THE MAN

                                               

                                                       THE MAN CHAPTER 2

              IF A MAN HOLD HIMSELF, LET HIM WATCH HIMSELF CAREFULLY, DURING ONE AT LEAST OUT OF THE THREE WATCHE'S A WISE MAN SHOULD BE WATCHFUL. LET EACH MAN DIRECT HIMSELF FIRST TO WHAT IS PROPER, THEN LET HIM TEACH OTHERS, THUS A WISE MAN WILL NOT SUFFER. IF A MAN MAKE HIMSELF AS HE TEACHES OTHERS TO BE, THEN, BEING HIMSELF WELL SUBDUED, HE MAY SUBDUE OTHERS, ONE'S OWN SELF IS DIFFICULT SUBDUE. SELF IS THE LORD OF SELF, WHO ELSE COULD BE THE LORD? WITH SELF WELL SUBDUED, A MAN FINDS A LORD SUCH AS FEW CAN FIND.

             THE EVIL DONE BY ONE'S SELF, SELF-FORGOTTEN, SELF-BRED, CRUSHES THE FOOLISH, AS A DIAMOND BREAKS EVEN A PRECIOUS STONE. HE WHOSE WICKEDNESS IS VERY GREAT BRINGS HIMSELF DOWN TO THAT STATE WHERE HIS ENEMY WISHES HIM TO BE, AS A CREEPER DOES WITH THE TREE WHICH IT SURROUNDS. BAD DEEDS, AND DEEDS HURTFUL TO OURSELVES, ARE EASY TO DO, WHAT IS BENEFICIAL AND GOOD, THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO. THE FOOLISH MAN WHO SCORNS THE RULE OF THE VENERABLE(ARHAT), OF THE ELECT(ARIYA), OF THE VIRTUOS, AND FOLLOWS A FALSE DOCTINE, HE BEARS FRUIT TO HIS OWN DESTRUCTION LIKE THE FRUITS OF THE KATTHAKA REED?

                  BY ONE'S SELF THE EVIL IS DONE, BY ONE'S SELF ONE SUFFERS, BY ONE'S SELF EVIL IS STAND AND FALL BY ONE'S SELF ONE IS PURIFIED. THE PURE AND THE IMPURE STAND AND FALL BY THEMSELVES, NO ONE CAN PURIFY ANOTHER. LET NO ONE FORGET HIS OWN DUTY FOR THE SAKE OF ANOTHER'S HOWEVER GREAT, LET A MAN, AFTER HE HAS DISCERNED HIS OWN DUTY, BE ALWAYS ATTENTIVE TO HIS DUTY.

                                                               THE EVIL LAW

        DO NOT FOLLOW THE EVIL LAW! DO NOT LIVE ON IN THOUGHTNESSNESS! DON NOT FOLLOW FALSE DOCTRINE! BE NOT A FRIEND OF THE WORLD.ROUSE THYSELF! DO NOT BE IDLE! FOLLOW THE LAW OF VIRTUE! THE VIRTUEOUS REST IN BLISS IN THIS WORLD AND IN THE NEXT. FOLLOW THE LAW OF VIRTUE, DON NOT FOLLOW THAT OF SIN. THE VIRTUOUS REST IN BLISS IN THIS WORLD AND IN THE NEXT. LOOK UPON THE WORLD AS YOU WOULD ON A BUBBLE, LOOK UPON IT AS YOU WOULD ON A MIRAGE, THE KING OF DEATH DOES NOT SEE HIM WHO THUS LOOKS DOWN UPON THE WORLD. COME, LOOK AT THIS WORLD, GLITTERING LIKE A ROYAL CHARIOT, THE FOOLISH ARE IMMERSED IN IT, BUT THE WISE DO NOT TOUCH IT.

