500 BC
BUDDHA, THE GOSPEL
(HIS LIFE AND TEACHINGS)
Edited by Paul Carus
Electronically Enhanced Text (c) Copyright 1996, World Library(R)
THE DISCIPLE SPEAKS
REJOICE
-
REJOICE at the glad tidings! The Buddha our Lord has found the
root of all evil; he has shown us the way of salvation. The Buddha
dispels the illusions of our mind and redeems us from the terror of
death.
The Buddha, our Lord, brings comfort to the weary and
sorrow-laden; he restores peace to those who are broken down under
the burden of life. He gives courage to the weak when they would fain
give up self-reliance and hope. You who suffer from the tribulations
of life, you who have to struggle and endure, you who yearn for a
life of truth, rejoice at the glad tidings!
There is balm for the wounded, and there is bread for the hungry.
There is water for the thirsty, and there is hope for the despairing.
There is light for those in darkness, and there is inexhaustible
blessing for the upright.
Heal your wounds, you wounded, and eat your fill, you hungry.
Rest, you weary, and you who are thirsty quench your thirst. Look up
to the light, you who sit in darkness; be full of good cheer, you
who are forlorn.
Trust in truth, you who love the truth, for the kingdom of
righteousness is founded upon earth. The darkness of error is
dispelled by the light of truth. We can see our way and take firm
and certain steps. The Buddha, our Lord, has revealed the truth. The
truth cures our diseases and redeems us from perdition; the truth
strengthens us in life and in death; the truth alone can conquer the
evils of error. Rejoice at the glad tidings!
SAMSARA AND NIRVANA
-
LOOK about and contemplate life! Everything is transient and
nothing endures. There is birth and death, growth and decay; there is
combination and separation. The glory of the world is like a flower:
it stands in full bloom in the morning and fades in the heat of the
day.
Wherever you look, there is a rushing and a struggling, and an
eager pursuit of pleasure. There is a panic flight from pain and
death, and hot are the flames of burning desires. The world is Vanity
Fair, full of changes and transformations. All is Samsara, the
turning Wheel of Existence.
Is there nothing permanent in the world? Is there in the universal
turmoil no resting-place where our troubled heart can find peace? Is
there nothing everlasting? Oh, that we could have cessation of
anxiety, that our burning desires would be extinguished! When shall
the mind become tranquil and composed?
The Buddha, our Lord, was grieved at the ills of life. He saw the
vanity of worldly happiness and sought salvation in the one thing
that will not fade or perish, but will abide for ever and ever.
You who long for life, learn that immortality is hidden in
transiency. You who wish for happiness without the sting of regret,
lead a life of righteousness. You who yearn for riches, receive
treasures that are eternal. Truth is wealth, and a life of truth is
happiness.
All compounds will be dissolved again, but the verities which
determine all combinations and separations as laws of nature endure
for ever and aye. Bodies fall to dust, but the truths of the mind
will not be destroyed.
Truth knows neither birth nor death; it has no beginning and no
end. Welcome the truth. The truth is the immortal part of mind.
Establish the truth in your mind, for the truth is the image of the
eternal; it portrays the immutable; it reveals the everlasting; the
truth gives unto mortals the boon of immortality.
The Buddha has proclaimed the truth; let the truth of the Buddha
dwell in your hearts. Extinguish in yourselves every desire that
antagonizes the Buddha, and in the perfection of your spiritual
growth you will become like unto him. That of your heart which cannot
or will not develop into Buddha must perish, for it is mere illusion
and unreal; it is the source of your error; it is the cause of your
misery.
You attain to immortality by filling your minds with truth.
Therefore, become like unto vessels fit to receive the Master's
words. Cleanse yourselves of evil and sanctify your lives. There is
no other way of reaching truth.
Learn to distinguish between Self and Truth. Self is the cause of
selfishness and the source of evil; truth cleaves to no self; it is
universal and leads to justice and righteousness. Self, that which
seems to those who love their self as their being, is not the
eternal, the everlasting, the imperishable. Seek not self, but seek
the truth.
If we liberate our souls from our petty selves, wish no ill to
others, and become clear as a crystal diamond reflecting the light
of truth, what a radiant picture will appear in us mirroring things
as they are, without the admixture of burning desires, without the
distortion of erroneous illusion, without the agitation of clinging
and unrest.
Yet you love self and will not abandon self-love. So be it, but
then, verily, you should learn to distinguish between the false self
and the true self. The ego with all its egotism is the false self.
It is an unreal illusion and a perishable combination. He only who
identifies his self with the truth will attain Nirvana; and he who
has entered Nirvana has attained Buddhahood; he has acquired the
highest good; he has become eternal and immortal.
All compound things shall be dissolved again, worlds will break to
pieces and our individualities will be scattered; but the words of
Buddha will remain for ever.
The extinction of self is salvation; the annihilation of self is
the condition of enlightenment; the blotting out of self is Nirvana.
Happy is he who has ceased to live for pleasure and rests in the
truth. Verily his composure and tranquility of mind are the highest
bliss.
Let us take our refuge in the Buddha, for he has found the
everlasting in the transient. Let us take our refuge in that which
is the immutable in the changes of existence. Let us take our refuge
in the truth that is established through the enlightenment of the
Buddha. Let us take our refuge in the community of those who seek
the truth and endeavor to live in the truth.
TRUTH, THE SAVIOR
-
THE things of the world and its inhabitants are subject to change.
They are combinations of elements that existed before, and all
living creatures are what their past actions made them; for the law
of cause and effect is uniform and without exception.
But in the changing things there is a constancy of law, and when
the law is seen there is truth. The truth lies hidden in Samsara as
the permanent in its changes.
Truth desires to appear; truth longs to become conscious; truth
strives to know itself.
There is truth in the stone, for the stone is here; and no power
in the world, no god, no man, no demon, can destroy its existence.
But the stone has no consciousness. There is truth in the plant and
its life can expand; the plant grows and blossoms and bears fruit.
Its beauty is marvelous, but it has no consciousness. There is truth
in the animal; it moves about and perceives its surroundings; it
distinguishes and learns to choose. There is consciousness, but it
is not yet the consciousness of Truth. It is a consciousness of self
only.
The consciousness of self dims the eyes of the mind and hides the
truth. It is the origin of error, it is the source of illusion, it
is the germ of evil. Self begets selfishness. There is no evil but
what flows from self. There is no wrong but what is done by the
assertion of self. Self is the beginning of all hatred, of iniquity
and slander, of impudence and indecency, of theft and robbery, of
oppression and bloodshed. Self is Mara, the tempter, the evil-doer,
the creator of mischief. Self entices with pleasures. Self promises
a fairy's paradise. Self is the veil of Maya, the enchanter. But the
pleasures of self are unreal, its paradisian labyrinth is the road
to misery, and its fading beauty kindles the flames of desires that
never can be satisfied.
Who shall deliver us from the power of self? Who shall save us
from misery? Who shall restore us to a life of blessedness?
There is misery in the world of Samsara; there is much misery and
pain. But greater than all the misery is the bliss of truth. Truth
gives peace to the yearning mind; it conquers error; it quenches the
flames of desires; it leads to Nirvana. Blessed is he who has found
the peace of Nirvana. He is at rest in the struggles and
tribulations of life; he is above all changes; he is above birth and
death; he remains unaffected by the evils of life.
Blessed is he who has found enlightenment. He conquers, although
he may be wounded; he is glorious and happy, although he may suffer;
he is strong, although he may break down under the burden of his
work; he is immortal, although he will die. The essence of his being
is purity and goodness.
Blessed is he who has attained the sacred state of Buddhahood, for
he is fit to work out the salvation of his fellow-beings. The truth
has taken its abode in him. Perfect wisdom illumines his
understanding, and righteousness ensouls the purpose of all his
actions. The truth is a living power for good, indestructible and
invincible! Work the truth out in your mind, and spread it among
mankind, for truth alone is the savior from evil and misery. The
Buddha has found the truth and the truth has been proclaimed by the
Buddha! Blessed be the Buddha!
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
-
THERE was in Kapilavatthu a Sakya king, strong of purpose and
reverenced by all men, a descendant of the Okkakas, who call
themselves Gotama, and his name was Suddhodana or Pure-Rice. His
wife Maya-devi was beautiful as the water-lily and pure in mind as
the lotus. As the Queen of Heaven, she lived on earth, untainted by
desire, and immaculate.
The king, her husband, honored her in her holiness, and the spirit
of truth, glorious and strong in his wisdom like unto a white
elephant, descended upon her. When she knew that the hour of
motherhood was near, she asked the king to send her home to her
parents; and Suddhodana, anxious about his wife and the child she
would bear him, willingly granted her request.
At Lumbini there is a beautiful grove, and when Maya-devi passed
through it the trees were one mass of fragrant flowers and many
birds were warbling in their branches. The Queen, wishing to stroll
through the shady walks, left her golden palanquin, and, when she
reached the giant sala tree in the midst of the grove, felt that her
hour had come. She took hold of a branch. Her attendants hung a
curtain about her and retired. When the pain of travail came upon
her, four pure-minded angels of the great Brahma held out a golden
net to receive the babe, who came forth from her right side like the
rising sun bright and perfect.
The Brahma-angels took the child and placing him before the mother
said: "Rejoice, O queen, a mighty son has been born unto thee."
At her couch stood an aged woman imploring the heavens to bless
the child. All the worlds were flooded with light. The blind
received their sight by longing to see the coming glory of the Lord;
the deaf and dumb spoke with one another of the good omens
indicating the birth of the Buddha to be. The crooked became
straight; the lame walked. All prisoners were freed from their chains
and the fires of all the hells were extinguished.
No clouds gathered in the skies and the polluted streams became
clear, whilst celestial music rang through the air and the angels
rejoiced with gladness. With no selfish or partial joy but for the
sake of the law they rejoiced, for creation engulfed in the ocean of
pain was now to obtain release. The cries of beasts were hushed; all
malevolent beings received a loving heart, and peace reigned on
earth. Mara, the evil one, alone was grieved and rejoiced not.
The Naga kings, earnestly desiring to show their reverence for
most excellent law, as they had paid honor to former Buddhas, now
went to greet the Bodhisattva. They scattered before him mandara
flowers, rejoicing with heartfelt joy to pay their religious homage.
The royal father, pondering the meaning of these signs, was now
full of joy and now sore distressed. The queen mother, beholding her
child and the commotion which his birth created, felt in her
timorous heart the pangs of doubt.
Now there was at that time in a grove near Lumbini Asita, a rishi,
leading the life of a hermit. He was a Brahman of dignified mien,
famed not only for wisdom and scholarship, but also for his skill in
the interpretation of signs. And the king invited him to see the
royal babe.
The seer, beholding the prince, wept and sighed deeply. And when
the king saw the tears of Asita he became alarmed and asked: "Why has
the sight of my son caused thee grief and pain?"
But Asita's heart rejoiced, and, knowing the king's mind to be
perplexed, he addressed him, saying: "The king, like the moon when
full, should feel great joy, for he has begotten a wondrously noble
son. I do not worship Brahma, but I worship this child; and the gods
in the temples will descend from their places of honor to adore him.
Banish all anxiety and doubt. The spiritual omens manifested
indicate that the child now born will bring deliverance to the whole
world.
"Recollecting that I myself am old, on that account I could not
hold my tears; for now my end is coming on and I shall not see the
glory of this babe. For this son of thine will rule the world. The
wheel of empire will come to him. He will either be a king of kings
to govern all the lands of the earth, or verily will become a Buddha.
