Chinese and Arabian Literature - E. Wilson - The Search For Mecca

220 THE TRAVELS OF FA-HIEN
CHAPTER VI
North India—Image of Maitreya Bodhisattva
From this the travellers went westward towards North
India, and after being on the way for a month, they succeeded
in getting across and through the range of the Onion mountains.
The snow rests on them both winter and summer.
There are also among them venomous dragons, which, when
provoked, spit forth poisonous winds, and cause showers of
snow and storms of sand and gravel. Not one in ten thousand
of those who encounter these dangers escapes with his life.
The people of the country call the range by the name of " The
Snow mountains." When the travellers had got through
them, they were in North India, and immediately on entering
its borders, found themselves in a small kingdom called T'o-
leih, where also there were many monks, all students of the
hinayana.
In this kingdom there was formerly an Arhan,^ who by his
supernatural power took a clever artificer up to the Tushita^
heaven, to see the height, complexion, and appearance of
Maitreya Bodhisattva,^ and then return and make an image of
him in wood. First and last, this was done three times, and
then the image was completed, eighty cubits in height, and
eight cubits at the base from knee to knee of the crossed legs.
On fast-days it emits an efifulgent light. The kings of the
surrounding countries vie with one another in presenting
offerings to it. Here it is—to be seen now as of old.
' Lo-han, Arhat, Arahat .are all desig- sand years, but twenty-four hours there
nations of the perfected Arya, the dis- are equal to four hundred years on
ciple who has passed the different stages earth.
of the Noble Path, or eightfold excellent * Maitreya was a Bodhisattva, the
way, who has conquered all passions, principal one, indeed, of Sakyamuni's
and is not to be reborn again. Arhat- retinue, but is not counted among the
ship implies possession of certain su- ordinary disciples, nor is anything told
pernatural powers, and is not to be sue- of his antecedents. It was in the
ceeded by Buddhaship, but implies the Tushita heaven that Sakyamuni met
fact of the saint having already attained him and appointed him as his succes-
NirvSiia. sor, to appear as Buddha after the lapse
* Tushita is the fourth Devaloka, of five thousand years. Maitreya is
where all Bodhisattvas are reborn be- therefore the expected Messiah of the
fore finally appearing on earth as Bud- Buddhists, residing at present in
dha. Life lasts in Tushita four thou- Tushita.