Buddhism in China
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«MW«MMM PRINCETON, N. J. BL 1430 .B42 1884 ^ Heal, Samuel, 1825-1889 Buddhism in China SAelf. BUDDHISM IN CHINA AMAF lo illusuat.- ^....>.^^: BUDDHISM IN CHINA -^'"' _^fii^,Mi^i^^ \\Th^,i„„„- : . Uphi . ^-~-^-=-J.<iQ.,;^gi(-=~^:'-v Londnn PiiUmbi d l.v iliu S.i.i,-fy r..r IVjuiuUn);" Christian Ko..wli..lg<,. Bon--Cf)riEitian Hdi'gi'ousi ^psftemSi BUDDHISM IN CHINA. BY THE REV. S. BEAL, RECTOR OF WARK-ON-TYNR, NORTHUMBERLAND. PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. LONDON: SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE, NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, CHARING CROSS, W.C. 43, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, E.C. 26, ST. George's place, hyde park corner, s.w. BRIGHTON : 135, north street. New York : E. & J. B. YOUNG & CO. 1884. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Introductory CHAPTER II. Whence our Knowledge of the Northern Books has been derived ... ... ... ... ... ... ... lo CHAPTER III. Agreement between Early Northern and Southern Books... 22 CHAPTER IV. Historical Connexion between India and China ... ... 42 CHAPTER V. The Dream of Ming-ti ... ... ... ... ... 51 VI BUDDHISM IN CHINA. CHAPTER VI. The Origin of the Sakyas ... 54 CHAPTER VH. The Legend of Sakya Buddha 69 CHAPTER VHL The "Lifeof Buddha," by Ajvaghosha ... 72 CHAPTER IX. Subsequent History of Buddhism in China (Historical Connexion) ... ... ... ... 90 CHAPTER X. Buddhism in its Philosophical and Religious Aspects ... 98 CHAPTER XL The Worship of Kwan-yin ... ... ... ... .., 119 CHAPTER XII. The Western Paradise of the Buddhists CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER Xril. Ritual Services of Kwan-yin ... ... ... ... ... 133 CHAPTER XIV. Amitabha .. ... ... ... ... ... ... 159 CHAPTER XV. Buddhism as a Philosophy ... ... ... ... .. 165 CHAPTER XVI. Buddha's Conception of God... ... ... ... ...171 CHAPTER XVII. On the Soul 1S6 CHAPTER XVIII. The Future Hope : Nirvana... ... ... ... ... 197 CHAPTER XIX. The Ethics of Buddhism ... ... ... ... ... 201 Vlll BUDDHISM IN CHINA. CHAPTER XX. The Substance of the Vinaya ... ... ... ... 205 CHAPTER XXI. The Order ... ... ... ... ... ... .. 212 CHAPTER XXn. Buddhism considered Practically ... ... ... .,.231 CHAPTER XXHI. Heaven and Hell ... ... ... ... ... 244 • .- CHAPTER XXIV. The Tolerant Spirit of Buddhism ... ... ... ... 249 CHAPTER XXV. Buddhism considered .^sthetically ... ... ... ...255 ^ BUDDHISM IN CHINA. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. § I. Of the three rehgions, or religious persuasions, professed in China, two have already been described in a volume of the present series. The third, Buddhism, is to be considered in the following pages. To understand the position which this religion holds in China, it must be borne in mind that its influence depends not so much on its recognised authority as on the tone which it has given to the religious^thought of the people. Although it was formerly patronised by the emperors and the court, it is now proscribed. Yet, in the presence of this, its influence is everywhere felt, and it undoubtedly affects the whole religious condition of the empire."^ Hence it is not ^erroneous to include in the num- ber of professed Buddhists throughout the Eastern world the great proportion of the Chinese people, who, if not professed disciples, are at least implicit ' "Confucianism and Taouism," by R. K. Douglas. » Edkin's "Religion in China," p. 58. B ; 2 EUDDHISM IN CHINA. believers in the leading facts of this religion, and conform themselves to its teaching in daily life. The result of the co-existence of the three religious systems for so many years has been, indeed, to ob- literate the distinctive features of each separately. The worship of Pu-sah, in the houses of the rich and poor, is hardly recognised as Buddhist in its origin and, indeed, the very term Pu-sah, which is the Chinese form of Bodhisattva, is explained in the ordinary language as of native origin, and signifying " universal benevolence," whilst the objects of " Buddhist worship, such as the " Goddess of Mercy and the '' Queen of Heaven," have been placed among the number of their genii, and, in the case of the former,^ at least, attributed to their own country. Hence, again, the images of their Bodhisattvas, or Pu-sahs, are to be found in the houses of the people and the officers of government, who would strongly object to be called Buddhists. At the capture of Canton, in 1858, a large golden image of Kwan-yin was found in a shrine in an inner room of the Yamen of Yeh Ming-shin, the governor of the province. The same official had, about two years before the loss of the city, written to the emperor to state that on one occasion, at a critical juncture, whilst engaged in exterminating a band of roving plunderers, " a large figure in white had been seen beckoning to the army from the sky." This was Kwan-yin; the soldiers were inspired with courage, and won an easy victory over the enemy.