FIRST SCENE
[Seven years have elapsed since the first act. A room in the royal
palace at Magadha]
_Present: NAGADEVA (N), the prime minister, GENERAL SIHA
(GS), commander-in-chief of the Magadha forces. Later on the
MASTER OF CEREMONIES (MC), KING BIMBISARA (Bb.), a trumpeter
and a small body guard._
_N._ It is a joy to serve this mighty king
Whose power extendeth over many lands.
In peace he ruleth wisely, and his subjects
Obey him willingly for he is just.
In war he swoops upon his enemies
As doth a hawk upon a helpless chicken,
Quick in attack, lucky in every fight.
Indeed he earned his name deservedly,
The warlike Bimbisara.
_GS._ At his side
I fought with him in many a doubtful battle
With all the odds against us, but his daring,
Joined to a rare instinctive foresight
By which he could anticipate all dangers,
Would win the day and ne'er was he defeated!
In this our latest war he took great risks,
Might have been taken by his foes, and would
Have lost his liberty, his throne, his life;
But venturing much he won, and by exposing
His own high person in the brunt of battle
He stirred the courage of his followers
To do great deeds of valor.
_MASTER OF CEREMONIES enters with a trumpeter._
_MC._ Noble lords,
Mis majesty, our royal lord, is coming
To meet you here in private council.
_Trumpeter blows a signal._
_GS._ Hail the victorious, warlike Bimbisara!
_Both kneel as the king enters preceded and followed by a
small body guard._
_Bb._ Be greeted noble lords.
_N._ We wish you joy and the continuance of your good fortune.
_Bb._ I have a matter to bespeak with you,
Far-reaching weighty plans of great importance.
I wish to be alone with you.
_Turning to the captain of his body guards._
Captain, have this room guarded by your soldiers.
The gong shall call you when I need your service.
_The soldiers march out of the room._
Be seated, my good lords.
You helped me gain a wondrous victory
Which proves I have the favor of the gods.
I probed your skill, your courage and your faith
And found you both most able and most trusty.
Therefore you are to me much more than vassals
And servants of the state; you are my helpers,
Indeed my friends and nearest to my heart.
A king needs friends who share his secret thoughts,
Who stand by him in all vicissitudes,
Who bear with him responsibilities,
And above all, who frankly speak the truth.
I ask you, will you be such friends to me?
_GS._ I will with all my heart.
_N._ And I not less.
_Bb._ I, my dear friends, I promise you in turn
That I shall not resent your words of truth
If spoken in good faith with best intentions.
I may not always follow your advice,
But you are free to say whate'er you please,
Whate'er you may deem best for me to know,
Whate'er will benefit the empire and my people.
Now listen what I have to say to you.
I will reveal to you my inmost heart:
This is an age of greatest expectations;
Riches accumulate in our cities,
Commerce and trade are flourishing, and
Our caravans exchange our native goods
For gold and precious produce from abroad.
What India needs is unity of rule.
The valley of the holy Ganges should
Be governed by one king, a king of kings.
There should no longer be a rivalry,
A clash of interests between the states,
And all the princes should obey the rule
Of the one man who guides and guards the whole.
This therefore is my plan: you Nagadeva
Must gain the favor of our neighbor kings,
So as to make them recognize our sway.
If voluntarily they will submit,
They shall be welcome as our worthy vassals.
If they resist (_turning to Siha_) my gallant general
You must reduce them to subjection.
A treaty with the rajas in the east,
In southern and in northern Kosala,
Speedeth my plans, the Sakyas only
Defy our sovereign will, and keep aloof.
If they yield not, their power must be broken!
There is a task for you and for my army.
_N._ Permit, my noble king, that I advise you.
I know the Sakya minister of state,
And he is willing to betray his master.
The Sakya prince, the only son and heir,
Siddhattha Gotama he's called by name,
Went into homelessness and has turned monk,
Leaving behind his wife and a small son.
