Paul Carus

“ It would be a disgrace on my house to have him become a mendicant. The kings of Kosala, of Magadha, and all the others look with envy on our sturdy people; they dislike our free institutions and our warlike spirit. They would scoff at us if a Sakya prince had become a monk. But if Siddhattha does flee, I swear by Lord Indra that I shall disown him; I will no longer recognize him as my son. I will disinherit him and make Rahula my heir apparent. ”

“ When the Buddha stayed at Vesali, I invited that noblest of all monks to take his meal with me. I am not holy; I am a worldly woman; I am not a saint; but I have a warm heart, I feel for others and I want to do what is right. When I heard that the Buddha stayed in the mango grove, I thought to myself, I will go and see him. If he is truly all-wise, he will judge my heart and he will judge me in mercy. ”

“ Nirvana is attained when passions are
Extinct and when the heart is blessed with peace.
GS. Thou art more than a mortal, holy man. Auspicious is this day on which I've met thee. The people call thee Buddha, perhaps rightly so! A feeling of deep reverence comes over me and the truth dawns on me. Truly thou art the teacher of the world. If thy doctrine impressed the people a new era would begin, an era in which mankind would be wiser and nobler, happier and better. ”

“ And without end. That must our refuge be.
He who relies on the Impermanent,
And, being strong, attempts to crush the weak,
Will soon break down. This is the law of deeds,
For as we sow, such will our harvest be.
Rely on Truth, the Uncreate, th' Etern,
Be guided by the rule of Righteousness.
This is my message to the King, your Lord,
And may he be advised to rule his country
With love of peace, with goodness, and with wisdom.
My blessing be on him and on his people.
[77]
They kneel, clasp their hands, circumambulate the Buddha and file out. ”

“ The Buddha called his disciples together, and having ordained them, bade them spread the Gospel, with these words translated from the Buddhist Canon:
"Go ye now, O disciples, and wander forth for the benefit of the many, for the welfare of mankind, out of compassion for the world. Preach the doctrine which is glorious in the beginning, glorious in the middle, and glorious in the end, in the spirit as well as in the letter. There are beings whose eyes are scarcely covered with dust, but if the doctrine is not preached to them they cannot attain salvation. Proclaim to them a life of holiness. ”

“ B. I shall not eat until my quest be done.
Much better 'tis to die in glorious battle
Than flee and lead a coward's life, defeated.
I shall not eat, O Mara, take thee hence.
M. Wilt thou not listen to my good advice?
B. The tempter always calls his councils good,
But pleasures which he promises are evil.
M. I will not suffer thee to stay, Siddhattha,
And shall disturb thy daring quest of truth.
I'll split the Bodhi tree by lightning
And frighten thee away with rumbling thunder.
[49]
All is wrapped in darkness, except Siddhattha and the Bohdi tree. ”

“ No longer, mighty King, I was his disciple so long as I believed in him; but he is not holy. I have abandoned him. He is not austere; his disciples do not practise self-mortifications, and he speaks kindly and dines with sinners. My disciples do not dress in worldly garments; they would not accept the invitation of women; they would not touch animal food. He who calls himself the Buddha is unworthy of that high title; he is a pretender who has not reached the highest goal. My rules are much more strict than his, and my brotherhood alone is holy.
Bb. Holiness is a mighty thing. ”

“ Neither does he stand in need of self-recommendation, for his very presence is a blessing, because he spreads goodwill and kindliness, and the people who hear him are ashamed of doing anything unrighteous. Devadatta extends to you the promise, if you but support his disciples, of an unconditional protection through his holiness. The Buddha's protection is not so cheaply earned. I heard him say that every one must protect himself by his own righteousness, and no prayer, no sacrifice, no religious devotion, nor even penance or fasts could protect a man from the wrongs which he does. ”

“ By ourselves we pain endure.
By ourselves we cease from wrong,
By ourselves become we pure.
No one saves us but ourselves,
No one can and no one may.
[48] We ourselves must walk the path,
Buddhas merely teach the way.
The boy sleeps. Then Yasodhara herself lies down on the mat on the floor. Above her appears the vision of her dream. Under the Bodhi tree in a forest landscape Siddhattha sits. He is surrounded by a halo of light. Mara approaches to tempt him.
M. Thou art ahungered, worthy Sakyamuni,
Ahungered art thou from continued fasts,
And thou wilt starve unless thou take and eat. ”

