This discourse on the True (Apannaka), the Blessed
One delivered while at the Jetavana Wihara, near
Savatthi.
What was the circumstance concerning which this tale
arose? About the five hundred heretics, friends of the
Merchant.
For one day, they are told, Anatha Pindika the merchant
took five hundred heretics, friends of his, and had many
garlands and perfumes and ointments and oil and honey
and molasses and clothes and vestments brought, and
went to Jetavana. And saluting the Blessed One, he
offered him garlands and other things, and bestowed
medicines and clothes on the Order of Mendicants, and sat
down in a respectful and becoming manner on one side of
the Teacher. And those followers of wrong belief also
saluted the Blessed One, and sat down close to Anatha Pindika. And they beheld the continence of the
Teacher like the full moon in glory; and his person
endowed with all the greater and lesser marks of honor,
and surrounded to a fathom's length with brightness;
and also the clustering rays (the peculiar attribute of a
Buddha), which issued from him like halos, and in pairs.
Then, though mighty in voice like a young lion roaring
in his pride in the Red Rock Valley, or like a monsoon
thunder-cloud, he preached to them in a voice like an
archangel's voice, perfect and sweet and pleasant to hear, a
discourse varied with many counsels,--as if he were weaving
a garland of pearls out of the stars in the Milky Way!
When they had heard the Teacher's discourse, they
were pleased at heart; and rising up, they bowed down
to the One Mighty by Wisdom, and giving up the wrong
belief as their refuge, they took refuge in the Buddha.
And from that time they were in the habit of going with
Anatha Pindika to the Wihara, taking garlands and
perfumes with them, and of hearing the Truth, and of
giving gifts, and of keeping the Precepts, and of making
confession.
Now the Blessed One went back again from Savatthi to
Rajagaha. And they, as soon as the Successor of the
Prophets was gone, gave up that faith; and again put their
trust in heresy, and returned to their former condition.
And the Blessed One, after seven or eight months,
returned to Jetavana. And Anatha Pindika again brought
those men with him, and going to the Teacher honored
him with gifts as before, and bowing down to him, seated
himself respectfully by his side. Then he told the
Blessed One that when the Successor of the Prophets had
left, those men had broken the faith they had taken, had
returned to their trust in heresy, and had resumed their
former condition.
And the Blessed One, by the power of the sweet words
he had continually spoken through countless ages, opened
his lotus mouth as if he were opening a jewel-casket
scented with heavenly perfume, and full of sweet-smelling
odors; and sending forth his pleasant tones, he asked
them, saying, "Is it true, then, that you, my disciples,
giving up the Three Refuges, have gone for refuge to
another faith?"
And they could not conceal it, and said, "It is true, O Blessed One!"
And when they had thus spoken, the Teacher said,
"Not in hell beneath, nor in heaven above, nor beyond in
the countless world-systems of the universe, is there any
one like to a Buddha in goodness and wisdom--much less,
then, a greater." And he described to them the qualities
of the Three Gems as they are laid down in the Scripture
passages beginning, "Whatever creatures there may be and others, the Successor of the Prophets is announced to be
the Chief of all." And again, "Whatsoever treasure there
be here or in other worlds and others." And again, "From the
chief of all pleasant things and others."
And he said, "Whatever disciples, men or women,
have taken as their refuge the Three Gems endowed with
these glorious qualities, they will never be born in hell;
but freed from birth in any place of punishment, they
will be reborn in heaven, and enter into exceeding bliss.
You, therefore, by leaving so safe a refuge, and placing
your reliance on other teaching, have done wrong."
And here the following passages should be quoted to
show that those who, for the sake of Perfection and Salvation, have taken refuge in the Three Gems, will not be
reborn in places of punishment:--
Those who have put their trust in Buddha,
Those who have put their trust in the Truth,
Those who have put their faith in the Order,
They go to many a refuge--.
(And so on down to)
Having gone to this as their refuge,
The above was not all the discourse which the Teacher
uttered to them. He also said, "Disciples! the meditation on the Buddha, the Truth, and the Order, gives the
Entrance and the Fruit of the First Path, and of the
Second, and of the Third, and of the Fourth." And
having in this way laid down the Truth to them, he
added, "You have done wrong to reject so great
salvation!"
