As You Leave The Old City On The North, And Go Down East For Three Le, There Is The Rock Dwelling Of Devadatta, And At A Distance Of Fifty Paces From It There Is A Large, Square, Black Rock.

Formerly there was a bhikshu, who, as he walked backwards and forwards upon it, thought with himself:

- "This body[8] is impermanent, a thing of bitterness and vanity,[9] and which cannot be looked on as pure.[10] I am weary of this body, and troubled by it as an evil." With this he grasped a knife, and was about to kill himself. But he thought again: - "The World-honoured one laid down a prohibition against one's killing himself."[11] Further it occurred to him: - "Yes, he did; but I now only wish to kill three poisonous thieves."[12] Immediately with the knife he cut his throat. With the first gash into the flesh he attained the state of a Srotapanna;[13] when he had gone half through, he attained to be an Anagamin;[14] and when he had cut right through, he was an Arhat, and attained to pari-nirvana;[15] (and died).

NOTES

[1] Karanda Venuvana; a park presented to Buddha by king Bimbisara, who also built a vihara in it. See the account of the transaction in M. B., p. 194. The place was called Karanda, from a creature so named, which awoke the king just as a snake was about to bite him, and thus saved his life.

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