And when they had thus spoken, the Teacher said, “Not in hell beneath, nor in heaven above, nor beyond in the countless world-systems of the universe, is there any one like to a Buddha in goodness and wisdom--much less, then, a greater.” And he described to them the qualities of the Three Gems as they are laid down in the Scripture passages beginning, “Whatever creatures there may be, etc., the Successor of the Prophets is announced to be the Chief of all.” And again, “Whatsoever treasure there be here or in other worlds,” etc. And again, “From the chief of all pleasant things,” etc. And he said, “Whatever disciples, men or women, have taken as their refuge the Three Gems endowed with these glorious qualities, they will never be born in hell; but freed from birth in any place of punishment, they will be reborn in heaven, and enter into exceeding bliss. You, therefore, by leaving so safe a refuge, and placing your reliance on other teaching, have done wrong.” And here the following passages should be quoted to show that those who, for the sake of Perfection and Salvation, have taken refuge in the Three Gems, will not be reborn in places of punishment:-- Those who have put their trust in Buddha, They will not go to a world of pain: Having put off this mortal coil, They will enter some heavenly body! Those who have put their trust in the Truth, They will not go to a world of pain: Having put off this mortal coil, They will enter some heavenly body! Those who have put their faith in the Order, They will not go to a world of pain: Having put off this mortal coil, They will enter some heavenly body! They go to many a refuge-- To the mountains and the forest.... (and so on down to) Having gone to this as their refuge, They are freed from every pain.[241] The above was not all the discourse which the Teacher uttered to them. He also said, “Disciples! the meditation on the Buddha, the Truth, and the Order, gives the Entrance and the Fruit of the First Path, and of the Second, and of the Third, and of the Fourth.” And having in this way laid down the Truth to them, he added, “You have done wrong to reject so great salvation!” And here the fact of the gift of the Paths to those who meditate on the Buddha, the Order, and the Truth, might be shown from the following and other similar passages: “There is one thing, O mendicants, which, if practised with increasing intensity, leads to complete weariness of the vanities of the world, to the end of longings, to the destruction of excitement, to peace of mind, to higher knowledge, to complete enlightenment, to Nirvāna. What is that one thing? The meditation on the Buddhas.”