The Manifesto for Protecting the True Dhamma

 🔥 THE MANIFESTO FOR PROTECTING THE TRUE DHAMMA: THE LIGHT OF TRUTH TEARING THROUGH THE DARKNESS OF DISTORTION AND SPIRITUAL COMMERCE

I have devoted my whole heart through countless writings to help you clearly understand the truth of what the genuine origin of the True Dhamma is, and where the original words spoken by the Fully Enlightened One are to be found. Yet before my eyes, I still see many who remain half-asleep in a dream, stubbornly clinging to deeply rooted wrong views and holding fast to inherited beliefs that they mistakenly regard as the path to liberation. Because this profound delusion continues to drag so many toward the abyss, I have decided to share this article as another thunderbolt, striking at the slumber of those who have yet to awaken.

Please awaken! Do not allow yourselves to be blinded by the illusion of an all-powerful Buddha who saves others, stretching out His hand to "lead" you to a world filled with gold, silver, and precious jewels. The Buddha's Teaching is the path of self-awakening, not the path of escape. If you believe that merely repeating a name tens of thousands of times can automatically erase the unwholesome kamma accumulated over countless lives, then you are not only gravely dishonoring the Supreme Wisdom of the Blessed One, but are also digging the pit in which you bury yourselves in the deepest ignorance.

Liberation is not a spiritual bargain, and Nibbāna is not for those unwilling to investigate reality for themselves while clinging to the illusion of salvation through external power. The True Dhamma is a sword that cuts through the chains of bondage, not a sedative that allows one to remain asleep within the endless round of birth and death (saṃsāra).

1. THE ULTIMATE CONTRADICTION OF NATURAL LAW: THE "SHORTCUT" IS AN INSULT TO WISDOM

Use your clearest and most awakened mind to look directly at this reality: the Buddha Gotama—the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One (Sammāsambuddha)—spent forty-five years teaching the Noble Eightfold Path, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna), and the complete destruction of the taints (āsavas). He proclaimed an unchanging principle in the Dhammapada:

"By oneself is evil done; by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone; by oneself is one purified. Purity and impurity depend on oneself; no one can purify another."
(Suddhi asuddhi paccattaṃ, nāñño aññaṃ visodhaye.)

If there truly existed an "easy path to enlightenment"—where one merely repeats the name of an imagined Buddha and is then specially escorted to a realm of bliss—would that not mean that the Blessed One's entire forty-five years of teaching were unnecessary?

Consider this:

If merely reciting a name could erase unwholesome kamma, would the law of kamma (Kamma-niyāma) not become something cheap that could be bypassed with nothing more than words?

Consider this:

If "external power" could accomplish everything on one's behalf, why did the Buddha require great disciples of extraordinary wisdom, such as Sāriputta and Mahā Moggallāna, to face dangers in the wilderness, sleep beneath trees, walk barefoot on alms round, and train their minds moment by moment?

The idea of "rebirth through external saving power" is, in reality, a product of wrong view. It was fashioned to comfort those who are unwilling to cultivate themselves—those overcome by fear, attachment, and craving (taṇhā), who desire the supreme fruit attained by the Noble Ones while refusing to undertake the path of personal effort that leads to it.

2. IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE FROM THE DISCIPLINED PRACTICE OF THE SAKYA CLAN

To expose the illusion behind teachings that promise effortless liberation, look at how the Buddha guided those who were dearest to Him. If there truly were a "shortcut," why did He allow them to undertake the most demanding path to liberation?

King Suddhodana (Suddhodana): Why was he not simply "granted" rebirth in a blissful realm to continue enjoying worldly happiness? Why did the Buddha allow his own father to witness His son walking on alms round, and ultimately require him to cultivate Vipassanā (Insight Meditation)—contemplating the arising and passing away of mind and matter (nāma-rūpa)—so that he attained realization only at the very end of his life? Because the Buddha fully understood that kamma cannot be erased by wishful belief; only wisdom (paññā) can cut off suffering.

Prince Rāhula and Nanda: His only son and His beloved half-brother. Why did the Buddha not teach them a sacred formula that would free them from suffering without effort? Why did He require them to renounce luxury and power, shave their heads, wear the ochre robes, live the homeless life, dwell in solitude, and confront the subtlest taints (āsavas) through continuous practice?

