Page:Henry Mulford Tichenor - The Buddhist Philosophy of Life.djvu/26

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THE BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE

perform good deeds; for deeds are enduring, and in deeds your karma continues.

Since, then, there is no self, there cannot be any after life of self. Therefore abandon all thought of self. But since deeds continue, be careful with your deeds.

All beings have karma as their portion; they are inheritors of their karma; their karma is their refuge; karma allots beings to meanness or greatness.

All creatures are what they are through the karma of their deeds done in former and in present existences.

The rational nature of man is a spark of the true light; it is the first step on the upward road. But new births are necessary to insure an ascent to the summit of existence, the enlightenment of mind and heart, where the immeasurable light of understanding is gained, which is the source of all righteousness.

This is true deliverance; this is salvation; this is heaven, and the bliss of a life immortal.

THE TEN EVILS.

The Buddha said:

All acts of living creatures become evil by ten things, and by avoiding the ten things they become good.

There are three evils of the body, four evils of the tongue, and three evils of the mind.

The evils of the body are murder, theft and adultery; the evils of the tongue are lying, slander, abuse and idle talk; the evils of the mind are covetousness, hatred and error.