He is born for the sake of everything that lives. His pure teaching
will be like the shore that receives the shipwrecked. His power of
meditation will be like a cool lake; and all creatures parched with
the drought of lust may freely drink thereof. On the fire of
covetousness he will cause the cloud of his mercy to rise, so that
the rain of the law may extinguish it. The heavy gates of despondency
will he open, and give deliverance to all creatures ensnared in the
self-entwined meshes of folly and ignorance. The king of the law has
come forth to rescue from bondage all the poor, the miserable, the
helpless."
When the royal parents heard Asita's words they rejoiced in their
hearts and named their new-born infant Siddhattha, that is, "he who
has accomplished his purpose."
And the queen said to her sister, Pajapati: "A mother who has
borne a future Buddha will never give birth to another child. I
shall soon leave this world, my husband, the king, and Siddhattha,
my child. When I am gone, be thou a mother to him." And Pajapati
wept and promised.
When the queen had departed from the living, Pajapati took the boy
Siddhattha and reared him. And as the light of the moon increases
little by little, so the royal child grew from day to day in mind
and in body; and truthfulness and love resided in his heart. When a
year had passed Suddhodana the king made Pajapati his queen and
there was never a better stepmother than she.
THE TIES OF LIFE
-
WHEN Siddhattha had grown to youth, his father desired to see him
married, and he sent to all his kinsfolk, commanding them to bring
their princesses that the prince might select one of them as his
wife.
But the kinsfolk replied and said: "The prince is young and
delicate; nor has he learned any of the sciences. He would not be
able to maintain our daughter, and should there be war he would be
unable to cope with the enemy."
The prince was not boisterous, but pensive in his nature. He loved
to stay under the great jambu-tree in the garden of his father, and,
observing the ways of the world, gave himself up to meditation. And
the prince said to his father: "Invite our kinsfolk that they may
see me and put my strength to the test." And his father did as his
son bade him.
When the kinsfolk came, and the people of the city Kapilavatthu
had assembled to test the prowess and scholarship of the prince, he
proved himself manly in all the exercises both of the body and of
the mind, and there was no rival among the youths and men of India
who could surpass him in any test, bodily or mental. He replied to
all the questions of the sages; but when he questioned them, even the
wisest among them were silenced.
Then Siddhattha chose himself a wife. He selected his cousin
Yasodhara, the gentle daughter of the king of Koli. In their wedlock
was born a son whom they named Rahula which means "fetter" or "tie,"
and King Suddhodana, glad that an heir was born to his son, said:
"The prince having begotten a son, will love him as I love the
prince. This will be a strong tie to bind Siddhattha's heart to the
interests of the world, and the kingdom of the Sakyas will remain
under the scepter of my descendants."
With no selfish aim, but regarding his child and the people at
large, Siddhattha, the prince, attended to his religious duties,
bathing his body in the holy Ganges and cleansing his heart in the
waters of the law. Even as men desire to give happiness to their
children, so did he long to give peace to the world.
THE THREE WOES
-
THE palace which the king had given to the prince was resplendent
with all the luxuries of India; for the king was anxious to see his
son happy. All sorrowful sights, all misery, and all knowledge of
misery were kept away from Siddhattha, for the king desired that no
troubles should come nigh him; he should not know that there was
evil in the world.
But as the chained elephant longs for the wilds of the jungles, so
the prince was eager to see the world, and he asked his father, the
king, for permission to do so. And Suddhodana ordered a
jewel-fronted chariot with four stately horses to be held ready, and
commanded the roads to be adorned where his son would pass.
The houses of the city were decorated with curtains and banners,
and spectators arranged themselves on either side, eagerly gazing at
the heir to the throne. Thus Siddhattha rode with Channa, his
charioteer, through the streets of the city, and into a country
watered by rivulets and covered with pleasant trees.
There by the wayside they met an old man with bent frame, wrinkled
face and sorrowful brow, and the prince asked the charioteer: "Who
is this? His head is white, his eyes are bleared, and his body is
withered. He can barely support himself on his staff."
The charioteer, much embarrassed, hardly dared speak the truth. He
said: "These are the symptoms of old age. This same man was once a
suckling child, and as a youth full of sportive life; but now, as
years have passed away, his beauty is gone and the strength of his
life is wasted."
Siddhattha was greatly affected by the words of the charioteer,
and he sighed because of the pain of old age. "What joy or pleasure
can men take," he thought to himself, "when they know they must soon
wither and pine away!"
And lo! while they were passing on, a sick man appeared on the
way-side, gasping for breath, his body disfigured, convulsed and
groaning with pain. The prince asked his charioteer: "What kind of
man is this?" And the charioteer replied and said: "This man is sick.
The four elements of his body are confused and out of order. We are
all subject to such conditions: the poor and the rich, the ignorant
and the wise, all creatures that have bodies are liable to the same
calamity."
And Siddhattha was still more moved. All pleasures appeared stale
to him, and he loathed the joys of life.
The charioteer sped the horses on to escape the dreary sight, when
suddenly they were stopped in their fiery course. Four persons
passed by, carrying a corpse; and the prince, shuddering at the
sight of a lifeless body, asked the charioteer: "What is this they
carry? There are streamers and flower garlands; but the men that
follow are overwhelmed with grief!"
The charioteer replied: "This is a dead man: his body is stark;
his life is gone; his thoughts are still; his family and the friends
who loved him now carry the corpse to the grave." And the prince was
full of awe and terror: "Is this the only dead man," he asked, "or
does the world contain other instances?"
With a heavy heart the charioteer replied: "All over the world it
is the same. He who begins life must end it. There is no escape from
death."
With bated breath and stammering accents the prince exclaimed: "O
worldly men! How fatal is your delusion! Inevitably your body will
crumble to dust, yet carelessly, unheedingly, ye live on." The
charioteer observing the deep impression these sad sights had made
on the prince, turned his horses and drove back to the city.
When they passed by the palace of the nobility, Kisa Gotami, a
young princess and niece of the king, saw Siddhattha in his manliness
and beauty, and, observing the thoughtfulness of his countenance,
said: "Happy the father that begot thee, happy the mother that nursed
thee, happy the wife that calls husband this lord so glorious."
The prince hearing this greeting, said: "Happy are they that have
found deliverance. Longing for peace of mind, I shall seek the bliss
of Nirvana."
Then asked Kisa Gotami: "How is Nirvana attained?" The prince
paused, and to him whose mind was estranged from wrong the answer
came: "When the fire of lust is gone out, then Nirvana is gained;
when the fires of hatred and delusion are gone out, then Nirvana is
gained; when the troubles of mind, arising from blind credulity, and
all other evils have ceased, then Nirvana is gained!"
Siddhattha handed her his precious pearl necklace as a reward for
the wisdom she had inspired in him, and having returned home looked
with disdain upon the treasures of his palace.
His wife welcomed him and entreated him to tell her the cause of
his grief. He said: "I see everywhere the impression of change;
therefore, my heart is heavy. Men grow old, sicken, and die. That is
enough to take away the zest of life."
The king, his father, hearing that the prince had become estranged
from pleasure, was greatly overcome with sorrow and like a sword it
pierced his heart.
THE BODHISATTVA'S RENUNCIATION
-
IT was night. The prince found no rest on his soft pillow; he
arose and went out into the garden. "Alas!" he cried "all the world
is full of darkness and ignorance; there is no one who knows how to
cure the ills of existence." And he groaned with pain.
Siddhattha sat down beneath the great jambu-tree and gave himself
to thought, pondering on life and death and the evils of decay.
Concentrating his mind he became free from confusion. All low
desires vanished from his heart and perfect tranquility came over
him.
In this state of ecstasy he saw with his mental eye all the misery
and sorrow of the world; he saw the pains of pleasure and the
inevitable certainty of death that hovers over every being; yet men
are not awakened to the truth. And a deep compassion seized his
heart.
While the prince was pondering on the problem of evil, he beheld
with his mind's eye under the jambu tree a lofty figure endowed with
majesty, calm and dignified. "Whence comest thou, and who mayst thou
be?" asked the prince.
In reply the vision said: "I am a samana. Troubled at the thought
of old age, disease, and death I have left my home to seek the path
of salvation. All things hasten to decay; only the truth abideth
forever. Everything changes, and there is no permanency; yet the
words of the Buddhas are immutable. I long for the happiness that
does not decay; the treasure that will never perish; the life that
knows of no beginning and no end. Therefore, I have destroyed all
worldly thought. I have retired into an unfrequented dell to live in
solitude; and, begging for food, I devote myself to the one thing
needful."
Siddhattha asked: "Can peace be gained in this world of unrest? I
am struck with the emptiness of pleasure and have become disgusted
with lust. All oppresses me, and existence itself seems intolerable."
The samana replied: "Where heat is, there is also a possibility of
cold; creatures subject to pain possess the faculty of pleasure; the
origin of evil indicates that good can be developed. For these
things are correlatives. Thus where there is much suffering, there
will be much bliss, if thou but open thine eyes to behold it. Just
as a man who has fallen into a heap of filth ought to seek the great
pond of water covered with lotuses, which is near by: even so seek
thou for the great deathless lake of Nirvana to wash off the
defilement of wrong. If the lake is not sought, it is not the fault
of the lake. Even so when there is a blessed road leading the man
held fast by wrong to the salvation of Nirvana, if the road is not
walked upon, it is not the fault of the road, but of the person. And
when a man who is oppressed with sickness, there being a physician
who can heal him, does not avail himself of the physician's help,
that is not the fault of the physician. Even so when a man oppressed
by the malady of wrong-doing does not seek the spiritual guide of
enlightenment, that is no fault of the evil-destroying guide."
The prince listened to the noble words of his visitor and said:
"Thou bringest good tidings, for now I know that my purpose will be
accomplished. My father advises me to enjoy life and to undertake
worldly duties, such as will bring honor to me and to our house. He
tells me that I am too young still, that my pulse beats too full to
lead a religious life."
The venerable figure shook his head and replied: "Thou shouldst
know that for seeking a religious life no time can be inopportune."
A thrill of joy passed through Siddhattha's heart. "Now is the
time to seek religion," he said; "now is the time to sever all ties
that would prevent me from attaining perfect enlightenment; now is
the time to wander into homelessness and, leading a mendicant's life,
to find the path of deliverance."
The celestial messenger heard the resolution of Siddhattha with
approval. "Now, indeed," he added, "is the time to seek religion. Go,
Siddhattha, and accomplish thy purpose. For thou art Bodhisatta, the
Buddha-elect; thou art destined to enlighten the world. Thou art the
Tathagata, the great master, for thou wilt fulfill all righteousness
and be Dharmaraja, the king of truth. Thou art Bhagavat, the Blessed
One, for thou art called upon to become the savior and redeemer of
the world. Fulfill thou the perfection of truth. Though the
thunderbolt descend upon thy head, yield thou never to the
allurements that beguile men from the path of truth. As the sun at
all seasons pursues his own course, nor ever goes on another, even so
if thou forsake not the straight path of righteousness, thou shalt
become a Buddha. Persevere in thy quest and thou shalt find what thou
seekest. Pursue thy aim unswervingly and thou shalt gain the prize.
Struggle earnestly and thou shalt conquer. The benediction of all
deities, of all saints of all that seek light is upon thee, and
heavenly wisdom guides thy steps. Thou shalt be the Buddha, our
Master, and our Lord; thou shalt enlighten the world and save
mankind from perdition."
Having thus spoken, the vision vanished, and Siddhattha's heart
was filled with peace. He said to himself: "I have awakened to the
truth and I am resolved to accomplish my purpose. I will sever all
the ties that bind me to the world, and I will go out from my home to
seek the way of salvation. The Buddhas are beings whose words cannot
fail: there is no departure from truth in their speech. For as the
fall of a stone thrown into the air, as the death of a mortal, as
the sunrise at dawn, as the lion's roar when he leaves his lair, as
the delivery of a woman with child, as all these things are sure and
certain- even so the word of the Buddhas is sure and cannot fail.
