The Gospel of Buddha
The Gospel of BuddhaPREFACE.INTRODUCTION.I. REJOICE!II.III.PRINCE SIDDHATTHA BECOMES BUDDHAIV.V.VI.VII.VIII.IX.X.XI.XII.XIII.XIV.THE FOUNDATION OF THE KINGDOM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.XV.XVI.XVII.XVIII.XIX.XX.XXI.XXII.XXIII.XXIV.XXV.XXVI.XXVII.XXVIII.XXIX.CONSOLIDATION OF THE BUDDHA'S RELIGION.XXX.XXXI.XXXII.XXXIII.XXXIV.XXXV.XXXVI.XXXVII.XXXVIII.XXXIX.XL.XLI.XLII.XLIII.XLIV.XLV.XLVI.XLVII.THE TEACHER.XLVIII.XLIX.L.LI.LII.LIII.LIV.LV.LVI.LVII.LVIII.LIX.LX.LXI.PARABLES AND STORIES.LXII.LXIII.LXIV.LXV.LXVI.LXVIILXVIII.LXIX.LXX.LXXI.LXXII.LXXIII.LXXIV.LXXV.LXXVI.LXXVII.LXXVIII.LXXIX.LXXX.LXXXI.LXXXII.LXXXIII.LXXXIV.LXXXV.LXXXVI.LXXXVII.THE LAST DAYS.LXXXVIII.LXXXIX.XC.XCI.XCII.XCIII.XCIV.XCV.XCVI.XCVII.CONCLUSION.XCVIII.XCIX.C.Copyright
The Gospel of Buddha
Paul Carus
PREFACE.
This booklet needs no preface for those who are familiar with
the sacred books of Buddhism, which have been made accessible to
the Western world by the indefatigable zeal and industry of
scholars like Beal, Bigandet, Bühler, Burnouf, Childers, Alexander
Csoma, Rhys Davids, Dutoit, Eitel, Fausböll, Foucaux, Francke,
Edmund Hardy, Spence Hardy, Hodgson, Charles R. Lanman, F. Max
Müller, Karl Eugen Neumann, Oldenberg, Pischel, Schiefner, Senart,
Seidenstücker, Bhikkhu Nyānatiloka, D.M. Strong, Henry Clarke
Warren, Wassiljew, Weber, Windisch, Winternitz &c. To those not
familiar with the subject it may be stated that the bulk of its
contents is derived from the old Buddhist canon. Many passages, and
indeed the most important ones, are literally copied in
translations from the original texts. Some are rendered rather
freely in order to make them intelligible to the present
generation; others have been rearranged; and still others are
abbreviated. Besides the three introductory and the three
concluding chapters there are only a few purely original additions,
which, however, are neither mere literary embellishments nor
deviations from Buddhist doctrines. Wherever the compiler has
admitted modernization he has done so with due consideration and
always in the spirit of a legitimate development. Additions and
modifications contain nothing but ideas for which prototypes can be
found somewhere among the traditions of Buddhism, and have been
introduced as elucidations of its main principles.The best evidence that this book characterizes the spirit of
Buddhism correctly can be found in the welcome it has received
throughout the entire Buddhist world. It has even been officially
introduced in Buddhist schools and temples of Japan and Ceylon.
