212 EEY. CAXOX MACCULLOCH^ D.D._, OX THE DESCENT 



the sinners from hell.* In the Lalita Vista m, the life of 

 Buddha, at his descent to earth and at other moments of his 

 existence, a marvellous light is projected from his body and 

 illumines all the ^vorlds, including those of the hells. Darkness 

 is dispelled, suffering and torment cease, and joy reigns. At 

 his birth Buddha prophesied that he would destroy the fires of 

 hell and cause rain from the cloud of the law to fall and all 

 beings would rejoice. Here there is neither descent nor release. 

 Btit in a northern Buddhist myth Avalokitecvara, of whom it 

 was prophesied that he would bring even the miseries of Yama's 

 kingdom to an end, visits the hell Avici as a glorious prince 

 clad in light and frees the victims from their pains. Mild airs 

 take the place of flames, the cauldron of boiling water in which 

 men suffer bursts, and the sea of tire becomes a pool with lotus 

 blooms. The saving work is carried on in the city of the 

 Pretas, whose denizens are freed from torments. The damned, 

 being granted the gift of right knowledge, are led as 

 Bodhisattvas to the Sakha vati world.f 



The oriorin of these Buddliist leo'ends has been sou2;ht in the 

 Christian descent story ; others trace it from them. It is not 

 unlikely that the Buddhist docitments are later than the 

 Christian story in origin, but though there may have been 

 mutual interaction of each at a later time, it is probable that 

 both are originally independent, and the Buddhist stories are 

 simply a development of an idea inherent in Hinduism. Tlie 

 Jewish beliefs will be referred to later ; it is certain that the 

 Muhammadan belief in the release of souls in hell who have a 

 particle of faith, at the intercession of the righteous dead in 

 Paradise and l)y their mission to hell, is derived from Jewish 

 sources. 



3. Descent to co/iqucr the powers of darkness. — This is found in 

 two myths of the Mandaean religion. In one of these Hibil 

 Ziwa descends before creation to the seven lower worlds. 

 Kemaining in each invisibly for thousands of years he finally 

 reaches the lowest and compels its lord to give him the 

 talismans by which the might of the opposing demon will be 

 annihilated. As he ascends he seals the doors of each world, so 

 that none can pass. In the fotirth and third he takes the form 

 of their rulers and then obtains other talismans. After his 

 ascent he imprisons the female Euha, whom he has brought 



* See the Ramai/ana, xxv, 21 ; Mahahharata^ xvii If. ; Wilson, Journ. 

 Royal Asiat. Soc, v. 295. 



t Cowell, Journal of Philology/, vi (1873), 222 ff. Cf. Kockhill, Land of 

 the Lamas. 331 f. for a Tibetan variant. 



