to our doctrine, the saying would be as true of life in heaven as
of life upon earth.... This is the story:--"When Shaka (1) dwelt
in this world, one of his disciples, called Nanda, was bewitched
by the beauty of a woman; and Shaka desired to save him from the
results of this illusion. So he took Nanda to a wild place in the
mountains where there were apes, and showed him a very ugly
female ape, and asked him: 'Which is the more beautiful, Nanda,
--the woman that you love, or this female ape?' 'Oh, Master!'
exclaimed Nanda, 'how can a lovely woman be compared with an ugly
ape?' 'Perhaps you will presently find reason to make the
comparison yourself,' answered the Buddha;--and instantly by
supernatural power he ascended with Nanda to the San-Jusan-Ten,
which is the Second of the Six Heavens of Desire. There, within a
palace of jewels, Nanda saw a multitude of heavenly maidens
celebrating some festival with music and dance; and the beauty of
the least among them incomparably exceeded that of the fairest
woman of earth. 'O Master,' cried Nanda, `what wonderful festival
is this?' 'Ask some of those people,' responded Shaka. So Nanda
questioned one of the celestial maidens; and she said to him:--
'This festival is to celebrate the good tidings that have been
brought to us. There is now in the human world, among the
disciples of Shaka, a most excellent youth called Nanda, who is
soon to be reborn into this heaven, and to become our bridegroom,
because of his holy life. We wait for him with rejoicing.' This
reply filled the heart of Nanda with delight. Then the Buddha
asked him: 'Is there any one among these maidens, Nanda, equal in
beauty to the woman with whom you have been in love?' 'Nay,
Master!' answered Nanda; 'even as that woman surpassed in beauty
the female ape that we saw on the mountain, so is she herself
surpassed by even the least among these.'