And here the fact of the gift of the Paths to those who
meditate on the Buddha, the Order, and the Truth, might
be shown from the following and other similar passages:
"There is one thing, O mendicants, which, if practiced
with increasing intensity, leads to complete weariness of
the vanities of the world, to the end of longings, to the
destruction of excitement, to peace of mind, to higher
knowledge, to complete enlightenment, to Nirvana. What
is that one thing? The meditation on the Buddhas."
Having thus exhorted the disciples in many ways, the
Blessed One said, "Disciples! formerly, too, men trusting
to their own reason foolishly mistook for a refuge that
which was no refuge, and becoming the prey of demons
in a wilderness haunted by evil spirits, came to a disastrous end. Whilst those who adhered to the absolute,
the certain, the right belief, found good fortune in that
very desert." And when he had thus spoken, he remained
silent.
Then Anatha Pindika, the house-lord, arose from his
seat, and did obeisance to the Blessed One, and exalted
him, and bowed down before him with clasped hands, and
said, "Now, at least, O Lord! the foolishness of these
disciples in breaking with the best refuge is made plain
to us. But how those self-sufficient reasoners were
destroyed in the demon-haunted desert, while those who
held to the truth were saved, is hid from us, though it
is known to you. May it please the Blessed One to make
this matter known to us, as one causing the full moon to
rise in the sky!"
Then the Blessed One said, "O householder! it was
precisely with the object of resolving the doubts of the
world that for countless ages I have practiced the Ten
Cardinal Virtues, and have so attained to perfect knowledge. Listen, then, and give ear attentively, as if you
were filling up a golden measure with the most costly
essence!" Having thus excited the merchant's attention,
he made manifest that which had been concealed by
change of birth,--setting free, as it were, the full moon
from the bosom of a dark snow-cloud.
"Once upon a time in the country of Kasi and the city
of Benares, there was a king called Brahmadatta. The
Bodhisattva was at that time born in a merchant's family;
and in due course lie grew up, and went about trafficking
with five hundred bullock-carts. Sometimes he traveled
from east to west, and sometimes from west to east. At
Benares too there was another young merchant, stupid,
dull, and unskillful in resource.
"Now the Bodhisattva collected in Benares merchandise of
great value, and loaded it in five hundred bullock-carts,
and made them ready for a journey. And that foolish
merchant likewise loaded five hundred carts, and got
them ready to start.
"Then the Bodhisattva thought, 'If this foolish young
merchant should come with me, the road will not suffice
for the thousand carts, all traveling together; the men
will find it hard to get wood and water, and the bullocks
to get grass. Either he or I ought to go on first.'
"And sending for him he told him as much; saying,
'We two can't go together. Will you go on in front,
or come on after me?'
"And that other thought, 'It will be much better for
me to go first. I shall travel on a road that is not cut
up, the oxen will eat grass that has not been touched,
and for the men there will be curry-stuffs, of which the
best have not been picked; the water will be undisturbed;
and I shall sell my goods at what price I like.' So he
said, 'I, friend, will go on first.'
"But the Bodhisattva saw that it would be better to go
second: for thus it occurred to him, 'Those who go in
front will make the rough places plain, whilst I shall
go over the ground they have traversed:--the old rank
grass will have been eaten by the oxen that have gone
first, whilst my oxen will eat the freshly grown and
tender shoots:--for the men there will be the sweet
curry-stuffs that have grown where the old was picked:--where there is no water these others will dig and get
supplies, whilst we shall drink from the wells that they
have dug:--and haggling ahout prices too is killing
work; whereas by going afterwards, I shall sell my goods
at the prices they have established.' So seeing all these
advantages, he said, 'Well, friend, you may go on first.'
"The foolish merchant said, 'Very well, then!' yoked
his wagons and started; and in due course passed
beyond the inhabited country, and came to the border
of the wilderness.
