of true merit—­briefly will I recount their sorrowful lot.  Like smothering a raging fire, though carefully put out, yet a spark left, so in their abstraction, still the germ of ‘I,’ the source of great sorrow still surviving, perpetuates the suffering caused by lust, and the evil consequences of every kind of deed survive.  These are the sources of further pain, but let these go and sorrow dies, even as the seed of corn taken from the earth and deprived of water dies; the concurrent causes not uniting, then the bud and leaf cannot be born; the intricate bonds of every kind of existence, from the Deva down to the evil ways of birth, ever revolve and never cease; all this is produced from covetous desire; falling from a high estate to lower ones, all is the fault of previous deeds.  But destroy the seed of covetousness and the rest, then there will be no intricate binding, but all effect of deeds destroyed, the various degrees of sorrow then will end for good.  Having this, then, we must inherit that; destroying this, then that is ended too; no birth, old age, disease, or death; no earth, or water, fire, or wind.  No beginning, end, or middle; and no deceptive systems of philosophy; this is the standpoint of wise men and sages; the certain and exhausted termination, complete Nirvana.  Such do the eight right ways declare; this one expedient has no remains; that which the world sees not, engrossed by error I declare, I know the way to sever all these sorrow-sources; the way to end them is by right reason, meditating on these four highest truths, following and perfecting this highest wisdom.  This is what means the ‘knowing’ sorrow; this is to cut off the cause of all remains of being; these destroyed, then all striving, too, has ended, the eight right ways have been assayed.

“Thus, too, the four great truths have been acquired, the eyes of the pure law completed.  In these four truths, the equal, true or right, eyes not yet born, there is not mention made of gaining true deliverance; it is not said what must be done is done, nor that all is finished, nor that the perfect truth has been acquired.  But now because the truth is known, then by myself is known ‘deliverance gained,’ by myself is known that ‘all is done,’ by myself is known ‘the highest wisdom.’” And having spoken thus respecting truth, the member of the Kaundinya family, and eighty thousand of the Deva host, were thoroughly imbued with saving knowledge.  They put away defilement from themselves, they got the eyes of the pure law; Devas and earthly masters thus were sure, that what was to be done was done.  And now with lion-voice he joyfully inquired, and asked Kaundinya, “Knowest thou yet?” Kaundinya forthwith answered Buddha, “I know the mighty master’s law.”  And for this reason, knowing it, his name was Agnata Kaundinya.  Amongst all the disciples of Buddha, he was the very first in understanding.  Then as he understood the sounds of the true law, hearing the words of the disciple—­all the earth