Page:Buddhist Birth Stories, or, Jātaka Tales.djvu/136

20 132. This second one do thou strenuously undertake, And reach the perfection of Moral Practice if thou wilt attain Buddhahood.

133. And as the Yak cow, when her tail has got entangled in anything, Then and there awaits death, and will not injure her tail,

134. So also do thou, having fulfilled the moral precepts in the four stages, Ever guard the Sīla as the Yak guards her tail.

But considering further, "These cannot be the only Buddha-making conditions," and beholding the third Perfection of Self-abnegation, he thought thus, "O wise Sumedha, mayest thou henceforth fulfil the perfection of Abnegation; for as a man long the denizen of a prison feels no love for it, but is discontented, and wishes to live there no more, even so do thou, likening all births to a prison-house, discontented with all births, and anxious to get rid of them, set thy face toward abnegation, thus shalt thou become Buddha." And he strenuously made the resolution to attain the third perfection of Self-abnegation. Therefore it is said,

135. For the conditions that make a Buddha cannot be so few, I will investigate others, the conditions that bring Buddhaship to maturity.

136. Investigating then I beheld the third Perfection of Abnegation Practised and followed by former sages.

137. This third one do thou strenuously undertake, And reach the perfection of abnegation, if thou wilt attain Buddhahood.

138. As a man long a denizen of the house of bonds, oppressed with suffering, Feels no pleasure therein, but rather longs for release,

139. Even so do thou look upon all births as prison-houses, Set thy face toward self-abnegation, to obtain release from Existence.

But considering further, "These cannot be the only Buddha-making conditions," and beholding the fourth Perfection of Wisdom, he thought thus, "O wise Sumedha,

1 Viz., I suppose, by dragging it forcibly away. This metaphor, which to us appears wanting in dignity, is a favourite one with the Hindus. The tail of the Yak or Tibetan ox (Bos Grunniens) is a beautiful object, and one of the insignia of Hindu royalty.