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NOTE III.
in the orthodox way and said : “Oh that the world-honoured (Tathagata) and the members of this great assembly would receive our poor offering, the very last to be presented, for the sake of bringing the benefit thereof to innumerable creatures! World-honoured one! from this time we are without a master, without a friend, with no means of advance, no helper, no refuge. Oh that Tathagata would of his great compassion deign to receive this offering of ours before he enters Nirvana. World-honoured I it is as though a Kshatriya, or a Brahman, or a Vaisya, or Sudra were to be reduced by poverty so far as to be compelled to go to another land, and there by industry prepare a piece of ground for cultivation. He procures a serviceable ox for the plough, and carefully roots up all the noxious weeds, and removes all stones and broken vessels from the ground, and then only awaits the grateful rain from heaven to crown his endeavours—so it is with me, the ox yoked to the plough is this body of mine, the cleared land (is the work of) supreme wisdom, the impediments and weeds removed are all the sources of sorrow which I have put away, and now we only await the rain of the sweet dew of the law! Look upon us, we are poor and perishing from want, without a friend, no help, no refuge; oh that Tathagata would pity us even as he had compassion on his son Rahula!"
"Then Tathågata replied: "Well said I well said I Kunda. For your sake I will relieve the poverty of the world, and cause the rain of the insurpassable law to descend upon the field, and bring forth abundant fruit. Whatever your request, it shall be granted and I receive your offering. For as I accepted the gift of the shepherd girls before arriving at supreme wisdom, so now will I accept your corresponding gift before entering Nirvana, and thus enable you to accomplish fully the Paramita of charity.” Kunda replied: "Let not Tathagata say that the merit of these two gifts is the same, for surely when the shepherd girls offered their food, the world-honoured one had not entirely got rid of all the sources of sorrow, or completed every growth of the seeds of wisdom; nor was he able at that time to cause others to complete the Paramità of charity by accepting their gifts; but this last offering is like a God in the midst of gods.
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