The minister aspireth to the throne,
And if we help him in his plans, he will
Acknowledge you as sovereign over him.
And that will save your army blood and trouble.
_Bb._ What is his name.
_N._ Visakha, noble King.
_Bb._ I wish to see him. Let him visit you
And as by accident I want to meet him.
_GS._ Allow me, mighty King, a word of warning.
_Bb._ Speak freely.
_GS._
_With unconcealed indignation, almost entreatingly._
Do not listen to a traitor.
Send me with all the army of the kingdom,
Bid me lead captive all the Sakyas; do it
In open fight but not by treachery.
My King, avoid alliance with Visakha,
His very breath contaminates. He lowers
Ourselves to his low level.
_Bb._ Thank you Siha.
I will be slow. [_Pondering_] But it is too important!
_Argues with himself._
May I not listen to a traitor's words,
Nor hear him,--profit by his information?
_GS._ Oh do it not!
_Bb._ Siha, thou art a soldier.
I honor thee, thou speakest like a soldier,
But think how much diplomacy will help,
How many lives and property it saves.
Without the brutal means of war it will
Better accomplish all our ends; it spares
The enemy as well. A prosperous country
Will serve me better than a city sacked
And villages destroyed by fire.
_GS._ Pardon, my liege, I do not trust a traitor.
_Bb._ I will be on my guard, but I shall see him,
'T shall be by way of reconnoitering.
You in the meantime keep the army ready,
For one way or another I must conquer
The Sakya king and make him do my bidding.
_The King rises indicating that his two counselors are
dismissed. They rise also._
The world is growing wider every day
And our souls broaden with the general progress.
A new era dawns upon us. Let us all
Help to mature the fruitage of the times.
SECOND SCENE
[The garden before the palace of King SUDDHODANA as in Act I]
_Presents YASODHARA (Y) with her maid GOPA (G) and RAHULA
(R)._
_Y._ Repeat that verse once more and then we will stop our lesson.
_R._ With goodness meet an evil deed,
With loving kindness conquer wrath,
With generosity quench greed,
And lies by walking on truth's path.
_Y._ Now you can run about in the garden or play with the Captain's
son.
_R._ Mother, I do not believe that goodness always works in this life.
_Y._ Why do you think so?
_R._ Because there are very bad boys, so bad that only a whipping will
cure them.
_Y._ Rahula!
_R._ Truly, mother, truly. Even the gardener says so.
_Y._ You must set the bad boys a good example.
_R._ No use, mother; they remain bad. I have tried it.
_Y._ You must have patience.
_R._ No use, mother; and the gardener says, A viper remains a viper.
_Y._ Even poisonous reptiles can be tamed.
_R._ Yes, but the gardener first pulls their fangs. Would you like me
to play with a viper?
_Y._ No, my boy.
_Excitement at the gate. KALA enters and soldiers of the
guard surround him._
_R._ What is going on?--O Mother! Kala Udayin is back!
_KALA UDAYIN (K) appears among the guards.
RAHULA runs to the gate._
_R._ Kala! Welcome home! Shake hands!
_K._ Be heartily greeted, my boy.
_R._ Did you see father?
_K._ I did, Rahula.
_R._ Tell me all.
_K._ I will tell mother.
_R._ Come to mother. She has been expecting you for many days.
_KALA kneels to the Princess._
_Y._ Gopa, take his bundle. [_The maid takes his bundle and carries it
into the house._] What news do you bring of Prince Siddhattha?
_K._ I followed the Prince from place to place and saw him last near
Benares in the forest of Uruvela.
_Y._ How is his health, and will he come back?
_K._ His health is probably good, but he does not think of coming
back--not yet. O my dear lady! If you could see him! he is as thin as
a skeleton. I could count all his ribs.
_R._ What is the trouble with father.
_K._ He is fasting. He lives on a hempcorn a day; think of it, one
little hempcorn a day!
_Y._ Oh, he will die! My poor husband. I must follow him and attend to
his wants. He needs his wife's loving care. I will leave my home and
follow him.
