Texts from the Buddhist canon : commonly known as Dhammapada

FLOWERS. 75
But there are two things in the -world' wiich are immutably
fixed—that good actions bring happiness, and
bad actions result in misery. But (it is not generally
known that) the joys of heaven as well as the sorrows
of earth are both to be avoided. Who, then, is able to
pluck and to hold the true joy of perfect rest (the rest of
non-action) ? Truly ye have understanding, women !
and therefore he recited these gathas
" Who is able to select (conquer ?) ^ the earth (i.e.,
the place of his abode), to escape Yama/ and lay
bold of heaven ? Who (is able) to repeat the verses
of the Law as one who selects choice (excellent)
flowers ? The enlightened (one) selects the earth,
avoids Yama, seizes heaven, illustriously repeats
the verses of the Law, is able to cull the flowers of
virtue. Knowing that the world is like a hillock of
sand,' that it is unsubstantial as a mirage, he sepa-
rates the flowery arrows of M^ra,* and escapes from
the necessity of birth and death.* !Regarding the
body as a bubble, as a self-created mirage, he sepa-
rates the flowery garland of Mara, and escapes from
birth and death."
And so the 500 women were converted, and, in reply to
Ananda, Buddha explains how these women had formerly
lived in the time of K^^yapa Buddha, and because of their
devotion to him, were now privileged to live in the time
of ^§,kya Buddha, and to be converted by him. And so on
another occasion Buddha recited these g&thas :
1 This is expressed by a difficult (as a proper uame) except by the
passage. The Chinese Udh means P&li translation.
" to select " or " pick out," and the 3 Ljig "froth " (Pffi), v. 46.
whole Terse seems to allude to choos- * Instead of /oo I hare been obliged
ing " a future abode " (bhfuni). to substitute *sin, an arrow.
" The expression "lam" in Chinese ^ Probably the word simg is a miscould
hardly have been understood take for wows', "King of Death."
:
"