from the fact that over twenty commentaries were written on it both by the Chinese and the Japanese Buddhist scholars.  It is said that a short essay under the same title by a noted contemporary Confucianist scholar, Han Tui Chi (Kan-tai-shi, who flourished 803-823), suggested to him to write a book in order to make clear to the public the Buddhist view on the same subject.  Thus be entitled the book ‘Origin of Man,’ in spite of his treating of the origin of life and of the universe.  Throughout the whole book occur coupled sentences, consisting mostly of the same number of Chinese characters, and consequently while one sentence is too laconic, the other is overladen with superfluous words, put in to make the right number in the balanced group of characters.  In addition to this, the text is full of too concise phrases, and often of ambiguous ones, as it is intended to state as briefly as possible all the important doctrines of the Buddhist as well as of the outside schools.  On this account the author himself wrote a few notes on the passages that lie thought it necessary to explain.  The reader will find these notes beginning with ‘A’ put by the translator to distinguish them from his own.

K. N.

ORIGIN OF MAN[FN#282]

INTRODUCTION

All animated beings that live (under the sun) have an origin, while each of inanimate things, countless in number, owes its existence to some source.[FN#283] There can never be (any being nor) any thing that has (no origin, as there can be no) branch which has no root.  How could man, the most spiritual of the Three Powers[FN#284] exist without an origin?

[FN#282] The author treats the origin of life and of the universe, but the book was entitled as we have seen in the preface.

[FN#283] The same idea and expression are found in Tao Teh King (Do-toku-kyo), by Lao Tsz (Ro-shi, 604-522 B.C.).

[FN#284] The Three Powers are-(1) Heaven, that has the power of revolution; (2) Earth, that has the power of production; and (3) Man, that has the power of thought.

(It is said),[FN#285] moreover, that that which knows others is intellect, and that that which knows itself is wisdom.  Now if I, being born among men, know not whence I came (into this life), how could I know whither I am going in the after-life?  How could I understand all human affairs, ancient and modern, in the world?  So, for some scores of years I learned under many different tutors, and read extensively (not only) the Buddhist (but also) outside books.  By that means I tried to trace my Self, and never stopped my research till I attained, as I had expected, to its origin.

[FN#285] The sentence is a direct quotation of Tao Teh King.

Confucianists and Taoists of our age, nevertheless, merely know that our nearest origin is the father or the grandfather, as we are descended from them, and they from their fathers in succession.  (They say) that the remotest (origin) is the undefinable (primordial) Gas[FN#286] in the state of chaos; that it split itself into the two (different) principles of the Positive and the Negative; that the two brought forth the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Man, which (in their turn) produced all other things; that man as well as other things originated in the Gas.