your majesty he asked: Whence have you that power? Who will receive your declaration? By what power can an insignificant person like you cause the stream of the Ganges to flow backward? she replied: Great king, I caused the stream to flow back by the power of truth (satcha). The king said: What power of truth have you, a thief, vile, immodest, sinful, an overstepper of all restrictions, one who leads astray the blindly lascivious? The courtezan confessed that she was all the king had named, but said that it was by the following truth-spell she had turned the stream of the Ganges, and that by the same power she could overturn the heavens ; 'Does any one give me wealth, be he a prince, a brahman, a merchant, a labourer, or of any other tribe; whatever they may be, I receive them equally the prince is not preferred, the labourer is not despised contented, and free from regarding pleasure or pain I follow the owner of wealth."" According to this principle, beings the most degraded may obtain the power to work the most stupendous miracles; and acts of the grossest iniquity may be done without guilt, if the mind be unmoved during their commission.

XXII. NIRWANA: ITS PATHS AND FRUITION.

As the subject upon which we now enter is one of the quæstiones vexatæ of Budhism, and is in itself of deep interest, a larger space will be required for its elucidation; and as no western opinion will be regarded as of any authority, we shall confine ourselves almost entirely to extracts from native writers. In the former pages of this work we have received nirwána as meaning simply, the cessation of existence.

1. The Paths.-There are four paths, margga, an entrance into any of which secures, either immediately or more remotely, the attainment of nirwana. They are:-1. Sowán, 2. Sakradágámi. 3. Anágámi. 4. Arya. Each path is divided into two grades :—1. The perception of the path. 2. Its fruition, or enjoyment, margga-ph'ala.

(1.) The path sowán, or srótápatti, is so called because it is the first stream that is entered before arriving at nirwana. It is divided into twenty-four sections, and after it has been entered, there can be only seven more births between that period and the attainment of nirwana, which may be in any world but the four hells.

(2.) The path sakradágámi is so called because he who enters it will receive one more birth. He may enter this path in the world of men, and afterwards be born in a déwa-lóka; or he may enter it in a déwa-lóka, and afterwards be born in the world of men. It is divided into twelve sections.

(3.) The path anágámi is so called because he who enters it will not again be born in a káma-lóka; he may, by the apparitional birth, enter a brahma-lóka, and from that world attain nirwána. This path is divided into forty-eight sections.

(4.) The path arya, or aryahat, is so called because he who enters it has overcome or destroyed, as an enemy, all klésha. It is divided into twelve sections.

When the fruit-tree is cut down, the latent fruit that is in it, which has not yet appeared, but which would appear in due time if it were permitted to remain, is destroyed. In like manner, by margga-bháwaná the klésha is destroyed that would otherwise have continued to exist and would have brought forth fruit.

They who have entered into any of the paths can discern the thoughts of all in the same or the preceding paths. Thus, he who has entered the path sowán can know the thoughts of any being in the same path, but not those of any one in the three other paths. He who has entered the path sakradágámi can know the thoughts of any being in the same path or in sowán, but not in the two other paths. He who has entered the path anágámi can know the thoughts of any being in the same path, or in sowán and sakradágámi, but not the thoughts of one in the fourth path, or the rahat. The rahat can know the thoughts of any one, in any situation whatever.

The wisdom necessary for the reception of the paths is called gótrabhu-gnyána. When the paths are entered the wisdom that is received by those who have made this attainment is called gnyánadassana-sudhi. A man goes at night to watch the conjunction of the moon and certain stars; he looks up, but the moon is hid by clouds; then a wind arises and drives away the clouds, so that the moon becomes visible. The klésha that darkens the mind is like a cloud; the anulóma-chitta is like the wind; the looking up is like the sight of nirwána; the moon is like nirwána itself; and the passing away of the clouds is like the revealing of nirwána by the wisdom called gótrabhu-gnyána. The wind has power to disperse the cloud, but it cannot see the moon; so the exercise of anulóma

drives away darkness from the mind, but it is insufficient for the seeing of nirwana. The man who looks at the moon can see it when the clouds have passed away, but he has no power to disperse the clouds; in like manner, it is gótrabhu-gnyána that reveals nirwána, but it has no power to disperse the klésha that darkens the mind. When nirwana has been revealed, gótrabhu-gnyána is of no further use; it is like the guide who is dismissed at the end of the journey.

The rahats can receive no further birth; they cannot be born again, either as déwas, brahmas, men, yakás, prétas, or asúrs; the power by which conception is received is entirely broken; the path of successive existence is destroyed; all cleaving to existence is cut off; all the sanskháras, the elements of existence, are destroyed; merit and demerit are destroyed; the winyánas are closed; and as the principle of life in the seed is destroyed when exposed to the influence of fire, so, in the rahats, the principle of evil desire is eradicated; all connection with the world is completed and done.

To say that any one has "seen nirwána," is to say that he has become a rahat.

