away to get a name for charity, others to get the happiness of heaven, others to avoid the pain of being poor hereafter, but yours, O friend! is a charity without such thoughts:  the highest and the best degree of charity, without self-interest or thought of getting more.  What your heart inclines you now to do, let it be quickly done and well completed!  The uncertain and the lustful heart goes wandering here and there, but the pure eyes of virtue opening, the heart comes back and rests!” The nobleman accepting Buddha’s teaching, his kindly heart receiving yet more light.

He invited Upatishya, his excellent friend, to accompany him on his return to Kosala; and then going round to select a pleasant site, he saw the garden of the heir-apparent, Geta, the groves and limpid streams most pure.  Proceeding where the prince was dwelling, he asked for leave to buy the ground; the prince, because he valued it so much, at first was not inclined to sell, but said at last:—­“If you can cover it with gold then, but not else, you may possess it.”

The nobleman, his heart rejoicing, forthwith began to spread his gold.  Then Geta said:  “I will not give, why then spread you your gold?” The nobleman replied, “Not give; why then said you, ’Fill it with yellow gold’?” And thus they differed and contended both, till they resorted to the magistrate.

Meanwhile the people whispered much about his unwonted charity, and Geta too, knowing the man’s sincerity, asked more about the matter:  what his reasons were.  On his reply, “I wish to found a Vihara, and offer it to the Tathagata and all his Bhikshu followers,” the prince, hearing the name of Buddha, received at once illumination, and only took one-half the gold, desiring to share in the foundation:  “Yours is the land,” he said, “but mine the trees; these will I give to Buddha as my share in the offering.”  Then the noble took the land, Geta the trees, and settled both in trust on Sariputra.  Then they began to build the hall, laboring night and day to finish it.  Lofty it rose and choicely decorated, as one of the four kings’ palaces, in just proportions, following the directions which Buddha had declared the right ones.  Never yet so great a miracle as this! the priests shone in the streets of Sravasti!  Tathagata, seeing the divine shelter, with all his holy ones resorted to the place to rest.  No followers there to bow in prostrate service, his followers rich in wisdom only.  The nobleman reaping his reward, at the end of life ascended up to heaven, leaving to sons and grandsons a good foundation, through successive generations, to plough the field of merit.

Interview between Father and Son