to the skilful man, a.
sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicat-
ing, — just even so, Ananda, when those rows of palm
trees were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound
sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.
91. 'And whoever, Ananda 1 , in the royal citjr~
Kus&vatl were at that time gamblers, drunkards^,
and given to drink, they used to dance round to—
gether to the sound of those palms when shaken,
by the wind.
92. 'When the Palace of Righteousness, Ananda,
was finished, and the Lotus-lake of Righteousness was
finished, the Great King of Glory entertained with all
good things those of the Samaras who, at that time,
were held in high esteem, and those of the Br&hmans
who, at that time, were held in high esteem. Then
he ascended up into the Palace of Righteousness/
End of the First Portion for Recitation.
1 This paragraph is perhaps repeated by mistake; but it is scarcely less in harmony with its context at § 8 than it is here. It is more probable that § 92 followed, originally, immediately after § 82, with the Lotus-lake clause omitted.
Chapter II.
1. 4 Now there occurred, Ananda, this thought to the Great King of Glory :
4 " Of what previous character, now, may this be
the fruit, of what previous character the result, that
I am now so mighty and so great ? "
2. 4 And then occurred, Ananda, to the Great King of Glory this thought :
4 " Of three qualities is this the fruit, of three
qualities the result, that I am now so mighty and
so great, — that is to say, of giving, of self-conquest,
and of self-control \"
3. ' Now the Great King of Glory, Ananda, as-
cended up into the chamber of the Great Complex ;
and when he had come there he stood at the door,
and there he broke out into a cry of intense
emotion :
' " Stay here, O thoughts of lust ! 4 " Stay here, O thoughts of ill-will ! 4 4< Stay here, O thoughts of hatred ! ' " Thus far only, O thoughts of lust! ' " Thus far only, O thoughts of ill-will ! 4 44 Thus far only, O thoughts of hatred ! "
4. * And when, Ananda, the Great King of Glory had entered the chamber of the Great Complex,
1 I have here translated kamma by previous character' and by ' quality.' The easiest plan would, no doubt, have been, to pre- serve in the translation the technical term karma, which is explained at some length in ' Buddhism/ pp. 99-106.
and had seated himself upon the couch of gold,
having put away all passion and all unrighteousness,
he entered into, and remained in, the First GA&nai,
— a state of joy and ease, born of seclusion, full of
reflection, full of investigation.
5. ' By suppressing reflection and investigation,
he entered into, and remained in, the Second G^&na,
— a state of joy and ease, born of serenity, without
reflection, without investigation, a state of elevation
of mind, of internal calm.
6. * By absence of the longing after joy, he re-
mained indifferent, conscious, self-possessed, expert
encing in his body that ease which the noble ones
announce, saying, " The man indifferent and self-
possessed is well at ease," and thus he entered into,
and remained in, the Third GASlusl.
7. ' By putting away ease, by putting away pain,
by the previous dying away both of gladness and of
sorrow, he entered into, and remained in, the Fourth
Ghkudi, — a state of purified self-possession and equa-
nimity, without ease, and without pain l .
8. ' Then, Ananda, the Great King of Glory went
out from the chamber of the Great Complex, and
entered the golden chamber and sat himself down
on the silver couch. And he let his mind pervade
1 The above paragraphs are an endeavour to express the inmost feelings when they are first strung to the uttermost by the intense effects of deep religious emotion, and then feel the effects of what may be called, for want of a better word, the reaction. Most deeply religious natures have passed through such a crisis; and though the feelings are perhaps really indescribable, this passage is dealing, not with a vain mockery, but with a very real event in spiritual experience.
mahA-sudassana sutta.
one quarter of the world with thoughts of Love; and
so the second quarter, and so the third, and so the
fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above,
below, around, and everywhere, did he continue to
pervade with heart of Love, far-reaching, grown great,
and beyond measure, free from the least trace of
anger or ill-will.
9. ' And he let his mind pervade one quarter of
the world with thoughts of Pity ; and so the second
quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth. And
thus the whole wide world, above, below, around,
and everywhere, did he continue to pervade with
heart of Pity, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond
measure, free from the least trace of anger or
ill-will.
10. ' And he let his mind pervade one quarter of
the world with thoughts of Sympathy; and so the
second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.
And thus the whole wide world, above, below,
around, and everywhere, did he continue to pervade
with heart of Sympathy, far-reaching, grown great,
and beyond measure, free from the least trace o(
anger or ill-will.
11. ' And he let his mind pervade one quarter of
the world with thoughts of Equanimity 1 ; and so the
second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.
And thus the whole wide world, above, below,
around, and everywhere, did he continue to pervade
with heart of Equanimity, far-reaching, grown great,
and beyond measure, free from the least trace of
anger or ill-will.