I. REJOICE !
Rejoice at the glad tidings! The Buddha, our Lord, has found the
root of all evil; he has shown us the way of salvation. 1
The Buddha dispels the illusions of our mind and redeems us from
the terror of death. 2
The Buddha, our Lord, brings comfort to the weary and sorrow-laden;
he restores peace to those who are broken down under the burden of
life. He gives courage to the weak when they would fain give up self-
reliance and hope. 3
Ye that suffer from the tribulations of life, ye that have to
struggle and endure, ye that yearn for a life of truth, rejoice at the
glad tidings! 4
There is balm for the wounded, and there is bread for the hungry.
There is water for the thirsty, and there is hope for the despairing.
There is light for those in darkness, and there is inexhaustible
blessing for the upright. 5
Heal your wounds, ye wounded and eat your fill, ye hungry. Rest,
ye weary, and ye who are thirsty quench your thirst. Look up to the
light, ye that sit in darkness; be full of good cheer, ye that are
forlorn. 6
Trust in truth, ye that love the truth, for the kingdom of
righteousness is founded upon earth. The darkness of error is
dispelled by the light of truth. We can see our way and take firm and
certain steps. 7
The Buddha, our Lord, has revealed the truth. 8
The truth cures our diseases and redeems us from perdition; the
truth strengthens us in life and in death; the truth alone can conquer
the evils of error. 9
Rejoice at the glad tidings! 10
II. SAMSARA AND NIRVANA
Look about and contemplate life! 1
Everything is transient and nothing endures. There is birth and
death, growth and decay; there is combination and separation. 2
The glory of the world is like a flower: it stands in full bloom in
the morning and fades in the heat of the day. 3
Wherever you look, there is a rushing and 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 Samsara. 4
Is there nothing permanent in the world? Is there in the universal
turmoil no resting-place where our troubled heart can find peace? Is
there nothing everlasting? 5
Oh, that we could have cessation of anxiety, that our burning
desires would be extinguished! When shall the mind become tranquil
and composed? 6
The Buddha, our Lord, was grieved at the ills of life. He saw the
vanity of worldly happiness and sought salvation in the one thing that
will not fade or perish, but will abide for ever and ever. 7
Ye who long for life, know that immortality is hidden in
transiency. Ye who wish for happiness without the sting of regret,
lead a life of righteousness. Ye who yearn for riches, receive
treasures that are eternal. Truth is wealth, and a life of truth is
happiness. 8
All compounds will be dissolved again, but the verities which
determine all combination and separations as laws of nature endure for
ever and aye. Bodies fall to dust, but the truths of the mind will
not be destroyed. 9
Truth knows neither birth nor death; it has no beginning and no
end. Welcome the truth. The truth is the immortal part of mind. 10
Establish the truth in your mind, for the truth is the image of the
eternal; it portrays the immutable; it reveals the everlasting; the
truth gives unto mortals the boon of immortality. 11
The Buddha has proclaimed the truth; let the truth of the Buddha
dwell in your hearts. Extinguish in yourselves every desire that
antagonizes the Buddha, and in the perfection of your spiritual growth
you will become like unto him. 12
That of your heart that cannot or will not develop into Buddha must
perish; for it is mere illusion and unreal; it is the source of your
error; it is the cause of your misery. 13
You attain to immortality by filling your minds with truth.
Therefore, become like unto vessles fit to receive the Master’s words.
Cleanse yourselves of evil and sanctify your lives. There is no other
way of reaching truth. 14
Learn to distinguish between Self and Truth. Self is the cause of
selfishness and the source of evil; truth cleaves to no self; it is
universal and leads to justice and righteousness. 15
Self, that which seems to those who love their selves as their
being, is not the eternal, the everlasting, the imperishable. Seek
not self, but seek the truth. 16
If we liberate our souls from our petty selves, wish no ill to
others, and become clear as a crystal diamond reflecting the light of
truth, what a radiant picture will appear in us mirroring things as
they are, without the admixture of burning desires, without the
distortion of erroneous illusion, without the agitation of clinging
and unrest. 17
Yet ye love self and will not abandon self-love. So be it, but then, verily, ye should learn to distinguish between the false self and the true self. The ego with all its egotism is the false self.
