In the moral philosophy of Mencius there is inculcated a principle of having few desires (Kwa-Yuh), and Chinese Buddhists frequently institute comparisons between those “few desires” and “no desires” of the Arhats.
[8] A Chinese annotator suggests it is almost self-evident that “absolute quiescence” is the condition of mind in which knowledge is acquired by intuition.
“More is the treasure of the Law than gems;
Sweeter than comb its sweetness; its delights
Delightful past compare.”
—The Light of Asia. Sir Edwin Arnold.
[10] “The man for whom there is nothing upon which he depends, who is independent, having understood the Dhamma (Law), for whom there is no desire for coming into existence or having existence—him I call calm.... He has overcome desire.”—Dhammapada. Max Müller.
“This devotion should be practised with that determination by which thought becomes indifferent (to every worldly object). He who has abandoned all desires which spring from imagination, and has, by means of his heart, kept back the whole collection of the senses from every direction (in which they would go), should gradually become passive by his mind’s acquiring firmness, and, by having caused his heart to remain within himself, should not place his thoughts on anything at all.”—Bhagavad-Gita.—J. Cockburn Thomson.
[11] “There are some persons who obtain the Rahatship instantaneously, while others can only obtain it by a slow process; they must give aims, make offerings, study the Bana (Law), and exercise the necessary discipline.”—Eastern Monachism. Spence Hardy.