An Account of the Buddha – Part II (from The Hallowed Book of Man)

 

The truthful knowledge cures our diseases and redeems us from perdition; the truth strengthens us in life and in death; the truth alone can conquer the evils of error. Rejoice at the glad tidings! Hear you the true word of the hallowed Nazarenes, and rejoice. Await the coming of the Sixth and the Seventh, that you might know the salvation of your species.

Look about and contemplate life! Everything is transient, and nothing endures. There is birth and death, growth and decay; there is combination and separation. The glory of the world is like a flower, it stands in full bloom in the morning and fades in the heat of the day.

Wherever you look, there is a rushing and struggling, and an eager pursuit of pleasure. There is a panic, flight from pain and death, and hot are the flames of burning desires. The world is all vanity, full of changes and transformations. All is samsara.

Is there nothing permanent in the world? Is there in the universal turmoil no resting-place where our troubled heart can find peace? Is there nothing everlasting? Oh, that we could have cessation of anxiety, that our burning desires would be extinguished! When shall the mind become tranquil and composed?

 

The Hallowed Book of Man

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