334. Q. Is anything said about the body of the Buddha giving out a bright light?

A. Yes, this was a divine radiance sent forth from within by the power of his holiness.

335. Q. What is it called in Pali?

A. Buddharansi, the Buddha rays.

336. Q. How many colors could be seen in it?

A. Six, linked in pairs.

337. Q. Their names?

A. Nila, Pita, Lohita, Avadata, Mangasta, Prabhasvara.

335, Q. Did other persons emit such shining light?

A. Yes, all Arhats did, and in fact the light shines stronger and brighter in proportion to the spiritual development of the person.

339. Q. Where do we see these colors represented?

A. In all viharas where there are painted images of the Buddha. They are also seen in the stripes of the Buddhist Flag, first made in Ceylon but now widely adopted throughout Buddhist countries.

340. Q. In which discourse does the Buddha himself speak of this shining about him?

A. In the Maha-Parinibbana Sutta. Ananda, his

favorite disciple, noticing the great splendor which came from his Master's body, the Buddha said that on two occasions this extraordinary shining occurs, (a) just after a Tathagata gains the supreme insight, and (b) on the night when he passes finally away.

341. Q. Where do we read of this great brightness being emitted front the body of another Buddha?

A. In the story of Sumedha and Dipankara Buddha, found in the Nidanakatha of the Jataka book, or story of the reincarnations of the Bodhisattva Siddhartha Gautama.

342. Q. How is it described?

A. As a halo of a fathom's depth.

343. Q. What do the Hindus call it?

A. Tejas; its extended radiance they call Prakasha.

344. Q. What do Europeans call it now?

A. The Human Aura.

345. Q. What great scientist has proved the existence of this aura by carefully conducted experiments?

A. The Baron Von Reichenbach. His experiments are fully described in his Researches--published

in 1844-5. Dr. Baraduc, of Paris, has, quite recently, photographed this light.

346. Q. Is this bright aura a miracle or a natural phenomenon?

A. Natural. It has been proved that not only all human beings, but animals, trees, plants and even stones, have it.

347. Q. What peculiarity has it in the case of a Buddha or an Arhat?

A. It is immensely brighter and more extended than in cases of other beings and objects. It is the evidence of their superior development in the power of Iddhi. The light has been seen coming from dagobas in Ceylon where relics of the Buddha are said to be enshrined.

348. Q. Do people of other religions besides Buddhism and Hinduism also believe in this light?

A. Yes, in all pictures of Christian artists this light is represented as shining about the bodies of their holy personages. The same belief is found to have existed in other religions.