Verily I shall become a Buddha."
The prince returned to the bedroom of his wife to take a last
farewell glance at those whom he dearly loved above all the
treasures of the earth. He longed to take the infant once more into
his arms and kiss him with a parting kiss. But the child lay in the
arms of his mother, and the prince could not lift him without
awakening both. There Siddhattha stood gazing at his beautiful wife
and his beloved son, and his heart grieved. The pain of parting
overcame him powerfully. Although his mind was determined, so that
nothing, be it good or evil, could shake his resolution, the tears
flowed freely from his eyes, and it was beyond his power to check
their stream. But the prince tore himself away with a manly heart,
suppressing his feelings but not extinguishing his memory.
The Bodhisattva mounted his noble steed Kanthaka, and when he left
the palace, Mara stood in the gate and stopped him: "Depart not, O
my Lord," exclaimed Mara. "In seven days from now the wheel of
empire will appear, and will make thee sovereign over the four
continents and the two thousand adjacent islands. Therefore, stay,
my Lord."
The Bodhisattva replied: "Well do I know that the wheel of empire
will appear to me; but it is not sovereignty that I desire. I will
become a Buddha and make all the world shout for joy."
Thus Siddhattha, the prince, renounced power and worldly
pleasures, gave up his kingdom, severed all ties, and went into
homelessness. He rode out into the silent night, accompanied only by
his faithful charioteer Channa. Darkness lay upon the earth, but the
stars shone brightly in the heavens.
KING BIMBISARA
-
SIDDHATTHA had cut his waving hair and had exchanged his royal
robe for a mean dress of the color of the ground. Having sent home
Channa, the charioteer, together with the noble steed Kanthaka, to
King Suddhodana to bear him the message that the prince had left the
world, the Bodhisattva walked along on the highroad with a beggar's
bowl in his hand.
Yet the majesty of his mind was ill-concealed under the poverty of
his appearance. His erect gait betrayed his royal birth and his eyes
beamed with a fervid zeal for truth. The beauty of his youth was
transfigured by holiness and surrounded his head like a halo. All
the people who saw this unusual sight gazed at him in wonder. Those
who were in haste arrested their steps and looked back; and there
was no one who did not pay him homage.
Having entered the city of Rajagaha, the prince went from house to
house silently waiting till the people offered him food. Wherever
the Blessed One came, the people gave him what they had; they bowed
before him in humility and were filled with gratitude because he
condescended to approach their homes. Old and young people were
moved and said: "This is a noble muni! His approach is bliss. What a
great joy for us!"
And King Bimbisara, noticing the commotion in the city, inquired
the cause of it, and when he learned the news sent one of his
attendants to observe the stranger. Having heard that the muni must
be a Sakya and of noble family, and that he had retired to the bank
of a flowing river in the woods to eat the food in his bowl, the king
was moved in his heart; he donned his royal robe, placed his golden
crown upon his head and went out in the company of aged and wise
counselors to meet his mysterious guest.
The king found the muni of the Sakya race seated under a tree.
Contemplating the composure of his face and the gentleness of his
deportment, Bimbisara greeted him reverently and said: "O samana,
thy hands are fit to grasp the reins of an empire and should not
hold a beggar's bowl. I am sorry to see thee wasting thy youth.
Believing that thou art of royal descent, I invite thee to join me
in the government of my country and share my royal power. Desire for
power is becoming to the noble-minded, and wealth should not be
despised. To grow rich and lose religion is not true gain. But he
who possesses all three, power, wealth, and religion, enjoying them
in discretion and with wisdom, him I call a great master."
The great Sakyamuni lifted his eyes and replied: "Thou art known,
O king, to be liberal and religious, and thy words are prudent. A
kind man who makes good use of wealth is rightly said to possess a
great treasure; but the miser who hoards up his riches will have no
profit. Charity is rich in returns; charity is the greatest wealth,
for though it scatters, it brings no repentance.
"I have severed all ties because I seek deliverance. How is it
possible for me to return to the world? He who seeks religious
truth, which is the highest treasure of all, must leave behind all
that can concern him or draw away his attention, and must be bent
upon that one goal alone. He must free his soul from covetousness and
lust, and also from the desire for power.
"Indulge in lust but a little, and lust like a child will grow.
Wield worldly power and you will be burdened with cares. Better than
sovereignty over the earth, better than living in heaven, better
than lordship over all the worlds, is the fruit of holiness. The
Bodhisattva has recognized the illusory nature of wealth and will
not take poison as food. Will a fish that has been baited still
covet the hook, or an escaped bird love the net? Would a rabbit
rescued from the serpent's mouth go back to be devoured? Would a man
who has burnt his hand with a torch take up the torch after he had
dropped it to the earth? Would a blind man who has recovered his
sight desire to spoil his eyes again?
"The sick man suffering from fever seeks for a cooling medicine.
Shall we advise him to drink that which will increase the fever?
Shall we quench a fire by heaping fuel upon it?
"I pray thee, pity me not. Rather pity those who are burdened with
the cares of royalty and the worry of great riches. They enjoy them
in fear and trembling, for they are constantly threatened with a loss
of those boons on whose possession their hearts are set, and when
they die they cannot take along either their gold or the kingly
diadem.
"My heart hankers after no vulgar profit, so I have put away my
royal inheritance and prefer to be free from the burdens of life.
Therefore, try not to entangle me in new relationships and duties,
nor hinder me from completing the work I have begun. I regret to
leave thee. But I will go to the sages who can teach me religion and
so find the path on which we can escape evil.
"May thy country enjoy peace and prosperity, and may wisdom be
shed upon thy rule like the brightness of the noon-day sun. May thy
royal power be strong and may righteousness be the scepter in thine
hand."
The king, clasping his hands with reverence, bowed down before
Sakyamuni and said: "Mayest thou obtain that which thou seekest, and
when thou hast obtained it, come back, I pray thee, and receive me
as thy disciple." The Bodhisattva parted from the king in friendship
and good-will, and purposed in his heart to grant his request.
THE BODHISATTVA'S SEARCH
-
ALARA and Uddaka were renowned as teachers among the Brahmans, and
there was no one in those days who surpassed them in learning and
philosophical knowledge. The Bodhisattva went to them and sat at
their feet. He listened to their doctrines of the atman or self,
which is the ego of the mind and the doer of all doings. He learned
their views of the transmigration of souls and of the law of karma;
how the souls of bad men had to suffer by being reborn in men of low
caste, in animals, or in hell, while those who purified themselves by
libation, by sacrifices, and by self-mortification would become
kings, or Brahmans, or devas, so as to rise higher and higher in the
grades of existence. He studied their incantations and offerings and
the methods by which they attained deliverance of the ego from
material existence in states of ecstasy.
Alara said: "What is that self which perceives the actions of the
five roots of mind, touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing? What is
that which is active in the two ways of motion, in the hands and in
the feet? The problem of the soul appears in the expressions 'I
say,' 'I know and perceive,' 'I come,' and 'I go' or 'I will stay
here.' Thy soul is not thy body; it is not thy eye, not thy ear, not
thy nose, not thy tongue, nor is it thy mind. The I is the one who
feels the touch in thy body. The I is the smeller in the nose, the
taster in the tongue, the seer in the eye, the hearer in the ear,
and the thinker in the mind. The I moves thy hands and thy feet. The
I is thy soul. Doubt in the existence of the soul is irreligious, and
without discerning this truth there is no way of salvation. Deep
speculation will easily involve the mind; it leads to confusion and
unbelief; but a purification of the soul leads to the way of escape.
True deliverance is reached by removing from the crowd and leading a
hermit's life, depending entirely on alms for food. Putting away all
desire and clearly recognizing the non-existence of matter, we reach
a state of perfect emptiness. Here we find the condition of
immaterial life. As the munja grass when freed from its horny case,
as a sword when drawn from its scabbard, or as the wild bird escaped
from its prison, so the ego, liberating itself from all limitations,
finds perfect release. This is true deliverance, but those only who
will have deep faith will learn."
The Bodhisattva found no satisfaction in these teachings. He
replied: "People are in bondage, because they have not yet removed
the idea of the ego. The thing and its quality are different in our
thought, but not in reality. Heat is different from fire in our
thought, but you cannot remove heat from fire in reality. You say
that you can remove the qualities and leave the thing, but if you
think your theory to the end, you will find that this is not so.
"Is not man an organism of many aggregates? Are we not composed of
various attributes? Man consists of the material form, of sensation,
of thought, of dispositions, and, lastly, of understanding. That
which men call the ego when they say 'I am' is not an entity behind
the attributes; it originates by their co-operation. There is mind;
there is sensation and thought, and there is truth; and truth is
mind when it walks in the path of righteousness. But there is no
separate ego-soul outside or behind the thought of man. He who
believes the ego is a distinct being has no correct conception. The
very search for the atman is wrong; it is a wrong start and it will
lead you in a false direction.
"How much confusion of thought comes from our interest in self,
and from our vanity when thinking 'I am so great,' or 'I have done
this wonderful deed?' The thought of thine ego stands between thy
rational nature and truth; banish it, and then wilt thou see things
as they are. He who thinks correctly will rid himself of ignorance
and acquire wisdom. The ideas 'I am' and 'I shall be' or 'I shall not
be' do not occur to a clear thinker.
"Moreover, if our ego remains, how can we attain true deliverance?
If the ego is to be reborn in any of the three worlds, be it in
hell, upon earth, or be it even in heaven, we shall meet again and
again the same inevitable doom of sorrow. We shall remain chained to
the wheel of individuality and shall be implicated in egotism and
wrong. All combination is subject to separation, and we cannot
escape birth, disease, old age, and death. Is this a final escape?"
Said Uddaka: "Consider the unity of things. Things are not their
parts, yet they exist. The members and organs of thy body are not
thine ego, but thine ego possesses all these parts. What, for
instance, is the Ganges? Is the sand the Ganges? Is the water the
Ganges? Is the hither bank the Ganges? Is the hither bank the
Ganges? Is the farther bank the Ganges? The Ganges is a mighty river
and it possesses all these several qualities. Exactly so is our ego."
But the Bodhisattva replied: "Not so, sir! If we remove the water,
the sand, the hither bank and the farther bank where can we find any
Ganges? In the same way I observe the activities of man in their
harmonious union, but there is no ground for an ego outside its
parts."
The Brahman sage, however, insisted on the existence of the ego,
saying: "The ego is the doer of our deeds. How can there be karma
without a self as its performer? Do we not see around us the effects
of karma? What makes men different in character, station,
possessions, and fate? It is their karma, and karma includes merit
and demerit. The transmigration of the soul is subject to its karma.
We inherit from former existences the evil effects of our evil deeds
and the good effects of our good deeds. If that were not so, how
could we be different?'
The Tathagata meditated deeply on the problems of transmigration
and karma, and found the truth that lies in them. "The doctrine of
karma," he said, "is undeniable, but the theory of the ego has no
foundation. Like everything else in nature, the life of man is
subject to the law of cause and effect. The present reaps what the
past has sown, and the future is the product of the present. But
there is no evidence of the existence of an immutable ego-being, of
a self which remains the same and migrates from body to body. There
is rebirth but no transmigration.
"Is not this individuality of mine a combination, material as well
as mental? Is it not made up of qualities that sprang into being by
a gradual evolution? The five roots of sense-perception in this
organism have come from ancestors who performed these functions. The
ideas which I think, came to me partly from others who thought them,
and partly they rise from combinations of the ideas in my own mind.
