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The Gospel of Buddha

Preface

  • Preface:
    by Paul Carus


    Introduction
  • Chapter 01:
    Rejoice
  • Chapter 02:
    Samsara and Nirvana
  • Chapter 03:
    Truth the Saviour


    Prince Siddhattha becomes Buddha
  • Chapter 04:
    The Bodhisatta's Birth
  • Chapter 05:
    The Ties of Life
  • Chapter 06:
    The Three Woes
  • Chapter 07:
    The Bodhisatta's Renunciation
  • Chapter 08:
    King Bimbisara
  • Chapter 09:
    The Bodhisatta's Search
  • Chapter 10:
    Uruvela, the Place of Mortification
  • Chapter 11:
    Mara, the Evil One
  • Chapter 12:
    Enlightenment
  • Chapter 13:
    The First Converts
  • Chapter 14:
    Brahma's Request


    The Foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness
  • Chapter 15:
    Upaka
  • Chapter 16:
    The Sermon at Benares
  • Chapter 17:
    The Sangha
  • Chapter 18:
    Yasa, the Youth of Benares
  • Chapter 19:
    Kassapa
  • Chapter 20:
    The Sermon at Rajagaha
  • Chapter 21:
    The King's Gift
  • Chapter 22:
    Sariputta and Moggallana
  • Chapter 23:
    Anathapindika
  • Chapter 24:
    The Sermon on Charity
  • Chapter 25:
    Jetavana
  • Chapter 26:
    The Three Characteristics and the Uncreate
  • Chapter 27:
    The Buddha's Father
  • Chapter 28:
    Yasodhara
  • Chapter 29:
    Rahula


    Consolidation of the Buddha's religion
  • Chapter 30:
    Jivaka, the Physician
  • Chapter 31:
    The Buddha's Parents Attain Nirvana
  • Chapter 32:
    Women Admitted to the Sangha
  • Chapter 33:
    The Bhikkhus' Conduct Toward Women
  • Chapter 34:
    Visakha
  • Chapter 35:
    The Uposatha and Patimokkha
  • Chapter 36:
    The Schism
  • Chapter 37:
    The Re-establishment of Concord
  • Chapter 38:
    The Bhikkhus Rebuked
  • Chapter 39:
    Devadatta
  • Chapter 40:
    Name and Form
  • Chapter 41:
    The Goal
  • Chapter 42:
    Miracles Forbidden
  • Chapter 43:
    The Vanity of Worldliness
  • Chapter 44:
    Secrecy and Publicity
  • Chapter 45:
    The Annihilation of Suffering
  • Chapter 46:
    Avoiding the Ten Evils
  • Chapter 47:
    The Preacher's Mission


    The Teacher
  • Chapter 48:
    The Dhammapada
  • Chapter 49:
    The Two Brahmans
  • Chapter 50:
    Guard the Six Quarters
  • Chapter 51:
    Simha's Question Concerning Annihilation
  • Chapter 52:
    All Existence is Spiritual
  • Chapter 53:
    Identity and Non-Identity
  • Chapter 54:
    The Buddha Omnipresent
  • Chapter 55:
    One Essence, One Law, One Aim
  • Chapter 56:
    The Lesson Given to Rahula
  • Chapter 57:
    The Sermon on Abuse
  • Chapter 58:
    The Buddha Replies to the Deva
  • Chapter 59:
    Words of Instruction
  • Chapter 60:
    Amitabha
  • Chapter 61:
    The Teacher Unknown


    Parables and Stories
  • Chapter 62:
    Parables
  • Chapter 63:
    The Widow's Two Mites and the Parable of the Three Merchants
  • Chapter 64:
    The Man Born Blind
  • Chapter 65:
    The Lost Son
  • Chapter 66:
    The Giddy Fish
  • Chapter 67:
    The Cruel Crane Outwitted
  • Chapter 68:
    Four Kinds of Merit
  • Chapter 69:
    The Light of the World
  • Chapter 70:
    Luxurious Living
  • Chapter 71:
    The Communication of Bliss
  • Chapter 72:
    The Listless Fool
  • Chapter 73:
    Rescue in the Desert
  • Chapter 74:
    The Sower
  • Chapter 75:
    The Outcast
  • Chapter 76:
    The Woman at the Well
  • Chapter 77:
    The Peacemaker
  • Chapter 78:
    The Hungry Dog
  • Chapter 79:
    The Despot
  • Chapter 80:
    Vasavadatta
  • Chapter 81:
    The Marriage-Feast in Jambunada
  • Chapter 82:
    A Party in Search of a Thief
  • Chapter 83:
    In the Realm of Yamaraja
  • Chapter 84:
    The Mustard Seed
  • Chapter 85:
    Following the Master Over the Stream
  • Chapter 86:
    The Sick Bhikkhu
  • Chapter 87:
    The Patient Elephant


    The Last Days
  • Chapter 88:
    The Conditions of Welfare
  • Chapter 89:
    Sariputta's Faith
  • Chapter 90:
    Pataliputta
  • Chapter 91:
    The Mirror of Truth
  • Chapter 92:
    Ambapali
  • Chapter 93:
    The Buddha's Farewell Address
  • Chapter 94:
    The Buddha Announces His Death
  • Chapter 95:
    Chunda, the Smith
  • Chapter 96:
    Metteyya
  • Chapter 97:
    The Buddha's Final Entering into Nirvana