Soon after the appearance of the first edition of 1894 the Right
Rev. Shaku Soyen, a prominent Buddhist abbot of Kamakura, Japan,
had a Japanese translation made by Teitaro Suzuki, and soon
afterwards a Chinese version was made by Mr. Ohara of Otzu, the
talented editor of a Buddhist periodical, who in the meantime has
unfortunately met with a premature death. In 1895 the Open Court
Publishing Company brought out a German edition by E.F.L. Gauss,
and Dr. L. de Milloué, the curator of the Musée Guimet, of Paris,
followed with a French translation. Dr. Federigo Rodriguez has
translated the book into Spanish and Felix Orth into Dutch. The
privilege of translating the book into Russian, Czechic, Italian,
also into Siamese and other Oriental tongues has been granted, but
of these latter the publishers have received only a version in the
Urdu language, a dialect of eastern India.Buddhism, like Christianity, is split up into innumerable
sects, and these sects not infrequently cling to their sectarian
tenets as being the main and most indispensable features of their
religion. The present book follows none of the sectarian doctrines,
but takes an ideal position upon which all true Buddhists may stand
as upon common ground. Thus the arrangement into a harmonious and
systematic form is the main original feature of this Gospel of
Buddha. Considering the bulk of the various details of the Buddhist
canon, however, it must be regarded as a mere compilation, and the
aim of the compiler has been to treat his material in about the
same way as he thinks that the author of the Fourth Gospel of the
New Testament utilized the accounts of the life of Jesus of
Nazareth. He has ventured to present the data of the Buddha's life
in the light of their religio-philosophical importance; he has cut
out most of their apocryphal adornments, especially those in which
the Northern traditions abound, yet he did not deem it wise to
shrink from preserving the marvellous that appears in the old
records, whenever its moral seemed to justify its mention; he only
pruned away the exuberance of wonder which delights in relating the
most incredible things, apparently put on to impress while in fact
they can only tire. Miracles have ceased to be a religious test;
yet the belief in the miraculous powers of the Master still bears
witness to the holy awe of the first disciples and reflects their
religious enthusiasm.Lest the fundamental idea of the Buddha's doctrines be
misunderstood, the reader is warned to take the term "self" in the
sense in which the Buddha uses it. The "self" of man translates the
wordātmanwhich can be and has
been understood, even in the Buddhist canon, in a sense to which
the Buddha would never have made any objection. The Buddha denies
the existence of a "self" as it was commonly understood in his
time; he does not deny man's mentality, his spiritual constitution,
the importance of his personality, in a word, his soul. But he does
deny the mysterious ego-entity, theātman, in the sense of a kind of
soul-monad which by some schools was supposed to reside behind or
within man's bodily and psychical activity as a distinct being, a
kind of thing-in-itself, and a metaphysical agent assumed to be the
soul.Buddhism is monistic. It claims that man's soul does
not consist of two things, of anātman(self) and of amanas(mind or thoughts), but that there is one reality, our
thoughts, our mind ormanas,
and thismanasconstitutes the
soul. Man's thoughts, if anything, are his self, and there is
noātman, no additional and
separate "self" besides. Accordingly, the translation ofātmanby "soul", which would imply that
the Buddha denied the existence of the soul, is extremely
misleading.Representative Buddhists, of different schools and of various
countries, acknowledge the correctness of the view here taken, and
we emphasize especially the assent of Southern Buddhists because
they have preserved the tradition most faithfully and are very
punctilious in the statement of doctrinal points."The Buddhist, the
Organ of the Southern Church of Buddhism," writes in a review
ofThe Gospel of Buddha:"The eminent feature of the work is its grasp of the
difficult subject and the clear enunciation of the doctrine of the
most puzzling problem ofātman,
as taught in Buddhism. So far as we have examined the question
ofātmanourselves from the
works of the Southern canon, the view taken by Dr. Paul Cams is
accurate, and we venture to think that it is not opposed to the
doctrine of Northern Buddhism."Thisātman-superstition, so common not only in India, but all over the
world, corresponds to man's habitual egotism in practical life.
Both are illusions growing out of the same root, which is the
vanity of worldliness, inducing man to believe that the purpose of
his life lies in his self. The Buddha proposes to cut off entirely
all thought of self, so that it will no longer bear fruit. Thus
Nirvāna is an ideal state, in which man's soul, after being
cleansed from all selfishness, hatred and lust, has become a
habitation of the truth, teaching him to distrust the allurements
of pleasure and to confine all his energies to attending to the
duties of life.The Buddha's doctrine is not negativism. An
investigation of the nature of man's soul shows that, while there
is noātmanor ego-entity, the
very being of man consists in his karma, his deeds, and his karma
remains untouched by death and continues to live. Thus, by denying
the existence of that which appears to be our soul and for the
destruction of which in death we tremble, the Buddha actually opens
(as he expresses it himself) the door of immortality to mankind;
and here lies the corner-stone of his ethics and also of the
comfort as well as the enthusiasm which his religion imparts. Any
one who does not see the positive aspect of Buddhism, will be
unable to understand how it could exercise such a powerful
influence upon millions and millions of people.The present volume is not designed to contribute to the
solution of historical problems. The compiler has studied his
subject as well as he could under the circumstances, but he does
not intend here to offer a scientific production. Nor is this book
an attempt at popularizing the Buddhist religious writings, nor at
presenting them in a poetic shape. If thisGospel
of Buddhahelps people to comprehend Buddhism
better, and if in its simple style it impresses the reader with the