“ He is as modest as a pauper and shows no pride, but wherever he comes, he is greeted like a king, nay like a king of kings, and the wealthiest and most powerful rulers come to do him reverence.
S. And he is here, this wonderful man? And he is my son Siddhattha?
K. Yes, he is here, and it is your son, but no longer Siddhattha, the Sakya prince, but Sakya muni, the sage of the Sakyas, the Buddha, the Blessed One. When I spoke to him and gave him your message, he inquired for you and the Queen Pajapati [Yasodhara rises] and for you, most honored Princess and for Rahula. ”

“ O King, your garden here is a paltry affair in comparison with the Jetavana.
S. There he lives in luxury?
K. Oh no Sir. Not at all. He could live in luxury, if he wanted to, but he leads a simple life, as simple as the humblest servant in your home, and when he wanders through the country after the rainy season he lives like any mendicant friar. ”

“ He rejects on the one hand austerities, self-mortifications, penances, and severe fasts as useless, and on the other hand, he would not allow his followers to indulge in pleasures; but he insists most sensibly on keeping between the two extremes and proclaims the middle path of leading a righteous life. There is nothing absurd about him. Think of Devadatta. He insists that the monks should dress in rags picked up in cemeteries. The Buddha appeals to common sense, and therefore I say, he is a wonderful man.
A. He is more than a man; he is enlightenment incarnate. ”

“ My royal friend, do not trust that man [pointing toward the door where Devadatta went out] . He is false. He may be holy, but he is treacherous. He may be virtuous; he may shun joy and the blessings of life, he may practise all penances, he may torture and mortify his body. But there is no true goodwill in him. His holiness is [66] egotistic, and his religion is hypocrisy. Support his brotherhood with money or gifts as you see fit, but do not believe what he says about the Buddha. ”

“ Mankind consists of different castes and professions, of soldiers and merchants, of peasants and artisans and teachers. Mankind is like a body with various limbs, a head and hands, feet and chest and neck. A man who were head only could not live, and if mankind consisted of Buddhas only we would starve. We need a Buddha, but there must also be householders. Now quick give me a kiss.
She pouts.
K. If you do not kiss me I shall go back to the forest of Uruvela. Nanda, the shepherd's daughter, is a very pretty girl. She is as pretty as you are. ”

“ B. Transient, my noble father, are all things.
All kingdoms finally must pass away,
But if thou tak'st thy refuge in the truth,
Thou wilt be free from all vicissitudes.
The kingdom of the truth alone endures.
S. [With indignation.] Siddhattha, spare thy monkish rant,
Far better than thy cowardly submission,
Far nobler and befitting it would be,
To draw the sword and die a hero's death.
The embassy in solemn procession files in as before at the Jetavana. The Buddha withdraws and is not noticed by the embassy. Prime Minister Nagadeva (N) addresses King Suddhodana. ”

“ For one way or another I must conquer
The Sakya king and make him do my bidding.
The King rises indicating that his two counselors are dismissed. They rise also.
The world is growing wider every day
And our souls broaden with the general progress.
A new era dawns upon us. Let us all
Help to mature the fruitage of the times.
SECOND SCENE
[34]
[The garden before the palace of King Suddhodana as in Act I]
Presents Yasodhara (Y) with her maid Gopa (G) and Rahula (R) . ”

“ What is the use of thinking so much. We are all like bubbles: we float in the air, and then the bubble bursts and this life is over. I am now a poor boy. I fear no change. In a future incarnation I may be born as the son of a [7] king, like you. ”

“ N. Great King, it is. General Siha stands in the field with a strong force ready to strike. There are another fifty thousand within call to make a sudden dash upon any of our neighbors should they dare come to the aid of Sakya. Our treasury is well filled, and the people of Magadha are prosperous. We could stand even a protracted war far better than any other state in India. ”

“ Thou disturbest
Our holy ritual.
He lifts his knife against Buddha, but Siha draws his sword and knocks the knife out of the priest's hand.
GS.Keep peace, bold priest!
Pr. The vengeance of the gods will be upon you.
[60]
B. If there be gods they must be potent, noble,
And great and holy; and if the gods are holy,
They do not need the offering of a victim,
They do not want the life of this poor trembling lamb.
Pr. The gods are kind; they take the lamb in place of this poor stricken man. We must do penance for his sins, for the sins of his wife, for the sins of his children. ”