_K._ Could you help him, princess? He might not like it, and the monks
abhor women. Moreover, I was told that he takes food again, every
morning a cup of rice milk. The day I left he looked better. Still, he
was pretty pale.
_Y._ Tell me all you know of him.
_K._ I went first to Rajagaha, and there I heard wondrous tales about
the noble monk Gotama. All the people knew about him, they called him
a "sage" or "muni" and the "Bodhisatta."
_R._ What does that mean, Kala?
_K._ Bodhisatta is the man who seeks the bodhi--and the bodhi is
enlightenment or Buddhahood.
_Y._ What did the people of Rajagaha say?
_K._ When Prince Siddhattha came to Rajagaha, he created a great
excitement in the city. Never had been seen a mendicant of such noble
appearance, and crowds flocked to him. They thought he was a Buddha
and greeted him as a Buddha; but he said to them "I am not a Buddha;
I am a Bodhisatta, I seek Buddhahood, and I am determined to find it."
_Y._ Did you meet people who saw him?
_K._ Indeed, I did. They say he looked like a god. The news spread all
over the capital, and King Bimbisara himself went out with his
ministers to see the Bodhisatta. King Bimbisara came to the place
where the stranger stayed--under a forest tree near a brook--and
greeted him most respectfully saying, "Great monk, remain here with me
in Rajagaha; I see that you are wise and worthy. Live with me at the
royal palace. Be my adviser and counselor. You are not made for a
mendicant. Your hands are fit to hold the reins of empire. Stay here,
I beg you, and you shall not lack honor and rank." "Nay," replied
Siddhattha, "let me go my way in quest of enlightenment. I am bent on
solving the problem of existence, and I will become a Buddha." Said
the King, "Hear then, great monk. Go in quest of enlightenment, and
when you have found it come back to Rajagaha."
_Y._ Is King Bimbisara so religious?
_K._ King Bimbisara is ambitious. As is well known, he is a warrior
and a conqueror; but that is not all. He wants to be the greatest
monarch of all ages and he would have all the great events happen
under his rule. This is what he said to the Bodhisatta: "When I was a
youth I uttered five wishes, and they were these: I prayed, May I be
crowned King. This wish has been fulfilled. Then I wished, May the
holy Buddha, the Blessed One, appear on earth while I am King, and may
he come to my kingdom. This was my second wish, and while I gaze upon
you I know that it will be fulfilled. Further I wished, May I see the
blessed Buddha and pay my respects to him. This was my third wish. My
fourth wish was, May the Blessed One preach the doctrine to me, and my
fifth and greatest wish was this, May I understand the doctrine. I beg
you, therefore, great monk, when you have become a Buddha come back
and preach the doctrine to me and accept me as your disciple."
_Y._ And whither did Siddhattha go from Rajagaha?
_K._ He visited the great philosophers Arada and Udraka, but he found
no satisfaction in their theories. So he went on to Uruvela where the
ascetics live. I followed the Bodhisatta and learned that he stayed
with five disciples in the forest. I found shelter near by in the
cottage of the chief shepherd, a good old man with a pretty daughter,
Nanda. There I watched Siddhattha and his disciples from a distance.
He was the youngest but the wisest of them, and they reverenced him as
master. He outdid them all in fasting. One day Nanda, the shepherd's
daughter, saw him faint, and he might have died from exhaustion right
on the spot if Nanda had not given him rice milk to drink.
_Y._ O good Kala, what shall I do? What shall I do? Here I sit at
home, a poor, helpless woman, unable to assist him or to take care of
him! O Kala, advise me, what can I do?
_KING SUDDHODANA (S) and VISAKHA (V) come out of the palace.
The Princess retires into the palace. GOPA hides behind the
bushes._
_S._ I am glad to see you back. Have you seen my son?
_K._ I have sire.
_S._ Where did you find him?
_K._ At Uruvela, the place of mortification where saints try to see
visions and reach a state of bliss.