"Now there are five kinds of wildernesses, those that
have become so by reason of thieves, of wild beasts, of
the want of water, of the presence of demons, and of
insufficiency of food; and of these this wilderness was
demon-haunted and waterless. So the merchant placed
great water-pots on his carts, and filled them with water,
and then entered the desert, which was sixty leagues
across.
"But, when he had reached the middle of the desert,
the demon who dwelt there thought, 'I will make these
fellows throw away the water they have brought; and
having thus destroyed their power of resistance, I will
eat them every one!'
"So he created a beautiful carriage drawn by milk-white
bulls; and attended by ten or twelve demons with bows
and arrows, and swords and shields, in their hands, he
went to meet the merchant, seated like a lord in his
carriage,--but adorned with a garland of water-lilies,
with his hair and clothes all wet, and his carriage wheels
begrimed with mud. His attendants too went before
and after him, with their hair and clothes all wet, decked
with garlands of white lotuses, carrying bunches of red
lotuses, eating the edible stalks of water-plants, and with
drops of water and mud trickling from them.
"Now the chiefs of trading caravans, whenever a head-wind blows, ride in their carriage in front, surrounded by
their attendants, and thus escape the dust; and when it
blows from behind, they, in the same manner, ride behind.
At that time there was a headwind, so the merchant went
in front.
"As the demon saw him coming, he turned his carriage
out of the way, and greeted him kindly, saying, 'Where
are you going to?'
"And the merchant hurrying his carriage out of the way,
made room for the carts to pass, and waiting beside him,
said to the demon, 'We have come thus far from Benares.
And you I see with lotus wreaths, and water-lilies in
your hands, eating lotus stalks, soiled with dirt, and
dripping with water and mud. Pray, does it rain on the
road you have come by, and are there tanks there covered
with water-plants?'
"No sooner had the demon heard that, than he answered;
'What is this that you say? Yonder streak is green
forest; from thence onwards the whole country abounds
with water, it is always raining, the pools are full, and
here and there are ponds covered with lotuses.' And as
the carts passed by one after another, he asked, 'Where
are you going with these carts?'
"'To such and such a country,' was the reply.
"'And in this cart, and in this, what have you got?'
said he.
"'Such and such things.'
"'This cart coming last comes along very heavily, what
is there in this one?'
"'There's water in that.'
"'You have done right to bring water as far as this;
but further on there's no need of it. In front of you
there's plenty of water. Break the pots and pour away
the water, and go on at your ease.' Then he added,
'Do you go on, we have already delayed too long!' and
himself went on a little, and as soon as he was out of
sight, went back to the demons' home.
"And that foolish merchant, in his folly, accepted the
demon's word, and had his pots broken, and the water
poured away (without saving even a cupful), and sent on
the carts. And before them there was not the least water.
And the men, having nothing to drink, became weary.
And journeying on till sunset, they unyoked the wagons,
and ranged them in a circle, and tied the oxen to the
wheels. And there was neither water for the oxen, nor
could the men cook their rice. And the worn-out men
fell down here and there and slept.
"And at the end of the night the demons came up from
their demon city, and slew them all, both men and oxen,
and ate their flesh, and went away leaving their bones
behind. So on account of one foolish young merchant
these all came to destruction, and their bones were scattered to all the points of the compass! And the five
hundred carts stood there just as they had been loaded!
"Now for a month and a half after the foolish merchant
had started, the Bodhisattva waited; and then left the city,
and went straight on till he came to the mouth of the
desert. There he filled the vessels, and laid up a plentiful
store of water, and had the drum beaten in the encampment to call the men together, and addressed them thus:
'Without asking me, let not even a cupful of water be
used! There are poisonous trees in the wilderness:
without asking me, let not a leaf nor a flower nor a fruit
you have not eaten before, be eaten!' And when he had
thus exhorted his followers, he entered the desert with his
hundred wagons.
"When he had reached the middle of the desert, that
demon, in the same way as before, showed himself to the
Bodhisattva as if he were coming from the opposite direction.
