Texts from the Buddhist canon : commonly known as Dhammapada

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SECTION XI.
THOUGHT (CITTAVAGGO).
I. In times of old, when Buddha dwelt in tlie world, therewas
a certain religious person who had taken his abode
under a tree beside the bank of a river. After practising
himself in religious exercises for twelve years, he was stOl
unable to get rid of worldly thoughts, or to banish recollections
of worldly pleasures—to wit, those resulting from
sight, or hearing, or smelling, or tasting, or handling, or
thoughts about the properties of things around him (dharma)
—and thus after these twelve years he was still uncon-
verted. Buddha, perceiving his capability of conversion,
transformed himself into z, Shaman, and came to the tree
where he sat, and occupied a place near the other. After
a while, in an interval of moonshining, lo! they saw a
tortoise come up out of the river, and come towards the
tree ; at the same time a hungry river-dog^ coming along
endeavoured to lay hold of the tortoise to eat him. But
no sooner did he make the attempt than the tortoise,
gathering up his head and tail and legs into his shell, was
in perfect safety, and the dog could do him no harm. But
no sooner had the dog gone on than, the tbrtoise, emerging
from his concealment, walked on again as before. On this
the ascetic observed to the Shaman— " This tortoise, be-
cause it possesses such a safe protection {J,it. ' a casque of
salvation'), the, dog was disappointed of his meal." To
which the Shaman replied— " I remember a man who was
very different from this. This man, forgetting the im-
1 otter?