The Gospel of Buddha Part 37

When the Master had ended this teaching, he declared the truths, and identified the births, saying: "At that time the mischievous monkeys were the wicked relatives of the good man, the rogue elephant was the one who will punish them, but the virtuous n.o.ble elephant was the Tathagata himself in a former incarnation." 12

After this discourse one of the brethren rose and asked leave to propose a question and when permission was granted he said: "I have heard the doctrine that wrong should be met with wrong and the evil doer should be checked by being made to suffer, for if this were not done evil would increase and good would disappear.

What shall we do?" 13

Said the Blessed One: "Nay, I will tell you: Ye who have left the world and have adopted this glorious faith of putting aside selfishness, ye shall not do evil for evil nor return hate for hate. Nor do ye think that ye can destroy wrong by retaliating evil for evil and thus increasing wrong. Leave the wicked to their fate and their evil deeds will sooner or later in one way or another bring on their own punishment." And the Tathagata repeated these stanzas: 14

"Who harmeth him that doth no harm And striketh him that striketh not, Shall gravest punishment incur The which his wickedness begot,-- 15

"Some of the greatest ills in life Either a loathsome dread disease, Or dread old age, or loss of mind, Or wretched pain without surcease, 16

"Or conflagration, loss of wealth; Or of his nearest kin he shall See some one die that's dear to him, And then he'll be reborn in h.e.l.l." 17

THE LAST DAYS.

Lx.x.xVIII.

THE CONDITIONS OF WELFARE.

When the Blessed One was residing on the mount called Vulture's Peak, near Rajagaha, Ajatasattu the king of Magadha, who reigned in the place of Bimbisara, planned an attack on the Vajjis, and he said to Va.s.sakara, his prime minister: "I will root out the Vajjis, mighty though they be. I will destroy the Vajjis; I will bring them to utter ruin! Come now, O Brahman, and go to the Blessed One; inquire in my name for his health, and tell him my purpose. Bear carefully in mind what the Blessed One may say, and repeat it to me, for the Buddhas speak nothing untrue." 1

When Va.s.sakara, the prime minister, had greeted the Blessed One and delivered his message, the venerable Ananda stood behind the Blessed One and fanned him, and the Blessed One said to him: "Hast thou heard, Ananda, that the Vajjis hold full and frequent public a.s.semblies?" 2

"Lord, so I have heard," replied he. 3

"So long, Ananda," said the Blessed One, "as the Vajjis hold these full and frequent public a.s.semblies, they may be expected not to decline, but to prosper. So long as they meet together in concord, so long as they honor their elders, so long as they respect womanhood, so long as they remain religious, performing all proper rites, so long as they extend the rightful protection, defence and support to the holy ones, the Vajjis may be expected not to decline, but to prosper." 4

Then the Blessed One addressed Va.s.sakara and said: "When I stayed, O Brahman, at Vesali, I taught the Vajjis these conditions of welfare, that so long as they should remain well instructed, so long as they will continue in the right path, so long as they live up to the precepts of righteousness, we could expect them not to decline, but to prosper." 5

As soon as the king's messenger had gone, the Blessed One had the brethren, that were in the neighborhood of Rajagaha, a.s.sembled in the service-hall, and addressed them, saying: 6

"I will teach you, O bhikkhus, the conditions of the welfare of a community. Listen well, and I will speak. 7

"So lone, O bhikkhus, as the brethren hold full and frequent a.s.semblies, meeting in concord, rising in concord, and attending in concord to the affairs of the Sangha; so long as they, O bhikkhus, do not abrogate that which experience has proved to be good, and introduce nothing except such things as have been carefully tested; so long as their elders practise justice; so long as the brethren esteem, revere, and support their elders, and hearken unto their words; so long as the brethren are not under the influence of craving, but delight in the blessings of religion, so that good and holy men shall come to them and dwell among them in quiet; so long as the brethren shall not be addicted to sloth and idleness; so long as the brethren shall exercise themselves in the sevenfold higher wisdom of mental activity, search after truth, energy, joy, modesty, self-control, earnest contemplation, and equanimity of mind,--so long the Sangha may be expected not to decline, but to prosper. 8

"Therefore, O bhikkhus, be full of faith, modest in heart, afraid of sin, anxious to learn, strong in energy, active in mind, and full of wisdom." 9

Lx.x.xIX.

SARIPUTTA'S FAITH.