“ Yasodhara (Y) and two attendant maids, one carries an umbrella, shading the Princess; the other, Gopa (G) , carries the infant.
P. [meets her and kisses her.]
Welcome, thou sweetest flower of our garden,
Thou ray of sunshine in Siddhattha's life.
S. My dearest daughter! how is Rahula?
Y. My royal father, Rahula is growing,
And he increases daily in his weight;
To-day he smiled at me most cunningly.
I'll lay him down, for he is fast asleep.
All enter the palace. The stage remains empty a moment. Soft, serious music (Buddha's "Hymn of Victory") is heard. ”

“ V. What is the idea of these fasts?
K. These pious recluses believe that the self is imprisoned in the body and that the senses are the prison gates. They want to liberate the soul, and many of them behold visions, but Siddhattha seems to doubt whether the saints of Uruvela proceed on the right track. Indeed he denies the very existence of the self.
V. I know he does. His views should be branded as purely human wisdom. As the senses are finger touch, eye touch, ear touch, nose and tongue touch, so the mind is to him mere thought touch. ”

“ The farmers in the country, the merchants in the towns, the lawyers, the artisans, and even the soldiers believe in him. Lately General Siha became a lay member of the Buddha's brotherhood, and many other prominent officers followed his example.
A. He would never have gained this influence if he were not truly the Buddha.
J. I want to tell you that a war is threatening, but please do not speak of it, it is a deep secret. A spy in the secret service of my royal brother has found out that King Bimbisara intends to fall upon the Sakyas and deprive them of their independence. ”

“ B. Wouldst thou go begging food from house to house?
With bowl in hand, a homeless mendicant?
K. No sir, that would not suit me.
B. Wouldst thou by night sleep under forest trees?
K. No sir, I would catch cold. That's not for me. [Rises] If you needs must go, sir, you had better go alone. That life is not for me. I will go and hear the nightingale.
Siddhattha follows the Princess into the palace.
[11]
K.
A Buddha's life
Is not for every one.
He has no wife
No pleasure and no fun.
He cannot laugh,
He cannot cry;
He cannot love
He cannot sigh.
He's always preaching, preaching. ”

“ No emotion will disturb the peace of his mind, and the happiness of the great Brahma will be as nothing in comparison to the infinite bliss of his Buddhahood. [With a lighter tone] : I adore him, but I do not envy him. I do not long for the happiness of a god. ”

“ Under the tree in the market place of a Hindu village The Buddha is seated in the attitude of a preacher. The villagers stand or squat around intently listening.
4. Saved from Starvation
In company with other monks, Siddhattha sought for a while enlightenment by self-mortification.
Being exhausted by severe fasts, the mendicant faints, and Nanda, the shepherd's daughter, passing by, refreshes him with rice milk. His five disciples at a distance fear that he has given up his quest for truth. ”

“ Devadatta withdraws into the garden.
B.Now Kala speak.
K. O Prince Siddhattha, do not go into homelessness, [10] do not leave us. I cannot live without you. You are my comfort, my teacher, my guide. I do not follow your instructions, but I love to hear them. Oh I could not live without you. Do not go, sweet Prince. Think of your wife, your dear good lovely wife, it will break her heart. Think of your child. Do not go, noble Prince. Let somebody else become the saviour of the world. Somebody else can just as well become the deliverer and the Buddha. ”

“ J. I hear that King Bimbisara has sent an embassy to the Buddha to induce him to come back to Rajagaha. Has the Buddha received these men?
A. Not yet. He will see them this morning.
J. We ought to keep him here. He is a wonderful man, and I consider our city fortunate to have him reside with us. What astonishes me is his way of conquering the hearts of all men, even of his opponents, and he is so sensible. ”

“ Living pictures accompanied by appropriate music to introduce the Third Act.
1. The Foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness.
Buddha preaches to his five disciples the way of salvation, which speech, preserved in a special book, is frequently compared to Christ's Sermon on the Mount.
Buddha stands with raised hand, while five monks stand or sit or squat around him in devout attitude.
2. Entering the Capital.
When Buddha came to Rajagaha, the people met him on the way and accompanied him into the city in triumphal procession which is analogous to Christ's entry into Jerusalem. ”