The difference between him who has rága, or desire, and him who has not, is this the first is ajjhósita, or cleaves to existence; the second is anajjhósita, he does not cleave to existence. As regards eating and drinking they may both appear to enjoy that which is good and reject that which is evil; but when the former eats food he distinguishes that which is bitter or pungent, avoids it, and prefers that which is sweet and agreeable; the latter also distinguishes one flavour from another, but he does not desire one description of food more than another.

There are some persons who obtain the rahatship instantaneously, whilst others can only obtain it by a slow process; they must give alms, make offerings, study the bana, and exercise the necessary discipline; but this difference arises from the merit obtained by the former class in previous births. Thus, one man has a field already prepared; he can sow his seed at once; he need not make ditches or fences, or spend his time in any similar work; but there is another man, who has no field prepared, and before he can sow his seed there is much labour to be undergone. Again, there are man- . goes on a lofty tree; a rishi can take them at once, by coming through the air; but a man who has not this power, must wait until he has cut down sticks and creepers and made a ladder. Again, a

strong man at once executes his lord's commands, but where there is not this strength there must be the united labour of many individuals. In like manner, some ascetics obtain the rahatship at once, whilst others are unable to obtain it without first attending to the various exercises that are enjoined.

In the time of Budha there was a novice who was unable in the

space of many months to learn a single stanza of bana; in consequence, his preceptor, who was his own uncle, sent him away from the wihára. But the uncle, who was exceedingly sorrowful on account of having thus to dismiss his nephew, was met by Budha, who enquired why he was so sad. When informed of the cause, he told the uncle that in a former age, during the time of Kasyapa Budha, his nephew had derided a priest who was saying bana, which now prevented him from learning it; but that in another birth when he was a king, he was one day riding through the city, with his attendants, and as his face perspired freely he wiped it with his robe, reflecting at the same time on the impermanence of the body. For this act of merit he would now be enabled to become a rahat; and Budha therefore directed that he should look towards the sun, and call out “Rajoharanang, rajoharanang; may the dust (of evil desire) pass away!". At the moment in which the direction of Budha was carried into effect, the sage caused a piece of cloth to appear, that the nephew might be enabled to wipe his face therewith; and by this means he became a rahat.

The king of Ságal said to Nágaséna, "You have declared that when a laic becomes a rahat, he must, on the same day, either enter the priesthood or attain nirwána; now we will suppose that a laic becomes a rahat, but there is no one qualified to repeat the Kammawáchan, the formulary used at the ordination of a priest; and there is no alms-bowl or robe to be presented; could such a one admit himself to the priesthood, or would he remain a laic, or would some rahat possessing the power of irdhi come through the air to ordain him, or would he attain nirwána; how would it be?" Nágaséna replied, "He could not ordain himself, as this would be contrary to rule; nor could he remain a laic; so that either some one must come to admit him to the priesthood, or he must attain nirwana." Milinda: "Why is it so?" Nágaséna : "There are many evils connected with the state of a laic; it is therefore a state of weakness; and on this account the rahat must at once either become a priest or attain nirwána. But no blame can on this account

be attached to the rahatship; it arises from the weakness of the state of the laic. In like manner, a man eats to repletion of good food, and because he cannot digest it, dies; in this case the fault is not to be attributed to the food, but to the want of power in the faculty of digestion. Were a large stone to be suspended by a slender cord, it would break; but no one could say that it was the fault of the stone. Again, were a man to be made king whose personal prowess was inferior, who had no powerful retainers, who was neither of the royal caste nor a brahman, of mean birth, and destitute of merit, it would only lead to his destruction, as he would not be able to uphold the dignity of his elevated position; but the fault would be in the man, not in the royal office. It is the same with the rahat; he cannot remain a laic, because that state is one of weakness and evil; it is insufficient to bear the weight of the greatness with which the rahat is invested."

There are five great powers, called abhignyáwas, attached to the rahatship; but not possessed by all rahats in an equal degree. 1. Irdhiwidhágnyána, or ásrawakshayagnyána; the power of irdhi. 2. Diwyásrotagnyána; the power to hear all sounds, whether distant or near, whether made by déwas or men. 3. Chétopariyagnyána, or parachittawijánagnyána; the power to know the thoughts of other beings. 4. Púrwéniwásánusmertignyána; the power of knowing what births have been received in former ages. 5. Satwayangé-chatuppatignyána; the power of knowing what births will be received in future ages.

The divine eye of the rahat can see that which cannot be perceived by the eye of flesh, as it can see any being whatever, whether in hell, upon earth, or in a déwa-lóka. The manner in which it acts is entirely different to the vision of those who have not entered the paths. It is not possessed to the same extent by all beings, but differs in degree, in proportion to the attainments of its possessor. There are many things that are too subtle or fleet to be perceived by one being with this gift, that may nevertheless be seen by another who is endowed with it in a superior degree. The lowest power is to be able to see things that are in existence at the time when it is exercised; but the being who possesses this power may not be able to see that which has only existed at some previous period, and has passed away or been destroyed; and he may not be able to discern objects at the very instant of their formation, from their being so exceedingly minute or momentary. It will perhaps