Those who have used the same sense-organs, and have thought the same
ideas before I was composed into this individuality of mine, are my
previous existences; they are my ancestors as much as the I of
yesterday is the father of the I of today, and the karma of my past
deeds affects the fate of my present existence.
"Supposing there were an atman that performs the actions of the
senses, then if the door of sight were torn down and the eye plucked
out, that atman would be able to peep through the larger aperture
and see the forms of its surroundings better and more clearly than
before. It would be able to hear sounds better if the ears were torn
away; smell better if the nose were cut off; taste better if the
tongue were pulled out; and feel better if the body were destroyed.
"I observe the preservation and transmission of character; I
perceive the truth of karma, but see no atman whom your doctrine
makes the doer of your deeds. There is rebirth without the
transmigration of a self. For this atman, this self, this ego in the
'I say' and in the 'I will' is an illusion. If this self were a
reality, how could there be an escape from selfhood? The terror of
hell would be infinite, and no release could be granted. The evils of
existence would not be due to our ignorance and wrong-doing, but
would constitute the very nature of our being."
Then the Bodhisattva went to the priests officiating in the
temples. But the gentle mind of the Sakyamuni was offended at the
unnecessary cruelty performed on the altars of the gods. He said:
"Ignorance only can make these men prepare festivals and hold vast
meetings for sacrifices. Far better to revere the truth than try to
appease the gods by shedding blood. What love can a man possess who
believes that the destruction of life will atone for evil deeds? Can
a new wrong expiate old wrongs? And can the slaughter of an innocent
victim blot out the evil deeds of mankind? This is practicing
religion by the neglect of moral conduct. Purify your hearts and
cease to kill; that is true religion. Rituals have no efficacy;
prayers are vain repetitions; and incantations have no saving power.
But to abandon covetousness and lust, to become free from evil
passions, and to give up all hatred and ill-will, that is the right
sacrifice and the true worship."
URUVELA, PLACE OF MORTIFICATION
-
THE Bodhisattva went in search of a better system and came to a
settlement of five bhikkhus in the jungle of Uruvela; and when the
Blessed One saw the life of those five men, virtuously keeping in
check their senses, subduing their passions, and practicing austere
self-discipline, he admired their earnestness and joined their
company. With holy zeal and a strong heart, the Sakyamuni gave
himself up to meditative thought and a rigorous mortification of the
body. Whereas the five bhikkhus were severe, the Sakyamuni was
severer still, and so they revered him, their junior, as their
master.
So the Bodhisattva continued for six years patiently torturing
himself and suppressing the wants of nature. He trained his body and
exercised his mind in the modes of the most rigorous ascetic life.
At last, he ate each day one hemp grain only, seeking to cross the
ocean of birth and death and to arrive at the shore of deliverance.
And when the Bodhisattva was ahungered, lo! Mara, the Evil One,
approached him and said: "Thou art emaciated from fasts, and death
is near. What good is thy exertion? Deign to live, and thou wilt be
able to do good work." But the Sakyamuni made reply: "O thou friend
of the indolent, thou wicked one; for what purpose hast thou come?
Let the flesh waste away, if but the mind becomes more tranquil and
attention more steadfast. What is life in this world? Death in
battle is better to me than that I should live defeated."
And Mara withdrew, saying: "For seven years I have followed the
Blessed One step by step, but I have found no fault in the
Tathagata."
The Bodhisattva was shrunken and attenuated, and his body was like
a withered branch; but the fame of his holiness spread in the
surrounding countries, and people came from great distances to see
him and receive his blessing. However, the Holy One was not
satisfied. Seeking true wisdom he did not find it, and he came to the
conclusion that mortification would not extinguish desire nor afford
enlightenment in ecstatic contemplation.
Seated beneath a jambu-tree, he considered the state of his mind
and the fruits of his mortification. His body had become weaker, nor
had his fasts advanced him in his search for salvation, and therefore
when he saw that it was not the right path, he proposed to abandon
it. He went to bathe in the Neranjara River, but when he strove to
leave the water he could not rise on account of his weakness. Then
espying the branch of a tree and taking hold of it, he raised himself
and left the stream. But while returning to his abode, he staggered
and lay as though dead.
There was a chief herdsman living near the grove whose eldest
daughter was called Nanda; and Nanda happened to pass by the spot
where the Blessed One had swooned, and bowing down before him she
offered him rice-milk and he accepted the gift. When he had partaken
of the rice-milk all his limbs were refreshed, his mind became clear
again, and he was strong to receive the highest enlightenment.
After this occurrence, the Bodhisattva again took some food. His
disciples, having witnessed the scene of Nanda and observing the
change in his mode of living, were filled with suspicion. They
feared that Siddhattha's religious zeal was flagging and that he
whom they had hitherto revered as their Master had become oblivious
of his high purpose.
When the Bodhisattva saw the bhikkhus turning away from him, he
felt sorry for their lack of confidence, and was aware of the
loneliness of his life. Suppressing his grief he wandered on alone,
and his disciples said, "Siddhattha leaves us to seek a more pleasant
abode."
MARA, THE EVIL ONE
-
THE Holy One directed his steps to that blessed Bodhi-tree beneath
whose shade he was to accomplish his search. As he walked, the earth
shook and a brilliant light transfigured the world. When he sat down
the heavens resounded with joy and all living beings were filled
with good cheer. Mara alone, lord of the five desires, bringer of
death and enemy of truth, was grieved and rejoiced not. With his
three daughters, Tanha, Raga and Arati, the tempters, and with his
host of evil demons, he went to the place where the great samana sat.
But Sakyamuni heeded him not. Mara uttered fear-inspiring threats and
raised a whirlwind so that the skies were darkened and the ocean
roared and trembled.
But the Blessed One under the Bodhi-tree remained calm and feared
not. The Enlightened One knew that no harm could befall him.
The three daughters of Mara tempted the Bodhisattva, but he paid
no attention to them, and when Mara saw that he could kindle no
desire in the heart of the victorious samana, he ordered all the evil
spirits at his command to attack him and overawe the great muni. But
the Blessed One watched them as one would watch the harmless games of
children. All the fierce hatred of the evil spirits was of no avail.
The flames of hell became wholesome breezes of perfume, and the
angry thunderbolts were changed into lotus-blossoms.
When Mara saw this, he fled away with his army from the
Bodhi-tree, whilst from above a rain of heavenly flowers fell, and
voices of good spirits were heard: "Behold the great muni! his heart
unmoved by hatred. The wicked Mara's host 'gainst him did not
prevail. Pure is he and wise, loving and full of mercy. As the rays
of the sun drown the darkness of the world, so he who perseveres in
his search will find the truth and the truth will enlighten him."
ENLIGHTENMENT
-
THE Bodhisattva, having put Mara to flight, gave himself up to
meditation. All the miseries of the world, the evils produced by
evil deeds and the sufferings arising therefrom, passed before his
mental eye, and he thought:
"Surely if living creatures saw the results of all their evil
deeds, they would turn away from them in disgust. But selfhood blinds
them, and they cling to their obnoxious desires. They crave pleasure
for themselves and they cause pain to others; when death destroys
their individuality, they find no peace; their thirst for existence
abides and their selfhood reappears in new births. Thus they continue
to move in the coil and can find no escape from the hell of their own
making. And how empty are their pleasures, how vain are their
endeavors! Hollow like the plantain-tree and without contents like
the bubble. The world is full of evil and sorrow, because it is full
of lust. Men go astray because they think that delusion is better
than truth. Rather than truth they follow error, which is pleasant to
look at in the beginning but in the end causes anxiety, tribulation,
and misery."
And the Bodhisattva began to expound the Dharma. The Dharma is the
truth. The Dharma is the sacred law. The Dharma is religion. The
Dharma alone can deliver us from error, from wrong and from sorrow.
Pondering on the origin of birth and death, the Enlightened One
recognized that ignorance was the root of all evil; and these are
the links in the development of life, called the twelve nidanas: In
the beginning there is existence blind and without knowledge; and in
this sea of ignorance there are stirrings formative and organizing.
From stirrings, formative and organizing, rises awareness or
feelings. Feelings beget organisms that live as individual beings.
These organisms develop the six fields, that is, the five senses and
the mind. The six fields come in contact with things. Contact begets
sensation. Sensation creates the thirst of individualized being. The
thirst of being creates a cleaving to things. The cleaving produces
the growth and continuation of selfhood. Selfhood continues in
renewed birth. The renewed births of selfhood are the causes of
sufferings, old age, sickness, and death. They produce lamentation,
anxiety, and despair.
The cause of all sorrow lies at the very beginning; it is hidden
in the ignorance from which life grows. Remove ignorance and you
will destroy the wrong desires that rise from ignorance; destroy
these desires and you will wipe out the wrong perception that rises
from them. Destroy wrong perception and there is an end of errors in
individualized beings. Destroy the errors in individualized beings
and the illusions of the six fields will disappear. Destroy illusions
and the contact with things will cease to beget misconception.
Destroy misconception and you do away with thirst. Destroy thirst and
you will be free of all morbid cleaving. Remove the cleaving and you
destroy the selfishness of selfhood. If the selfishness of selfhood
is destroyed you will be above birth, old age, disease, and death,
and you will escape all suffering.
The Enlightened One saw the four noble truths which point out the
path that leads to Nirvana or the extinction of self: The first
noble truth is the existence of sorrow. The second noble truth is
the cause of suffering. The third noble truth is the cessation of
sorrow. The fourth noble truth is the eightfold path that leads to
the cessation of sorrow.
This is the Dharma. This is the truth. This is religion. And the
Enlightened One uttered this stanza:
-
"Through many births I sought in vain
The Builder of this House of Pain.
Now, Builder, You are plain to see,
And from this House at last I'm free;
I burst the rafters, roof and wall,
And dwell in the Peace beyond them all."
-
There is self and there is truth. Where self is, truth is not.
Where truth is, self is not. Self is the fleeting error of samsara;
it is individual separateness and that egotism which begets envy and
hatred. Self is the yearning for pleasure and the lust after vanity.
Truth is the correct comprehension of things; it is the permanent and
everlasting, the real in all existence, the bliss of righteousness.
The existence of self is an illusion, and there is no wrong in this
world, no vice, no evil, except what flows from the assertion of
self. The attainment of truth is possible only when self is
recognized as an illusion. Righteousness can be practiced only when
we have freed our mind from passions of egotism. Perfect peace can
dwell only where all vanity has disappeared.
Blessed is he who has understood the Dharma. Blessed is he who
does no harm to his fellow-beings. Blessed is he who overcomes wrong
and is free from passion. To the highest bliss has he attained who
has conquered all selfishness and vanity. He has become the Buddha,
the Perfect One.
THE FIRST CONVERTS
-
THE Blessed One tarried in solitude seven times seven days,
enjoying the bliss of emancipation. At that time Tapussa and
Bhallika, two merchants, came traveling on the road near by, and
when they saw the great samana, majestic and full of peace, they
approached him respectfully and offered him rice-cakes and honey.
This was the first food that the Enlightened One ate after he
attained Buddhahood.
And the Buddha addressed them and pointed out to them the way of
salvation. The two merchants, seeing the holiness of the conqueror
of Mara, bowed down in reverence and said: "We take our refuge,
Lord, in the Blessed One and in the Dharma." Tapussa and Bhallika
were the first that became followers of the Buddha and they were lay
disciples.