           HE WHO FORMERLY WAS RECKLESS AND AFTERWARDS BECAME SOBER, BRIGHTENS UP THIS WORLD, LIKE THE MOON WHEN FREED FROM CLOUDS. HE WHOSE EVIL DEEDS ARE COVERED BY GOOD DEEDS, BRIGHTENS UP THIS WORLD, LIKE THE MOON WHEN FREED FROM CLOUDS. THIS WORLD IS DARK, FEW ONLY CAN SEE HERE, A FEW ONLY GO TO HEAVEN, LIKE BIRDS ESCAPED FROM THE NET. THE SWANS GO ON THE PATH OF THE SUN, THEY GO MIRACUOUSLY THROUGH THE ETHER, THE WISE ARE LED OUT OF THIS WORLD, WHEN THEY HAVE CONQUERED MARA AND HIS TRAIN. IF A MAN HAS TRANSGRESSED THE ONE LAW, AND SPEAKS LIES, AND SCOFFS AT ANOTHER WORLD, THERE IS NO EVIL HE WILL NOT DO. THE UNCHARITABLE DO NOT GO TO THE WORLD OF THE GODS, FOOLS ONLY DO NOT PRAISE LIBERALITY, A WISE MAN REJOICES IN LIBERALITY, AND THOUGH IT BECOMES BLESSED IN THE OTHER WORLD.  BETTER THAN SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE EARTH, BETTAR THAN GOING TO HEAVEN, BETTER THAN LORDSHIP OVER ALL WORDS, IS THE REWARD OF SOTAPATTI, THE FIRST STEP IN HOLINESS.

                                                                   DONT SEEK

        HOW IS THERE LAUGHER, HOW IS THER JOY, AS THIS WORLD IS ALWAYS BURNING? DO YOU NOT SEEK A LIGHT, YE WHO ARE SURROUNDED BY DARKNESS? LOOK AT THIS DRESSED-UP LUMP, COVERED WITH WOUNDS, JOINED TOGETHER, SICKLY, FULL OF MANY SCHEMES, BUT WHICH HAS NO STRENGTH, NO HOLD! THIS BODY IS WASTED, FULL OF SICKNESS, AND FRAIL, THIS HEAP OF CORRUPTION BREAKS, TO PIECES, LIFE INDEED ENDS IN DEATH. AFTER ONE HAS LOOKED AT THOSE GRAY BONES, THROWN AWAY LIKE GOURDS IN THE AUTUMN, WHAT PLEASURE IS THERE LEFT IN LIFE!.

         AFTER A STONGHOLD HAS BEEN MADE OF THE BONES, IT IS COVERED WITH FLESH AND BLOOD, AND THERE DWELL IN IT OLD AGE AND DEATH, PRIDE AND DECEIT. THE BRILLIAT CHARIOTS OF KINGS ARE DESTROYED, THE BODY ALSO APPROACHES DESTRUTION, BUT THE VIRTUE OF GOOD PEOPLE NEVER APPROACHES DESTRUCTION-THUS DO THE GOOD SAY TO THE GOOD. A MAN WHO HAS LEARNT, LITTLE, GROWS OLD LIKE AN OX, HIS FLESH GROWS, BUT HIS KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT GROW. LOOKING FOR THE MAKER OF THIS TABERNACLE, I HAVE RUN THROUGH A COURSE OF MANY BIRTHS, NOT FINDING HIM, AND PAINFUL IS BIRTH AGAIN AND AGAIN. BUT NOW, MAKER OF THER TABERNACLE, THOU HAS BEEN SEEN, THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UP THIS TABERNACLE AGAIN. ALL THY RAFTERS ARE BROKEN, THY RIDGE-POLE IS SUNDERED, THE MIND, APPROACHING THE ETERNAL(VISANKHARA NIRVANA) HAS ATTAINED TO THE EXTINCTION OF ALL DESIRES.

             MEN WHO HAVE NOT OBSERVED PROPER DISCIPLINE, AND HAVE NOT GAINED WEALTH IN THEIR YOUTH, PERISH LIKE OLD HERONS IN A LAKE WITHOUT FISH. MEN WHO HAVE NOT OBSERVED PROPER DISCIPLINE AND HAVE NOT GAINED WEALTH IN THEIR YOUTH, LIE, LIKE BROKEN BOWS, SIGHING AFTER THE PAST.