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THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS
the bulk of cases one should certainly abstain
from destroying life, that is, wantonly and
wilfully : but I cannot drink a glass of water
without killing countless myriads of living
beings. If you knew as I do, the conditions
of existence: struggle deadly and inevitable,
every form of life the inherent and immiti-
gable foe of every other form, with few, few
exceptions, you would not only cease to talk
of the wickedness of causing death, but you
would perceive the First Noble Truth, that
no existence can be free from sorrow; the
second, that the desire for existence only
leads to sorrow; that the ceasing from
existence is the ceasing of sorrow (the third);
and you would seek in the fourth the Way,
the Noble Eightfold Path.
‘‘T know, O Arahats, that you do not need
this instruction: but my words will not stay
here: they will go forth and illuminate the
whole system of ten thousand worlds, where
Arahats do not grow on every tree. Little
brothers, the night is fallen: it were well to
sleep.”’