The Purpose Of Being
Eternal verities dominate the formation of worlds and constitute
the cosmic order of natural laws. But when, through the
conflicting motion of masses, the universe was illumined with
blazing fire, there was no eye to see the light, no ear to listen
to reason's teachings, no mind to perceive the significance of
being; and in the immeasurable spaces of existence no place was
found where the truth could abide in all its g
ory.
In the due course of evolution sentiency appeared and
sense-perception arose. There was a new realm of being, the realm
of soul-life, full of yearning, with powerful passions and of
unconquerable energy. And the world split in twain: there were
pleasures and pains, self and notself, friends and foes, hatred
and love. The truth vibrated through the world of sentiency, but
in all its infinite potentialities no place could be found where
the truth could abide in all its glory.
And reason came forth in the struggle for life. Reason began to
guide the instinct of self, and reason took the sceptre of the
creation and overcame the strength of the brutes and the power of
the elements. Yet reason seemed to add new fuel to the flame of
hatred, increasing the turmoil of conflicting passions; and
brothers slew their brothers for the sake of satisfying the lust
of a fleeting moment. And the truth repaired to the domains of
reason, but in all its recesses no place was found where the
truth could abide in all its glory.
Now reason, as the helpmate of self, implicated all living beings
more and more in the meshes of lust, hatred, and envy, and from
lust, hatred, and envy the evils of wrongdoing originated. Men
broke down under the burdens of life, until the saviour appeared,
the great Buddha, the Holy Teacher of men and gods.
And the Buddha taught men the right use of sentiency, and the
right application of reason; and he taught men to see things as
they are, without illusions, and they learned to act according to
truth. He taught righteousness and thus changed rational
creatures into humane beings, just, kind-hearted, and faithful.
And now at last a place was found where the truth might abide in
all its glory, and this place is the heart of mankind.
Buddha, O Blessed One, O Holy One, O Perfect One, thou hast
revealed the truth, and the truth has appeared upon earth and the
kingdom of truth has been founded.
There is not room for truth in space, infinite though it be.
There is not room for truth in sentiency, neither in its
pleasures nor in its pains; sentiency is the first footstep of
truth, but there is not room in it for the truth, though
sentiency may beam with the blazing glow of beauty and life.
Neither is there any room for truth in rationality. Rationality
is a two-edged sword and serves the purpose of love equally as
well as the purpose of hatred. Rationality is the platform on
which the truth standeth. No truth is attainable without reason.
Nevertheless, in mere rationality there is no room for truth,
though it be the instrument that masters the things of the world.
The throne of truth is righteousness; and love and justice and
good-will are its ornaments.
Righteousness is the place in which truth dwells, and here in the
hearts of mankind aspiring after the realization of
righteousness, there is ample space for a rich and ever richer
revelation of the truth.
This is the Gospel of the Blessed One. This is the revelation of
the Enlightened One. This is the bequest of the Holy One.
Those who accept the truth and have faith in the truth, take
refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
Receive us, O Buddha, as thy disciples from this day hence, so
long as our life lasts.
Comfort, O holy Teacher, compassionate and all-loving, the
afflicted and the sorrow-laden, illumine those who go astray, and
let us all gain more and more in comprehension and in holiness.
The truth is the end and aim of all existence, and the worlds
originate so that the truth may come and dwell therein.
Those who fail to aspire for the truth have missed the purpose of
life.
Blessed is he who rests in the truth, for all things will pass
away, but the truth abideth forever.
The world is built for the truth, but false combinations of
thought misrepresent the true state of things and bring forth
errors.
Errors can be fashioned as it pleases those who cherish them;
therefore they are pleasant to look upon, but they are unstable
and contain the seeds of dissolution.
Truth cannot be fashioned. Truth is one and the same; it is
immutable.
Truth is above the power of death; it is omnipresent, eternal,
and most glorious.
Illusions, errors, and lies are the daughters of Mara, and great
power is given unto them to seduce the minds of men and lead them
astray upon the path of evil.
The nature of delusions, errors, and lies is death; and
wrong-doing is the way to perdition.
Delusions, errors, and lies are like huge, gaudy vessels, the
rafters of which are rotten and wormeaten, and those who embark
in them are fated to be shipwrecked.
There are many who say: "Come error, be thou my guide," and when
they are caught in the meshes of selfishness, lust, and evil
desires, misery is begot.
Yet does all life yearn for the truth and the truth only can cure
our diseases and give peace to our unrest.
Truth is the essence of life, for truth endureth beyond the death
of the body. Truth is eternal and will still remain even though
heaven and earth shall pass away.
There are not different truths in the world, for truth is one and
the same at all times and in every place.
Truth teaches us the noble eightfold path of righteousness, and
it is a straight path easily found by the truth-loving. Happy are
those who walk in it.