Texts from the Buddhist canon : commonly known as Dhammapada

THE PROFIT OF RELIGION. 171
" A man who knows how to reverence the .higher
powers, his parents, and religious teachers—who is
full of faith, and obedience, and charity, and wis-
dom—shall certainly in the end attain a fortunate
condition of birth. His destiny being thus a feli-
citous one, if born in the world he will be a ruler
of men^ ("prince>," or "honourable," among men),
and by his wisdom will be able to control the
empire. Keverencing the law, it cannot be but
that he will become lord of men. And so continu-
ing in the path of virtue, and not receding therefrom,
he will ever, be so born, and without any
intermission enjoy increasing happiness,"
Buddha having thus spoken, explained how the King
had come to his present dignity, and urged him not to give
way, now he had attained such a position, to the tempta-
tions of sense, and then added these lines :
" The man who possesses authority in the world,
practising himself in right dealing, aild not using
violence, regulating his thoughts, and overcoming
all wicked desires, thus becomes a king of the law
(or a righteous king). '
Seeing
—
that which is right,
he is able to do good ; loving virtue, he is able to
profit men ; and thus, by an inipartiaUty of con-
duct, he treats all and makes all, as it were, his
own equals and fellows."
' The
King having heard these words, was filled with
penitence, and bowing down at Buddha's feet, he received
the five rules of a lay disciple, and entered the first Path.
2. In days of old, when Buddha was residing at the Jeta-
vana Vihara, near Sr^vastl, preaching his law for the good
1 Compare the Greek &of hrlfinv {Juvenius Mundi, cap. vi.).