_V._ And has Siddhattha succeeded?
_K._ It does not seem so; he is starving himself to death.
_V._ Is he dying?
_K._ Not exactly, but I do not see how he can live--on that diet.
_S._ Oh, Visakha, how have I been deprived of my son through a whim!
_Both return into the palace. VISAKHA comes back._
_V._ It seems that Siddhattha is ruining himself.
_K._ At the rate he is going now, he won't stand it long. He may not
live another month. It is pitiable. You should have seen him. That
beautiful young man looks like a consumptive in his last stage. I did
not dare to tell what I thought. The Princess would not have borne
the sad news.
_V._ Too bad. It looks pretty hopeless.
_K._ I do not see how the Prince can survive.
_V._ What is the idea of these fasts?
_K._ These pious recluses believe that the self is imprisoned in the
body and that the senses are the prison gates. They want to liberate
the soul, and many of them behold visions, but Siddhattha seems to
doubt whether the saints of Uruvela proceed on the right track. Indeed
he denies the very existence of the self.
_V._ I know he does. His views should be branded as purely human
wisdom. As the senses are finger touch, eye touch, ear touch, nose and
tongue touch, so the mind is to him mere thought touch. He claimed
that the mind originates through a co-operation of the senses.
_K._ His disciples begin to break away from him.
_V._ That is right. They ought to have done so long ago. I always said
that Siddhattha is an unbeliever. He spurns faith and relies too much
on his own observation and reasoning. He will never find
enlightenment. He is too negative, too nihilistic, and his quest of
Buddhahood will end in a lamentable failure.
_K._ It would be a pity, sir. He is certainly in earnest to find the
truth--the real truth, not what the priests say nor the Vedas declare,
but the truth, provable truth.
_V._ Yes that is his fault. When the king speaks with you tell him
all, explain the hopelessness of his situation. The king ought to know
the facts.
_VISAKHA retires into the palace._
_K._ [_Calls in a low voice_] Gopa, Gopa!
[_GOPA appears from behind the bush._]
_K._ [_Aside_] I knew she would not be far.
_G._ What do you want?
_K._ I want to have a talk with you.
_G._ Well?
_K._ Let us set our marriage day.
_G._ I do not care to marry you--just yet.
_K._ I want a kiss, Gopa.
_G._ You shan't have it!
_K._ I will leave Kapilavatthu and go back to the Bodhisatta.
_G._ He will tell you that a youth must not kiss a girl.
_K._ That rule holds only for monks.
_G._ Go and turn monk. Then it applies to you.
_K._ The world would die out if everybody turned monk.
_G._ First, you are not everybody, and secondly, would it not be a
blessing if the whole world would try to be sanctified?
_K._ Pshaw! Mankind consists of different castes and professions, of
soldiers and merchants, of peasants and artisans and teachers. Mankind
is like a body with various limbs, a head and hands, feet and chest
and neck. A man who were head only could not live, and if mankind
consisted of Buddhas only we would starve. We need a Buddha, but there
must also be householders. Now quick give me a kiss.
_She pouts._
_K._ If you do not kiss me I shall go back to the forest of Uruvela.
Nanda, the shepherd's daughter, is a very pretty girl. She is as
pretty as you are. She is,--well, her cheeks are rosier than yours.
She is a little taller, and she is so graceful when she milks the
kine. The shepherd needs a helper. I am sure he would like to have a
son-in-law.
_RAHULA enters._
_R._ Gopa! Mother wants you.
_G._ [_Kisses K. quickly_] Here is a kiss, but you must forget Nanda.
[_Runs away._]
_K._ Stay a moment longer!
