"Why should I preserve this body, when the body of the most excellent law will endure? Rather should I look for rest.
"I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth, neither shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Supremely Enlightened One, endowed with wisdom, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men. He will reveal to mankind the eternal truths which I have taught."
Ananda said: "How shall the world know him?"
The Buddha said: "He will be known as Metteyya, which means, He whose name is kindness."
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Once more upon earth Buddha, the Enlightened of India, began to speak: "Behold decay is inherent in all component things, but the truth will remain forever! Work out salvation with diligence."
These were the last words of the gentle Lord Buddha. He fell into deep meditation; and having passed through the four jhanas,[1] entered Nirvana.
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In the Buddhist Books it is told that when the Buddha entered Nirvana there arose, as he passed from existence, a mighty earthquake, terrible and awe-inspiring; that the thunders of heaven burst forth, and that his disciples exclaimed: "Too soon has the Buddha died!
- ↑ Jhana (Sanscrit Dhyana), ecstasy, vision, the result of samadhi (self-control).
