Page:Henry Mulford Tichenor - The Buddhist Philosophy of Life.djvu/16

 14 the world. Thou art Tathagata, the Great Teacher; thou wilt be Dharmaraja, the King of Truth. Thou art Bhagavat, the Blessed One; thou art chosen to be the Redeemer of the World. Go, seek the truth; and though the thunderbolt descend upon thy head, yield not to the temptations that lead from the path of truth. As the sun ever pursues his course, even so pursue thou the path of truth; for thou art Buddha, the Enlightened."

The vision vanished. Siddhattha's soul was filled with peace. That same night, with one farewell look upon his sleeping wife and child, leaving all behind, the prince left the palace through the garden gate. At the gate stood Mara, the Evil One, who said, "Depart not, my Lord. In seven days from now the empire will come into thy hands."

And the prince replied: "It is not sovereignty that I desire. I will become a Buddha a light to the world."

He who seeks truth, which is the highest treasure of all, must leave behind all that can draw him away from his search, and must be bent upon that one pursuit alone. He must free his soul from covetousness and lust, and from the desire for power.

Indulge in lust but a little, and lust, like