Texts from the Buddhist canon : commonly known as Dhammapada

( I70 )
SECTION XXXVfti.
THE PKOFIT OF EELIGION.
I. There was in former days a certain King who ruled his
people justly, and with an earnest desire for their good
but he had no son to succeed him. Buddha, having come
to his kingdom, he went to hear him preach, and being
convinced of the truth he became a disciple. After this
he ceased not to pray earnestly for a son. Now he had ,i
little servant boy (keih-shi ?) about eleven years old, vho
also devoted himself to religious exercises and the repeti-
tion of Scripture. This boy having died, was re-incarnated
as a child of the King his master, and when he had
arrived at the age of fifteen years he was publicly acknow-
ledged as the Prince Koyal (Kum§,ra). After a while, the
King having died, the Prince ascended the throne, and
he soon gave way to evil habits of self-indulgence, and
the people and the kingdom suffered in consequence. On
this Buddha, knowing all the circumstances of the case,
once more visited the kingdom, and the E§,ja having gone
to meet him, paid the usual obeisance. Buddha then be-
gan to explain to the King how it was he had come to his
present royal dignity—viz., by his attention in former
births to the five religious duties of a Shaman, which are
these— 1st, charity; 2d, founding religious buildings ; 3d,
reverence in worship; 4th, patience and self-restraint;
Sth, diligent search after truth. By observing these he
had attained his present rank; and then the World-
honoured added these words, and said :
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