Texts from the Buddhist canon : commonly known as Dhammapada

THE ELEPHANT. 145
told his namo, mid said that in the time of the former king
ho had been an elephant-tamer. Buddha then asked him
•what woro the rules for elephant-taming, and what the
instrunionts omiiloyod? On this ho replied, " There are
three things we use in this work— ist, an iron-hooked in-
struraonl., for holding the mouth and subduing it ; 2d, one
for dopri ving the creature of food, and keeping it low ;
large staff, for the purpose of beating it. By thoso moans
we gain the nidslniy over it, and subdue it." Again
Buddha askod, "And of these tliroo things, which is the
most useful (or important)?" to which ho replied, "The
hooked-iron that holds the mouth ;
3d, a
this is the most effec-
tive, for by means of this discipline the creature is tamed
so as to permit the King to mount on its back, and is
guided and directed without difiiculty in battle." Again
Buddha asked, "il" this was the generally accepted method
of taming elephants, and if there was any other? " and on
the elephant-tamer n^plying iu the negative, Buddha
added, "As you tame tho elephant, so you may tame
yourself;" anil on his inquiring further as to the mean-
ing of this, BudilliH continued: "0 elephant-tamer 1 I
have also three things by which I subdue all men, and by
which each man nuiy subdue himself, and so arrive at the
highest condition of unselfishness {wm-wei). And what
ore tlieso three? ist; by self-control over the tongue,
leading one always to observe the truth; 2d, by love,
to persuade tho hard and obstinate; 3d. by wisdom, to
destroy the iniiuence of ignorance and doubt. By these
three I subdue all nion, and enable them to escape the
path of ruin, and to arrive at a condition free from sorrow
and any entanglement of vonowod birth and death— ^per-
fectly unselfish and indifferent {mm-wci):' And then the
World-honoured added these lines :—
Like the olophant which is called "U-ts'ui"
(Dhoinmap/llaka ?)i is difficult to hold aud to tamo,
> Oompiura ycr. 394 of the PWi.
K