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"The body is like a machine, and there is no self in it that makes it walk or act, but the thoughts of it, as the windy elements, cause the machine to work. 20
"The body moves about like a cart. Therefore 'tis said: 21
"As ships are by the wind impelled,
As arrows from their bowstrings speed,
So likewise when the body moves
The windy element must lead.22
"Machines are geared to work by ropes;
So too this body is, in fact,
Directed by a mental pull
Whene'er it stand or sit or act.23
"No independent self is here
That could intrinsic forces prove
To make man act without a cause,
To make him stand or walk or move.24
"He only who utterly abandons all thought of the ego escapes the snares of the Evil One; he is out of the reach of Mra. 25
"Thus says the pleasure-promising tempter: 26
"So long as to the things
Called 'mine' and 'I' and 'me'
Thine anxious heart still clings,
My snares thou canst not flee."27
[Pg 117] "The faithful disciple replies: 28
"Naught's mine and naught of me,
The self I do not mind!
Thus Mra, I tell thee,
My path thou canst not find."29
"Dismiss the error of the self and do not cling to possessions which are transient but perform deeds that are good, for deeds are enduring and in deeds your karma continues. 30
"Since then, O bhikkhus, there is no self, there can not be any after life of a self. Therefore abandon all thought of self. But since there are deeds and since deeds continue, be careful with your deeds. 31
"All beings have karma as their portion: they are heirs of their karma; they are sprung from their karma; their karma is their kinsman; their karma is their refuge; karma allots beings to meanness or to greatness. 32
"Assailed by death in life's last throes On quitting all thy joys and woes What is thine own, thy recompense? What stays with thee when passing hence? What like a shadow follows thee And will Beyond thine heirloom be? 33
"T'is deeds, thy deeds, both good and bad; Naught else can after death be had. Thy deeds are thine, thy recompense; They are thine own when going hence; They like a shadow follow thee And will Beyond thine heirloom be. 34
"Let all then here perform good deeds, For future weal a treasure store; There to reap crops from noble seeds, A bliss increasing evermore." 35
And the Blessed One thus addressed the bhikkhus: 1
"It is through not understanding the four noble truths, O bhikkhus, that we had to wander so long in the weary-path of samsra, both you and I. 2
"Through contact thought is born from sensation, and is reborn by a reproduction of its form. Starting from the simplest forms, the mind rises and falls according to deeds, but the aspirations of a Bodhisatta pursue the straight path of wisdom and righteousness, until they reach perfect enlightenment in the Buddha. 3
"All creatures are what they are through the karma of their deeds done in former and in present existences. 4
"The rational nature of man is a spark of the true light; it is the first step on the upward road. But new births are required to insure an ascent to the summit of existence, the enlightenment of mind and heart, where the immeasurable light of moral comprehension is gained which is the source of all righteousness. 5
"Having attained this higher birth, I have found the truth and have taught you the noble path that leads to the city of peace. 6
"I have shown you the way to the lake of Ambrosia, which washes away all evil desire. 7
"I have given you the refreshing drink called the perception of truth, and he who drinks of it becomes free from excitement, passion, and wrong-doing. 8
"The very gods envy the bliss of him who has escaped from the floods of passion and has climbed the shores of Nirvna. His heart is cleansed from all defilement and free from all illusion. 9
"He is like unto the lotus which grows in the water, yet not a drop of water adheres to its petals. 10
[Pg 119] "The man who walks in the noble path lives in the world, and yet his heart is not defiled by worldly desires. 11
"He who does not see the four noble truths, he who does not understand the three characteristics and has not grounded himself in the uncreate, has still a long path to traverse by repeated births through the desert of ignorance with its mirages of illusion and through the morass of wrong. 12
"But now that you have gained comprehension, the cause of further migrations and aberrations is removed. The goal is reached. The craving of selfishness is destroyed, and the truth is attained. 13
"This is true deliverance; this is salvation; this is heaven and the bliss of a life immortal." 14
Jotikkha, the son of Subhadda, was a householder living in Rjagaha. Having received a precious bowl of sandalwood decorated with jewels, he erected a long pole before his house and put the bowl on its top with this legend: "Should a samana take this bowl down without using a ladder or a stick with a hook, or without climbing the pole, but by magic power, he shall receive as reward whatever he desires." 1
And the people came to the Blessed One, full of wonder and their mouths overflowing with praise, saying: "Great is the Tathgata. His disciples perform miracles. Kassapa, the disciple of the Buddha, saw the bowl on Jotikkha's pole, and, stretching out his hand, he took it down, carrying it away in triumph to the vihra." 2
