Biblical References

The title of this section, "The Fire Sermon," is the first of many allusions to one of Buddha's most well-known speeches called [[Pāli Canon Aditta-pariyaya-sutta:  The Fire Sermon]].  In his speech, the burning of fire represents the immoral, earthly desires.  Of these include lust, hatred, sorrow, etc.  The end of his sermon results in the liberation of the Bhikkus from these earthly passions.  This moment of liberation is used as an ironic allusion, the liberation contrasting the absence of emotion in ''The Waste Land''.  His sermon is supposed to have taken place in the Brahmayoni Temple, as indicated on the map.  The stone steps on the hill that was previously called Gayasisa are where Buddha's audience were expected to sit as he preached the "Fire Sutta."

Although the title "The Fire Sermon does not directly allude to the Biblle, Buddha's "Fire Sutta" correlates with the bible on its own.  Its structure and message mirrors that of the Sermon on the Mount.  In the sermon, Jesus gives blessings to those who suffer for righteous reasons.  The site of this sermon is ambiguous, but believed to have been in the Mountains of the Beatitudes, then known as Mount Eremos.  A church was built there called Church of the Beatitudes in honor of the Sermon on the Mount.  This locale can be found on the map.

These two locations--Brahmayoni Temple and Church of the Beatitudes--are connected by a line on the map to represent their association with one another and to draw the loose connection between ''The Waste Land'' and the Bible.