Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
Religion
Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
Jataka stories, English
131. Then investigating I beheld the second Perfection of Morality
Practised and followed by former sages.
132. This second one do thou strenuously undertake,
And reach the perfection of Moral Practice if thou wilt attain
Buddhahood.
133. And as the Yak cow, when her tail has got entangled in anything,
Then and there awaits death, and will not injure her tail,[136]
134. So also do thou, having fulfilled the moral precepts in the four
stages,
Ever guard the Sīla as the Yak guards her tail.
But considering further, “These cannot be the only Buddha-making
conditions,” and beholding the third Perfection of Self-abnegation,
he thought thus, “O wise Sumedha, mayest thou henceforth fulfil the
perfection of Abnegation; for as a man long the denizen of a prison
feels no love for it, but is discontented, and wishes to live there
no more, even so do thou, likening all births to a prison-house,
discontented with all births, and anxious to get rid of them, set
thy face toward abnegation, thus shalt thou become Buddha.” And he
strenuously made the resolution to attain the third perfection of
Self-abnegation. Therefore it is said,
135. For the conditions that make a Buddha cannot be so few,
I will investigate others, the conditions that bring Buddhaship
to maturity.
136. Investigating then I beheld the third Perfection of Abnegation
Practised and followed by former sages.
137. This third one do thou strenuously undertake,
And reach the perfection of abnegation, if thou wilt attain
Buddhahood.
138. As a man long a denizen of the house of bonds, oppressed with
suffering,
Feels no pleasure therein, but rather longs for release,
139. Even so do thou look upon all births as prison-houses,
Set thy face toward self-abnegation, to obtain release from
Existence.
But considering further, “These cannot be the only Buddha-making
conditions,” and beholding the fourth Perfection of Wisdom, he thought
thus, “O wise Sumedha, do thou from this day forth fulfil the
perfection of Wisdom, avoiding no subject of knowledge, great, small,
or middling,[137] do thou approach all wise men and ask them questions;
for as the mendicant friar on his begging rounds, avoiding none of the
families, great and small, that he frequents,[138] and wandering for
alms from place to place, speedily gets food to support him, even so
shalt thou, approaching all wise men, and asking them questions, become
a Buddha.” And he strenuously resolved to attain the fourth perfection
of Wisdom. Therefore it is said,
140. For the conditions that make a Buddha cannot be so few,
I will investigate the other conditions that bring Buddhaship to
maturity.
141. Investigating then I beheld the fourth Perfection of Wisdom
Practised and followed by former sages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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