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64
THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE.
CH.
CHAPTER IV.
I. Now the Blessed One early in the morning robed himself, and taking his bowl, entered Vesâli for alms: and when he had passed through Vesâli, and had eaten his meal and was returning from his alms-seeking he gazed at Vesâli with an elephant look1 and addressed the venerable Ânanda, and said: This will be the last time, Ânanda, that the Tathagata will behold Vesâli. Come, Ânanda, let us go on to Bhanda-gâma.'
'Even so, Lord!' said the venerable Ânanda, in assent, to the Blessed One.
And the Blessed One proceeded with a great company of the brethren to Bhanda-gâma; and there the Blessed One stayed in the village itself.
2. There the Blessed One addressed the brethren, and said: 'It is through not understanding and grasping four truths, O brethren, that we have had to run so long, to wander so long in this weary path of transmigration-both you and I.'
'And what are these four? The noble conduct of life, the noble earnestness in meditation, the noble kind of wisdom, and the noble salvation of freedom. But when noble conduct is realised and known, when noble meditation is realised and known, when noble wisdom is realised and known, when noble
1 Nâgapalokitam Vesâliyam apaloketvâ. The Buddhas were accustomed, says Buddhaghosa, on looking backwards to turn the whole body round as an elephant does; because the bones in their neck were firmly fixed, more so than those of ordinary men !
2 Or Conditions (Dhammâ). They must, of course, be carefully distinguished from the better known Four Noble Truths (Sakkâni) above, Chap. II, § 2.
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| SR No. | 007674 |
| Book Title | Dhammapada |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Max Muller |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1881 |
| Total Pages | 2540 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 45 MB |