poetic grandeur of the Buddha's personality, these effects must be
counted as incidental; its main purpose lies deeper still. The
present book has been written to set the reader thinking on the
religious problems of to-day. It sketches the picture of a
religious leader of the remote past with the view of making it bear
upon the living present and become a factor in the formation of the
future.It is a remarkable fact that the two greatest religions of
the world, Christianity and Buddhism, present so many striking
coincidences in the philosophical basis as well as in the ethical
applications of their faith, while their modes of systematizing
them in dogmas are radically different; and it is difficult to
understand why these agreements should have caused animosity,
instead of creating sentiments of friendship and good-will. Why
should not Christians say with Prof. F. Max Müller: "If I do find
in certain Buddhist works doctrines identically the same as in
Christianity, so far from being frightened, I feel delighted, for
surely truth is not the less true because it is believed by the
majority of the human race."The main trouble arises from a wrong conception of
Christianity. There are many Christians who assume that
Christianity alone is in the possession of truth and that man could
not, in the natural way of his moral evolution, have obtained that
nobler conception of life which enjoins the practice of a universal
good-will towards both friends and enemies. This narrow view of
Christianity is refuted by the mere existence of
Buddhism.Must we add that the lamentable exclusiveness that prevails
in many Christian churches, is not based upon Scriptural teachings,
but upon a wrong metaphysics?All the essential moral truths of Christianity, especially
the principle of a universal love, of the eradication of hatred,
are in our opinion deeply rooted in the nature of things, and do
not, as is often assumed, stand in contradiction to the cosmic
order of the world. Further, some doctrines of the constitution of
existence have been formulated by the church in certain symbols,
and since these symbols contain contradictions and come in conflict
with science, the educated classes are estranged from religion.
Now, Buddhism is a religion which knows of no supernatural
revelation, and proclaims doctrines that require no other argument
than the "come and see." The Buddha bases his religion solely upon
man's knowledge of the nature of things, upon provable truth. Thus,
we trust that a comparison of Christianity with Buddhism will be a
great help to distinguish in both religions the essential from the
accidental, the eternal from the transient, the truth from the
allegory in which it has found its symbolic expression. We are
anxious to press the necessity of discriminating between the symbol
and its meaning, between dogma and religion, between metaphysical
theories and statements of fact, between man-made formulas and
eternal truth. And this is the spirit in which we offer this book
to the public, cherishing the hope that it will help to develop in
Christianity not less than in Buddhism the cosmic religion of
truth.The strength as well as the weakness of original Buddhism
lies in its philosophical character, which enabled a thinker, but
not the masses, to understand the dispensation of the moral law
that pervades the world. As such, the original Buddhism has been
called by Buddhists the little vessel of salvation, or Hīnayāna;
for it is comparable to a small boat on which a man may cross the
stream of worldliness, so as to reach the shore of Nirvāna.
Following the spirit of a missionary propaganda, so natural to
religious men who are earnest in their convictions, later Buddhists
popularized the Buddha's doctrines and made them accessible to the
multitudes. It is true that they admitted many mythical and even
fantastic notions, but they succeeded nevertheless in bringing its
moral truths home to the people who could but incompletely grasp
the philosophical meaning of the Buddha's religion. They
constructed, as they called it, a large vessel of salvation, the
Mahāyāna, in which the multitudes would find room and could be
safely carried over. Although the Mahāyāna unquestionably has its
shortcomings, it must not be condemned offhand, for it serves its
purpose. Without regarding it as the final stage of the religious
development of the nations among which it prevails, we must concede
that it resulted from an adaptation to their condition and has
accomplished much to educate them. The Mahāyāna is a step forward
in so far as it changes a philosophy into a religion, and attempts
to preach doctrines that were negatively expressed, in positive
propositions.Far from rejecting the religious zeal which gave rise to the
Māhāyana in Buddhism, we can still less join those who denounce
Christianity on account of its dogmatology and mythological
ingredients. Christianity has certainly had and still has a great
mission in the evolution of mankind. It has succeeded in imbuing
with the religion of charity and mercy the most powerful nations of
the world, to whose spiritual needs it is especially adapted. It
extends the blessings of universal good-will with the least
possible amount of antagonism to the natural selfishness that is so
strongly developed in the Western races. Christianity is the
religion of love made easy. This is its advantage, which, however,
is not without its drawbacks. Christianity teaches charity without
dispelling the ego-illusion; and in this sense it surpasses even
the Māhāyana: it is still more adapted to the needs of multitudes
than a large vessel fitted to carry over those who embark on it: it
is comparable to a grand bridge, a Mahāsetu, on which a child who
has no comprehension as yet of the nature of self can cross the
stream of self-hood and worldly vanity.A comparison of the many striking agreements between
Christianity and Buddhism may prove fatal to sectarian conceptions
of either religion, but will in the end help to mature our insight
into the true significance of both. It will bring out a nobler
faith which aspires to be the cosmic religion of universal
truth.Let us hope that this Gospel of Buddha will serve both
Buddhists and Christians as a help to penetrate further into the
spirit of their faith, so as to see its full height, length and
breadth.Above any Hīnayāna, Mahāyāna, and Mahāsetu is the Religion of
Truth.Paul Carus.
