ABSTRACT
… In the state of final enlightenment, which is a state of pure silence, sounds are out of place; but in order to preach and to practise Buddhism, language must be used; and out of the many languages that serve the purpose, Fàn [Sanskrit] is the one more constantly used. When those who have never heard the Buddha hear him for the first time, they do not just hear words, but a voice that continually vanishes into the realm of Ābhāsvara [the heavens of utmost light and purity, in which the inhabitants converse by light instead of words]. And when those with no previous understanding have understood the paths to enlightenment, they can go beyond the trappings of words to the true meaning [of Buddhism]. Saints and sages savour what they hear like the best of wines; the base and common treat it as dross or dregs. Those who are so destined have the opportunity to get to know the Buddha's teachings; those who do not travel the same way do not. Emperor Shi of the Qin Dynasty 秦始皇 [r. 221–210 BCE] jailed the Buddhist monks who brought him sutras, for it was not meant that he should travel the same way as them. Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty 漢明帝 [r. 58–75 CE], heeding an omen in a dream he had, welcomed into his kingdom the monks and the white horse that brought him the sutras. 279 Listening to their language [Sanskrit], we find it different in sound from our language. Likewise their script, which runs horizontally rather than vertically, differs from ours. Nonetheless, it is possible to get a sense of what they wish to express even though the sounds are baffling to our ears, and meaning can still be communicated despite the differences in the two scripts.
