♦The sum of the teaching♦ “Now this, O recluses, is the noble truth concerning suffering. Birth is painful, and so is old age; disease is painful, and so is death. Union with the unpleasant is painful, painful is separation from the pleasant; and any craving that is unsatisfied, that, too, is painful....” “Now this, O recluses, is the noble truth concerning the origin of suffering. Verily it originates in that craving thirst which causes the renewal of becomings, is accompanied by sensual delight, and seeks satisfaction now here, now there--that is to say, the craving for the gratification of the passions, or the craving for a future life, or the craving for success in this present life.” “Now this, O recluses, is the noble truth concerning the destruction of suffering. Verily it is the destruction in which no craving remains over, of this very thirst; the laying aside of, the getting rid of, the being free from, the harbouring no longer of, this thirst.” “Now this, O recluses, is the noble truth concerning the way which leads to the destruction of suffering. Verily it is this Eight-fold noble path; that is to say: Right Views, Right Aspirations, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Rapture.” [1] From the Sermon preached at Benares to the five companions of his hermit life upon his return after attainment of Buddha-hood. From Prof. Rhys David’s translation, by permission. ISRAEL AND JESUS “_A great epoch was exhausted, and passing away to give place to another, the first utterances of which had already been heard in the north, and which awaited but the_ INITIATOR _to be revealed_.” “_He came. The soul the most full of love, the most sacredly virtuous, the most deeply inspired by God and the future, that men have yet seen on earth; Jesus. He bent over the corpse of the dead world, and whispered a word of faith. Over the clay that had lost all of man but the movement and the form, He uttered words until then unknown_, LOVE, SACRIFICE, A HEAVENLY ORIGIN. _And the dead arose. A new life circulated through the clay, which philosophy had tried in vain to re-animate. From that corpse arose the Christian world, the world of liberty and equality. From that clay arose the true Man, the image of God, the precursor of Humanity._”--MAZZINI. ♦The Story of Israel♦ “Suff’rance is the badge of all our tribe” is the sum of the history of the isolated, unsuccessful,[2] little Semitic nation of Israel. [2] Unsuccessful, that is to say, as a nation. But she has been made great--against her will indeed--by the fact that she sheltered a unique succession of patriotic men who were impelled by the miserable little ideals and ambitions of their nation, to raise their voices in expostulation, or solemn warning, or hot indignation, each according to his time and his manner.