130 



BtTDUistvL 



to avoid the necessity of acknowledging the existence of a 

 creator. We may observe that the or o£)cso does 



not signify that by which a thing is made or produced, but 

 that which is the antecedent of the thing produced, and 

 without which the thing would not be. Thus the beautiful 

 organization of the body, with all its indications of a de- 

 signing and powerful architect, is stated to be the conse- 

 quent of its own consciousness : and the eye with its com- 

 plicated mechanism is represented as being the consequent 

 of the ©adSjS^^sco chakkhuwinn y anan or the eye con- 

 sciousness : and the same holds good with respect to the 

 other bodily organs. Besides, in this passage the esoSbdS 

 sankara are not existing things, but merely the qualities of 

 actions previously performed, and Budha teaches, that the 

 qualities of actions performed by a Being (whether man or 

 animal) now non-existent, is the efficient cause of the pro- 

 duction of the body and mind of a new Man, without the 

 intervention of any active agent. This I believe is a cor- 

 rect statement of the doctrine of the oSiDesgdooa, paticcha- 

 sammuppada so far as the production of the body and mind 

 of man is concerned. 



The doctrine of Nirwana is intimately connected with 

 the preceding. The word 20 nirwana (from <£ ni, a 

 negative, and &>i&3 wana desire) signifies a complete free- 

 dom from desire, and this necessarily leads to a complete 

 cessation of existence. Thus at the close of Budha's first 

 discourse at Benares, having stated that he has experienced 

 this cessation of tanha or desire, he observes, 



€pca©<d*9©3'd>*S *osJ8e,*9 ga?S)^§.83 ayamantima jati 

 natthi dani punabbawo. "This is my last birth ; henceforth 

 I shall have no other state of existence" and at the close 



