The Gospel of Buddha
Paul Carus
1,999 passages indexed from The Gospel of Buddha (Paul Carus) — Page 14 of 40
License: Public Domain
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1803
Professor Huxley says, "In the theory of evolution, the tendency of a germ to develop according to a certain specific type, e.g., of the kidney bean seed to grow into a plant having all the characters of _Phaseolus vulgaris_ is its 'karma.' It is 'the last inheritor and the last result' of all the conditions that have affected a line of ancestry which goes back for many millions of years to the time when life first appeared on earth." We read in the Anguttara Nikāya, Pancaka Nipāta: "My action (karma) is my possession, my action is my inheritance, my action is the womb which bears me, my action is the race to which I am akin [as the kidney-bean to its species], my action is my refuge." [See the article "Karma and Nirvāna" in _Buddhism and Its Christian Critics_, p.
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1078
The Blessed One replied: "A word spoken in wrath is the sharpest sword; covetousness is the deadliest poison; passion is the fiercest fire; ignorance is the darkest night." 3
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1487
The Blessed One said: "There are two occasions on which a Tathāgata's appearance becomes clear and exceeding bright. In the night, Ānanda, in which a Tathāgata attains to the supreme and perfect insight, and in the night in which he passes finally away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever of his earthly existence to remain." 23
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 536
The Blessed One consented to the request of his father and set out on his journey to Kapilavatthu. Soon the tidings spread in the native country of the Buddha: "Prince Siddhattha, who wandered forth from home into homelessness to obtain enlightenment, having attained his purpose, is coming back." 3
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 771
When the Blessed One heard it, he told Ānanda to call the bhikkhus together, and he asked them: "Tell me, O bhikkhus, when does a bhikkhu cease to be a bhikkhu?" 5
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 898
"Now, regarding thy high reputation, O samana, and knowing that thou art called the Enlightened One, the teacher of men and gods, the Blessed Buddha, we have come to ask thee, are all these paths paths of salvation? There are many roads all around our village, and all lead to Manasākata. Is it just so with the paths of the sages? Are all paths paths to salvation, and do they all lead to a union with Brahmā? 4
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 550
"O great king," rejoined the Buddha, "thou and thy race may claim descent from kings; my descent is from the Buddhas of old. They, begging their food, lived on alms." 6
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1126
"The second meditation is the meditation of pity, in which thou thinkest of all beings in distress, vividly representing in thine imagination their sorrows and anxieties so as to arouse a deep compassion for them in thy soul. 22
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 125
And the queen said to her sister, Pajāpatī: "A mother who has borne a future Buddha will never give birth to another child. I shall soon leave this world, my husband, the king, and Siddhattha, my child. When I am gone, be thou a mother to him." 26
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1187
"The crane took him and showed him the lake, and then turned off toward the varana-tree. 'My dear uncle!' cried the lobster, 'The lake lies that way, but thou art taking me this other way.' 13
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1402
The Blessed One proceeded to the village Nādikā with a great company of brethren and there he stayed at the Brick Hall. And the venerable Ānanda went to the Blessed One and mentioning to him the names of the brethren and sisters that had died, anxiously inquired about their fate after death, whether they had been reborn in animals or in hell, or as ghosts, or in any place of woe. 1
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1276
There was a courtesan in Mathurā named Vāsavadattā. She happened to see Upagutta, one of Buddha's disciples, a tall and beautiful youth, and fell desperately in love with him. Vāsavadattā sent an invitation to the young man, but he replied: "The time has not yet arrived when Upagutta will visit Vāsavadattā." 1
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1230
Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Kāsi, the Bodhisatta was born in a merchant's family; and when he grew up, he went about trafficking with five hundred carts. 10
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 66
Wherever you look, there is a rushing and a struggling, and an eager pursuit of pleasure. There is a panic flight from pain and death, and hot are the flames of burning desires. The world is vanity fair, full of changes and transformations. All is Samsāra. 4
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 31
And this is the spirit in which we offer this book to the public, cherishing the hope that it will help to develop in Christianity not less than in Buddhism the cosmic religion of truth.