    Conclusion
  • Chapter 98:
    The Three Personalities of the Buddha
  • Chapter 99:
    The Purpose of Being
  • Chapter 100:
    The Praise of All the Buddhas


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    The Gospel of Buddha

    Kassapa

    At that time there lived in Uruvela the Jatilas,
    Brahman hermits with matted hair,
    worshipping the fire and keeping a fire-dragon;
    and Kassapa was their chief. [1]

    Kassapa was renowned throughout all India,
    and his name was honoured as one of the wisest men on earth
    and an authority on religion. [2]

    And the Blessed One went to Kassapa of Uruvela, the Jatila, and said:
    "Let me stay a night in the room where you keep your sacred fire." [3]

    Kassapa, seeing the Blessed One in his majesty and beauty, thought to himself:
    "This is a great muni and a noble teacher.
    Should he stay over night in the room where the sacred fire is kept,
    the serpent will bite him and he will die."

    And he said:
    "I do not object to your staying over-night
    in the room where the sacred fire is kept,
    but the serpent lives there; he will kill you
    and I should be sorry to see you perish."
    [4]

    But the Buddha insisted
    and Kassapa admitted him to the room where the sacred fire was kept. [5]

    And the Blessed One sat down with his body erect,
    surrounding himself with watchfulness. [6]

    In the night the dragon came to the Buddha, belching forth in rage his fiery poison,
    and filling the air with burning vapour, but could do him no harm,
    and the fire consumed itself while the World-honoured One remained composed.
    And the venomous fiend became very wroth so that he died in his anger. [7]

    When Kassapa saw the light shining forth from the room he said:
    "Alas, what misery!
    Truly, the countenance of Gotama the great Sakyamuni is beautiful,
    but the serpent will destroy him."
    [8]

    In the morning the Blessed One showed the dead body of the fiend to Kassapa, saying:
    "His fire has been conquered by my fire." [9]

    And Kassapa thought to himself:
    "Sakyamuni is a great samana
    and possesses high powers,
    but he is not holy like me."
    [10]

    There was in those days a festival, and Kassapa thought:
    "The people will come hither from all parts of the country and will see the great Sakyamuni.
    When he speaks to them, they will believe in him and abandon me."

    And he grew envious. [11]

    When the day of the festival arrived, the Blessed One retired and did not come to Kassapa.
    And Kassapa went to the Buddha on the next morning and said:
    "Why did the great Sakyamuni not come?" [12]

    The Tathagata replied:
    "Didst thou not think, O Kassapa,
    that it would be better if I stayed away from the festival?"
    [13]

    And Kassapa was astonished and thought:
    "Great is Sakyamuni; he can read my most secret thoughts, but he is not holy like me." [14]

    And the Blessed One addressed Kassapa and said:
    "Thou seest the truth,
    but acceptest it not because of the envy that dwells in thy heart.
    Is envy holiness? Envy is the last remnant of self that has remained in thy mind.
    Thou art not holy, Kassapa; thou hast not yet entered the path."
    [15]

    And Kassapa gave up his resistance.
    His envy disappeared, and, bowing down before the Blessed One, he said:
    "Lord, our Master, let me receive the ordination from the Blessed One." [16]

    And the Blessed One said:
    "Thou, Kassapa, art chief of the Jatilas.
    Go, then, first and inform them of thine intention,
    and let them do as thou thinkest fit."
    [17]

    Then Kassapa went to the Jatilas and said:
    "I am anxious to lead a religious life under the direction of the great Sakyamuni,
    who is the Enlightened One, the Buddha. Do as ye think best."
    [18]

    And the Jatilas replied:
    "We have conceived a profound affection for the great Sakyamuni,
    and if thou wilt join his brotherhood, we will do likewise."
    [19]

    The Jatilas of Uruvela now flung their paraphernalia of fire-worship into the river
    and went to the Blessed One. [20]

    Nadi Kassapa and Gaya Kassapa, brothers of the great Uruvela Kassapa,
    powerful men and chieftains among the people, were dwelling below on the stream,
    and when they saw the instruments used in fire-worship floating in the river, they said:
    "Something has happened to our brother." And they came with, their fold to Uruvela.
    Hearing what had happened, they, too, went to the Buddha. [21]

    The Blessed One seeing that the Jantilas of Nadi and Gaya,
    who had practised severe austerities and worshipped fire,
    were now come to him, preached a sermon on fire, and said: [22]

    "Everything, O Jatilas, is burning.
    The eye is burning, all the senses are burning, thoughts are burning.
    They are burning with the fire of lust. There is anger, there is ignorance, there is hatred,
    and as long as the fire finds inflammable things upon which it can feed, so long will it burn,
    and there will be birth and death, decay, grief, lamentation, suffering, despair, and sorrow.
    Considering this, a disciple of the Dharma will see the four noble truths
    and walk in the eightfold path of holiness.
    He will become wary of his eye, wary of all his senses, wary of his thoughts.
    He will divert himself of passion and become free.
    He will be delivered from selfishness and attain the blessed state of Nirvana."
    [23]

    And the Jatilas rejoiced and took refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. [24]

    End Chapter 19


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    The Gospel of Buddha
    The Gospel of Buddha
    Compiled from ancient records by Paul Carus, 1894

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