THE BRAHMA'S REQUEST
-
THE Blessed One having attained Buddhahood while resting under the
shepherd's Nigrodha tree on the banks of the river Neranjara,
pronounced this solemn utterance:
-
"How sure his pathway in this wood,
Who follows truth's unchanging call!
How blessed, to be kind and good,
And practice self-restraint in all!
How light, from passion to be free,
And sensual joys to let go by!
And yet his greatest bliss will be
When he has quelled the pride of 'I'.
-
"I have recognized the deepest truth, which is sublime and
peace-giving, but difficult to understand; for most men move in a
sphere of worldly interests and find their delight in worldly
desires. The worldling will not understand the doctrine, for to him
there is happiness in selfhood only, and the bliss that lies in a
complete surrender to truth is unintelligible to him. He will call
resignation what to the enlightened mind is the purest joy. He will
see annihilation where the perfected one finds immortality. He will
regard as death what the conqueror of self knows to be life
everlasting. The truth remains hidden from him who is in the bondage
of hate and desire. Nirvana remains incomprehensible and mysterious
to the vulgar whose minds are beclouded with worldly interests.
Should I preach the doctrine and mankind not comprehend it, it would
bring me only fatigue and trouble."
Mara, the Evil One, on hearing the words of the Blessed Buddha,
approached and said: "Be greeted, thou Holy One. Thou hast attained
the highest bliss and it is time for thee to enter into the final
Nirvana."
Then Brahma Sahampati descended from the heavens and, having
worshiped the Blessed One, said: "Alas! the world must perish,
should the Holy One, the Tathagata, decide not to teach the Dharma.
Be merciful to those that struggle; have compassion upon the
sufferers; pity the creatures who are hopelessly entangled in the
snares of sorrow. There are some beings that are almost free from the
dust of worldliness. If they hear not the doctrine preached, they
will be lost. But if they hear it, they will believe and be saved."
The Blessed One, full of compassion, looked with the eye of a
Buddha upon all sentient creatures, and he saw among them beings
whose minds were but scarcely covered by the dust of worldliness, who
were of good disposition and easy to instruct. He saw some who were
conscious of the dangers of lust and wrong doing. And the Blessed
One said to Brahma Sahampati: "Wide open be the door of immortality
to all who have ears to hear. May they receive the Dharma with
faith."
Then the Blessed One turned to Mara, saying: "I shall not pass
into the final Nirvana, O Evil One, until there be not only brethren
and sisters of an Order, but also lay disciples of both sexes, who
shall have become true hearers, wise, well trained, ready and
learned, versed in the scriptures, fulfilling all the greater and
lesser duties, correct in life, walking according to the precepts-
until they, having thus themselves learned the doctrine, shall be
able to give information to others concerning it, preach it, make it
known, establish it, open it, minutely explain it, and make it clear-
until they, when others start vain doctrines, shall be able to
vanquish and refute them, and so to spread the wonder-working truth
abroad. I shall not die until the pure religion of truth shall have
become successful, prosperous, widespread, and popular in all its
full extent- until, in a word, it shall have been well proclaimed
among men!"
Then Brahma Sahampati understood that the Blessed One had granted
his request and would preach the doctrine.
FOUNDING THE KINGDOM
UPAKA SEES THE BUDDHA
-
NOW the Blessed One thought: "To whom shall I preach the doctrine
first? My old teachers are dead. They would have received the good
news with joy. But my five disciples are still alive. I shall go to
them, and to them shall I first proclaim the gospel of deliverance."
At that time the five bhikkhus dwelt in the Deer Park at Benares,
and the Blessed One rose and journeyed to their abode, not thinking
of their unkindness in having left him at a time when he was most in
need of their sympathy and help, but mindful only of the services
which they had ministered unto him, and pitying them for the
austerities which they practiced in vain.
Upaka, a young Brahman and a Jain, a former acquaintance of
Siddhattha, saw the Blessed One while he journeyed to Benares, and,
amazed at the majesty and sublime joyfulness of his appearance, said
to him: "Thy countenance, my friend, is serene; thine eyes are
bright and indicate purity and blessedness."
The holy Buddha replied: "I have obtained deliverance by the
extinction of self. My body is chastened, my mind is free from
desire, and the deepest truth has taken abode in my heart. I have
obtained Nirvana, and this is the reason that my countenance is
serene and my eyes are bright. I now desire to found the kingdom of
truth upon earth, to give light to those who are enshrouded in
darkness and to open the gate of deathlessness."
Upaka replied: "Thou professest then, friend, to be Jina, the
conqueror of the world, the absolute one and the holy one."
The Blessed One said: "Jinas are all those who have conquered self
and the passions of self; those alone are victorious who control
their minds and abstain from evil. Therefore, Upaka, I am the Jina."
Upaka shook his head. "Venerable Gotama," he said, "thy way lies
yonder," and taking another road he went away.
THE SERMON AT BENARES
-
ON seeing their old teacher approach, the five bhikkus agreed
among themselves not to salute him, nor to address him as a master,
but by his name only. "For," so they said, "he has broken his vow
and has abandoned holiness. He is no bhikkhu, but Gotama, and Gotama
has become a man who lives in abundance and indulges in the
pleasures of worldliness." But when the Blessed One approached in a
dignified manner, they involuntarily rose from their seats and
greeted him in spite of their resolution. Still they called him by
his name and addressed him as "friend Gotama."
When they had thus received the Blessed One, he said: "Do not call
the Tathagata by his name nor address him as 'friend,' for he is the
Buddha, the Holy One. The Buddha looks with a kind heart equally on
all living beings, and they therefore call him 'Father.' To
disrespect a father is wrong; to despise him, is wicked. The
Tathagata," the Buddha continued, "does not seek salvation in
austerities, but neither does he for that reason indulge in worldly
pleasures, nor live in abundance. The Tathagata has found the middle
path.
"There are two extremes, O bhikkhus, which the man who has given
up the world ought not to follow- the habitual practice, on the one
hand, of self-indulgence which is unworthy, vain and fit only for
the worldly-minded- and the habitual practice, on the other hand, of
self-mortification, which is painful, useless and unprofitable.
"Neither abstinence from fish and flesh, nor going naked, nor
shaving the head, nor wearing matted hair, nor dressing in a rough
garment, nor covering oneself with dirt, nor sacrificing to Agni,
will cleanse a man who is not free from delusions. Reading the Vedas,
making offerings to priests, or sacrifices to the gods,
self-mortification by heat or cold, and many such penances performed
for the sake of immortality, these do not cleanse the man who is not
free from delusions. Anger, drunkenness, obstinacy, bigotry,
deception, envy, self-praise, disparaging others, superciliousness
and evil intentions constitute uncleanness; not verily the eating of
flesh.
"A middle path, O bhikkhus, avoiding the two extremes, has been
discovered by the Tathagata- a path which opens the eyes, and bestows
understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom,
to full enlightenment, to Nirvana! What is that middle path, O
bhikkhus, avoiding these two extremes, discovered by the
Tathagata- that path which opens the eyes, and bestows understanding,
which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to full
enlightenment, to Nirvana? Let me teach you, O bhikkhus, the middle
path, which keeps aloof from both extremes. By suffering, the
emaciated devotee produces confusion and sickly thoughts in his
mind. Mortification is not conducive even to worldly knowledge; how
much less to a triumph over the senses!
"He who fills his lamp with water will not dispel the darkness,
and he who tries to light a fire with rotten wood will fail. And how
can any one be free from self by leading a wretched life, if he does
not succeed in quenching the fires of lust, if he still hankers
after either worldly or heavenly pleasures? But he in whom self has
become extinct is free from lust; he will desire neither worldly nor
heavenly pleasures, and the satisfaction of his natural wants will
not defile him. However, let him be moderate, let him eat and drink
according to the need of the body.
"Sensuality is enervating; the self-indulgent man is a slave to
his passions, and pleasure-seeking is degrading and vulgar. But to
satisfy the necessities of life is not evil. To keep the body in
good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim
the lamp of wisdom, and keep our minds strong and clear. Water
surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals. This is the
middle path, O bhikkhus, that keeps aloof from both extremes."
And the Blessed One spoke kindly to his disciples, pitying them for
their errors, and pointing out the uselessness of their endeavors,
and the ice of ill-will that chilled their hearts melted away under
the gentle warmth of the Master's persuasion.
Now the Blessed One set the wheel of the most excellent law
rolling, and he began to preach to the five bhikkhus, opening to them
the gate of immortality, and showing them the bliss of Nirvana.
The Buddha said: "The spokes of the wheel are the rules of pure
conduct: justice is the uniformity of their length; wisdom is the
tire; modesty and thoughtfulness are the hub in which the immovable
axle of truth is fixed. He who recognizes the existence of
suffering, its cause, its remedy, and its cessation has fathomed the
four noble truths. He will walk in the right path.
"Right views will be the torch to light his way. Right aspirations
will be his guide. Right speech will be his dwelling-place on the
road. His gait will be straight, for it is right behavior. His
refreshments will be the right way of earning his livelihood. Right
efforts will be his steps: right thoughts his breath; and right
contemplation will give him the peace that follows in his footprints.
"Now, this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning suffering:
Birth is attended with pain, decay is painful, disease is painful,
death is painful. Union with the unpleasant is painful, painful is
separation from the pleasant; and any craving that is unsatisfied,
that too is painful. In brief, bodily conditions which spring from
attachment are painful. This, then, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth
concerning suffering.
"Now this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the origin of
suffering: Verily, it is that craving which causes the renewal of
existence, accompanied by sensual delight, seeking satisfaction now
here, now there, the craving for the gratification of the passions,
the craving for a future life, and the craving for happiness in this
life. This, then, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the
origin of suffering.
"Now this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the
destruction of suffering: Verily, it is the destruction, in which no
passion remains, of this very thirst; it is the laying aside of, the
being free from, the dwelling no longer upon this thirst. This, then,
O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the destruction of
suffering.
"Now, this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the way
which leads to the destruction of sorrow. Verily, it is this noble
eightfold path; that is to say: Right views; right aspirations;
right speech; right behavior; right livelihood; right effort; right
thoughts; and right contemplation. This, then, O bhikkhus, is the
noble truth concerning the destruction of sorrow.
"By the practice of loving-kindness I have attained liberation of
heart, and thus I am assured that I shall never return in renewed
births. I have even now attained Nirvana."
When the Blessed One had thus set the royal chariot-wheel of truth
rolling onward, a rapture thrilled through all the universes. The
devas left their heavenly abodes to listen to the sweetness of the
truth; the saints that had parted from life crowded around the great
teacher to receive the glad tidings; even the animals of the earth
felt the bliss that rested upon the words of the Tathagata: and all
the creatures of the host of sentient beings, gods, men, and beasts,
hearing the message of deliverance, received and understood it in
their own language.
And when the doctrine was propounded, the venerable Kondanna, the
oldest one among the five bhikkhus, discerned the truth with his
mental eye, and he said: "Truly, O Buddha, our Lord, thou hast found
the truth!" Then the other bhikkhus too, joined him and exclaimed:
"Truly, thou art the Buddha, thou hast found the truth."
And the devas and saints and all the good spirits of the departed
generations that had listened to the sermon of the Tathagata,
joyfully received the doctrine and shouted: "Truly, the Blessed One
has founded the kingdom of righteousness. The Blessed One has moved
the earth; he has set the wheel of Truth rolling, which by no one in
the universe, be he god or man, can ever be turned back. The kingdom
of Truth will be preached upon earth; it will spread; and
righteousness, good-will, and peace will reign among mankind."
THE SANGHA OR COMMUNITY
-
HAVING pointed out to the five bhikkhus the truth, the Buddha
said: "A man that stands alone, having decided to obey the truth,
may be weak and slip back into his old ways. Therefore, stand ye
together, assist one another, and strengthen one another's efforts.