_G._ I have no time. [_Exit._]
_K._ I knew she would come around,--and she is much prettier than
Nanda. Nanda is a buxom country lass, a pleasant girl, but Gopa is as
proper as a princess. [_He continues with unction._] Bodhisatta longs
for the blessed state of Nirvana, and when he has found it, he will be
calm and without passion. He will walk on earth as a god among men. No
emotion will disturb the peace of his mind, and the happiness of the
great Brahma will be as nothing in comparison to the infinite bliss of
his Buddhahood. [_With a lighter tone_]: I adore him, but I do not
envy him. I do not long for the happiness of a god. I am a man with
human faults and human yearnings. I am satisfied with the happiness
and the sufferings of a man. Since I am assured of Gopa's love, I care
not for Nirvana. I think that this world is good enough for me.
_V._ [_Looks around like a spy._]
How peaceful lies this palace, yet I see
The war clouds lour upon its roofs.
The storm will break with sudden vehemence upon
These harmless unsuspecting people. Woe to them,
Their doom is certain. Desperate resistance
Succumbs before the overwhelming forces
Of Bimbisara.--And what will become
Of poor Yasodhara?--I like her well.
I might still save her from her people's ruin.
A princess, sweet and noble, and herself
Descended from an ancient royal house. But
I hate that little youngster Rahula.
Whate'er betide, my deep-laid schemes will speed
And I shall profit by my master's doom.
[Music: Chopin's Nocturno. Opus 37, No. 2.]
[CURTAIN]
THIRD SCENE.
[Darkness covers the scene. Distant thunder and lightning. Gradually
it grows light again and the scene of YASODHARA'S bedroom becomes
visible. All luxury has been removed; she sleeps on a mat on the
floor, RAHULA in bed.]
_R._ Mother! Mother!
_Y._ Sleep my boy, it is almost midnight.
_R._ Take me up, Mother.
_YASODHARA picks RAHULA up._
_R._ Why do you sleep on the floor, Mother?
_Y._ Because father does so. Let me lay you down on your couch, you
must sleep.
_R._ Tell me more of father.
_Y._ I will to-morrow.
_R._ Tell me now. Is father a king?
_Y._ No, my son. But he is going to found a kingdom.
_R._ Will he be king of it?
_Y._ I do not know, my boy, but his kingdom will not be like other
kingdoms. It will be the kingdom of truth--a spiritual kingdom, a
kingdom of righteousness.
_R._ Is father rich?
_Y._ He scorns riches.
_R._ Why does he?
_Y._ He seeks other riches, the riches of religion, of the mind, of
spirit.
_R._ Did he find them?
_Y._ I believe he did.
_R._ He sends you news through Kala Udayin.
_Y._ No, Rahula, I send Kala Udayin out to watch him and when Kala
comes back he tells me what he saw and heard. Kala does not speak to
father.
_R._ Why does Kala not speak to father?
_Y._ Grandfather forbade him. When we sent out Devadatta and Ananda,
they became attached to the life of a hermit. They joined father and
did not come back; but Kala will not turn monk.
_R._ But this time he will speak to father.
_Y._ How do you know?
_R._ I heard grandfather bid him to.
_Y._ What did he bid him?
_R._ He bade Kala that he should tell father to visit us.
_She can scarcely conceal her joy._
_Y._ You heard grandfather say so?
_R._ I did, mother; grandfather said that he became old, and before he
died he wanted to see his son again.
_Y._ Why! did he really say so?
_R._ He did.
_Y._ Oh you darling son, then you will see him, too.
_R._ People say that he will be a Buddha.
_Y._ Yes, my son, some say he will be a Buddha and others doubt it.
_R._ Mother, what is a Buddha?
_Y._ A Buddha is a man who has found the truth.
_R._ How does a man find the truth?
_Y._ By enlightenment. He must find out the cause of evil.
_R._ Why must he find out the cause of evil?
_Y._ He teaches the people how to avoid evil.
_R._ Has father found the cause of evil?
_Y._ Kala Udayin says he has.
_R._ What is the cause of evil?
_Y._ Father says that selfishness is the cause of evil and selfishness
comes from the belief in self.
_R._ Self?
_Y._ Yes, self! Man, as a rule, believes that he is a self.
_R._ What? A self?
