it is gnawed by the most despicable insects. Whoever considers these things will be convinced that in the body there is nothing but decay and misery; and therefore he will cast off all affection for it, and turn all his desires to nirwana, where these things do not exist."* There are many advantages to be derived from meditating upon the attributes of the body. The merit of presenting an offering to a supreme Budha, it is said, is exceedingly great; but the merit of him who trusts in the whole of the three gems with a right mind is greater; and still greater is the merit of him who loves all sentient beings for so small a space as is occupied by the falling of the milk from the udder of a cow to the vessel placed to receive it. Superior to this, however, is the merit of him who keeps the five precepts; yet greater than all is the merit of him who for the space of a fingersnapping meditates on the three signs connected with existence, sorrow, impermanence, and unreality. In a former age there were fifty friends, who, having found the dead body of a woman, collected wood and made a funeral pile, upon which they burnt it. When they saw the blisters rising upon the body from the action of the fire, they reflected upon the position in which all must be placed, and then meditated upon the three gems. They were, in consequence, ever afterwards born either as déwas or men, never receiving any inferior existence; and in the time of Gótama they became rahats. The same Budha had a disciple called Chullapanta, who in a former age was a king. One day, when he had ascended his chariot, and the horse had run some distance, the whole body of the animal was covered with sweat, by the sprinkling of which his robe was soiled. The king, on seeing what had occurred, reflected that the impurity proceeding from the body stains even the most beautiful apparel; and through the merit of this reflection he was ever afterwards born in a superior state of existence.t The moralist, when he would persuade mankind to thoughtfulness, has ever dwelt upon the ravages of disease, and the offensive accompaniments of death; but the life of the ascetic is in many instances a perpetual comment upon the declaration of God, "dying thou shalt die." When Socrates was about to drink the hemlock, he declared that to think about death is the chief office of the philosopher. The earlier recluses retired to the tombs, as did Anthony, * Sangermano's Burmese Empire. † Sáleyya Sútra Sanné. who was left alone in the house of death, and when his friends had closed the door was afterwards seen only at intervals. At the conse、 cration of a nun of St. Bridget four sisters brought her coffin, which, during mass, remained in the gate through which the nun was introduced, with earth sprinkled upon it. In the monasteries of this order there was a grave constantly open, at which the abbess and convent daily attended and performed divine service, that they might be reminded of the short and uncertain duration of human life. In the infirmary of some of the monastic establishments there was a stone upon which the dying monks were washed and received extreme unction; and upon this stone the brethren were directed to sit and meditate, as a kind of penance. Yet these very associations have sometimes been made use of as incentives to merriment and revelry. At the entertainments given by the ancient Egyptians, just as the company was about to rise from the repast, a small coffin was carried round, containing a perfect representation of a dead body. This was shown to the guests in rotation, the bearer exclaiming, "Look at this figure; after death you will resemble it; drink then, and be happy."-Herod. ii. 78. XXI. ASCETIC RITES AND SUPERNATURAL POWERS. The Budhists believe that it is possible, by the performance of certain ceremonies, and the observance of a prescribed course of moral action, to arrive at the possession of supernatural powers. The subject is one of almost limitless extent; but our notice of it must be principally confined to the rite called Kasina, a description of which will be given at length; and we shall afterwards allude to other methods, by which it is supposed that a miraculous energy may be received. A few remarks upon the general question will be inserted at the end of the 22nd chapter. There are ten descriptions of kasina:-1. Pathawi, earth. 2. Apo, water. 3. Téjo, fire. 4. Wayo, wind. 5. Níla, blue. 6. Píta, golden. 7. Lóhita, blood-red. 8. Odáta, white. 9. Alóka, light. 10. Akása, space. 1. Pathawi Kasina.-The priest who exercises pathawi-kasina must take earth, in the way appointed, and must exercise meditation, looking for the nimitta illumination, like the man who sees himself in a mirror. Though the word pathawi is used, which is a feminine noun, it must be regarded as of the neuter gender. The sign may be either a place made by himself for the occasion, or he may take the circular threshing-floor in a field, or any other place that, in a similar manner, has a limit; but it is forbidden to take for the purpose a place that has no limit. The kasina-mandala, or circle, must be of the size of a winnowing fan, or the brazen porringer called a teti, which, being small, the priest can easily fix his eye upon it, as it must be of such a kind that, whether the eye be shut or open, the circle may be present to the mind. The mind must be firm, pondering over the sign again and again. The priest must reflect on the benefit to be derived from the exercise, regarding it with joy, as if it were a great treasure; and he must not allow his mind to wander off after any other object whatever. Not thinking about anything else, he must resolve that, by this means, he will obtain relief from decay and death. Thus, being freed from evil desire, he will enter upon the first dhyána. When any one has enjoyed the benefits to be derived from the teachings of the Budhas in a former birth, or attained to the state of a rishi, and thereby been enabled to enter upon the fourth and fifth dhyanas, it will not be necessary for him to make a circle of earth, as a ploughed field or a threshing-floor will serve the same purpose. Thus, when men pass through a