Princess Yasodharā: As one of the most honored women in the Sakya kingdom, why did she also choose a life of renunciation, diligent practice, and personal cultivation in order to attain liberation?

THE UNCOMPROMISING TRUTH: The Buddha could not practice on behalf of those closest to Him, and neither can He practice on behalf of you. To believe that one can be "carried away" by a miraculous power is to disregard the earnest practice undertaken by the entire Sakya family. Do you believe that you deserve a privilege greater than that granted to the Buddha's own father and His own son?

That is not faith. It is the arrogance born of ignorance and the fear of facing reality. The True Dhamma is the truth, and the truth belongs only to those who have the courage to stand on their own feet and carry the lamp of wisdom for themselves.

Have you become deeply concerned by this truth?

The truth that you may be wasting this precious human life by clinging to paper lifeboats that cannot save you? When the final breath leaves the body, no Buddha will appear if your mind is still filled with craving (taṇhā) and wrong view (micchā-diṭṭhi). What awaits you is only your own kamma and the truth of the Dhamma.

3. THE VERDICT OF HISTORY: THE TRUE DHAMMA IS A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO THE COWARDLY IDEA OF EXTERNAL SALVATION

Have you ever paused to ask yourselves this question with a clear and careful mind? Why was early Buddhism able to shake an India filled with renowned philosophers and powerful Brahmin priests?

The answer was not promises of a "heaven" after death—something the Brahmanical tradition, with its elaborate system of divine authority, already offered more effectively than anyone else. The Buddha's Teaching won the respect of kings, scholars, and great thinkers through the principle of Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda) and the inviolable law of kamma (Kamma-niyāma). It presented a practical path grounded in direct understanding, where each individual is responsible for shaping his or her own destiny.

The historical reality is this: if the Buddha had taught reliance upon an imagined savior Buddha or an indistinct "Pure Land" attained merely through faith in external salvation, His teaching would have been indistinguishable from the prevailing religious systems of His time. It would have lost the unique principle that made the Dhamma a radical and liberating teaching.

The strength of the True Dhamma: Buddhism endured and spread because it is the Teaching of Truth (Dhamma-Vinaya), a teaching that is directly visible and verifiable in this very life (sandiṭṭhiko), rather than one founded upon blind belief in external saving power.

You should understand this clearly: in a world governed by the principle of specific conditionality (Idappaccayatā), there is no outside hand that can reach in and remove you from the results of your own kamma. Whoever continues to cling to salvation from an external source has turned away from the path taught by the Fully Enlightened One and instead follows the same dependence on external deliverance that has characterized many belief systems throughout history. According to the Early Buddhist teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, liberation is realized only through one's own cultivation of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā).

4. DISTORTING THE BUDDHA'S WORDS — THE GRAVE KAMMIC CONSEQUENCES

In the Pāli Canon, the Blessed One gave solemn warnings about the appearance of counterfeit Dhamma (Saddhamma-paṭirūpaka). He made it clear that whoever misrepresents the Tathāgata's teaching generates extremely grave unwholesome kamma.

To transform the Buddha from a Teacher of Wisdom (Satthā) into a deity who grants blessings, and to replace the path of renunciation and diligent practice with the notion of a spiritual transaction—where merely reciting a name is believed to secure rebirth in a blissful realm—is to corrupt the Dhamma from within. This is not the practice of the Buddha's Teaching. It is a form of the commercialization of spirituality, rooted in wrong view.

Awaken and examine yourselves:

Are you truly practicing the Dhamma, or are you distorting it?

Are you genuinely seeking liberation, or are you clinging to a paper lifeboat floating upon the vast ocean of your own kamma?

The uncompromising truth is this: when the final breath approaches, the law of kamma will manifest with complete impartiality. At that moment, no Buddha will appear to erase the consequences of unwholesome actions or carry away one who has neglected the path of cultivation. What follows is the result of one's own unwholesome kamma (akusala-kamma) together with wrong view (micchā-diṭṭhi), which, according to the Buddha's teaching, leads beings toward states of suffering (apāya).

Do not use the mouth to recite the Buddha's name while allowing the mind to remain unwilling to investigate the truth.