INTRODUCTION.
I. 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.
1The Buddha dispels the illusions of our mind and redeems us
from the terror of death. 2The 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. 3Ye that suffer from the tribulations of life, ye that have to
struggle and endure, ye that yearn for a life of truth, rejoice at
the glad tidings! 4There 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. 5Heal your wounds, ye wounded, and eat your fill, ye hungry.
Rest, ye weary, and ye who are thirsty quench your thirst. Look up
to the light, ye that sit in darkness; be full of good cheer, ye
that are forlorn. 6Trust in truth, ye that 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. 7The Buddha, our Lord, has revealed the truth. 8The 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. 9Rejoice at the glad tidings! 10
II.
SAMSĀRA AND NIRVĀNA.Look about and contemplate life! 1Everything is transient and nothing endures. There is birth
and death, growth and decay; there is combination and separation.
2The glory of the world is like a flower: it stands in full
bloom in the morning and fades in the heat of the day.
3Wherever 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 Samsāra.
4Is 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?5Oh, that we could have cessation of anxiety, that our burning
desires would be extinguished! When shall the mind become tranquil
and composed? 6The 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. 7Ye who long for life, know that immortality is hidden in
transiency. Ye who wish for happiness without the sting of regret,
lead a life of righteousness. Ye who yearn for riches, receive
treasures that are eternal. Truth is wealth, and a life of truth is
happiness. 8All 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. 9Truth knows neither birth nor death; it has no beginning and
no end. Welcome the truth. The truth is the immortal part of mind.
10Establish 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.
11The 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. 12That 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.
13You 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. 14Learn 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.
15Self, 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. 16If 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. 17Yet ye love self and will not abandon self-love. So be it,
but then, verily, ye 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 Nirvāna;
and he who has entered Nirvāna has attained Buddhahood; he has
acquired the highest good; he has become eternal and immortal.
18All compound things shall be dissolved again, worlds will
break to pieces and our individualities will be scattered; but the
words of the Buddha will remain for ever. 19The extinction of self is salvation; the annihilation of self
is the condition of enlightenment; the blotting out of self is
Nirvāna. Happy is he who has ceased to live for pleasure and rests
in the truth. Verily his composure and tranquillity of mind are the
highest bliss. 20Let 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.21
III.
TRUTH THE SAVIOUR.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.
1But in the changing things there is a constancy of law, and
when the law is seen there is truth. The truth lies hidden in
Samsāra as the permanent in its changes. 2Truth desires to appear; truth longs to become conscious;
truth strives to know itself. 3There 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. 4There is truth in the plant and its life can expand; the
plant grows and blossoms and bears fruit. Its beauty is marvellous,
but it has no consciousness. 5There 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. 6The 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. 7Self begets selfishness. There is no evil but what flows from
self. There is no wrong but what is done by the assertion of self.
8Self is the beginning of all hatred, of iniquity and slander,
of impudence and indecency, of theft and robbery, of oppression and
bloodshed. Self is Māra, the tempter, the evil-doer, the creator of
mischief.9Self entices with pleasures. Self promises a fairy's
paradise. Self is the veil of Māyā, 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. 10Who shall deliver us from the power of self? Who shall save
us from misery? Who shall restore us to a life of blessedness?
11There is misery in the world of Samsāra; 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 Nirvāna.
12Blessed is he who has found the peace of Nirvāna. 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. 13Blessed 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 may die. The
essence of his being is purity and goodness. 14Blessed 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. 15The 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 saviour from evil and misery. The
Buddha has found the truth and the truth has been proclaimed by the
Buddha! Blessed be the Buddha!16
PRINCE SIDDHATTHA BECOMES BUDDHA
IV.
