BUDDHIST WRITINGS I. THE BUDDHA THE STORY OF SUMEDHA1 Translated from the Introduction to the Jātaka (i.31). A HUNDRED thousand cycles vast There was a town named Amara, The noise of elephant and horse, 8 A town complete in all its parts, Within this town of Amara And grain and treasure in full store. 1 This entire story is related by The Buddha to his disciples, and describes how, in his long-ago existence as the Brahman Sumedha, he first In stanzas 4-5 he speaks of himresolved to strive for the Buddhaship. self, that is, of Sumedha, in the third person, but elsewhere in the first. 2 Only six of the ten noises indicative of a flourishing town are here mentioned. For the complete list, see The Death of The Buddha. Probably gold, silver, pearls, gems (such as sapphire and ruby), cat'seye, diamond, and coral. "Even as, although there may be heat, "Even as, although there evil is, Lust, hatred and infatuation. "Even as a man befouled with dung, "So, when Nirvana's lake exists "Even as a man hemmed in by foes, Might not the blameless pathway chide; "So, when my passions hem me in, "Even as a man who, sore diseased, "So, when diseased with passion, sore "Even as a man might rid him of 66 So must I likewise rid me of This body foul, this charnel-house, HC-Vol. 45 (4) "As men and women rid them of Their dung upon the refuse heap, And go their ways without a care, Or least regret for what they leave; "So will I likewise rid me of "Even as the owners leave and quit A worn-out, shattered, leaky ship, And go their ways without a care, Or least regret for what they leave; "So will I likewise rid me of "Even as a man who treasure bears, "So, to a mighty robber might Thus thinking, I on rich and poor Not far away from Himavant, The two eyes, ears, and so forth. A walking-place I then laid out, And there I gained the Six High Powers. Then ceased I cloaks of cloth to wear, For cloaks possess the nine defects," My hut of leaves I then forsook, So crowded with the eight defects," Native gloss: Jātaka, vol. i., p. 7, 1. 14: Exempted from the five defects: The following are the five defects in a walking-place: hardness and unevenness; trees in the midst; dense underbrush; excessive narrowness; excessive width. Ibidem, 1. 30. And having all the virtues eight: Having the eight advantages for a monk. The following are the eight advantages for a monk: it admits of no storing-up of treasure or grain; it favors only a blameless alms-seeking; there one can eat his alms in peace and quiet; there no annoyance is experienced from the reigning families when they oppress the kingdom with their levies of the precious metals or of leaden money; no passionate desire arises for furniture and implements; there is no fear of being plundered by robbers; no intimacies are formed with kings and courtiers; and one is not shut in in any of the four directions. Native gloss: Játaka, vol. i., p. 8, 1. 27: For cloaks possess the nine defects: For one who retires from the world and takes up the life of an anchorite, there are nine defects inherent in garments of cloth. The great cost is one defect; the fact that it is got by dependence on others is another; the fact that it is easily soiled by use is another, for when it has been soiled it must be washed and dyed; the fact that when it is much worn it must needs be patched and mended is another; the difficulty of obtaining a new one when needed is another; its unsuitableness for an anchorite who has retired from the world is another; its acceptable ness to one's enemies is another, for it must needs be guarded lest the enemy take it; the danger that it may be worn for ornament is another; the temptation it affords to load one's self down with it in travelling is another. 10 The bast, or inner bark of certain trees, was much used in India as cloth, to which indeed it bears a striking resemblance.-Native gloss: Jataka, vol. i., p. 9, 1. 2: Which is with virtues twelve endued: Possessing twelve advantages. For there are twelve advantages in a dress of bark. It is cheap, good, and suitable; this is one advantage. You can make it yourself; this is a second. It gets dirty but slowly by use, and hence time is not wasted in washing it; this is a third. It never needs sewing, even when much used and worn; this is a fourth. But when a new one is needed, it can be made with ease; this is a fifth. Its suitableness for an anchorite who has retired from the world is a sixth. That it is of no use to one's enemies is a seventh. That it cannot be worn for ornament is an eighth. Its lightness is a ninth. Its conducing to moderation in dress is a tenth. The irreproachableness and blamelessness of searching for bark is an eleventh. And the unimportance of its loss is a twelfth. 11 Native gloss: Jātaka, vol. i., p. 9, l. 11: My hut of leaves I then for. sook, So crowded with the eight defects: . . (L. 36) For there are eight evils connected with the use of a leaf-hut. The great labor involved in searching for materials and in the putting of them together is one evil. The constant care necessary to replace the grass, leaves, and bits of clay that fall down is a second. Houses may do for old men, but no concentration of mind is possible when one's meditation is liable to be inter |