"Do not deceive, do not despise
Each other, anywhere.
Do not be angry, nor should ye
Secret resentment bear;
For as a mother risks her life
And watches o'er her child,
So boundless be your love to all,
So tender, kind and mild. 20
"Yea, cherish good-will right and left,
All round, early and late,
And without hindrance, without stint,
From envy free and hate,
While standing, walking, sitting down,
Whate'er you have in mind,
The rule of life that's always best
Is to be loving-kind. 21
"Gifts are great, the founding of vihāras is meritorious,
meditations and religious exercises pacify the heart,
comprehension of the truth leads to Nirvāna, but greater than
all is lovingkindness. As the light of the moon is sixteen times
stronger than the light of all the stars, so lovingkindness is
sixteen times more efficacious in liberating the heart than all
other religious accomplishments taken together. 22
"This state of heart is the best in the world. Let a man remain
steadfast in it while he is awake, whether he is standing,
walking, sitting, or lying down." 23
When the Enlightened One had finished his sermon, the Magadha
king said to the Blessed One: 24
"In former days, Lord, when I was a prince, I cherished five
wishes. I wished: O, that I might be inaugurated as a king. This
was my first wish, and it has been fulfilled. Further, I wished:
Might the Holy Buddha, the Perfect One, appear on earth while I
rule and might he come to my kingdom. This was my second wish and
it is fulfilled now. Further I wished: Might I pay my respects to
him. This was my third wish and it is fulfilled now. The fourth
wish was: Might the Blessed One preach the doctrine to me, and
this is fulfilled now. The greatest wish, however, was the fifth
wish: Might I understand the doctrine of the Blessed One. And
this wish is fulfilled too. 25
"Glorious Lord! Most glorious is the truth preached by the
Tathāgata! Our Lord, the Buddha, sets up what has been
overturned; he reveals what has been hidden; he points out the
way to the wanderer who has gone astray; he lights a lamp in the
darkness so that those who have eyes to see may see. 26
"I take my refuge in the Buddha. I take my refuge in the Dharma.
I take my refuge in the Sangha." 27
The Tathāgata, by the exercise of his virtue and by wisdom,
showed his unlimited spiritual power. He subdued and harmonized
all minds. He made them see and accept the truth, and throughout
the kingdom the seeds of virtue were sown. 28