them, and waited upon until they refused to partake of more: And when they had finished the meal, Ambapali brought a stool and sat at the feet of Buddha, and said to him: "Gentle Lord Buddha, I give this mansion to the bhikkhus, of which the Buddha is chief."
And soon after this the Buddha said to his disciples: "Eat your food to satisfy your hunger, and drink to satisfy your thirst. Satisfy the necessities of life like the butterfly that sips the flower, without injuring its fragrance or its texture.
"Behold, the final extinction of the Teacher will soon take place. All component things must grow old and be dissolved again. Seek that which is everlasting, and work out your salvation through the truth. He who gives shall find gain. He who conquers himself shall be free."
Ananda said: "Deep darkness reigned for want of wisdom; the world of sentient creatures was groping for the light; then the Teacher lit the lamp of wisdom, and now it will be extinguished, ere he has brought it to all the world."
And the Buddha said to the venerable Ananda: "Let not thine heart be troubled; do not weep; it is in the nature of things that we must separate from those most near and dear unto us. The foolish man thinks only of self; the wise man renounces self, and realizes that all compounds amassed by sorrow will be dissolved again, but the truth will remain forever.