The True Dhamma is not a sedative for those who fear reality. It is a torch for those courageous enough to look directly at existence as it truly is: suffering (dukkha), impermanence (anicca), and non-self (anattā).

🔴 PART II: A WARNING FROM HISTORY — WHEN WRONG VIEW BECOMES A "MAINSTREAM TREND"

I write this so that you may see that the truth is not found in scriptures composed and expanded six to ten centuries after the Buddha's Parinibbāna, but in the words faithfully preserved in the Pāli Canon by the Noble Arahants over many centuries.

1. A WARNING ABOUT THE ORIGIN: WHEN "ADDITIONS" BECOME "COUNTERFEIT DHAMMA"

Many take pride in vast collections of later scriptures filled with profound metaphysical ideas. But have you ever paused to face this historical question with an open and careful mind?

Why is it that throughout the first three Buddhist Councils—the crucial gatherings held to preserve the Buddha's original teachings—not a single Mahāyāna scripture was included?

According to the historical record preserved in the Pāli Canon, the scriptures that many people recite today under the Mahāyāna tradition appeared centuries after the Buddha's Parinibbāna. The Pāli Canon warns that there will be the arising of counterfeit Dhamma (Saddhamma-paṭirūpaka)—teachings that resemble the True Dhamma while differing from the Buddha's original instruction. Throughout Buddhist history, later authors composed new scriptures and attributed them to the Buddha, incorporating various philosophical and religious ideas that were not found in the early discourses. From the standpoint of the Theravāda tradition, such later compositions are not regarded as the original word of the Buddha preserved in the Pāli Canon.

The Trap of "Spiritual Commerce"

When the path of liberation is transformed into a spiritual transaction, people may begin to believe that building magnificent temples, casting large Buddha statues, or repeatedly reciting sacred formulas is sufficient to overcome the results of kamma.

According to the Early Buddhist teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, liberation is not obtained through exchange, ritual, or external favor. It is realized only through one's own cultivation of virtue (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā).

The Buddha's path is a path of personal practice and direct realization. It is not a religion of bargaining for salvation, but a path in which each person understands reality for himself or herself through diligent cultivation.

2. THE REDEFINITION OF THE TERM "BODHISATTA": FROM A DILIGENT PRACTITIONER TO A MYTHOLOGICAL SUPERNATURAL FIGURE

Many people regularly pay homage to various "bodhisattvas" believed to possess miraculous powers. But have you ever carefully examined what the term Bodhisatta actually means in the Pāli Canon? Are you venerating figures shaped by later religious imagination, or are you following the path of liberation taught by the Fully Enlightened One?

The original meaning of Bodhisatta: In the Early Buddhist teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, Bodhisatta refers specifically to the Buddha Gotama before His Enlightenment, during the period in which He was cultivating the Pāramīs (Perfections). These accounts portray His extraordinary generosity, patience, determination, and wisdom as an unenlightened being (puthujjana) striving toward Buddhahood. At that stage, He was not yet a Buddha nor an Arahant. He was still subject to birth, aging, and death, while firmly pursuing the highest awakening through His own efforts.

The rigorous requirements for a Bodhisatta: According to the Pāli commentarial tradition, one who receives the initial prediction (abhinīhāra) of future Buddhahood must fulfill a number of stringent qualifications. Among these qualifications is purisatta—being born as a human male. Within the Theravāda tradition, this is understood as one of the traditional conditions for the aspiration to Perfect Buddhahood. It is presented as part of that doctrinal framework rather than as a statement about the spiritual worth or capacity of men and women in general.

The transformation found in later traditions: Compare this with many later representations of "bodhisattvas" that depict beings with countless arms and eyes, forms that transcend ordinary human characteristics, or figures influenced by pre-existing religious and folk traditions. From the Theravāda perspective, such portrayals do not correspond to the understanding of Bodhisatta found in the Pāli Canon.

To transform a practitioner who is cultivating the path toward Buddhahood into a supernatural deity who grants blessings and miraculously removes suffering is fundamentally different from the Buddha's teaching on kamma and personal cultivation.

You should ask yourselves:

Are you following the Buddha's Teaching, or are you following narratives composed long after His lifetime?