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 291
"Alas! the world must perish, should the Holy One, the Tathāgata, decide not to teach the Dharma. 9
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 85
But in the changing things there is a constancy of law, and when the law is seen there is truth. The truth lies hidden in Samsāra as the permanent in its changes. 2
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 375
When the wealthy merchant had taken refuge in the Buddha, his eyes were opened and he saw his son sitting at his side in a bhikkhu's robe. "My son, Yasa," he said, "thy mother is absorbed in lamentation and grief. Return home and restore thy mother to life." 16
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 592
Yasodharā had three times requested of the Buddha that she might be admitted to the Sangha, but her wish had not been granted. Now Pajāpatī, the foster-mother of the Blessed One, in the company of Yasodharā, and many other women, went to the Tathāgata entreating him earnestly to let them take the vows and be ordained as disciples. 1
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1522
Said the Blessed One: "It is out of the fullness of faith that thou hast spoken, Ānanda! But, Ānanda, the Tathāgata knows for certain that in this whole assembly of the brethren there is not one brother who has any doubt or misgiving as to the Buddha, or the truth, or the path! For even the most backward, Ānanda, of all these brethren has become converted, and is assured of final salvation." 18
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1537
And when the Blessed One had entered into Nirvāna, and the Mallas had burned the body with such ceremonies as would indicate that he was the great king of kings, ambassadors came from all the empires that at the time had embraced his doctrine, to claim a share of the relics; and the relics were divided into eight parts and eight dāgobas were erected for their preservation. One dāgoba was erected by the Mallas and seven others by the seven kings of those countries, whose people had taken refuge in the Buddha. 36
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1423
Then they addressed the Blessed One and said: "Will the Blessed One do us the honor of taking his meal, together with the brethren, at our palace to-morrow?" 14
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 881
As the bee collects nectar and departs without injuring the flower, or its color or scent, so let a sage dwell in the community. 42
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 882
If a traveller does not meet with one who is his better, or his equal, let him firmly keep to his solitary journey; there is no companionship with fools. 43
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1
This booklet needs no preface for those who are familiar with the sacred books of Buddhism, which have been made accessible to the Western world by the indefatigable zeal and industry of scholars like Beal, Bigandet, Bühler, Burnouf, Childers, Alexander Csoma, Rhys Davids, Dutoit, Eitel, Fausböll, Foucaux, Francke, Edmund Hardy, Spence Hardy, Hodgson, Charles R. Lanman, F. Max Müller, Karl Eugen Neumann, Oldenberg, Pischel, Schiefner, Senart, Seidenstücker, Bhikkhu Nyānatiloka, D.M.
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1495
But the brother or the sister, the devout man or the devout woman, who continually fulfils all the greater and the lesser duties, walking according to the precepts, it is they who rightly honor, hold sacred, and revere the Tathāgata with the worthiest homage. Therefore, O Ānanda, be ye "constant in the fulfilment of the greater and of the lesser duties, and walk according to the precepts; thus, Ānanda, will ye honor the Master." 3
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1603
Gospel: IX Sources: Fo, vv. 919-1035; Cf. "Arāda and Udraka" in Rhys Davids's _Dialogue_ Parallelisms: Compare the results of modern psychology
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 712
The lamp that is not cleansed and not filled with oil will be extinguished, and a body that is unkempt, unwashed, and weakened by penance will not be a fit receptacle for the light of truth. Attend to your body and its needs as you would treat a wound which you care for without loving it. Severe rules will not lead the disciples on the middle path which I have taught.