The Bodhisattva knew him as soon as he saw him, thinking
thus: 'There is no water in this wilderness; its very
name is the arid desert. This fellow is red-eyed and bold,
and throws no shadow. The foolish merchant who went
on before me will doubtless have been persuaded by this
fellow to throw away all his water; will have been
wearied out; and, with all his people, have fallen a prey.
But he doesn't know, methinks, how clever I am, and how
fertile in resource.'
"Then he said to him, 'Begone! We are traveling
merchants, and don't throw away the water we've got till
we see some more; and as soon as we do see it, we understand quite well how to lighten carts by throwing ours
away!'
"The demon went on a little way, and when he got out
of sight, returned to his demon city. When the demons
were gone, his men said to the Bodhisattva, 'Sir! those men
told us that yonder was the beginning of the green forest,
and from there onwards it was always raining. They had
all kinds of lotuses with them in garlands and branches,
and were chewing the edible lotus-stalks; their clothes
and hair were all wet, and they came dripping with water.
Let us throw away the water, and go on quickly with
light carts!'
"And when he heard what they said, the Bodhisattva made
the wagons halt, and collecting all his men, put the
question to them, 'Have you ever heard anybody say
that there was any lake or pond in this desert?'
"'We never heard so.'
"'And now some men are saying that it rains on the
other side of that stretch of green forest. How far can a
rain-wind be felt?'
"'About a league, Sir.'
"'How does the rain-wind reach the body of any one of
you?'
"'No, Sir.'
"'And how far off is the top of a rain-cloud visible?'
"'About a league. Sir.'
"'Now does any one of you see the top of a single
cloud?'
"'No one, Sir.'
"'How far off can a flash of lightning be seen?'
"'Four or five leagues, Sir.'
"'Now has the least flash of lightning been seen by any
one of you?'
"'No, Sir.'
"'How far off can thunder be heard?'
"'A league or two, Sir.'
"'Now has any of you heard the thunder?'
"'No, Sir.'
"'These fellows are not men, they are demons! They
must have come to make us throw away our water with
the hope of destroying us in our weakness. The foolish
young merchant who went on before us had no power of
resource. No doubt he has let himself be persuaded to
throw away his supply of water, and has fallen a prey to
these fellows. His wagons will be standing there just
as they were loaded. We shall find them to-day. Go on
as quickly as you can, and don't throw away a single
half-pint of water!'
"With these words he sent them forward; and going on
he found the five hundred carts as they had been loaded,
and the bones of men and oxen scattered about. And he
had his wagons unyoked, and ranged in a circle so as to
form a strong encampment; and he had the men and
oxen fed betimes, and the oxen made to lie down in the
midst of the men. And he himself took the overseers of
the company, and stood on guard with a drawn sword
through the three watches of the night, and waited for
the dawn. And quite early the next day he saw that
everything that should be done was done, and the oxen
fed; and leaving such carts as were weak he took strong
ones, and throwing away goods of little value he loaded
goods of greater value. And arriving at the proposed
mart, he sold his merchandise for two or three times the
cost price, and with all his company returned to his own
city."
And when he had told this story, the Teacher added,
"Thus, O householder, long ago those who relied on their
own reason came to destruction, while those who held to
the truth escaped the hands of the demons, went whither
they had wished to go, and got back again to their own
place." And it was when he had become a Buddha that
he uttered the following verse belonging to this lesson on
Holding to the Truth; and thus uniting the two stories,
he said--
"Some speak that which none can question;
Thus the Blessed One taught those disciples the lesson
regarding truth. "Life according to the Truth confers
the three happy conditions of existence here below, and
the six joys of the Brahmalokas in the heaven of delight,
and finally leads to the attainment of Arhatship; but
life according to the Untrue leads to rebirth in the four
hells and among the five lowest grades of man." He also
proclaimed the Four Truths in sixteen ways. And at the
end of the discourse on the Truths all those five hundred
disciples were established in the Fruit of Conversion.
The Teacher having finished the discourse, and told the
double narrative, established the connection, and summed
up the Jataka by concluding, "The foolish young merchant of that time was Devadatta, his men were Devadatta's followers. The wise young merchant's men were
the attendants of the Buddha, and the wise young merchant was I myself."