"If they will treat another one like me,
He will destroy them; and I shall be free." 10
A few days after, the Bodhisatta went elsewhither, and another
elephant, a savage beast, came and stood in his place. The wicked
monkeys thinking him to be like the old one, climbed upon bis
back and did as before. The rogue elephant seized the monkeys
with his trunk, threw them upon the ground, gored them with his
tusk and trampled them to mincemeat under his feet. 11
When the Master had ended this teaching, he declared the truths,
and identified the births, saying: "At that time the mischievous
monkeys were the wicked relatives of the good man, the rogue
elephant was the one who will punish them, but the virtuous noble
elephant was the Tathāgata himself in a former incarnation." 12
After this discourse one of the brethren rose and asked leave to
propose a question and when permission was granted he said: "I
have heard the doctrine that wrong should be met with wrong and
the evil doer should be checked by being made to suffer, for if
this were not done evil would increase and good would disappear.
What shall we do?" 13
Said the Blessed One: "Nay, I will tell you: Ye who have left the
world and have adopted this glorious faith of putting aside
selfishness, ye shall not do evil for evil nor return hate for
hate. Nor do ye think that ye can destroy wrong by retaliating
evil for evil and thus increasing wrong. Leave the wicked to
their fate and their evil deeds will sooner or later in one way
or another bring on their own punishment." And the Tathāgata
repeated these stanzas: 14
"Who harmeth him that doth no harm
And striketh him that striketh not,
Shall gravest punishment incur
The which his wickedness begot,-- 15
"Some of the greatest ills in life
Either a loathsome dread disease,
Or dread old age, or loss of mind,
Or wretched pain without surcease, 16
"Or conflagration, loss of wealth;
Or of his nearest kin he shall
See some one die that's dear to him,
And then he'll be reborn in hell." 17