Be like unto brothers; one in love, one in holiness, and one in your
zeal for the truth. Spread the truth and preach the doctrine in all
quarters of the world, so that in the end all living creatures will
be citizens of the kingdom of righteousness. This is the holy
brotherhood; this is the church, the congregation of the saints of
the Buddha; this is the Sangha that establishes a communion among all
those who have taken their refuge in the Buddha."
Kondanna was the first disciple of the Buddha who had thoroughly
grasped the doctrine of the Holy One, and the Tathagata looking into
his heart said: "Truly, Kondanna has understood the truth."
Therefore the venerable Kondanna received the name "Annata-Kondanna"-
that is, "Kondanna who has understood the doctrine."
Then the venerable Kondanna spoke to the Buddha and said: "Lord,
let us receive the ordination from the Blessed One." And the Buddha
said: "Come, O bhikkhus! Well taught is the doctrine. Lead a holy
life for the extinction of suffering."
Then Kondanna and the other bhikkhus uttered three times these
solemn vows: "To the Buddha will I look in faith: He, the Perfect
One, is holy and supreme. The Buddha conveys to us instruction,
wisdom, and salvation; he is the Blessed One, who knows the law of
being; he is the Lord of the world, who yoketh men like oxen, the
Teacher of gods and men, the Exalted Buddha. Therefore, to the Buddha
will I look in faith.
"To the doctrine will I look in faith: well-preached is the
doctrine by the Exalted One. The doctrine has been revealed so as to
become visible; the doctrine is above time and space. The doctrine is
not based upon hearsay, it means 'Come and see'; the doctrine to
welfare; the doctrine is recognized by the wise in their own hearts.
Therefore to the doctrine will I look in faith.
"To the community will I look in faith; the community of the
Buddha's disciples instructs us how to lead a life of righteousness;
the community of the Buddha's disciples teaches us how to exercise
honesty and justice; the community of the Buddha's disciples shows
us how to practice the truth. They form a brotherhood in kindness
and charity, and their saints are worthy of reverence. The community
of the Buddha's disciples is founded as a holy brotherhood in which
men bind themselves together to teach the behests of rectitude and
to do good. Therefore, to the community will I look in faith."
The gospel of the Blessed One increased from day to day, and many
people came to hear him and to accept the ordination to lead
thenceforth a holy life for the sake of the extinction of suffering.
And the Blessed One seeing that it was impossible to attend to all
who wanted to hear the truth and receive the ordination, sent out
from the number of his disciples such as were to preach the Dharma,
and said unto them:
"The Dharma and the Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathagata shine forth
when they are displayed, and not when they are concealed. But let
not this doctrine, so full of truth and so excellent, fall into the
hands of those unworthy of it, where it would be despised and
contemned, treated shamefully, ridiculed and censured. I now grant
you, O bhikkhus, this permission. Confer henceforth in the different
countries the ordination upon those who are eager to receive it,
when you find them worthy.
"Go ye now, O bhikkhus, for the benefit of the many, for the
welfare of mankind, out of compassion for the world. Preach the
doctrine which is glorious in the beginning, glorious in the middle,
and glorious in the end, in the spirit as well as in the letter.
There are beings whose eyes are scarcely covered with dust, but if
the doctrine is not preached to them they cannot attain salvation.
Proclaim to them a life of holiness. They will understand the
doctrine and accept it."
And it became an established custom that the bhikkhus went out
preaching while the weather was good, but in the rainy season they
came together again and joined their master, to listen to the
exhortations of the Tathagata.
YASA, THE YOUTH OF BENARES
-
AT that time there was in Benares a noble youth, Yasa by name, the
son of a wealthy merchant. Troubled in his mind about the sorrows of
the world, he secretly rose up in the night and stole away to the
Blessed One. The Blessed One saw Yasa coming from afar. Yasa
approached and exclaimed: "Alas, what distress! What tribulations!"
The Blessed One said to Yasa: "Here is no distress; here are no
tribulations. Come to me and I will teach you the truth, and the
truth will dispel your sorrows."
When Yasa, the noble youth, heard that there were neither
distress, nor tribulations, nor sorrows, his heart was comforted. He
went into the place where the Blessed One was, and sat down near
him. Then the Blessed One preached about charity and morality. He
explained the vanity of the thought "I am"; the dangers of desire,
and the necessity of avoiding the evils of life in order to walk on
the path of deliverance.
Instead of disgust with the world, Yasa felt the cooling stream of
holy wisdom, and, having obtained the pure and spotless eye of
truth, he looked at his person, richly adorned with pearls and
precious stones, and his heart was shamed.
The Tathagata, knowing his inward thoughts, said: "Though a person
be ornamented with jewels, the heart may have conquered the senses.
The outward form does not constitute religion or affect the mind.
Thus the body of a samana may wear an ascetic's garb while his mind
is immersed in worldliness. A man that dwells in lonely woods and yet
covets worldly vanities, is a worldling, while the man in worldly
garments may let his heart soar high to heavenly thoughts. There is
no distinction between the layman and the hermit, if but both have
banished the thought of self."
Seeing that Yasa was ready to enter upon the path, the Blessed One
said to him: "Follow me!" And Yasa joined the brotherhood, and
having put on a bhikkhu's robe, received the ordination.
While the Blessed One and Yasa were discussing the doctrine,
Yasa's father passed by in search of his son; and in passing he
asked the Blessed One: "Pray, Lord, hast thou seen Yasa, my son?"
The Buddha said to Yasa's father: "Come in, sir, thou wilt find
thy son"; and Yasa's father became full of joy and he entered. He
sat down near his son, but his eyes were holden and he knew him not;
and the Lord began to preach. And Yasa's father, understanding the
doctrine of the Blessed One, said:
"Glorious is the truth, O Lord! The Buddha, the Holy One, our
Master, sets up what has been overturned; he reveals what has been
hidden; he points out the way to the wanderer who has gone astray;
he lights a lamp in the darkness so that all who have eyes to see
can discern the things that surround them. I take refuge in the
Buddha, our Lord: I take refuge in the doctrine revealed by him: I
take refuge in the brotherhood which he has founded. May the Blessed
One receive me from this day forth while my life lasts as a lay
disciple who has taken refuge in him." Yasa's father was the first
lay member who became the first lay disciple of the Buddha by
pronouncing the threefold formula of refuge.
When the wealthy merchant had taken refuge in the Buddha, his eyes
were opened and he saw his son sitting at his side in a bhikkhu's
robe. "My son, Yasa," he said, "thy mother is absorbed in lamentation
and grief. Return home and restore thy mother to life."
Then Yasa looked at the Blessed One, who said: "Should Yasa return
to the world and enjoy the pleasures of a worldly life as he did
before?" Yasa's father replied: "If Yasa, my son, finds it a gain to
stay with thee, let him stay. He has become delivered from the
bondage of worldliness."
When the Blessed One had cheered their hearts with words of truth
and righteousness, Yasa's father said: "May the Blessed One, O Lord,
consent to take his meal with me together with Yasa as his
attendant?" The Blessed One, having donned his robes, took his
alms-bowl and went with Yasa to the house of the rich merchant. When
they had arrived there, the mother and also the former wife of Yasa
saluted the Blessed One and sat down near him.
Then the Blessed One preached, and the women having understood his
doctrine, exclaimed: "Glorious is the truth, O Lord! We take refuge
in the Buddha, our Lord. We take refuge in the doctrine revealed by
him. We take refuge in the brotherhood which has been founded by
him. May the Blessed One receive us from this day forth while our
life lasts as lay disciples who have taken refuge in him." The mother
and the wife of Yasa, the noble youth of Benares, were the first
women who became lay disciples and took their refuge in the Buddha.
Now there were four friends of Yasa belonging to the wealthy
families of Benares. Their names were Vimala, Subahu, Punnaji, and
Gavampati.
When Yasa's friends heard that Yasa had cut off his hair and put
on bhikkhu robes to give up the world and go forth into
homelessness, they thought: "Surely that cannot be a common
doctrine, that must be a noble renunciation of the world."
And they went to Yasa, and Yasa addressed the Blessed One saying:
"May the Blessed One administer exhortation and instruction to these
four friends of mine." And the Blessed One preached to them, and
Yasa's friends accepted the doctrine and took refuge in the Buddha,
the Dharma, and the Sangha.
KASSAPA, THE FIRE-WORSHIPER
-
AT that time there lived in Uruvela the Jatilas, Brahman hermits
with matted hair, worshiping the fire and keeping a fire-dragon; and
Kassapa was their chief. Kassapa was renowned throughout all India,
and his name was honored as one of the wisest men on earth and an
authority on religion. And the Blessed One went to Kassapa of
Uruvela, the Jatila, and said: "Let me stay a night in the room where
you keep your sacred fire."
Kassapa, seeing the Blessed One in his majesty and beauty, thought
to himself: "This is a great muni and a noble teacher. Should he
stay overnight in the room where the sacred fire is kept, the
serpent will bite him and he will die." And he said: "I do not
object to your staying overnight in the room where the sacred fire
is kept, but the serpent lives there; he will kill you and I should
be sorry to see you perish."
But the Buddha insisted and Kassapa admitted him to the room where
the sacred fire was kept. And the Blessed One sat down with body
erect, surrounding himself with watchfulness. In the night the
dragon came, belching forth in rage his fiery poison, and filling
the air with burning vapor, but could do him no harm, and the fire
consumed itself while the World-honored One remained composed. And
the venomous fiend became very wroth so that he died in his anger.
When Kassapa saw the light shining forth from the room he said:
"Alas, what misery! Truly, the countenance of Gotama the great
Sakyamuni is beautiful, but the serpent will destroy him."
In the morning the Blessed One showed the dead body of the fiend
to Kassapa, saying: "His fire has been conquered by my fire." And
Kassapa thought to himself. "Sakyamuni is a great samana and
possesses high powers, but he is not holy like me."
There was in those days a festival, and Kassapa thought: "The
people will come hither from all parts of the country and will see
the great Sakyamuni. When he speaks to them, they will believe in him
and abandon me." And he grew envious. When the day of the festival
arrived, the Blessed One retired and did not come to Kassapa. And
Kassapa went to the Buddha on the next morning and said: "Why did
the great Sakyamuni not come?"
The Tathagata replied: "Didst thou not think, O Kassapa, that it
would be better if I stayed away from the festival?" And Kassapa was
astonished and thought: "Great is Sakyamuni; he can read my most
secret thoughts, but he is not holy like me."
The Blessed One addressed Kassapa and said: "Thou seest the truth,
but acceptest it not because of the envy that dwells in thy heart.
Is envy holiness? Envy is the last remnant of self that has remained
in thy mind. Thou art not holy, Kassapa; thou hast not yet entered
the path." And Kassapa gave up his resistance. His envy disappeared,
and, bowing down before the Blessed One, he said: "Lord, our Master,
let me receive the ordination from the Blessed One."
And the Blessed One said: "Thou, Kassapa, art chief of the
Jatilas. Go, then, first and inform them of thine intention, and let
them do as thou thinkest fit." Then Kassapa went to the Jatilas and
said: "I am anxious to lead a religious life under the direction of
the great Sakyamuni, who is the Enlightened One, the Buddha. Do as
ye think best."
The Jatilas replied: "We have conceived a profound affection for
the great Sakyamuni, and if thou wilt join his brotherhood, we will
do likewise." The Jatilas of Uruvela now flung their paraphernalia of
fire-worship into the river and went to the Blessed One.