_Y._ Yes, a being by himself, who lives only for himself, and the
thought of self makes him selfish; and selfishness begets all evils.
_R._ [_with a childlike serious conviction_] I believe it, mother.
_Y_. Father says there is no self, that self is an illusion.
_R._ What does that mean?
_Y._ It means that we are not separate beings. I think a thought and
speak it out and you hear it. I believe in that thought and so do you.
Whose is it then, yours or mine?
_R._ It belongs to both.
_Y._ But where does the thought come from? If it is true it belongs to
the truth, and it was true before I thought it.
_R._ Yes, mother.
_Y._ And if it was wrong, it is evil, and it was evil before we
thought it.
_R._ Yes, mother.
_Y._ And so are all our thoughts, but almost everybody assumes that
his self thinks these thoughts and invents them; and that is an
illusion.
_R._ I see.
_Y._ [_to herself_] His eyes close. He is tired. [TO RAHULA] Now go to
sleep again, Rahula, and dream of your father. I will sing you one of
father's songs.
_YASODHARA lays RAHULA down in the high bed and sings:_
By ourselves is evil done,
By ourselves we pain endure.
By ourselves we cease from wrong,
By ourselves become we pure.
No one saves us but ourselves,
No one can and no one may.
We ourselves must walk the path,
Buddhas merely teach the way.
_The boy sleeps. Then YASODHARA herself lies down on the mat
on the floor. Above her appears the vision of her dream.
Under the Bodhi tree in a forest landscape SIDDHATTHA sits.
He is surrounded by a halo of light. MARA approaches to tempt
him._
_M._ Thou art ahungered, worthy Sakyamuni,
Ahungered art thou from continued fasts,
And thou wilt starve unless thou take and eat.
I bring delicious food, take, eat and live.
_B._ I shall not eat until my quest be done.
Much better 'tis to die in glorious battle
Than flee and lead a coward's life, defeated.
I shall not eat, O Mara, take thee hence.
_M._ Wilt thou not listen to my good advice?
_B._ The tempter always calls his councils good,
But pleasures which he promises are evil.
_M._ I will not suffer thee to stay, Siddhattha,
And shall disturb thy daring quest of truth.
I'll split the Bodhi tree by lightning
And frighten thee away with rumbling thunder.
_All is wrapped in darkness, except SIDDHATTHA and the Bohdi
tree. Thunder and lightning. After a while the noise abates.
It grows light again. MARA'S daughters appear._
_M._ Go forth my daughters, tempt the holy man,
And lure him from the seat of Buddahood.
_Three graceful women, MARA'S daughters, sing in a low
enticing voice._
[Melody: The Mermaids' Song from Weber's Oberon.]
Sweetest on earth 'tis in pleasure to live,
Love thou must ask for, and love thou must give.
Pain we can soothe and assuage every smart,
Yea, we will grant thee the wish of thy heart.
Power bestow we, enjoyment and mirth,
Health and wealth also, and all that has worth.
Lo, of life's happiness naught shalt thou miss,
Satisfied longings are greatest of bliss.
_While they sing they circle around the Bodhi tree and pose
in graceful attitudes._
[Siddhattha does not mind Mara's daughters. They withdraw, and
grotesque monsters appear in threatening attitudes, exhibiting a
savage war dance, always approaching the tree and turning their
weapons against the Sakyamuni, but as soon as they approach the halo
they droop, unable to hurt him. Lotus flowers rain down. Sakyamuni
raises his right hand. A flash of lightning and a sudden clap of
thunder. The spook vanishes in darkness while the Buddha under the
Bodhi tree alone remains visible in a halo of light. The forest
landscape reappears in full light as before.]
_B._ The wheel of life turns round through birth and death,
Its twelve-linked chain of causes takes its start
In ignorance and ends in suffering.
The truth is found, the fourfold noble truth;
All life is sorrow, sorrow's cause is lust,
But from our sorrow we can escape
If we abandon lust and thought of self.
