ceiving the monkey made no move as if to come down, the addressed him and said, 'Come, my dear friend! be qui come down, that I may carry you to my house as we agreed. the monkey remained quite silent, and gave no sign of an tion to come down; and so the dragon, after a long time, no prospect of his coming down, began this Gâtha and said"My excellent monkey-friend, having taken your heart, Come down quickly from the top of the tree, I want to take you over to yonder forest, To the place where there are trees and fruit of every kind "Then the monkey thought with himself, 'what a fool dragon is!' and immediately answered in a Gâtha: "Your plan, old fellow! is a very excellent one; But your wisdom is very little indeed. Just think now for a moment and reflect : Did you ever know a single creature without a heart ? As for those forests-no doubt the fruits are beautiful, The Amra fruit, and all the rest you talked about, But do you know I prefer just now not to visit them, I would rather stop here and eat the Udambara fruit." Then Buddha said to his followers, "You should know that this time I was the monkey, and that the dragon was Ma Pisuna, and as he could not catch me then by his stratagem, neither has he now been able to entice me by his promise of bod pleasures." The Story of the Prudent Quail. § 6. THEN the Bhikshus said again (as before). On which Buddh replied, "it was not on this occasion only that I was enabled to de feat Mara; but I remember in years gone by, ages ago, there wa a certain hunter, who having found out a secluded spot where the p to the top position bell. After a vile, per- me dragon, after a long time, seeing e trees and fruit of every kind.' with himself, 'what a fool this swered in a Gatha: ery excellent one; le indeed. t and reflect: reature without a heart? t the fruits are beautiful, est you talked about, now not to visit them, at the Udambara fruit."" ers, "You should know that at 1 that the dragon was Mara me then by his stratagem, so ice me by his promise of bodily fabric when they came, alight seeing them on the top, slily: them in killed them at his leis what happened, thought thus ing seems to be able to move all the trees are fixed and i must be somebody beneath th a distance from it, and the hu so the Gâtha says: "I observe that all the tre his condition, and he ate nothing. After this interval, having aroused himself from his rapt seated on his lion throne, on the first night he considered (o alised) in their right order the twelve Nidânas, and then i reverse order, he identified these as one and the same; he tra them from the first cause and followed them through every current circumstance. From ignorance he ascertained came m and demerit (sanscara); from these came consciousness (vijnyân from this came names and things (nama, rupa); from this the ayatanas; from these touch (sparsa); from this sensation (vedan from this came love (trishna); from this cleaving to exister (upadana); from this reproduction; from this old age, and disea and death; and from these the whole category of sorrows. Th the world honoured one having recognised these laws of connectio uttered the following Gâthas: Whoever, practising the rules of a Brahmana, observes the wor around him (tchu-fă, ye damma), Sees at once that these things are produced by mutual relation ship; Perceiving that the world around him is produced by this mutua dependence, He recognises then that all phenomena are but the result o cause and effect." 1 Then the world-honoured one, in the middle of the night, having fully gone through these successive links of the chain, began to return in a reverse order, and he concluded thus: destroy igno rance, and you destroy the cause of merit and demerit; destroy this, and you destroy consciousness, and so on. Then the worldhonoured one again uttered these Gâthas: "Whoever practises the rules of a Brahmana, and observes the world around him, 1 This seems to be the well-known stanza, "Ye damma hetu prabhasa," etc. e, he remained seated Is, ravished with the happiness of roused himself from his rapture, e first night he considered (or retwelve Nidanas, and then in a as one and the same; he traced llowed them through every conorance he ascertained came merit se came consciousness (vijnyâna); (nama, rupa); from this the six sa); from this sensation (vedana); from this cleaving to existence ; from this old age, and disease, ole category of sorrows. Then gnised these laws of connection, a Brahmana, observes the world ⇒ produced by mutual relationim is produced by this mutual omena are but the result of e middle of the night, having links of the chain, began to ncluded thus: destroy ignomerit and demerit; destroy Then the worldnd so on. as: ahmana, and observes the the other, He concludes also that by will come to an end." Then the world-honoured or thoroughly investigated these destroying ignorance all is de rance all is produced, repeated "If there be a man practising serving the way of the w Who forthwith perceives the quent method of destruc This man firmly fixed, havin Stands like yonder Sun De vault of space." Then the world honoured throne, and going a short dis down with his legs crossed, seven days, beholding the Bod and as he sat he thought thus all the concourse of sorrows, them." [In after time a tower "not lifting the eyes."] Then a one, arising from his ecstasy, u "In this sacred arena I have g And seated here beholding t I remember it was there I other shore, In that place it was I reache Then the world-honoured on "the eye unmoved," proceed place called Marîchi (ray of lig and then sat down and again f crossed, enjoying the delights having come from his conditio (black color), having come to my hands; deign then, oh Lord! to receive from me on this o sion also, this glorious palace in which you may abide." Buddha accepts the gift, and after seven days he livers for the benefit of Kâla, the triple refuge, and five laws, on which Kâla becomes a disciple. Af this a Naga Râja, called Muchalinda, comes to the sp and presents him with a similar abode; and when storm occurred, wound round the hall with seven fold and spread his seven-fold hood over Buddha to shelt him; and when Buddha arose from his ecstasy, he a peared before him as a Brahman youth, and told hi what he had done. He also received the three refuge and the five commandments, and became a discipl After this the shepherd boy, who had protected Bôdhi satwa, during his six years' penance, by planting som boughs of the Nyagrodha tree over him, and had in consequence been born in the Trâyastriñshas heaven as a Deva, now came and worshipped the world-honoured one, and besought him to sit beneath that tree in contemplation. This the world-honoured one consented to do, and remained in rapt contemplation beneath that Nyagrodha tree for seven days. After this he delivered to the Deva the triple form of refuge and the five commandments, and he also became a disciple, the first of all the Devas. [Kiouen XXXI contains 6,360 words, and cost 3.18 taels]. |