Thou dost well, O Sigāla, to honor, reverence, and keep sacred
the words of thy father; and it is thy duty to protect thy home,
thy wife, thy children, and thy children's children against the
hurtful influences of evil spirits. I find no fault with the
performance of thy father's rite. But I find that thou dost not
understand the ceremony. Let the Tathāgata, who now speaks to
thee as a spiritual father and loves thee no less than did thy
parents, explain to thee the meaning of the six directions. 4
"To guard thy home by mysterious ceremonies is not sufficient;
thou must guard it by good deeds. Turn to thy parents in the
East, to thy teachers in the South, to thy wife and children in
the West, to thy friends in the North, and regulate the zenith of
thy religious relations above thee, and the nadir of thy servants
below thee. 5
"Such is the religion thy father wants thee to have, and the
performance of the ceremony shall remind thee of thy duties." 6
And Sigāla looked up to the Blessed One with reverence as to his
father and said: "Truly, Gotama, thou art the Buddha, the Blessed
One, the holy teacher. I never knew what I was doing, but now I
know. Thou hast revealed to me the truth that was hidden as one
who bringeth a lamp into the darkness. I take my refuge in the
Enlightened Teacher, in the truth that enlightens, and in the
community of brethren who have been taught the truth." 7