god, and by its grace had obtained a son named
Cloud-chariot. This son remembered his former lives. He was
destined to be a Buddha in a future life. He was generous, noble,
merciful to all creatures, and obedient to his parents.

When he grew up, the king anointed him crown prince, persuaded
thereto by his counsellors as well as by the remarkable virtues of
the youth. While Cloud-chariot was crown prince, his father's
counsellors came to him one day and kindly said: "Crown prince,
you must always honour this wishing-tree in your garden; for it
yields all desires, and cannot be taken away by anybody. As long
as it is favourably disposed to us, the king of the gods could not
conquer us, and of course nobody else could."

Then Cloud-chariot thought: "Alas! The men of old had this
heavenly tree, yet they did not pluck from it any worthy fruit. They
were mean-spirited. They simply begged it for some kind of
wealth. And so they degraded themselves and the great tree too.
But I will get from it the wish which is in my heart."

With this thought the noble creature went to his father. He showed
such complete deference as to delight his father, then when his
father was comfortably seated, he whispered: "Father, you know
yourself that in this sea of life all possessions, including our own
bodies, are uncertain as a rippling wave. Especially is money
fleeting, uncertain, fickle as the twilight lightning. The only thing
in life which does not perish is service. This gives birth to virtue
and glory, twin witnesses through all the ages to come. Father!
Why do we keep such a wishing-tree for the sake of transient
blessings? Our ancestors clung to it, saying: It is mine, it is mine.'