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One day, after performing this exercise, he said aloud in the forest, '* I have perfectly kept the obligations since I became a priest, and therefore a great reward awaits me" Afterwards he went towards the wih&ra of Kitulpaw; but on coming to a place where four ways met, he was in perplexity as to which was the right path, until the d^wa of a neighbouring rock stretched forth a hand, and said, *' In this direction." Having remained at the wihara four months, he thought of departing on the 54 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. following morning. But in the night, as he was walking in the hall of ambulation, he saw a d6wa near the steps at the en- trance, weeping. On aaking who he was, he said that he was the d6wa who resided in the tree midh^ta, near that place. The priest then enquired why he wept, and he said, " Whilst you have remained here, the priests have been at peace with each other ; but when you depart, they will again begin to quarrel ; therefore I weep." The priest, listening to the complaint of the d6wa, resolved not to leave the wihara, and abode there until he attained nirw&na. 6. The Unfortunate Priest. There was formerly in Ceylon, in the province of Buhuna, a wihAra, or temple, called Kshiraniga, in which a number of priests resided, one of whom was indifferent, and absent in mind. Unknown to the rest of the association, this negligent priest, to suit his own purpose, cut down a nd-tree, that grew within the sacred enclosure, which was the residence of a d6wa. The d6wa resolved upon revenge, but knew that he could only accomplish it by practising some artifice. He therefore caused the priest to dream that something very fortunate was about to happen to him. Not long after, the d6wa appeared to him in his own shape, and in seeming grief said to him, "In seven days a great calamity will happen to you." The priest enquired what it was ; and he said, '* In seven days your great bene- factor, the king of the city, will die ; and you are required to announce the event to the people." The citissens, on receiving this intelligence, as the priest without hesitation obeyed the command he had received, began to lament greatly, which attracted the attention of the king, and he enquired the cause. Upon being informed, he said that if the priest had declared the truth, the citizens must reward him accordingly ; but that if the announcement was false, he would himself know how to deal with the traitor. The seventh day arrived, and passed away, without any misfortune happening to the king ; and he there- fore gave orders, on the eighth day, that the priest should be taken out of the city, and deprived of his arms and legs. By this means the priest died, and his next birth was in a place of misery. (Sadhamunaratnakdre.) IL OKDERS OF SENTIENT EXISTENCE. 55 7. Ths Legends of Kisa/wacha and NcdikSra. At the time that Sarabhang^ Bddhisat was the chief of a company of ascetics, one of his followers, Kisawacha, left the Giwnla forest, near the river G6ddwari, where the fra- ternity resided, and took up his abode in a grove belonging to Dandaki, who reigned in the city of Elhumb&wati, in K^inga. It happened in the oonrse of time, that 500 courtezans passed throngh the city, in gay procession ; and the people flocked in such numbers to see them, that the street of the city was com- pletely filled. The crowd was observed by the king from the upper story of his palace, and when he learnt that it was caused by the beauties of the city, he was ofEended that they should thus seek to captivate the people, and commanded that they should be dismissed from their office. One day, when the same courtezans were walking in the royal garden, they saw the ascetic, Kisawacha, his face covered with hair, and his beard flowing over his breast ; and as if they had been polluted by the sight of this miserable object, they called for water to wash their eyes, and spat upon the ascetic's body. Soon afterwards they were restored to their office, and concluded that this good fortune had happened to them in consequence of their having spat upon Kisawacha. About the same time the pm*<5hita, or vizier, lost his office ; but he went to the courtezans and asked them by what means they had regained the king's favour ; and when they told him that it was through nothing else but their having spat upon a miserable ascetic, he went to the garden, and did the same. The king then remembered that he had dis- missed the brahman without having properly enquired into his case, and commanded him to be restored ; so he concluded that he also had been assisted through the insult he had shown to the ascetic. By and bye some of the provinces rebelled against the king, who collected an army to quell them. The brahman went to him, and said that if he wished to conquer his enemies, he must spit upon an ascetic who was in his garden, as it was by this means he and the courtezans had been restored to favour^ The king took this advice, and went to the garden, accompanied by his courtezans, all of whom spat upon the ascetic ; and an order was given to the warders that no one should be admitted to the palace who had not previously done 56 A MANUAL OF BUDHISxM. the same. A noble who heard of the indignity went to Kisawacha, cleansed his body from the filth, and gave him other garments ; after which he enquired what would be the punish- ment of the king, in consequence of the crime that had been committed. To this enquiry he replied, that the d^was were divided in opinion upon the subject ; some were determined that the king alone should suffer; others that the king and the people should be punished in common; whilst others were resolved upon the entire destruction of the country. But he also informed the noble, that if the king would come and ask his forgiveness, the threatened calamities would be averted. The noble therefore went to the king and made known to him what was taking place ; but as he refused to listen to his advice, he resigned his office ; after which he again went to the ascetic, who recommended him to take all he had and go to some place at the distance of seven days' journey from the city, as it would most assuredly be destroyed. The king fought his enemies, and conquered them ; and on the day on which he returned to the city it began to rain, so that the people were led to remark that he had been fortunate from the time he spat upon the ascetic. The dewas then rained flowers, money, and golden ornaments, at which the people were still more pleased ; but this was succeeded by a shower of weapons that cut their flesh ; then by showers of white burning charcoal, that emitted neither smoke nor flame, which was succeeded by a fall of stones, and then by sand so fine that it could not be taken up in the hand, which continued to fall until it covered the whole country to the depth of 87 cubits. The ascetic, the noble, and a certain merchant who received merit through the assistance he rendered to his mother, were the only persons saved. (Amdwatura). In a former age; Ndlik6ra reigned in Kalinga, and at the same time 500 brahmanical ascetics took up their abode in the forest of Himala, where they lived upon fruits, and dressed themselves in the bark of trees ; but they had occasionally to visit the villages, in order to procure salt and condiments ; and in the course of their wanderings they came to Kilinga. The people of the city gave them what they required, in return for which they said bana ; and the citizens were so mucb captivated with what they heard, that they requested them to remain, and say bana in the royal garden. The king observing a g^at II. ORDERS OF SENTIENT EXISTENCE. 57 crowd, enquired if they were going to some theatrical exhibi- tion ; but he was informed that they were going to hear bana, upon which he resoWed that he also would be present. When the brahmans heard that the king had arrived, they appointed one of their cleverest speakers to officiate. The bana was on the subject of the five sins, and the consequences of committing them were set forth ; such as birth in the form of worms, beasts, or astiis, or in hell, where the misery will have to be endured during many hundreds of thousands of years. These things were like an iron piercing the ears of the king, and he resolved that he would have his revenge.