Page:Henry Mulford Tichenor - The Buddhist Philosophy of Life.djvu/50

 48 his mind. He who indulges his bodily appetites works his own destruction; but he who walks in the path of knowledge and truth saves himself."

There was a rich man whose gold was transformed into ashes; and he took to his bed and refused all nourishment. A friend, visiting him, said:

"Thou didst not make good use of thy wealth. In hoarding it, it was no better than ashes. Now heed this advice. Spread mats in the bazaar, and pile up these ashes, and offer to trade with them."

The man did as he was told, and when his neighbors inquired of him, he said, "I offer my goods for sale."

Now there was a young girl, Kisa Gotami, an orphan and very poor, who passed that way and said: "My lord, why pilest thou up this gold for sale?"

And the man said to her, "Wilt thou hand me that gold?" And Kisa Gotami took a handful of ashes, and it immediately changed into gold.

And the man gave her in marriage to his son, and said: "With many, gold is no better than ashes; but with Kisa Gotami ashes become pure gold."

And in due time Kisa Gotami gave birth to a son; and the son died, and in her grief she carried the dead child to the neighbors, asking for medicine. And the neighbors said,