< As to Some Qualities of Buddhistic Adepts (continued from page 11-174) >
“Having renounced idleness and indolence, he remains exempt from those defects. Having renounced pride and evil actions, he feels a calm soul within himself. Having renounced doubt, he remains free from all doubts.
“When the religious person having become detached from the objects of desire and from culpable conditions, has arrived at the degree of the first contemplation, which is the happiness of that satisfaction born of analysis, and accompanied by reasoning and judgment, let him bathe his body in the pleasure of the satisfaction born of distinguishing (what really is from what is not), that these be counted to him as meditation.
“Yet another thing, O great King. The religious person after having attained by the annihilation of reasoning and of judgment to the second degree of contemplation, which is the pleasure of the satisfaction born of meditation, affranchised from reasoning and from judging, and where rules the unity of the spirit, which is internal peace and calm; the religious person remains in this contemplation.”
This would appear to point to the attainment of the state of intuition, instead of understanding and reason.
The enumeration of the different stages of advancement, like almost all the Buddhistic sacred books, is so unreadably long winded, and contains such wearisome repetitions, that I find I must give the substance or resume of each subsequent degree, without following the exact words.
The third stage or degree of contemplation is attained by detachment, a state of indifference to outward things, but preserving memory and knowledge.
The fourth stage is obtained when by the abandonment of pleasure and pain, the anterior impressions of joy and sorrow have disappeared and the perfection of memory remains. In this state “having touched his body with perfected spirit, purified in a perfect manner, he remains seated, and there is no part of the body which is not in contact with this perfected spirit.”
“The religious person perceiving his mind thus concentrated, perfected, purified, exempt from every stain, and free from every vice, and arrived at impassibility, directs his mind towards knowledge and science.”
“Seeing his mind thus concentrated, he turns his mind towards the act of creating, under his eyes, the ‘man as,’ (the organ of intelligence). He represents to himself by thought, another body or form created out of his material body having all its members and organs fit for action.”
This evidently describes the power which the Adept has now reached, to project and make use of his spiritual body, or double.
Having attained to this degree he then turns his mind towards the activity of the magical faculties.
“He attempts the practice of supernatural powers, the effects of which are various; although one, he multiplies himself in many forms; although being multiplied he remains a unity; he appears, he disappears, he passes without difficulty through a wall, a rampart, a mountain; he plunges and replunges into the earth, as if it was water; he walks on the water without sinking, as if he was upon the earth; he passes through the air; he reaches to and touches with his hand the Sun and the Moon; he attains with his body even to the world of Brahma.”
He then directs his mind towards the element of divine hearing (clairaudience); “with this element perfectly pure, which surpasses human hearing, he hears two kinds of sounds, sounds divine and human, those which are distant as well as those that are near.”
He then directs his mind towards the knowledge of the minds of others (thought reading.) “Penetrating with his mind the minds of other beings, he knows them.”
He then “directs his mind to the distinct knowledge and remembrance of his ancient abodes; he recollects his previous abodes or existences, which have been numerous,” and then follows a minute description of the details of this knowledge.
This exactly agrees with the views of the Reincarnationists, and with the statements made by the Spirits or Mediums (as it may be) of the Latin races.
He then directs his mind “towards the knowledge of the death and birth of creatures. With his sight divine, pure, surpassing human sight, he sees creatures dying and being born, miserable or eminent, &c., following the destiny of their works. Those beings (says he) full of faults, which have resulted in actions, in words, or in thought, who injure the Aryas, who follow the doctrines of lies, who act conformably to false doctrines, these beings after the dissolution of the body after death, are born into miserable existences, into the bad way, into a state of decline, into hell. Those beings on the other hand endowed with good works, and words and thoughts, who follow the good doctrine, these beings after death are <... continues on page 11-176 >