Nadi Kassapa and Gaya Kassapa, brothers of the great Uruvela
Kassapa, powerful men and chieftains among the people, were dwelling
below on the stream, and when they saw the instruments used in
fire-worship floating in the river, they said: "Something has
happened to our brother." And they came with their folk to Uruvela.
Hearing what had happened, they, too, went to the Buddha.
The Blessed One, seeing that the Jatilas of Nadi and Gaya, who had
practiced severe austerities and worshiped fire, were now come to
him, preached a sermon on fire, and said: "Everything, O Jatilas, is
burning. The eye is burning, all the senses are burning, thoughts
are burning. They are burning with the fire of lust. There is anger,
there is ignorance, there is hatred, and as long as the fire finds
inflammable things upon which it can feed, so long will it burn, and
there will be birth and death, decay, grief, lamentation, suffering,
despair, and sorrow. Considering this, a disciple of the Dharma will
see the four noble truths and walk in the eightfold path of
holiness. He will become wary of his eye, wary of all his senses,
wary of his thoughts. He will divest himself of passion and become
free. He will be delivered from selfishness and attain the blessed
state of Nirvana."
And the Jatilas rejoiced and took refuge in the Buddha, the
Dharma, and the Sangha.
THE SERMON AT RAJAGAHA
-
THE Blessed One having dwelt some time in Uruvela went to
Rajagaha, accompanied by a number of bhikkhus, many of whom had been
Jatilas before. The great Kassapa, chief of the Jatilas and formerly
a fire-worshiper, went with him.
When the Magadha king, Seniya Bimbisara, heard of the arrival of
Gotama Sakyamuni, of whom the people said, "He is the Holy One, the
blessed Buddha, guiding men as a driver curbs bullocks, the teacher
of high and low," he went out surrounded with his counselors and
generals and came to the grove where the Blessed One was. There they
saw the Blessed One in the company of Kassapa, the great religious
teacher of the Jatilas, and they were astonished and thought: "Has
the great Sakyamuni placed himself under the spiritual direction of
Kassapa, or has Kassapa become a disciple of Gotama?"
The Tathagata, reading the thoughts of the people, said to
Kassapa: "What knowledge hast thou gained, O Kassapa, and what has
induced thee to renounce the sacred fire and give up thine austere
penances?"
Kassapa said: "The profit I derived from adoring the fire was
continuance in the wheel of individuality with all its sorrows and
vanities. This service I have cast away, and instead of continuing
penances and sacrifices I have gone in quest of the highest Nirvana.
Since I have seen the light of truth, I have abandoned worshiping
the fire."
The Buddha, perceiving that the whole assembly was ready as a
vessel to receive the doctrine, spoke thus to Bimbisara the king: "He
who knows the nature of self and understands how the senses act,
finds no room for selfishness, and thus he will attain peace
unending. The world holds the thought of self, and from this arises
false apprehension. Some say that the self endures after death, some
say it perishes. Both are wrong and their error is most grievous. For
if they say the self is perishable, the fruit they strive for will
perish too, and at some time there will be no hereafter. Good and
evil would be indifferent. This salvation from selfishness is without
merit.
"When some, on the other hand, say the self will not perish, then
in the midst of all life and death there is but one identity unborn
and undying. If such is their self, then it is perfect and cannot be
perfected by deeds. The lasting, imperishable self could never be
changed. The self would be lord and master, and there would be no use
in perfecting the perfect; moral aims and salvation would be
unnecessary.
"But now we see the marks of joy and sorrow. Where is any
constancy? If there is no permanent self that does our deeds, then
there is no self; there is no actor behind our actions, no perceiver
behind our perception, no lord behind our deeds.
"Now attend and listen: The senses meet the object and from their
contact sensation is born. Thence results recollection. Thus, as the
sun's power through a burning-glass causes fire to appear, so
through the cognizance born of sense and object, the mind originates
and with it the ego, the thought of self, whom some Brahman teachers
call the lord. The shoot springs from the seed; the seed is not the
shoot; both are not one and the same, but successive phases in a
continuous growth. Such is the birth of animated life.
"Ye that are slaves of the self and toil in its service from morn
until night, ye that live in constant fear of birth, old age,
sickness, and death, receive the good tidings that your cruel master
exists not. Self is an error, an illusion, a dream. Open your eyes
and awaken. See things as they are and ye will be comforted. He who
is awake will no longer be afraid of nightmares. He who has
recognized the nature of the rope that seemed to be a serpent will
cease to tremble.
"He who has found there is no self will let go all the lusts and
desires of egotism. The cleaving to things, covetousness, and
sensuality inherited from former existences, are the causes of the
misery and vanity in the world. Surrender the grasping disposition
of selfishness, and you will attain to that calm state of mind which
conveys perfect peace, goodness, and wisdom."
And the Buddha breathed forth this solemn utterance:
-
"Do not deceive, do not despise
Each other, anywhere.
Do not be angry, and do not
Secret resentment bear;
For as a mother risks her life
And watches over her child,
So boundless be your love to all,
So tender, kind and mild.
-
"Yea, cherish good-will right and left,
For all, both soon and late,
And with no hindrance, with no stint,
From envy free and hate;
While standing, walking, sitting down,
Forever keep in mind:
The rule of life that's always best
Is to be loving-kind.
-
"Gifts are great, the founding of viharas is meritorious,
meditations and religious exercises pacify the heart, comprehension
of the truth leads to Nirvana, but greater than all is
loving-kindness. As the light of the moon is sixteen times stronger
than the light of all the stars, so loving-kindness is sixteen times
more efficacious in liberating the heart than all other religious
accomplishments taken together. This state of heart is the best in
the world. Let a man remain steadfast in it while he is awake,
whether he is standing, walking, sitting, or lying down."
When the Enlightened One had finished his sermon, the Magadha king
said to the Blessed One: "In former days, Lord, when I was a prince,
I cherished five wishes. I wished: O, that I might be inaugurated as
a king. This was my first wish, and it has been fulfilled. Further,
I wished: Might the Holy Buddha, the Perfect One, appear on earth
while I rule and might he come to my kingdom. This was my second
wish and it is fulfilled now. Further I wished: Might I pay my
respects to him. This was my third wish and it is fulfilled now. The
fourth wish was: Might the Blessed One preach the doctrine to me,
and this is fulfilled now.
"The greatest wish, however, was the fifth wish: Might I understand
the doctrine of the Blessed One. And this wish is fulfilled too.
"Glorious Lord! Most glorious is the truth preached by the
Tathagata! Our Lord, the Buddha, sets up what has been overturned;
he reveals what has been hidden; he points out the way to the
wanderer who has gone astray; he lights a lamp in the darkness so
that those who have eyes to see may see. I take my refuge in the
Buddha. I take my refuge in the Dharma. I take my refuge in the
Sangha."
The Tathagata, by the exercise of his virtue and by wisdom, showed
his unlimited spiritual power. He subdued and harmonized all minds.
He made them see and accept the truth, and throughout the kingdom the
seeds of virtue were sown.
THE KING'S GIFT
-
SENIYA BIMBISARA, the king, having taken his refuge in the Buddha,
invited the Tathagata to his palace, saying: "Will the Blessed One
consent to take his meal with me tomorrow together with the
fraternity of bhikkhus?" The next morning the king announced to the
Blessed One that it was time for taking food: "Thou art my most
welcome guest, O Lord of the world, come; the meal is prepared."
The Blessed One having donned his robes, took his alms-bowl and,
together with a great number of bhikkhus, entered the city of
Rajagaha. Sakka, the king of the Devas, assuming the appearance of a
young Brahman, walked in front, and said: "He who teaches
self-control with those who have learned self-control; the redeemer
with those whom he has redeemed; the Blessed One with those to whom
he has given peace, is entering Rajagaha! Hail to the Buddha, our
Lord! Honor to his name and blessings to all who take refuge in him."
And Sakka intoned this stanza:
-
"Blessed is the place in which the Buddha walks,
And blessed the ears which hear his talks;
Blessed his disciples, for they are
The tellers of his truth both near and far.
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"If all could hear this truth so good
Then all men's minds would eat rich food,
And strong would grow men's brotherhood."
-
When the Blessed One had finished his meal, and had cleansed his
bowl and his hands, the king sat down near him and thought:
"Where may I find a place for the Blessed One to live in, not too
far from the town and not too near, suitable for going and coming,
easily accessible to all people who want to see him, a place that is
by day not too crowded and by night not exposed to noise, wholesome
and well fitted for a retired life? There is my pleasure-garden, the
bamboo grove Veluvana, fulfilling all these conditions. I shall
offer it to the brotherhood whose head is the Buddha."
The king dedicated his garden to the brotherhood, saying: "May the
Blessed One accept my gift." Then the Blessed One, having silently
shown his consent and having gladdened and edified the Magadha king
by religious discourse, rose from his seat and went away.
SARIPUTTA AND MOGGALLANA
-
AT that time Sariputta and Moggallana, two Brahmans and chiefs of
the followers of Sanjaya, led a religious life. They had promised
each other: "He who first attains Nirvana shall tell the other one."
Sariputta seeing the venerable Assaji begging for alms, modestly
keeping his eyes to the ground and dignified in deportment,
exclaimed: "Truly this samana has entered the right path; I will ask
him in whose name he has retired from the world and what doctrine he
professes." Being addressed by Sariputta, Assaji replied: "I am a
follower of the Buddha, the Blessed One, but being a novice I can
tell you the substance only of the doctrine."
Said Sariputta: "Tell me, venerable monk; it is the substance I
want." And Assaji recited the stanza:
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"Nothing we seek to touch or see
Can represent Eternity.
They spoil and die: then let us find
Eternal Truth within the mind."
-
Having heard this stanza, Sariputta obtained the pure and spotless
eye of truth and said: "Now I see clearly, whatsoever is subject to
origination is also subject to cessation. If this be the doctrine I
have reached the state to enter Nirvana which heretofore has
remained hidden from me." Sariputta went to Moggallana and told him,
and both said: "We will go to the Blessed One, that he, the Blessed
One, may be our teacher."
When the Buddha saw Sariputta and Moggallana coming from afar, he
said to his disciples, "These two monks are highly auspicious." When
the two friends had taken refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the
Sangha, the Holy One said to his other disciples: "Sariputta, like
the first-born son of a world-ruling monarch, is well able to assist
the king as his chief follower to set the wheel of the law rolling."
Now the people were annoyed. Seeing that many distinguished young
men of the kingdom of Magadha led a religious life under the
direction of the Blessed One, they became angry and murmured: "Gotama
Sakyamuni induces fathers to leave their wives and causes families
to become extinct." When they saw the bhikkhus, they reviled them,
saying: "The great Sakyamuni has come to Rajagaha subduing the minds
of men. Who will be the next to be led astray by him?"
The bhikkhus told it to the Blessed One, and the Blessed One said:
"This murmuring, O bhikkhus, will not last long. It will last seven
days. If they revile you, answer them with these words: 'It is by
preaching the truth that Tathagatas lead men. Who will murmur at the
wise? Who will blame the virtuous? Who will condemn self-control,
righteousness, and kindness?" And the Blessed One proclaimed:
-
"Commit no wrong, do only good,
And let your heart be pure.
This is the doctrine Buddhas teach,
And this doctrine will endure."
ANATHAPINDIKA, THE MAN OF WEALTH
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AT this time there was Anathapindika, a man of unmeasured wealth,
visiting Rajagaha. Being of a charitable disposition, he was called
"the supporter of orphans and the friend of the poor." Hearing that
the Buddha had come into the world and was stopping in the bamboo
grove near the city, he set out on that very night to meet the
Blessed One.
