English
There are five ways in which the friendship of a superior mnst be returned : — ^He must be protected from harm when he is in liqnor ; if he be sick, his cattle and property must be taken care of ; when under the displeasure of the king, he must not be for- saken; when under any misfortane he must be assisted, and when he is disabled, his children most be assisted. There are four kinds of persons who appear to be your friends, but they are not so in reality : — Those who come empty, but go away with a portion of your wealth ; those who give assistance only in words ; those who speak to you in an improper manner, or give bad advice ; and those who waste your substance. The friend who takes away part of your wealth is he who gives you a little, with the hope of receiving much in return ; if any necessity comes upon him, he is your lowly slave, that he may gain your assistance ; he does not associate with you because of affection, but to gain his own ends. He who is your friend only in word, reminds you of obliga- tions under which you were indebted to him long ago ; he pro- mises, when you are in difficulty, to assist you at some f ature time, but he forgets his promise ; if he sees you in the street, he asks you to mount his elephant, and plies you with unmeaning words ; if you really require his assistance, and ask him for it, he says falsely that his wagon is broken, or his oxen are diseased. He who speaks to you in an improper manner, or gives you bad advice, may be known thus : — When you are meditating to take life, or do something that is contrary to the precepts, he en- courages yon in your evil design; when you are resolving to give alms, or do something that is good, he discourages you; when he is near you, he speaks well of yon, and praises you, but when away, he says something that is to your discredit. He who wastes your substance is he who tells you that in such a place there is good liquor, and says, Let us go and drink ; he loiters over the liquor, and entreats you to drink again and again ; he entices you to lounge in the streets at improper hours ; and tempts you to visit places of amusement. From such friends as these the wise man turns away, as he would avoid the road in which he knew that there was a lion or a tiger. 502 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. The real friend will at any time render yon assistance ; be is equally faitkf al in prosperity and adversity ; he is a friend in meaning, and not in the promise alone ; and he sympathises with you. He who renders you assistance is he who, when he finds yon in a state of intoxication, at the road side, thinks that some evil may happen to you, or that your clothes or ornaments may be stolen, so be stays to protect you ; if he finds that you have gone out of the village, and that there is no one in charge of your property, he takes care of it in your stead ; if you are tormented by any fear, he says, I am your friend, why are you alarmed ? thus encouraging you ; when you are in want, and go to ask a single piece of coin, he is ready to divide with you half his sub- stance. He who is equally faithful in prosperity and adversity, reveals a secret to you alone ; if you reveal a secret to him, he faithfully keeps it ; he does not turn away from you in adversity ; he sacrifices even his life to assist you. He who is your friend in meaning, and not in word alone, is he who prevents you from taking life, or doing any other evil ; he urges you to almsgiving and other good deeds ; he informs you of that which you did not previously know ; and he tells you what is to be done in order that you may enter the paths. He who sympathises with you rejoices in your prosperity ; he is pleased when you receive any increase of honour ; when he hears any one disparaging you, he says. Do not say so ; he is a good man : and if he hears any one speak well of you, he con- firms it. The wise man searches for the friend thus g^ted, even as the child seeks its mother. He who is thus wise, and keeps the precepts, shines resplendent, as a flame of fire upon the top of a rock at night dissipates the surrounding darkness. He who does no evil, but increases his substance in a righteous manner, will be blessed with abundance. As the bee, without destroying the colour or perfume of the flower, gathers the sweetness with his mouth and wings, so the riches of the true friend gradually accumulate ; and the increase will be regularly continued, like the constant additions that are made to the hill formed by the white ant. (SingdlSwadO'Suira' sanne.) X. THE ETHICS OF BT3DHISM. 603 20. MisceUcmeous Advices and Admonitions. The benefits that accrue from the possession of riches may be divided into fonr parts : — 1. They enable the possessor to gain friends. 2. A. fourth part is required for his own personal ex- penses. 3. One half is required for the outlay attendant on the carrying on of husbandry or merchandise. 4. A fourth part must be hid as a resource when any case of necessity occurs, arising from the oppression of the king or the chiefs of the land. There are six causes of the destruction of substance : — 1. The repeated use of intoxicating liquors. 2. The tarrying in the streets at improper hours. 8. The frequenting of places of amusement. 4. The continued practice of gambling. 5. The associating with persons that are ignorant, or addicted to vice. 6. Idleness. The practice of the six following things will be followed by destruction : — To sleep until the going down of the sun ; to have intercourse with women that are under the protection of another ; to be filled with anger, like a nay^ that has received a blow ; to seek to injui^e others ; to associate with evil persons, like D^wa-datta or Kokdlika; and to be covetous, like Illisa. {SingdUkaddorStitrii'Sa/n/nS,) It is declared by Budha, in the Bila-pandita-sdtra, which he delivered when residing at Jet4wana, that the conduct of the unwise man may be set forth under three heads: — 1. He cherishes evil thoughts, and thoughts that are contraiy to the truth. 2. He utters falsehoods, and uses contemptuous expres- sions. 3. He takes life, steals, approaches women who belong to another, and drinks. In like manner, there are three modes in which he receives punishment. 1. He is constantly fearful ; whether he be in the crowd, or in the street, or in a square, when he hears any one speaking of the consequences of sin, he becomes uncomfortable, thinking that he also may one day receive the consequence of his crimes ; and because these are his thoughts, he is unwilling to remain, he goes away. 2. When he sees the infliction of any punishment by command of the king, he thinks that if the king knows all he has done, he will punish him in the same way; when alone, when seated in his chair, when reclining on the bed, or in any other place, he 504 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. thinks of these things, and is sorrowful ; even the crimes com- mitted long ago trouble him ; as the shadow of a great rock is thrown to a distance, and extends far, at the setting of the sun. 3. He is sorrowful again when he thinks how much merit he might have gained ; but that he has neglected this opportunity, and instead has continually added to his crimes. The six directions are not to be honoured with any outward ceremony. On a certain occasion, when Budha was returning to the wih^ra, from the city of Bajagaha, whither he had been with the alms-bowl, he saw a grahapati, Sing41(5ha-, with wet hair and streaming garments,* making obeisance in the six directions. The sage enquired why he was acting thus ; and when he said that it was in obedience to the command of his deceased parents, Budha gave him the advice contained in the Sing&ldwada-sdtra. After hearing it, he saw the folly of the act that he was performing, and became a disciple of Budha, declaring that the instructions he had received were like the right placing of a vessel that had been turned upside down ; or like the laying open of treasures that had been covered over with refuse and grass ; or like the taking of a man by the hand who has lost the road and guiding him aright; or like the holding forth of a torch amidst the midnight darkness (effects that under similar circumstances are in the native works very freqaently re- presented as being produced).