thoughts, exercise meditation with complete absorption, and correctly perform all that is required for attaining spiritual insight 1 , and then, after rising (from his pious meditation), preach with unquailing mind.
25. The kings of this earth and the princes who listen to the law protect him. Others also, both laymen (or burghers) and Brahmans, will be found together in his congregation.
Further, Magxmrt, the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva who, after the complete extinction of the Tatgata at the end of time, the last period, the last five hundred years 2 , when the true law is in a state of decay, is going to propound this DharmaparyAya, must be in a peaceful state (of mind) and then preach the law, whether he knows it by heart or has it in a book. In his sermon he will not be too prone to carping at others, not blame other preaching friars, not speak scandal nor propagate scandal. He does not mention by name other monks, adherents of the vehicle of disciples, to propagate scandal. He cherishes even no hostile feelings against them, because he is in a peaceful state. All who come, one after the other, to hear the sermon he receives with benevolence, and preaches the law to them without invidiousness. He refrains from entering upon a
Kalena £0 £ittayam£tu (Sansk. °yam£t) pa«^ita^ pravilayanaai tatha gha//ayitv£, vip&ryidharmam imu sarva yoniso utthaya, &c. I take ghaayitv£ in the sense of gha/ayitv&=yuktva
I.e. 11 the latter part of the millennium. According to the declaration of the Buddha in Aullavagga X, 1, 6, the true law (Saddhamma) is to stand a millennium, though at the same time, owing to the institution of female monks, the number of 1000 years should be reduced to half.
Anup£rigr&hikay&, ananyusu£anay£ dharmaw dejayati ; °s (Maay £ is certainly wrong; cf. stanza 30 below.
