Because of seeds well sown in former times, he was enabled thus to understand the law on hearing it; thus he reached the good and perfect state of quietness, the peaceful, never-ending place of rest.  His heart expanding to receive the truth, he gazed with earnest look on Buddha as he slept, nor could he bear to see Tathagata depart and die; “ere yet,” he said, “Buddha shall reach the term I will myself first leave the world;” and then with hands close joined, retiring from the holy form, he took his seat apart, and sat composed and firm.  Then giving up his life, he reached Nirvana, as when the rain puts out a little fire.  Then Buddha spake to all his followers:  “This my very last disciple has now attained Nirvana, cherish him properly.”

Then Buddha, the first night watch passed, the moon bright shining and all the stars clear in their lustre, the quiet grove without a sound, moved by his great compassionate heart, declared to his disciples this his bequeathed precepts:  “After my Nirvana, ye ought to reverence and obey the Pratimoksha, as your master, a shining lamp in the dark night, or as a great jewel treasured by a poor man.  These injunctions I have ever given, these you ought to obey and follow carefully, and treat in no way different from myself.  Keep pure your body, words, and conduct, put from you all concerns of daily life, lands, houses, cattle, storing wealth or hoarding grain.  All these should be avoided as we avoid a fiery pit; sowing the land, cutting down shrubs, healing of wounds or the practice of medicine, star-gazing and astrology, forecasting lucky or unfortunate events by signs, prognosticating good or evil, all these are things forbidden.  Keeping the body temperate, eat at proper times; receive no mission as a go-between; compound no philteries; abhor dissimulation; follow right doctrine, and be kind to all that lives; receive in moderation what is given; receive but hoard not up; these are, in brief, my spoken precepts.  These form the groundwork of my rules, these also are the ground of full emancipation.  Enabled thus to live this is rightly to receive all other things.  This is true wisdom which embraces all, this is the way to attain the end; this code of rules, therefore, ye should hold and keep, and never let it slip or be destroyed.  For when pure rules of conduct are observed then there is true religion; without these, virtue languishes; found yourselves therefore well on these my precepts; grounded thus in rules of purity, the springs of feeling will be well controlled, even as the well-instructed cow-herd guides well his cattle.  Ill-governed feelings, like the horse, run wild through all the six domains of sense, bringing upon us in the present world unhappiness, and in the next, birth in an evil way.  So, like the horse ill-broken, these land us in the ditch; therefore the wise and prudent man will not allow his senses license.  For these senses are, indeed, our greatest foes, causes of misery; for men enamoured thus by sensuous things