The Gospel of Buddha, Compiled from Ancient RecordsCarus, Paul
ReligionEastern
The Gospel of Buddha, Compiled from Ancient Records
Carus, Paul
Buddhism; Christianity and other religions -- Buddhism; Gautama Buddha; Gautama Buddha -- Teachings
"Now attend and listen: The senses meet the object and from their
contact sensation is born. Thence results recollection. Thus, as
the sun's power through a burning-glass causes fire to appear, so
through the cognizance born of sense and object, the mind
originates and with it the ego, the thought of self, whom some
Brahman teachers call the lord. The shoot springs from the seed;
the seed is not the shoot; both are not one and the same, but
successive phases in a continuous growth. Such is the birth of
animated life. 12
"Ye that are slaves of the self and toil in its service from morn
until night, ye that live in constant fear of birth, old age,
sickness, and death, receive the good tidings that your cruel
master exists not. 13
"Self is an error, an illusion, a dream. Open your eyes and
awaken. See things as they are and ye will be comforted. 14
"He who is awake will no longer be afraid of nightmares. He who
has recognized the nature of the rope that seemed to be a serpent
will cease to tremble. 15
"He who has found there is no self will let go all the lusts and
desires of egotism. 16
"The cleaving to things, covetousness, and sensuality inherited
from former existences, are the causes of the misery and vanity
in the world. 17
"Surrender the grasping disposition of selfishness, and you will
attain to that calm state of mind which conveys perfect peace,
goodness, and wisdom." 18
And the Buddha breathed forth this solemn utterance: 19
"Do not deceive, do not despise
Each other, anywhere.
Do not be angry, nor should ye
Secret resentment bear;
For as a mother risks her life
And watches o'er her child,
So boundless be your love to all,
So tender, kind and mild. 20
"Yea, cherish good-will right and left,
All round, early and late,
And without hindrance, without stint,
From envy free and hate,
While standing, walking, sitting down,
Whate'er you have in mind,
The rule of life that's always best
Is to be loving-kind. 21
"Gifts are great, the founding of vihāras is meritorious,
meditations and religious exercises pacify the heart,
comprehension of the truth leads to Nirvāna, but greater than
all is lovingkindness. As the light of the moon is sixteen times
stronger than the light of all the stars, so lovingkindness is
sixteen times more efficacious in liberating the heart than all
other religious accomplishments taken together. 22
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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