om. His most common titles
are Mahamati, "Great wisdom," and Kumara-raja, "King of teaching, with
a thousand arms and a hundred alms-bowls."

(23) Kwan-she-yin and the dogmas about him or her are as great a
mystery as Manjusri. The Chinese name is a mistranslation of
the Sanskrit name Avalokitesvra, "On-looking Sovereign," or even
"On-looking Self-Existent," and means "Regarding or Looking on the
sounds of the world,"="Hearer of Prayer." Originally, and still in
Thibet, Avalokitesvara had only male attributes, but in China and
Japan (Kwannon), this deity (such popularly she is) is represented
as a woman, "Kwan-yin, the greatly gentle, with a thousand arms and a
thousand eyes;" and has her principal seat in the island of P'oo-t'oo,
on the China coast, which is a regular place of pilgrimage. To
the worshippers of whom Fa-Hsien speaks, Kwan-she-yin would only be
Avalokitesvara. How he was converted into the "goddess of mercy," and
her worship took the place which it now has in China, is a difficult
inquiry, which would take much time and space, and not be brought
after all, so far as I see, to a satisfactory conclusion. See Eitel's
Handbook, pp. 18-20, and his Three Lectures on Buddhism (third
edition), pp. 124-131. I was talking on the subject once with an
intelligent Chinese gentleman, when he remarked, "Have you not much
the same thing in Europe in the worship of Mary?"

(24) Compare what is said in chap. v.

(25) This nirvana of Buddha must be--not his death, but his attaining
to Buddhaship.

CHAPTER XVII

SANKASYA. BUDDHA'S ASCENT TO AND DESCENT FROM THE TRAYASTRIMSAS
HEAVEN, AND OTHER LEGENDS.

From this they proceeded south-east for eighteen yojanas, and found
themselves in a kingdom called Sankasya,(1) at the place where Buddha
came down, after ascending to the Trayastrimsas heaven,(2) and there
preaching for three months his Law for the benefit of his mother.(3)
Buddha had gone up to this heaven by his supernatural power,(4)
without letting his disciples know; but seven days before the
completion (of the three months) he laid aside his invisibility,(4)
and Anuruddha,(5) with his heavenly eyes,(5) saw the World-honoured
one, and immediately said to the honoured one, the great Mugalan, "Do
you go and salute the World-honoured one." Mugalan forthwith went, and
with head and face did homage at (Buddha's) feet. They then saluted
and que