The Blessed One proceeded with a great company of the brethren to Nalanda; and there he stayed in a mango grove. 1

Now the venerable Sariputta came to the place where the Blessed One was, and having saluted him, took his seat respectfully at his side, and said: "Lord! such faith have I in the Blessed One, that methinks there never has been, nor will there be, nor is there now any other, who is greater or wiser than the Blessed One, that is to say, as regards the higher wisdom." 2

Replied the Blessed One: "Grand and bold are the words of thy mouth, Sariputta: verily, thou hast burst forth into a song of ecstasy! Surely then thou hast known all the Blessed Ones who in the long ages of the past have been holy Buddhas?" 3

"Not so, O Lord!" said Sariputta. 4

And the Lord continued: "Then thou hast perceived all the Blessed Ones who in the long ages of the future shall be holy Buddhas?" 5

"Not so, O Lord!" 6

"But at least then, O Sariputta, thou knowest me as the holy Buddha now alive, and hast penetrated my mind." 7

"Not even that, O Lord!" 8

"Thou seest then, Sariputta, that thou knowest not the hearts of the holy Buddhas of the past nor the hearts of those of the future. Why, therefore, are thy words so grand and bold? Why burstest thou forth into such a song of ecstasy?" 9

"O Lord! I have not the knowledge of the hearts of all the Buddhas that have been and are to come, and now are. I only know the lineage of the faith. Just as a king, Lord, might have a border city, strong in its foundations, strong in its ramparts and with one gate only; and the king might have a watchman there, clever, expert, and wise, to stop all strangers and admit only friends. And on going over the approaches all about the city, he might not be able so to observe all the joints and crevices in the ramparts of that city as to know where such a small creature as a cat could get out. That might well be. Yet all living beings of larger size that entered or left the city, would have to pa.s.s through that gate. Thus only is it, Lord, that I know the lineage of the faith. I know that the holy Buddhas of the past, putting away all l.u.s.t, ill-will, sloth, pride, and doubt, knowing all those mental faults which make men weak, training their minds in the four kinds of mental activity, thoroughly exercising themselves in the sevenfold higher wisdom, received the full fruition of Enlightenment. And I know that the holy Buddhas of the times to come will do the same. And I know that the Blessed One, the holy Buddha of to-day, has done so now." 10

"Great is thy faith, O Sariputta," replied the Blessed One, "but take heed that it be well grounded." 11

XC.

PATALIPUTTA.

When the Blessed One had stayed as long as convenient at Nalanda, he went to Pataliputta, the frontier town of Magadha; and when the disciples at Pataliputta heard of his arrival, they invited him to their village rest-house. And the Blessed One robed himself, took his bowl and went with the brethren to the rest-house. There he washed his feet, entered the hall, and seated himself against the center pillar, with his face towards the east. The brethren, also, having washed their feet, entered the hall, and took their seats round the Blessed One, against the western wall, facing the east. And the lay devotees of Pataliputta, having also washed their feet, entered the hall, and took their seats opposite the Blessed One, against the eastern wall, facing towards the west. 1

Then the Blessed One addressed the lay-disciples of Pataliputta, and he said: 2

"Fivefold, O householders, is the loss of the wrong-doer through his want of rect.i.tude. In the first place, the wrong-doer, devoid of rect.i.tude, falls into great poverty through sloth; in the next place, his evil repute gets noised abroad; thirdly, whatever society he enters, whether of Brahmans, n.o.bles, heads of houses, or samanas, he enters shyly and confusedly; fourthly, he is full of anxiety when he dies; and lastly, on the dissolution of the body after death, his mind remains in an unhappy state. Wherever his karma continues, there will be suffering and woe. This, O householders, is the fivefold loss of the evil-doer! 3

"Fivefold, O householders, is the gain of the well-doer through his practice of rect.i.tude. In the first place the well-doer, strong in rect.i.tude, acquires property through his industry; in the next place, good reports of him are spread abroad; thirdly, whatever society he enters, whether of n.o.bles, Brahmans, heads of houses, or members of the order, he enters with confidence and self-possession; fourthly, he dies without anxiety; and, lastly, on the dissolution of the body after death, his mind remains in a happy state. Wherever his karma continues, there will be heavenly bliss and peace. This, O householders, is the fivefold gain of the well-doer." 4

When the Blessed One had taught the disciples, and incited them, and roused them, and gladdened them far into the night with religious edification, he dismissed them, saying, "The night is far spent, O householders. It is time for you to do what ye deem most fit." 5

"Be it so, Lord!" answered the disciples of Pataliputta, and rising from their seats, they bowed to the Blessed One, and keeping him on their right hand as they pa.s.sed him, they departed thence. 6

While the Blessed One stayed at Pataliputta, the king of Magadha sent a messenger to the governor of Pataliputta to raise fortifications for the security of the town. 7

And the Blessed One seeing the laborers at work predicted the future greatness of the place, saying: "The men who build the fortress act as if they had consulted higher powers. For this city of Pataliputta will be a dwelling-place of busy men and a center for the exchange of all kinds of goods. But three dangers hang over Pataliputta, that of fire, that of water, that of dissension." 8

When the governor heard of the prophecy of Pataliputta's future, he greatly rejoiced and named the city-gate through which the Buddha had gone towards the river Ganges, "The Gotama Gate." 9

Meanwhile the people living on the banks of the Ganges arrived in great numbers to pay reverence to the Lord of the world; and many persons asked him to do them the honor to cross over in their boats. But the Blessed One considering the number of the boats and their beauty did not want to show any partiality, and by accepting the invitation of one to offend all the others. He therefore crossed the river without any boat, signifying thereby that the rafts of asceticism and the gaudy gondolas of religious ceremonies were not staunch enough to weather the storms of Samsara, while the Tathagata can walk dry-shod over the ocean of worldliness. 10