Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.s2.t2.26

v1.c6.s2.t2.26

When Buddhists wrote their philosophical literature they compared “removing ignorance by means of wisdom” to “taking away cataract, using a golden needle”. Even a symbolic operation of cataract with a probe was part of initiation ritual for monks, is described in a work which was translated into Chinese sometime in 4/ 5th centuries CE.