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 741
"The body is like a machine, and there is no self in it that makes it walk or act, but the thoughts of it, as the windy elements, cause the machine to work. 20
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1275
O ye who commit murders and robberies! The veil of self-delusion covers your eyes. If ye could see things as they are, not as they appear, ye would no longer inflict injuries and pain on your own selves. Ye see not that ye will have to atone for your evil deeds, for what ye sow that will ye reap. 4
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1050
"Rooted in one and the same soil, all those families of plants and germs are quickened by water of the same essence. 10
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 869
He who gives himself to vanity, and does not give himself to meditation, forgetting the real aim of life and grasping at pleasure, will in time envy him who has exerted himself in meditation. 30
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 371
While the Blessed One and Yasa were discussing the doctrine, Yasa's father passed by in search of his son; and in passing he asked the Blessed One: "Pray, Lord, hast thou seen Yasa, my son?" 12
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 344
"A man that stands alone, having decided to obey the truth, may be weak and slip back into his old ways. Therefore, stand ye together, assist one another, and strengthen one another's efforts. 2
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1686
Gospel: LXXVIII, LXXIX Sources: _Jātaka Tales_ Parallelisms: --
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 939
"I teach, Simha, the not-doing of such actions as are unrighteous, either by deed, or by word, or by thought; I teach the not-bringing about of all those conditions of heart which are evil and not good. However, I teach, Simha, the doing of such actions as are righteous, by deed, by word, and by thought; I teach the bringing about of all those conditions of heart which are good and not evil. 10
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1655
Gospel: XLVIII, 47 Sources: DP, v. 275 Parallelisms: II Cor. vii, 7
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1084
The Blessed One replied: "Good is attractive; evil is disgusting. A bad conscience is the most tormenting pain; deliverance is the height of bliss." 9
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1152
And the Blessed One thought: "I have taught the truth which is excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, and excellent in the end; it is glorious in its spirit and glorious in its letter. But simple as it is, the people cannot understand it. I must speak to them in their own language. I must adapt my thoughts to their thoughts. They are like unto children, and love to hear tales. Therefore, I will tell them stories to explain the glory of the Dharma. If they cannot grasp the truth in the abstract arguments by which I have reached it, they may nevertheless come to understand it, if it is illustrated in parables." 1
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 9
For those who want to trace the Buddhism of this book to its fountainhead, a table of reference has been added, which indicates as briefly as possible the main sources of the various chapters and points out the parallelisms with Western thought, especially in the Christian Gospels.
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 415
"He who knows the nature of self and understands how the senses act, finds no room for selfishness, and thus he will attain peace unending. The world holds the thought of self, and from this arises false apprehension. 7
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1725
OldG.--German Edition, Buddha, sein Leben, seine Lehre und seine Gemeinde, by H. Oldenberg. Second Edition. Berlin, 1890.
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1092
"We will ask the muni of great understanding, who has crossed the stream, gone to the other shore, is blessed and of a firm mind: How does a bhikkhu wander rightly in the world, after having gone out from his house and driven away desire?" 3
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 954
"Great is a successful general, O Simha, but he who has conquered self is the greater victor. 25
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1814
Mahāyā'na, the great vehicle, viz., of salvation. Name of the Northern conception of Buddhism, comparing religion to a great ship in which men can cross the stream of Samsāra to reach the shore of Nirvāna.
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1164
In those days there was a physician who was called to see the blind man. He mixed four simples, and when he applied them to the cataract of the blind man the gray film melted, and his eyes acquired the faculty of sight. 3
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 724
Said the Blessed One: "Life is instantaneous and living is dying. Just as a chariot-wheel in rolling rolls only at one point of the tire, and in resting rests only at one point; in exactly the same way, the life of a living being lasts only for the period of one thought. As soon as that thought has ceased the being is said to have ceased. 4
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 407
"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 divest himself of passion and become free. He will be delivered from selfishness and attain the blessed state of Nirvāna." 23
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1853
Saha'mpati, occurs only in the phrase "Brahmā Sahampati," a name frequently used in Buddhist scriptures the meaning of which is obscure. Burnouf renders it _Seigneur des êtres patients_; Eitel, Lord of the inhabitable parts of all universes; H. Kern [in _S.B._, XXI, p. 5] maintains that it is synonymous with Sikhin, which is a common term for Agni.
The Gospel of Buddha, passage 1587
All the Buddhas are wonderful and glorious. There is not their equal upon earth. They reveal to us the path of life. And we hail their appearance with pious reverence. 1