desert with which they are not acquainted, and meet with water, they put something as a mark, that they may know the place again, and they are guided by this mark the next time they pass along the same road; but when they have become well acquainted with the spot, from frequently passing and repassing, they do not require any mark to guide them to the water, as they can find it without this assistance. So the priest who has been accustomed to perform kasina in former births, does not require the same sign as others to assist his meditations. It was by this means that the priest Mallaka, by looking at a ploughed field, was enabled to enter the fifth dhyána, then to attain widarsana,* and become a rahat. When the priest has not practised these things in a former birth, he must learn the course of discipline from a competent teacher, that he may know also the faults that are to be avoided in the exercise. * For an explanation of the terms used in this chapter, consult the Index. The kasina circle must not be blue, golden, blood-red, or white. The clay of which it is formed must not be of any of these colours (as they are the colours of other kasinas); it must be of a light red, aruna, the tint that the sky assumes at dawn, or the colour of the sand deposited by the Ganges. The frame upon which the circle is placed must not be erected too near a wihára, where there may be disturbance from the sámanéra novices. A place must be chosen for the purpose at the limit of the grounds attached to the wihára, under the shade of a tree, or of a projecting rock; or a temporary pansal may be made for the occasion. The frame, made of four sticks, may either be set up in such a way as to be removable to another place, or it may be fixed in the ground. Upon the top a piece of cloth, a skin, or a mat, must be extended, upon which the clay must be spread, free from grass, roots, pebbles, and sand; and it must be well tempered, and made very smooth. Gradually it must be kneaded and worked, until it is of the proper consistency; and it must be formed into a circle one span and four inches in diameter. If the frame be fixed in the ground, it must be small at the bottom, and broad at the top, like the flower of the lotus. If sufficient clay cannot be procured of the proper colours, the body of the circle may be formed of any other clay, with a layer of aruna elay spread over the surface. Whether the circle be moveable or fixed, it must be of the prescribed size. When it is said that it must be of the same size as a winnowing fan, or a brazen porringer, it is not a large one that is intended, but one of the common size. It is essential that there be a limit to the thing which is taken as a sign, and it is on this account that its dimensions are pointed out. The space exterior to the circle may be of a white colour. The juice of the sandal-wood tree will not give the colour that is required. The priest must take water that falls from a rock, and therewith render the clay perfectly smooth and even, like the head of a drum ; then, having bathed, he must sweep the place where the frame is erected, and place a seat, without any irregularities on its surface, one span and four inches high, at the distance of two cubits and one span from the frame. Remaining upon this seat, he must look at the circle, and exercise meditation. If the seat be further distant than the prescribed space, he will not be able to see the circle properly; and if nearer, its imperfections will be too apparent. If it be higher, he will have to bend his neck to see the circle; if lower, his knees will be pained. Thus seated, he must reflect on the evils resulting from the repetition of existence, and on the manner in which it is to be overcome; on the benefits received by those who practise the dhyánas and other modes of asceticism; and on the excellencies of the three gems; and he must resolve upon securing the same advantages. He must not keep his eyes open too long, lest he become confused. The circle must be seen, but not too clearly, or his object cannot be gained; still, it is necessary that it be seen with a certain degree of distinctness, or his aim will be equally frustrated. He must be like a man who watches an elephant; not too intent, nor too careless: or, like a man looking at himself in a mirror, who does not notice the form of the instrument, but regards his own appearance alone. The colour of the circle must be noticed, but not with too much pleasure or satisfaction. It is not enough to think that it is composed of earth. The priest must also remember that the earthly particles of his own body are composed of the same element. For this purpose he must think of the different names that are given to earth, such as pathawi, mahi, médini, bhúmi, wasudhá, and wasundará. Any of these names may be chosen, and, for a time, he may reflect on that exclusively; but as the epithet most commonly used is pathawi, upon this he must meditate with greater frequency and intensity. Until nimitta is received, sometimes with his eyes open, and at other times with them shut, he must continually regard the circle, though the exercise has to be repeated a hundred or a thousand times. When the circle appears to the mind as clearly with the eyes shut as with them open, the nimitta may be regarded as accomplished. The exercise is not to be continued after the nimitta has been received, or it will again be lost. It is better, therefore, for the priest not to remain in the same place; because, if he does so, his eyes will wander towards the circle. Going from thence to his usual place of residence, he must there exercise meditation. That time may not be lost in the washing of his feet, he must put on shoes, which must be made of skin, that there may be no noise when he walks; and he will require a staff, that dangers may be warded off. If by any means the nimitta should be destroyed, he must again take his shoes and staff, and carry on the meditation as before, until it be recovered. By the power of nimitta the thoughts that prevent the exercise of dhyána will be restrained; scepticism will pass away, and purity will be received, by which the angas, or consti |