THE PUPIL WHO TAUGHT HIS TEACHER

And the Buddha¹ was re-born in a Brahmin family and was known as Dhamapala or Law Keeper.

When he came of age he was sent by his father to study with a world famed teacher at Takasila and became the chief pupil in a company of five hundred youths.

At that time the eldest² son of the teacher died and the father, surrounded by his pupils, in the midst of his kith and kin³, buried his son—and all the pupils wept and wailed⁴, but Dhamapala was silent and shed no tear, but when the company returned from the cemetery⁵ Dhamapala asked, “Why did your son die? It is not right that children should die; only when people grow old can this happen.” And they asked him, “Is it the custom of your family that the young do not die?” And he said: “Yes, that is the custom in my family.” The lads told this conversation to their teacher.

Now when the teacher heard this, he said to them, “That is a most marvelous thing that he says. I will make a journey to his father and ask him about it, and if it be true I will live according to his rule of right.”

And he said to the young man: “I am going on a journey. Do thou, in my absence, instruct these youths.”

So saying, he procured⁶ the bones of a wild goat, washed and scented⁷ them, and put them into a bag. Then taking with him a little page boy he started for the village in which lived the father of his pupil.

When the house was reached, and the teacher had rested and taken food, and the host had washed the feet of his guest, the teacher said: “Brahmin, your son when full of wisdom has by an unhappy chance lost his life. Grieve not for him.” The Brahmin laughed loudly. “Why do you laugh, Brahmin?” asked the other. “Because,” he said, “it is not my son who is dead; it must be some other.”

“No, Brahmin, your son is dead, and no other. Look on his bones, and believe.” So saying, he unwrapped the bones. “There are your son’s bones,” he said.

“A wild goat’s bones, perhaps,” quoth the Brahmin, “or a dog’s, but my son is not dead. In our family for seven generations, no such thing has been known as a death in tender years, and you are speaking falsehood.” Then they all clapped their hands and laughed aloud.

The teacher, when he beheld⁸ this wonderful thing, was much pleased and said: “Brahmin, this custom in your family line cannot be without cause, that the young do not die. Why is it that you do not die young? Of what good and holy deed is this the fruit?”

Then the Brahmin made answer:

“We walk in righteousness. We speak no ill. We flee from things that are evil. We take no heed⁹ of the foolish. We follow the counsel of the wise. We delight in giving gifts. We feed the hungry. We are faithful in our marriage vows¹⁰. We are versed¹¹ in sacred knowledge. Therefore, the young amongst us never die.”

On hearing this, the teacher replied: “A happy journey is this of mine and fruitful. I came hither, O wise Brahmin, to test you. Your son is safe and well. I pray you impart to me your rule of preserving life.”

Then the other wrote it on a leaf and returned to his pupils.

1 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

2 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

3 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

4 wailed   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

5 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

6 procured   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• These cars are to be procured through open tender. 这些汽车要用公开招标的办法购买。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A friend procured a position in the bank for my big brother. 一位朋友为我哥哥谋得了一个银行的职位。 来自《用法词典》

7 scented   

adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词)

参考例句：

• I let my lungs fill with the scented air. 我呼吸着芬芳的空气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police dog scented about till he found the trail. 警犬嗅来嗅去，终于找到了踪迹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 beheld   

v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

9 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

10 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

11 versed   

adj. 精通，熟练

参考例句：

• He is well versed in history.他精通历史。
• He versed himself in European literature. 他精通欧洲文学。