[27] The text has _s_obheta, not a_s_obhata, as might have been expected. 34-37. 'Oh, how merciful the Great-minded One was to people afflicted by distress! How indifferent He was to His own welfare! How He has brought to perfection the virtuous conduct of the pious, and dashed to pieces the splendid glory of their adversaries! How He has displayed, clinging to virtues, His heroic, fearless, and immense love! How His body, which was already precious for its virtues, has now forcibly been turned into a vessel of the highest veneration! And although by His innate kindness He was as patient as Earth, how intolerant He was of the suffering of others! And how my own roughness of mind is evidenced by the contrast of this splendid act of heroism of His! Verily, the creatures are not to be commiserated now, having got Him as their Protector, and Manmatha[28], forsooth, is now sighing away, being disturbed and in dread of defeat. [28] Manmatha, Kâma, Kandarpa and the other names of the god of sensual love and pleasure are common equivalents of Mâra. Cp. Buddha_k_arita XIII, 2. 'In every way, veneration be to that illustrious Great Being (mahâsattva), of exuberant compassion, of boundless goodness, the refuge of all creatures, yea, that Bodhisattva for the sake of the creatures.' And he told the matter over to his fellow-disciples. 38. Then his disciples and also the Gandharvas, the Yakshas, the snakes, and the chiefs of the Devas, expressing by their countenance their admiration for his deed, covered the ground that held the treasure of his bones, with a profusion of wreaths, clothes, jewel ornaments, and sandal powder. So, then, even in former births the Lord showed His innate, disinterested, and immense love towards all creatures, and identified Himself with all creatures. For this reason we ought to have the utmost faith in Buddha, the Lord. [And also this is to be propounded: 'And having obtained this faith in Buddha the Lord, we ought to strive for feeling the highest gladness; in this manner our faith will have its sanctuary.'--Likewise we must listen with attention to the preaching of the Law, since it has been brought to us by means of hundreds of difficult hardships[29].--And in sermons on the subject of compassion, thus is to be said: 'in this manner compassion, moving us to act for the benefit of others, is productive of an exceedingly excellent nature[30].'] [29] Dushkara_s_atasamudânîtatvât, cp. Divyâvadâna, ed. Cowell, p. 490. [30] Viz. as far as gathering merit, the consequence of good actions, improves our nature. * * * * *