THE BODHISATTA'S BIRTHThere was in Kapliavatthu a Sakya king, strong of purpose and
reverenced by all men, a descendant of the Okkākas, who call
themselves Gotama, and his name was Suddhodana or Pure-Rice.
1His wife Māyā-devī 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. 2The 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. 3When 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. 4At Lumbinī there is a beautiful grove, and when Māyā-devī
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 Sāla 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 Brahmā
held out a golden net to receive the babe, who came forth from her
right side (like the rising sun, bright and perfect. 5The Brahmā-angels took the child and placing him before the
mother said: "Rejoice, O queen, a mighty son has been born unto
thee." 6At her couch stood an aged woman imploring the heavens to
bless the child. 7All 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. 8No 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. 9The cries of beasts were hushed; all malevolent beings
received a loving heart, and peace reigned on earth. Māra, the evil
one, alone was grieved and rejoiced not. 10The Nāga kings, earnestly desiring to show their reverence
for the most excellent law, as they had paid honor to former
Buddhas, now went to greet the Bodhisatta. They scattered before
him mandāra flowers, rejoicing with heartfelt joy to pay their
religious homage. 11The royal father, pondering the meaning of these signs, was
now full of joy and now sore distressed. 12The queen mother, beholding her child and the commotion which
his birth created, felt in her timorous heart the pangs of doubt.
13Now the re was at that time in a grove near Lumbinī 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. 14The 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?"
15But Asita's heart rejoiced, and, knowing the king's mind to
be perplexed, he addressed him, saying: 16"The king, like the moon when full, should feel great joy,
for he has begotten a wondrously noble son. 17"I do not worship Brahmā, but I worship this child; and the
gods in the temples will descend from their places of honor to
adore him. 18"Banish all anxiety and doubt. The spiritual omens manifested
indicate that the child now born will bring deliverance to the
whole world.19"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.
20"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.
21"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. 22"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 selfentwined meshes of folly and
ignorance. 23"The king of the law has come forth to rescue from bondage
all the poor, the miserable, the helpless." 24When 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." 25And the queen said to her sister, Pajāpatī: "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." 26And Pajāpatī wept and promised. 27When the queen had departed from the living, Pajāpatī 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.28When a year had passed Suddhodana the king made Pajāpatī his
queen and there was never a better stepmother than
she.29
V.
V.
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. 1
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." 2
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. 3
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. 4
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. 5
He replied to all the questions of the sages; but when he
questioned them, even the wisest among them were silenced. 6
Then Siddhattha chose himself a wife. He selected Yasodharā,
his cousin, the gentle daughter of the king of Koli. And Yasodharā
was betrothed to the prince. 7
In their wedlock was born a son whom they named Rāhula which
means "fetter" or "tie", and King Suddhodana, glad that an heir was
born to his son, said: 8
"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 sceptre of my descendants." 9
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. 10
VI.
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. 1
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. 2
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. 3
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. 4
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. 5
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." 6
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." 7
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!" 8
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. 9
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." 10
And Siddhattha was still more moved. All pleasures appeared
stale to him, and he loathed the joys of life. 11
The charioteer sped the horses on to escape the dreary sight,
when suddenly they were stopped in their fiery course. 12
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!" 13
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." 14
And the prince was full of awe and terror: "Is this the only
dead man," he asked, "or does the world contain other instances?"
15
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." 16
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." 17
The charioteer observing the deep impression these sad sights
had made on the prince, turned his horses and drove back to the
city. 18
When they passed by the palaces of the nobility, Kisā Gotamī,
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." 19
The prince hearing this greeting, said: "Happy are they that
have found deliverance. Longing for peace of mind, I shall seek the
bliss of Nirvāna." 20
Then asked Kisā Gotamī: "How is Nirvāna 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 Nirvāna is gained;
when the fires of hatred and delusion are gone out, then Nirvāna is
gained; when the troubles of mind, arising from blind credulity,
and all other evils have ceased, then Nirvāna is gained!"
Siddhattha handed her his precious pearl necklace as a reward for
the instruction she had given him, and having returned home looked
with disdain upon the treasures of his palace. 21
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." 22
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. 23
VII.
THE BODHISATTA'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.
1
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 tranquillity came
over him. 2
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. 3
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. 4
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." 5
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." 6