And the Blessed One saw at once the sterling quality of
Anathapindika's heart and greeted him with words of religious
comfort. And they sat down together, and Anathapindika listened to
the sweetness of the truth preached by the Blessed One. And the
Buddha said: "The restless, busy nature of the world, this, I
declare, is at the root of pain. Attain that composure of mind which
is resting in the peace of immortality. Self is but a heap of
composite qualities, and its world is empty like a fantasy.
"Who is it that shapes our lives? Is it Isvara, a personal creator?
If Isvara be the maker, all living things should have silently to
submit to their maker's power. They would be like vessels formed by
the potter's hand; and if it were so, how would it be possible to
practice virtue? If the world had been made by Isvara there should be
no such thing as sorrow, or calamity, or evil; for both pure and
impure deeds must come from him. If not, there would be another cause
beside him, and he would not be self-existent. Thus, thou seest, the
thought of Isvara is overthrown.
"Again, it is said that the Absolute has created us. But that
which is absolute cannot be a cause. All things around us come from
a cause as the plant comes from the seed; but how can the Absolute
be the cause of all things alike? If it pervades them, then,
certainly, it does not make them.
"Again, it is said that Self is the maker. But if self is the
maker, why did it not make things pleasing? The causes of sorrow and
joy are real and touchable. How can they have been made by self?
"Again, if we adopt the argument that there is no maker, our fate
is such as it is, and there is no causation, what use would there be
in shaping our lives and adjusting means to an end? Therefore, we
argue that all things that exist are not without cause. However,
neither Isvara, nor the absolute, nor the self nor causeless chance,
is the maker, but our deeds produce results both good and evil
according to the law of causation.
"Let us, then, abandon the heresy of worshiping Isvara and of
praying to him; let us no longer lose ourselves in vain speculations
or profitless subtleties; let us surrender self and all selfishness,
and as all things are fixed by causation, let us practice good so
that good may result from our actions."
And Anathapindika said: "I see that thou art the Buddha, the
Blessed One, the Tathagata, and I wish to open to thee my whole mind.
Having listened to my words advise me what I shall do. My life is
full of work, and having acquired great wealth, I am surrounded with
cares. Yet I enjoy my work, and apply myself to it with all
diligence. Many people are in my employ and depend upon the success
of my enterprises.
"Now, I have heard thy disciples praise the bliss of the hermit
and denounce the unrest of the world. 'The Holy One,' they say, 'has
given up his kingdom and his inheritance, and has found the path of
righteousness, thus setting an example to all the world how to
attain Nirvana.' My heart yearns to do what is right and to be a
blessing unto my fellows. Let me then ask thee, Must I give up my
wealth, my home, and my business enterprises, and, like thyself, go
into homelessness in order to attain the bliss of a religious life?"
And the Buddha replied: "The bliss of a religious life is
attainable by every one who walks in the noble eightfold path. He
that cleaves to wealth had better cast it away than allow his heart
to be poisoned by it; but he who does not cleave to wealth, and
possessing riches, uses them rightly, will be a blessing unto his
fellows. It is not life and wealth and power that enslave men, but
the cleaving to life and wealth and power. The bhikkhu who retires
from the world in order to lead a life of leisure will have no gain,
for a life of indolence is an abomination, and lack of energy is to
be despised. The Dharma of the Tathagata does not require a man to go
into homelessness or to resign the world, unless he feels called upon
to do so; but the Dharma of the Tathagata requires every man to free
himself from the illusion of self, to cleanse his heart, to give up
his thirst for pleasure, and lead a life of righteousness. And
whatever men do, whether they remain in the world as artisans,
merchants, and officers of the king, or retire from the world and
devote themselves to a life of religious meditation, let them put
their whole heart into their task; let them be diligent and
energetic, and, if they are like the lotus, which, although it grows
in the water, yet remains untouched by the water, if they struggle in
life without cherishing envy or hatred, if they live in the world not
a life of self but a life of truth, then surely joy, peace, and bliss
will dwell in their minds."
THE SERMON ON CHARITY
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ANATHAPINDIKA rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One and said: "I
dwell at Savatthi, the capital of Kosala, a land rich in produce and
enjoying peace. Pasenadi is the king of the country, and his name is
renowned among our own people and our neighbors. Now I wish to found
there a vihara which shall be a place of religious devotion for your
brotherhood, and I pray you kindly to accept it."
The Buddha saw into the heart of the supporter of orphans; and
knowing that unselfish charity was the moving cause of his offer, in
acceptance of the gift, the Blessed One said: "The charitable man is
loved by all; his friendship is prized highly; in death his heart is
at rest and full of joy, for he suffers not from repentance; he
receives the opening flower of his reward and the fruit that ripens
from it. Hard it is to understand: By giving away our food, we get
more strength, by bestowing clothing on others, we gain more beauty;
by donating abodes of purity and truth, we acquire great treasures.
"There is a proper time and a proper mode in charity; just as the
vigorous warrior goes to battle, so is the man who is able to give.
He is like an able warrior a champion strong and wise in action.
Loving and compassionate he gives with reverence and banishes all
hatred, envy, and anger.
"The charitable man has found the path of salvation. He is like
the man who plants a sapling, securing thereby the shade, the
flowers, and the fruit in future years. Even so is the result of
charity, even so is the joy of him who helps those that are in need
of assistance; even so is the great Nirvana. We reach the immortal
path only by continuous acts of kindliness and we perfect our souls
by compassion and charity."
Anathapindika invited Sariputta to accompany him on his return to
Kosala and help him in selecting a pleasant site for the vihara.
JETAVANA, THE VIHARA
-
ANATHAPINDIKA, the friend of the destitute and the supporter of
orphans, having returned home, saw the garden of the heir-apparent,
Jeta, with its green groves and limpid rivulets, and thought: "This
is the place which will be most suitable as a vihara for the
brotherhood of the Blessed One." And he went to the prince and asked
leave to buy the ground. The prince was not inclined to sell the
garden, for he valued it highly. He at first refused but said at
last, "If thou canst cover it with gold, then, and for no other
price, shalt thou have it." Anathapindika rejoiced and began to
spread his gold; but Jeta said: "Spare thyself the trouble, for I
will not sell." But Anathapindika insisted. Thus they contended until
they resorted to the magistrate.
Meanwhile the people began to talk of the unwonted proceeding, and
the prince, hearing more of the details and knowing that
Anathapindika was not only very wealthy but also straightforward and
sincere, inquired into his plans. On hearing the name of the Buddha,
the prince became anxious to share in the foundation and he accepted
only one-half of the gold, saying: "Yours is the land, but mine are
the trees. I will give the trees as my share of this offering to the
Buddha."
Then Anathapindika took the land and Jeta the trees, and they
placed them in trust of Sariputta for the Buddha. After the
foundations were laid, they began to build the hall which rose
loftily in due proportions according to the directions which the
Buddha had suggested; and it was beautifully decorated with
appropriate carvings. This vihara was called Jetavana, and the friend
of the orphans invited the Lord to come to Savatthi and receive the
donation. And the Blessed One left Kapilavatthu and came to Savatthi.
While the Blessed One was entering Jetavana, Anathapindika
scattered flowers and burned incense, and as a sign of the gift he
poured water from a golden dragon decanter, saying, "This Jetavana
vihara I give for the use of the brotherhood throughout the world."
The Blessed One received the gift and replied: "May all evil
influences be overcome; may the offering promote the kingdom of
righteousness and be a permanent blessing to mankind in general, to
the land of Kosala, and especially also to the giver."
Then the king Pasenadi, hearing that the Lord had come, went in
his royal equipage to the Jetavana vihara and saluted the Blessed
One with clasped hands, saying: "'Blessed is my unworthy and obscure
kingdom that it has met with so great a fortune. For how can
calamities and dangers befall it in the presence of the Lord of the
world, the Dharmaraja, the King of Truth. Now that I have seen thy
sacred countenance, let me partake of the refreshing waters of thy
teachings. Worldly profit is fleeting and perishable, but religious
profit is eternal and inexhaustible. A worldly man, though a king,
is full of trouble, but even a common man who is holy has peace of
mind."
Knowing the tendency of the king's heart, weighed down by avarice
and love of pleasure, the Buddha seized the opportunity and said:
"Even those who, by their evil karma, have been born in low degree,
when they see a virtuous man, feel reverence for him. How much more
must an independent king, on account of merits acquired in previous
existences, when meeting a Buddha, conceive reverence for him. And
now as I briefly expound the law, let the Maharaja listen and weigh
my words, and hold fast that which I deliver!
"Our good or evil deeds follow us continually like shadows. That
which is most needed is a loving heart! Regard thy people as men do
an only son. Do not oppress them, do not destroy them; keep in due
check every member of thy body, forsake unrighteous doctrine and
walk in the straight path. Exalt not thyself by trampling down
others, but comfort and befriend the suffering. Neither ponder on
kingly dignity, nor listen to the smooth words of flatterers.
There is no profit in vexing oneself by austerities, but meditate
on the Buddha and weigh his righteous law. We are encompassed on all
sides by the rocks of birth, old age, disease, and death, and only
by considering and practicing the true law can we escape from this
sorrow-piled mountain. What profit, then, in practicing iniquity?
"All who are wise spurn the pleasures of the body. They loathe
lust and seek to promote their spiritual existence. When a tree is
burning with fierce flames, how can the birds congregate therein?
Truth cannot dwell where passion lives. He who does not know this,
though he be a learned man and be praised by others as a sage, is
beclouded with ignorance. To him who has this knowledge true wisdom
dawns, and he will beware of hankering after pleasure. To acquire
this state of mind, wisdom is the one thing needful. To neglect
wisdom will lead to failure in life. The teachings of all religions
should center here, for without wisdom there is no reason.
"This truth is not for the hermit alone; it concerns every human
being, priest and layman alike. There is no distinction between the
monk who has taken the vows, and the man of the world living with
his family. There are hermits who fall into perdition, and there are
humble householders who mount to the rank of rishis. Hankering after
pleasure is a danger common to all; it carries away the world. He
who is involved in its eddies finds no escape. But wisdom is the
handy boat, reflection is the rudder. The slogan of religion calls
you to overcome the assaults of Mara, the enemy.
"Since it is impossible to escape the result of our deeds, let us
practice good works. Let us guard our thoughts that we do no evil,
for as we sow so shall we reap. There are ways from light into
darkness and from darkness into light. There are ways, also, from the
gloom into deeper darkness, and from the dawn into brighter light.
The wise man will use the light he has to receive more light. He will
constantly advance in the knowledge of truth.
"Exhibit true superiority by virtuous conduct and the exercise of
reason; meditate deeply on the vanity of earthly things, and
understand the fickleness of life. Elevate the mind, and seek
sincere faith with firm purpose; transgress not the rules of kingly
conduct, and let your happiness depend, not upon external things,
but upon your own mind. Thus you will lay up a good name for distant
ages and will secure the favor of the Tathagata."
The king listened with reverence and remembered all the words of
the Buddha in his heart.
THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS AND THE UNCREATE
-
WHEN the Buddha was staying at the Veluvana, the bamboo grove at
Rajagaha, he addressed the brethren thus: "Whether Buddhas arise, O
priests, or whether Buddhas do not arise, it remains a fact and the
fixed and necessary constitution of being that all conformations are
transitory. This fact a Buddha discovers and masters, and when he
has discovered and mastered it, he announces, publishes, proclaims,
discloses, minutely explains and makes it clear that all
conformations are transitory.
"Whether Buddhas arise, O priests, or whether Buddhas do not arise,
it remains a fact and a fixed and necessary constitution of being,
that all conformations are suffering. This fact a Buddha discovers
and masters, an |
