The Gospel of Buddha Part 19

"Paradoxical though it may sound: There is a path to walk on, there is walking being done, but there is no traveler. There are deeds being done, but there is no doer. There is a blowing of the air, but there is no wind that does the blowing. The thought of self is an error and all existences are as hollow as the plantain tree and as empty as twirling water bubbles. 16

"Therefore, O bhikkhus, as there is no self, there is no transmigration of a self; but there are deeds and the continued effect of deeds. There is a rebirth of karma; there is reincarnation. This rebirth, this reincarnation, this reappearance of the conformations is continuous and depends on the law of cause and effect. Just as a seal is impressed upon the wax reproducing the configurations of its device, so the thoughts of men, their characters, their aspirations are impressed upon others in continuous transference and continue their karma, and good deeds will continue in blessings while bad deeds will continue in curses. 17

"There is no ent.i.ty here that migrates, no self is transferred from one place to another; but there is a voice uttered here and the echo of it comes back. The teacher p.r.o.nounces a stanza and the disciple who attentively listens to his teacher's instruction, repeats the stanza. Thus the stanza is reborn in the mind of the disciple. 18

"The body is a compound of perishable organs. It is subject to decay; and we should take care of it as of a wound or a sore; we should attend to its needs without being attached to it, or loving it. 19

"The body is like a machine, and there is no self in it that makes it walk or act, but the thoughts of it, as the windy elements, cause the machine to work. 20

"The body moves about like a cart. Therefore 'tis said: 21

"As ships are by the wind impelled, As arrows from their bowstrings speed, So likewise when the body moves The windy element must lead. 22

"Machines are geared to work by ropes; So too this body is, in fact, Directed by a mental pull Whene'er it stand or sit or act. 23

"No independent self is here That could intrinsic forces prove To make man act without a cause, To make him stand or walk or move. 24

"He only who utterly abandons all thought of the ego escapes the snares of the Evil One; he is out of the reach of Mara. 25

"Thus says the pleasure-promising tempter: 26

"So long as to the things Called 'mine' and 'I' and 'me'

Thine anxious heart still clings, My snares thou canst not flee." 27

"The faithful disciple replies: 28

"Naught's mine and naught of me, The self I do not mind!

Thus Mara, I tell thee, My path thou canst not find." 29

"Dismiss the error of the self and do not cling to possessions which are transient but perform deeds that are good, for deeds are enduring and in deeds your karma continues. 30

"Since then, O bhikkhus, there is no self, there can not be any after life of a self. Therefore abandon all thought of self. But since there are deeds and since deeds continue, be careful with your deeds. 31

"All beings have karma as their portion: they are heirs of their karma; they are sprung from their karma; their karma is their kinsman; their karma is their refuge; karma allots beings to meanness or to greatness. 32

"a.s.sailed by death in life's last throes On quitting all thy joys and woes What is thine own, thy recompense? What stays with thee when pa.s.sing hence? What like a shadow follows thee And will Beyond thine heirloom be? 33

"T'is deeds, thy deeds, both good and bad; Naught else can after death be had. Thy deeds are thine, thy recompense; They are thine own when going hence; They like a shadow follow thee And will Beyond thine heirloom be. 34

"Let all then here perform good deeds, For future weal a treasure store; There to reap crops from n.o.ble seeds, A bliss increasing evermore." 35

XLI.

THE GOAL.

And the Blessed One thus addressed the bhikkhus: 1

"It is through not understanding the four n.o.ble truths, O bhikkhus, that we had to wander so long in the weary-path of samsara, both you and I. 2

"Through contact thought is born from sensation, and is reborn by a reproduction of its form. Starting from the simplest forms, the mind rises and falls according to deeds, but the aspirations of a Bodhisatta pursue the straight path of wisdom and righteousness, until they reach perfect enlightenment in the Buddha. 3

"All creatures are what they are through the karma of their deeds done in former and in present existences. 4

"The rational nature of man is a spark of the true light; it is the first step on the upward road. But new births are required to insure an ascent to the summit of existence, the enlightenment of mind and heart, where the immeasurable light of moral comprehension is gained which is the source of all righteousness. 5

"Having attained this higher birth, I have found the truth and have taught you the n.o.ble path that leads to the city of peace. 6

"I have shown you the way to the lake of Ambrosia, which washes away all evil desire. 7

"I have given you the refreshing drink called the perception of truth, and he who drinks of it becomes free from excitement, pa.s.sion, and wrong-doing. 8

"The very G.o.ds envy the bliss of him who has escaped from the floods of pa.s.sion and has climbed the sh.o.r.es of Nirvana. His heart is cleansed from all defilement and free from all illusion. 9

"He is like unto the lotus which grows in the water, yet not a drop of water adheres to its petals. 10

"The man who walks in the n.o.ble path lives in the world, and yet his heart is not defiled by worldly desires. 11

"He who does not see the four n.o.ble truths, he who does not understand the three characteristics and has not grounded himself in the uncreate, has still a long path to traverse by repeated births through the desert of ignorance with its mirages of illusion and through the mora.s.s of wrong. 12

"But now that you have gained comprehension, the cause of further migrations and aberrations is removed. The goal is reached. The craving of selfishness is destroyed, and the truth is attained. 13

"This is true deliverance; this is salvation; this is heaven and the bliss of a life immortal." 14

XLII.

MIRACLES FORBIDDEN.

Jotikkha, the son of Subhadda, was a householder living in Rajagaha. Having received a precious bowl of sandalwood decorated with jewels, he erected a long pole before his house and put the bowl on its top with this legend: "Should a samana take this bowl down without using a ladder or a stick with a hook, or without climbing the pole, but by magic power, he shall receive as reward whatever he desires." 1

And the people came to the Blessed One, full of wonder and their mouths overflowing with praise, saying: "Great is the Tathagata.

His disciples perform miracles. Ka.s.sapa, the disciple of the Buddha, saw the bowl on Jotikkha's pole, and, stretching out his hand, he took it down, carrying it away in triumph to the vihara." 2

When the Blessed One heard what had happened, he went to Ka.s.sapa, and, breaking the bowl to pieces, forbade his disciples to perform miracles of any kind. 3

Soon after this it happened that in one of the rainy seasons many bhikkhus were staying in the Vajji territory during a famine. And one of the bhikkhus proposed to his brethren that they should praise one another to the householders of the village, saying: "This bhikkhu is a saint, he has seen celestial visions; and that bhikkhu possesses supernatural gifts; he can work miracles." And the villagers said: "It is lucky, very lucky for us, that such saints are spending the rainy season with us." And they gave willingly and abundantly, and the bhikkhus prospered and did not surfer from the famine. 4

When the Blessed One heard it, he told Ananda to call the bhikkhus together, and he asked them: "Tell me, O bhikkhus, when does a bhikkhu cease to be a bhikkhu?" 5

And Sariputta replied: 6

"An ordained disciple must not commit any unchaste act. The disciple who commits an unchaste act is no longer a disciple of the Sakyamuni. 7