It is an unreal illusion and a perishable combination. He only who
identifies his self with the truth will atain Nirvana; and he who has
entered Nirvana has attained Buddhahood; he has acquired the highest
good; he has become eternal and immortal. 18
All compound things shall be dissolved again, worlds will break to
pieces and our individualities will be scattered; but the words of the
Buddha will remain for ever. 19
The extinction of self is salvation; the annihilation of self is the condition of enlightenment; the blotting out of self is Nirvana.
Happy is he who has ceased to live for pleasure and rests in the
truth. Verily his composure and tranquillity of mind are the highest
bliss. 20
Let us take our refuge in the Buddha, for he has found the everlasting in the transient. Let us take refuge in that which is the immutable in the changes of existence. Let us take our refuge in the truth that is established through the enlightenment of the Buddha.
Let us take our refuge in the community of those who seek the truth
and endeavour to live in the truth. 21
III. TRUTH THE SAVIOUR
The things of the world and its inhabitants are subject to change.
They are combinations of elements that existed before, and all living
creatures are what their past actions made them; for the law of cause
and effect is uniform and without exceptions. 1
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 Samsara as
the permanent in its changes. 2
Truth desires to appear; truth longs to become conscious; truth
strives to know itself. 3
There is truth in the stone, for the stone is here; and no power in
the world, no god, no man, no demon, can destroy its existence. But
the stone has no consciousness. 4
There is truth in the plant and its life can expand; the plant
grows and blossoms and bears fruit. Its beauty is marvellous, but it
has no consciousness. 5
There is truth in the amimal; it moves about and perceives its
surroundings; it distinguishes and learns to choose. There is
consciousness, but it is not yet the consciousness of Truth. It is a
consciousness of self only. 6
The consciousness of self dims the eyes of the mind and hides the
truth. It is the origin of error, it is the source of illusion, it is
the germ of evil. 7
Self begets selfishness. There is no evil but what flows from
self. There is no wrong but what is done by the assertion of self. 8
Self is the beginning of all hatred, of iniquity and slander, of
impudence and indecency, of theft and robbery, of oppression and
bloodshed. Self is Mara, the tempter, the evildoer, the creator of
mischief. 9
Self entices with pleasures. Self promises a fairy’s paradise.
Self is the veil of Maya, the enchanter. But the pleasures of self
are unreal, its paradisian labyrinth is the road to misery, and its
fading beauty kindles the flames of desires that never can be
satisfied. 10
Who shall deliver us from the power of self? Who shall save us
from misery? Who shall restore us to a life of blessedness? 11
There is misery in the world of Samsara; there is much misery and
pain. But greater than all the misery is the bliss of truth. Truth
gives peace to the yearning mind; it conquers error; it quenches the
flames of desires; it leads to Nirvana. 12
Blessed is he who has found the peace of Nirvana. He is at rest in
the struggles and tribulations of life; he is above all changes; he is
above birth and death; he remains unaffected by the evils of life. 13
Blessed is he who has found enlightenment. He conquers, although
he may be wounded; he is glorious and happy, although he may suffer;
he is strong, although he may break down under the burden of his work;
he is immortal, although he may die. The essence of his being is
purity and goodness. 14
Blessed is he who has attained the sacred state of Buddhahood, for
he is fit to work out the salvation of his fellowbeings. The truth
has taken its abode in him. Perfect wisdom illumines his
understanding, and righteousness ensouls the purpose of all his
actions. 15
The truth is a living power for good, indestructible and
invincible! Work the truth out in your mind, and spread it amoung
mankind, for truth alone is the saviour from evil and misery. The
Buddha has found the truth and the truth has been proclaimed by the
Buddha! Blessed be the Buddha! 16
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- Written by: Paul Carus