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II, 7.
ENTERING THE PLACE OF AUSTERITIES.
75
Yet strive after renewed birth; and being thus born, they must die again. Altho' still dreading (the power of) suffering, yet prolonging their stay in the sea of pain : 522
Disliking from their heart their present kind of life, yet still striving incessantly after other life; enduring affliction that they may partake of joy; seeking a birth in heaven, to suffer further trouble; 523
'Seeking joys, whilst the heart sinks with feebleness. For this is so with those who oppose right reason; they cannot but be cramped and poor at heart. But by earnestness and diligence, then we conquer. 524
Walking in the path of true wisdom, letting go both extremes, we then reach ultimate perfection; to mortify the body, (if) this is religion, then to enjoy rest, is something not resulting from religion. 525
To walk religiously and afterwards to receive happiness, this is to make the fruit of religion something different from religion ; but bodily exercise is but the cause of death, strength results alone from the mind's intention; 526
1 This line, which (with the following ones) is obscure, may be literally translated, a double letting-go, eternal Nirvana,' where Nirvâna is in the original E . The two extremes are worldly life and ascetic life.
: The word like dharma, is difficult to translate. It may mean here either 'religion' or something formal;' but the idea of the whole verse seems to be this, if suffering pain is a part of religion, then to enjoy rest is different from religion, therefore to practise religious austerities with the view of afterwards obtaining rest, is to make the fruit of religion something different from, or opposed to, religion itself.'
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| SR No. | 007676 |
| Book Title | Text of Confucianism Part 02 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | James Legge |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1882 |
| Total Pages | 2405 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 43 MB |