The Equinox (Volume III, Number I)

THE TWO PATHS The collocation called “I” is dissolved. One ‘goes out’ like the flame of a candle. But I must remark that the final clause is again painfully geocentric. 83. The “Secret Way” leads also to Paranirvanic bliss— but at the close of Kalpas without number; Nirvénas gained and lost from boundless pity and compassion for the world of deluded mortals. This is quite contrary to Buddhist teaching. Buddha cer- tainly had ‘Parinirvana,’ if there be such a thing, though, as Nirvana means ‘Annihilation’ and ‘Parinirvana’ ‘complete Annihilation,’ it requires a mind more metaphysical than mine to distinguish between these. It is quite certain that Buddha did not require any old Kalpas to get there, and to suppose that Buddha is still about, watching over the world, degrades him to a common Deity, and is in flat contradic- tion to the statements in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, where Buddha gravely explains that he is passing away by that kind of passing away which leaves nothing whatever behind, and compares his death to the extinction of alamp. Canoni- cal Buddhism is certainly the only thing upon which we can rely as a guide to the teachings of the Buddha, if there ever was a Buddha. But we are in no wise bound to accept such teachings blindly, however great our personal reverence for the teacher. 84. But it is said: “The last shall be the greatest.” Sam- yak Sambuddha, the Teacher of Perfection, gave up his SELF for the salvation of the World, by stopping at the threshold of Nirvina—the pure state. Here is further metaphysical difficulty. One kind of noth- 73