- We are not surprised to 1 Eitel, "Handbook," j//^ " Avalokitesvara." 2 Edkin's "Religion in China," p. 127. INTRODUCTORV, the city of find that one of the largest temples in Canton dedicated to Kwan-yin, "who came flying from heaven" to defend the town from the hrst attack exertions of the EngUsh, was mainly restored by the of the chief officers of the neighbourhood, and re- garded as the source of security to the inhabitants city. In this at the time of the second siege of the way we may understand how the Buddhist religion and, has affected the entire population of the country, although not supported or countenanced by the by the Government, is yet secretly respected even highest functionaries of the state. So much, then, as to the general influence of this made, religion in explanation of the statement often Independently of that' the Chinese are Buddhists. is a large this general conformity, however, there proportion of the population professedly Buddhist. means of What this number may be we have no so far ascertaining, but in every town and village, some and, in as we know, there are to be found ; may be many cases, a Buddhist temple or temples that China seen, with numerous worshippers, so undoubtedly contributes to the total of Buddhists throughout the world a large proportion. ^ Notwithstanding our improved acquaintance with the find the country, however, it is discouraging to community that our actual knowledge of the Buddhist are visited, but there is very limited. The monasteries about the condition there is little information given or the cha- of the priests, or their mode of teaching, that for the racter of their distinctive doctrine, so depend on purpose of this treatise we shall have to B 2 4 15UDDHISM IN CHINA. the books which embody the doctrine more than the actual working of the system or the mode of en- forcing the doctrine on its adherents. And in this respect we have an abundant supply of materials ; in every large monastery is to be found the collection of books published and printed at the royal mandate, composing what is called the " threefold treasure," or the Tripitaka. In these books we find translations of Indian and other works, and native commentaries relating to the teaching of the various schools of the religion. Besides this, there is a large circulation amongst the people of tracts and treatises relating to the more popular forms of worship and belief, so that the material is, as we said, abundant for a know- ledge of the system as it is taught in their books, and as this is the surest guide in all cases where practices may vary according to circumstances, we shall rely principally on it in our further inquiry on the subject. CLASSIFICATION OF BOOKS. § 2. Buddhist literature is ordinarily classified under two great heads or divisions, viz., northern and southern. This partition is unknown to the Buddhists themselves; but it is a convenient one. In the first place, it was supposed to denote the division of the books under the two heads, Pali and Sanscrit. The former represented the southern literature, the latter the northern. This, however, is not found to be the case, for the books taken to China were certainly not all of them Sanscrit, but rather composed in various dialects, and it is well known INTRODUCTORY. 5 that many of the Tibetan works have been translated from Pah. Moreover, it is stated that PaU texts to this day are to be found in Japan, and if further search were made in the neighbourhood of Loyang (Honan fu), in China, there is good reason to beheve similar texts might be found there. The division, then, of Buddhism into the so-called northern and southern schools does not depend on the sharp dis- tinction alluded to, but rather denotes the difference between the primitive and the mixed, or developed system, as known respectively from the Pali Scrip- tures in the south, and the mixed books, Sanscrit, Pali, and other Prakrits, in the north. § 3. There is another division which is constantly referred to in Buddhist literature which is equally useful, but yet unknown, at least, to the southern school ; this is the classification known as the Great and the Little Vehicle. We find this division referred to in the northern books of a late date ; but, being unknown in southern canonical books, we conclude it came into use after those books were written, and the separation between the northern and southern school of thought completed. The Little Vehicle may be said to represent the teaching of the early Buddhists. It is called " Uttle," or " imperfect " (hina), because it affords means of salvation to "the few " only, i.e., those within the limits of the community j whereas the great, or complete, vehicle (means of convey- ance,— to wit, over the sea of sorrow, or the world holds out the assurance of safety or deliverance to all.