Page:Buddhist Birth Stories, or, Jātaka Tales.djvu/141

Rh perfection of Equanimity, be thou of equal mind in prosperity and adversity. And as the earth is indifferent when things pure or impure are cast upon it, even so, if thou art indifferent in prosperity and adversity, thou shalt become Buddha." And he strenuously resolved to attain the tenth perfection of Equanimity. Therefore it is said,

170. For these cannot be all the conditions of a Buddha, I will seek other conditions that bring about Buddhaship.

171. Seeking then I beheld the tenth Perfection of Equanimity Practised and followed by former Buddhas.

172. If thou take resolutely upon thyself this tenth perfection, Becoming well-balanced and firm, thou shalt attain supreme Buddhaship.

173. And as the earth is indifferent to pure and impure things cast upon her, To both alike, and is free from anger and favour,

174. Even so do thou ever be evenly-balanced in joy and grief, Advancing to the perfection of equanimity, thou shalt attain supreme Buddhaship.

Then he thought, "These are the only conditions in this world that, bringing Buddhaship to perfection and constituting a Buddha, have to be fulfilled by Bodhisattas; beside the ten Perfections there are no others. And these ten Perfections are neither in the heaven above nor in the earth below, nor are they to be found in the east or the other quarters, but reside in my heart of flesh." Having thus realized that the Perfections were established in his heart, having strenuously resolved to keep them all, grasping them again and again, he mastered them forwards and backwards; taking them at the end he went backward to the beginning, taking them at the beginning he placed them at the end, taking them at the middle he carried them to the two ends, taking them at both ends he carried them to the middle.