Buddha: His Life, his Doctrine, his Order c8.57

c8.57

Nor are we more successful in the effort to persuade ourselves of the mythical character of the remaining elements of the narrative,[*] than we have been in the case of the Tree of Knowledge. The demons, who make an assault on Buddha, fling mountains of fire, trees with their roots, glowing masses of iron, and "as if these so evident and obvious symbols did not suffice, rain, darkness and lightning complete the picture, and figure as the most characteristic touches of the whole scene."* It does seem to us as if nothing can be less characteristic than these very touches; nothing presents itself to the fancy as more natural or necessary for the assaults of bands of demons than the accessories of lightning, thunder and darkness.† Or are those spirits also, by whom Caliban is tormented on the magic island, thunder-demons?