The eightfold noble path of righteousness
Delivers from all evil: it will bring
Sweet peace of mind and leadeth to Nirvana.
[With music accompaniment]
Through many births I sought in vain
The builder of this house of pain.
Now, builder, thee I plainly see!
This is the last abode for me.
Thy gable's yoke, thy rafters broke,
My heart has peace; all lust will cease.
[The following words fit exactly the music of Haydn's Chorus with Soli
No. 13[B] in The Creation, and the spirit of the composition is very
appropriate for this scene]
[Footnote B: Peters' Edition, pp 44-55 "Die Himmel erzahlen, etc." In
a few places where the fugas set in, the words "The wicked Mara's
host" should read "The wicked one's,--the wicked Mara's host," etc.]
_Chorus of Angels._
Behold the great muni,
His heart unmoved by hatred,
The wicked Mara's host
'Gainst him did not prevail.
_Trio of BRAHMA VISHNU SHIVA._
Victorious Buddha
Thou art wise and pure,
The darkness is gone
And enlightenment gained.
_Chorus of Angels as above._
Proclaim the truth
To all the world.
Truth will bring salvation.
Glory to the truth!
_Chorus of Angels as above._
[Lotus flowers rain down thicker and thicker, clouds cover the scene,
but the Buddha under the Bodhi tree remains still dimly but
sufficiently visible.]
_YASODHARA wakes up. She rises and lights a candle from a
rush lamp. She kneels with clasped hands before the vision of
the BUDDHA._
_Y._ Oh Siddhattha, my Lord and Husband, no longer my Husband, but the
Buddha. In thee I take my refuge. In thee and thy word, I believe. Thy
doctrine shall guide me. Accept me as thy faithful disciple, a
disciple of the Buddha, my Lord, the Tathagata, the great thinker, the
Saviour of mankind.
[CURTAIN.]
_SECOND INTERLUDE_.
_Living pictures accompanied by appropriate music to introduce the
Third Act._
1. THE FOUNDATION OF THE KINGDOM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Buddha preaches to his five disciples the way of salvation, which
speech, preserved in a special book, is frequently compared to
Christ's Sermon on the Mount.
Buddha stands with raised hand, while five monks stand or sit or squat
around him in devout attitude.
2. ENTERING THE CAPITAL.
When Buddha came to Rajagaha, the people met him on the way and
accompanied him into the city in triumphal procession which is
analogous to Christ's entry into Jerusalem.
The Buddha with bowl in one hand and staff in the other is followed by
yellow-robed monks. The people strew flowers, carry palm branches and
wave kerchiefs.
3. THE COURTESAN.
Ambapali, the Buddhist Mary Magdalen, came to Buddha, worshiping him
and invited him to take his meal at her home. To the astonishment of
several moralists, he accepted and honored the penitent sinner.
A beautifully dressed woman with clasped hands kneels before Buddha, a
maid in attendance behind her. Some well dressed people of high caste
watch the scene with an expression of indignation.
4. THE PHILANTHROPIST.
The wealthiest man of Savatthi invites the Buddha to his home and
offers to build a resthouse for the Buddha and his brotherhood.
Anatha Pindika kneels before the Buddha, holding in one hand the
picture and plan of a building. Buddha indicates by his lowered hand
acceptance of the gift. Buddha attended by two monks, Anatha Pindika
accompanied by the architect.
5. PRINCE JETA.
It is told that the most beautiful spot in Savatthi was the royal park
of Prince Jeta, which Anatha Pindika wanted to buy for the brotherhood
of Buddha. The owner was unwilling to sell and made the exorbitant
demand to have the whole ground covered with gold as its price. But
Anatha Pindika had the gold carried to the garden and paid the price.
The scene is laid in the garden. Anatha Pindika with bags of gold
stands in commanding attitude. His servants spread the coins while
Prince Jeta throws up his hands in astonishment.
(Anatha Pindika is not the real name of the founder of the Jetavana.
The name means, "[He who gives to] the indigent, alms.")