Page:Gospel of Buddha.djvu/224

 "An outcast is the man who Is angry and bears hatred; the man who is wicked and hypocritical, he who embraces error and is foil of deceit. "Whosoever is a provoker and is avaricious, has evil desires, is envious, wicked, shameless, and without fear to commit wrong, let him be known as an outcast. "Not by birth does one become an outcast, not by birth does one become a Brahman; by deeds one becomes an outcast, by deeds one becomes a Brahman."

LXXVI.

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.

Ānanda, the favorite disciple of the Buddha, having been sent by the Lord on a mission, passed by a well near a village, and seeing Pakari, a girl of the Mātanga caste, he asked her for water to drink.

Pakati said: "O Brahman, I am too humble and mean to give thee water to drink, do not ask any service of me lest thy holiness be contaminated, for I am of low caste."

And Ānanda replied: "I ask not for caste but for water and the Mātanga girl's heart leaped joyfully and she gave Ananda to drink. Ananda thanked her and went away; but she followed him at a distance. Having heard that Ānanda was a disciple of Gotama Sakyamuni, the girl repaired to the Blessed One and cried: "O Lord help me, and let me live in the place where Ānanda thy disciple dwells, so that I may see him and minister unto him, for I love Ananda.'

And the Blessed One understood the emotions of her heart and he said: "Pakati, thy heart is full of love, but thou 196