Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 21.djvu/144

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96
SADDHARMA-PUNDARÎKA.
iii.

140. Those who show mutual love and respect, keep no intercourse with ignorant people, and are content to live in mountain caverns, to them expqund this hallowed SAtra.

141. If thou see sons of Buddha who attach themselves to virtuous friends and avoid bad friends, then reveal to them this Sfttra.

142. Those sons of Buddha who have not broken the moral vows, are pure like gems and jewels, and devoted to the study of the great Sfitras, before those thou mayst propound this Sfttra.

143. Those who are not irascible, ever sincere, full of compassion for all living beings, and respectful towards the Sugata, before those thou mayst propound this SAtra.

144. To one who in the congregation, without any hesitation and distraction of mind, speaks to expound the law, with many myriads of ko/is of illustrations, thou mayst manifest this SAtra.

145. And he who, desirous of acquiring all-knowingness, respectfully lifts his joined hands to his head, or who seeks in all directions to find some monk of sacred eloquence;

146. And he who keeps (in memory) the great Sfttras, while he never shows any liking for other books, nor even knows a single stanza from another work; to all of them thou mayst expound this sublime Sfitra.

147. He who seeks such an excellent Sfitra as this, and after obtaining it devoutly worships it, is like the man who wears a relic of the Tath&gata he has eagerly sought for.

148. Never mind other Sfitras nor other books in which a profane philosophy is taught; such books