The light of Buddha
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| The light of Buddha |
Excerpt from the preface:
Buddhism is one of the greatest religions in the world. During the three thousand years of its existence, it has been the means of converting innumerable multitudes throughout the Bast, and in addition to the widely spread religious influence that it has exercised has penetrated into the very depths of philosophical speculation.
Whatever there is in Buddhism is all due to the teachings of Sakya-Muni, our Lord. According to the tradition prevalent amongst us, the great Sage was born on the 8th. of April 1027 B. C, in the garden of Lumhinl, in Kapilavastu, a kingdom of Northern India, his parents being Buddhodana, the King of that country, and his Queen Maya. When he was nineteen years old he left his palace in order to study the perfect way; when thirty, he awoke to perfect Enlightenment, and, after fifty years of preaching his doctrines, he died at an advanced age. Now, a few words about Japanese Buddhism. Buddhism entered China A. D. 67, about five centuries later it came into our country through Korea.
In the 13th. year of the reign of the Mikado Kimmei (A. D. 552) an image of Buddha and some sacred books were presented to our court by Seimei, King of Kudara, one of the three ancient divisions of Korea, and some fifty years later, tire Prince Imperial, Umayado or Shotoku, becoming an earnest believer in Buddhism himself, strongly urged the people, by constitutional edicts to embrace Buddhism, erected a large number of temples, induced a large number of both sexes to take the vows of religions, and thus propagated the Gospel of Buddha.
Thirteen centuries have elapsed since then and now the tree of Buddhism has struck its roots deep into the soil of our national life and thought while its branches cover the land. The Sacred Books of Buddhism are divided into three divisions (the so-called three baskets). Precepts {Sutra), Kules of Discipline ( Vindya) and Metaphysics (Abhidharma, or Sastra). We have in our country 1521 Chinese texts, which include the commentaries thereon compose a library of 6589 volumes.
In addition to these, there are numerous works by Chinese and Japanese Divines. The life of Buddha and the teachings of his disciples have all been carefully and lucidly expounded for us in these Scriptures. We can further compare our Chinese versions with the writings of primitive Buddhism and see that there is neither a radical difference of doctrine nor a breach of continuity between the so-called Mahdydna (Greater Vehicle) and the Hlnaydna (Lesser Vehicle) Schools of doctrine. Primitive Buddhism was one and undivided.
It may be safely asserted that, in the present volume, I have done my best to expose both the theoretical and practical doctrines of Buddha, all in all, according to the authorized Chinese Text. I should have published the classification of ' Buddha's Personality,' had it not been too voluminous and so complicated for this small book. It may not be altogether useless for those readers who can read the Japanese original as well as the English translation to state here that the translators have given a few small turns and contractions to my original, without missing the spirit of the original. We, the author and the translators, are sincerely thankful for the careful revision given by the three gentlemen, Eev. Arthur Lloyd, M. A., Dr. B. Nanjo, and Dr J. Takakusu to our English translation.
Contents:
Preface'.
Introduction 1
Chapter I. Principles of Buddhism 9
Section i. Karmic Causality 9
Section ii. Transmigration, 14
Section iii. Non-existence 20
Section iv. Positive and Negative Phenomena and Noumena 23
Chapter II. Buddha 29
Chapter III. religious Practice 33
Section i. The Doctrine and its Practice 33
Section ii. Faith and the New Life 37
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