[Chapter 23]
The Lord Buddha addressed Subhuti, saying: “This Law is coherent and indivisible,[1] it is neither ‘above’ nor ‘below,’[2] therefore it is termed ‘supreme spiritual wisdom.’ It excludes such arbitrary ideas as an entity, a being, a living being, or a personality; but includes every Law pertaining to the cultivation of goodness.[3] Subhuti, what were referred to as ‘Laws pertaining to goodness,’ these the Lord Buddha declared are not in reality ‘Laws pertaining to goodness,’ they are merely termed ‘Laws pertaining to goodness.’”[4]
[1] The Abbé Dubois in his valuable book, Hindu Manners, Customs, and Ceremonies, carefully observes that amongst the attributes which the Jains ascribe to the Supreme Being, the first is that He is “one” and “indivisible”; and this observation of the learned Abbé becomes quite illuminating, when we remember the intimate relationship which has existed between the Jains and the Law of Buddha.
“Within it first arose desire, the primal germ of mind,
Which nothing with existence links, as sages searching find.
The cord, transversely stretched, that spanned this universal frame,
Was it beneath? was it above? can any sage proclaim?”
“Progress of the Vedic religion towards abstract conceptions of the Deity.” J. Muir (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society).