The Light of Asia Part 11

To such commencement hath the First Stage touched; He knows the n.o.ble Truths, the Eightfold Road; By few or many steps such shall attain NIRVANA's blest abode.

Who standeth at the Second Stage, made free From doubts, delusions, and the inward strife, Lord of all l.u.s.ts, quit of the priests and books, Shall live but one more life.

Yet onward lies the Third Stage: purged and pure Hath grown the stately spirit here, hath risen To love all living things in perfect peace.

His life at end, life's prison

Is broken. Nay, there are who surely pa.s.s Living and visible to utmost goal By Fourth Stage of the Holy ones--the Buddhs-- And they of stainless soul.

Lo! like fierce foes slain by some warrior, Ten sins along these Stages lie in dust, The Love of Self, False Faith, and Doubt are three, Two more, Hatred and l.u.s.t.

Who of these Five is conqueror hath trod Three stages out of Four: yet there abide The Love of Life on earth, Desire for Heaven, Self-Praise, Error, and Pride.

As one who stands on yonder snowy horn Having nought o'er him but the boundless blue, So, these sins being slain, the man is come NIRVANA's verge unto.

Him the G.o.ds envy from their lower seats; Him the Three Worlds in ruin should not shake; All life is lived for him, all deaths are dead; Karma will no more make

New houses. Seeking nothing, he gains all; Foregoing self, the Universe grows "I": If any teach NIRVANA is to cease, Say unto such they lie.

If any teach NIRVANA is to live, Say unto such they err; not knowing this, Nor what light s.h.i.+nes beyond their broken lamps, Nor lifeless, timeless bliss.

Enter the Path! There is no grief like Hate!

No pains like pa.s.sions, no deceit like sense!

Enter the Path! far hath he gone whose foot Treads down one fond offence.

Enter the Path! There spring the healing streams Quenching all thirst! there bloom th' immortal flowers Carpeting all the way with joy! there throng, Swiftest and sweetest hours!

More is the treasure of the Law than gems; Sweeter than comb its sweetness; its delights Delightful past compare. Thereby to live Hear the Five Rules aright:--

Kill not--for Pity's sake--and lest ye slay The meanest thing upon its upward way.

Give freely and receive, but take from none By greed, or force, or fraud, what is his own.

Bear not false witness, slander not, nor lie; Truth is the speech of inward purity.

Shun drugs and drinks which work the wit abuse; Clear minds, clean bodies, need no soma juice.

Touch not thy neighbour's wife, neither commit Sins of the flesh unlawful and unfit.

These words the Master spake of duties due To father, mother, children, fellows, friends; Teaching how such as may not swiftly break The clinging chains of sense--whose feet are weak To tread the higher road--should order so This life of flesh that all their hither days Pa.s.s blameless in discharge of charities And first true footfalls in the Eightfold Path; Living pure, reverent, patient, pitiful, Loving all things which live even as themselves; Because what falls for ill is fruit of ill Wrought in the past, and what falls well of good; And that by howsomuch the householder Purgeth himself of self and helps the world, By so much happier comes he to next stage, In so much bettered being. This he spake, As also long before, when our Lord walked By Rajagriha in the Bamboo-Grove For on a dawn he walked there and beheld The householder Singala, newly bathed, Bowing himself with bare head to the earth, To Heaven, and all four quarters; while he threw Rice, red and white, from both hands. "Wherefore thus Bowest thou, Brother?" said the Lord; and he, "It is the way, Great Sir! our fathers taught At every dawn, before the toil begins, To hold off evil from the sky above And earth beneath, and all the winds which blow."

Then the World-honoured spake: "Scatter not rice, But offer loving thoughts and acts to all.

To parents as the East where rises light; To teachers as the South whence rich gifts come; To wife and children as the West where gleam Colours of love and calm, and all days end; To friends and kinsmen and all men as North; To humblest living things beneath, to Saints And Angels and the blessed Dead above So shall all evil be shut off, and so The six main quarters will be safely kept."

But to his own, them of the yellow robe They who, as wakened eagles, soar with scorn From life's low vale, and wing towards the Sun To these he taught the Ten Observances The Dasa-Sil, and how a mendicant Must know the Three Doors and the Triple Thoughts; The Sixfold States of Mind; the Fivefold Powers; The Eight High Gates of Purity; the Modes Of Understanding; Iddhi; Upeksha; The Five Great Meditations, which are food Sweeter than Amrit for the holy soul; The Jhana's and the Three Chief Refuges.

Also he taught his own how they should dwell; How live, free from the snares of love and wealth; What eat and drink and carry--three plain cloths, Yellow, of st.i.tched stuff, worn with shoulder bare A girdle, almsbowl, strainer. Thus he laid The great foundations of our Sangha well, That n.o.ble Order of the Yellow Robe Which to this day standeth to help the World.

So all that night he spake, teaching the Law And on no eyes fell sleep--for they who heard Rejoiced with tireless joy. Also the King, When this was finished, rose upon his throne And with bared feet bowed low before his Son Kissing his hem; and said, "Take me, O Son!

Lowest and least of all thy Company."

And sweet Yasodhara, all happy now,-- Cried "Give to Rahula--thou Blessed One!

The Treasure of the Kingdom of thy Word For his inheritance." Thus pa.s.sed these Three Into the Path.

Here endeth what I write Who love the Master for his love of us, A little knowing, little have I told Touching the Teacher and the Ways of Peace.

Forty-five rains thereafter showed he those In many lands and many tongues and gave Our Asia light, that still is beautiful, Conquering the world with spirit of strong grace All which is written in the holy Books, And where he pa.s.sed and what proud Emperors Carved his sweet words upon the rocks and caves: And how--in fulness of the times--it fell The Buddha died, the great Tathagato, Even as a man 'mongst men, fulfilling all And how a thousand thousand crores since then Have trod the Path which leads whither he went Unto NIRVANA where the Silence lives.

Ah! Blessed Lord! Oh, High Deliverer!

Forgive this feeble script, which doth thee wrong.

Measuring with little wit thy lofty love.

Ah! Lover! Brother! Guide! Lamp of the law!

I take my refuge in they name and thee!

I take my refuge in they order! OM!

The dew is on the lotus!--Rise, Great Sun!

And lift my leaf and mix me with the wave.

Om Mani Padme Hum, the sunrise comes!

The Dewdrop Slips Into The s.h.i.+ning Sea!

The End