of our captive souls, take from our trembling minds the fear of impending doom, and deliver them from the dread anticipation of a torment which knows no end or cessation. "In the lowest depths of misery," says the Scripture, "if men have but a glimpse of the glory of this Name, their sorrows and pains shall all cease, and the joy of salvation shall be theirs." This happiness is within our reach, by virtue of this Name alone.
12. And now we have a solid reason for rejoicing in this prison-house of the human life. Let us think for a moment. How came that happiness to be ours? Was it not due to our coming into possession of the Divine Name which is the true Image of the Tathāgata? And why was this Divine Name communicated to us? And why do we yearn for it and pay it reverence? Has it not all come from the contrast to the feelings we had when we were conscious of being confined and tormented by the pains of human life, as in a prison-house? And if so, may we not consider that these very