If one's understanding of a Bodhisatta is based upon later legendary portrayals rather than upon the early teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, then one's understanding no longer reflects the original meaning found in the Theravāda tradition.

AWAKEN! A true Bodhisatta is one who demonstrates, through immeasurable sacrifice and perseverance, how to cultivate the path toward awakening—not a supernatural being from whom one seeks favors. The cultivation of the Pāramīs is a path of genuine self-sacrifice, unwavering determination, and countless acts of virtue over a vast span of time—not a display of miraculous powers intended to replace personal practice.

3. "THE PURE LAND" — AN ILLUSION OF CRAVING FOR EXISTENCE AND A TRANSFORMATION OF BRAHMANICAL THEOLOGY

Carefully examine the path to liberation established by the Blessed One: the Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni)—the unshakable framework of suffering (dukkha), its origin, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation. Within this framework, liberation is attained through the complete ending of craving (taṇhā) and ignorance (avijjā). It is never presented as an escape to another realm of existence. This naturally raises the question: where does the concept of a "Pure Land" originate?

A theological development: From the standpoint of the Theravāda tradition, the idea of a permanent blissful realm attained through reliance on an external savior does not appear in the early discourses preserved in the Pāli Canon. It resembles religious models that describe heavenly realms as the ultimate goal and appeals to the natural human fear of death and the desire for lasting happiness. Such teachings encourage aspiration toward a pleasant existence rather than the complete cessation of suffering taught by the Buddha.

Non-self (Anattā) and the view of a permanent self: In the ultimate sense taught in the Pāli Canon, the doctrine of non-self (anattā) cuts through every notion of an eternal soul or an unchanging personal essence. If there is no permanent self, then who is the enduring individual that permanently dwells in a "Pure Land"?

The aspiration to be "received" or "transported" by an external power reflects, from the Theravāda perspective, a subtle form of eternalism (sassata-diṭṭhi)—the wrong view that there exists an enduring self passing unchanged from one life to another. It also expresses craving for continued existence (bhava-taṇhā), the desire to preserve a lasting "I" in a more pleasant state of being. This stands in contrast to the ultimate goal taught in the Pāli Canon: the cessation of existence conditioned by craving (bhava-nirodha), realized through the complete ending of greed, hatred, and delusion.

THE PRICE OF DELUSION: WHEN WISDOM IS DESTROYED

You are drifting across the vast ocean of saṃsāra on a "paper boat," yet you hope to cross it safely. Those who lead you with promises of salvation through "external power" are, in reality, undermining your faculty of wisdom (paññindriya), the very quality that the Buddha taught must be developed for liberation.

The contradiction of a savior: If liberation could truly be bestowed by an all-powerful being, then, out of boundless compassion, the Buddhas would already have liberated all beings wandering through beginningless saṃsāra. The continued existence of suffering is itself compelling evidence that the law of kamma (Kamma-niyāma) operates impartially and cannot be overridden by an external will.

The consequence of this decline: Do not transform the Buddha—the incomparable Teacher (Satthā), who revealed a practical path for understanding the mind and cultivating virtue—into a deity who dispenses blessings and worldly favors. From the perspective of the Early Buddhist teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, such a transformation departs from the Buddha's original role and obscures the path He taught.

When one abandons personal responsibility and places one's hope entirely in an imagined external saving power, one also turns away from the essential key to liberation. The Buddha consistently taught that freedom from suffering is realized through one's own cultivation of virtue (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā), in accordance with the Dhamma and the law of kamma. No one—not even a Buddha—can practice, understand, or attain liberation on another person's behalf.

🔴 PART III: THE COLLAPSE OF IDOLS AND THE JOURNEY BACK TO THE ROOTS

I write this to bring to a close a chain of misconceptions that has continued for centuries. Have you ever asked yourselves why, after thousands of years of prayers, supplications, and recitations of vast collections of scriptures, the world remains filled with suffering, and why you—who call yourselves disciples of the Buddha—still remain filled with greed, hatred, delusion, and fear of death?

The answer is simple: you are venerating an image created by human imagination rather than following the path taught by the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One (Sammāsambuddha).

1. THE DECLINE OF FAITH: FROM THE SUPREME TEACHER TO A DEITY WHO GRANTS FAVORS

Look directly at the historical and spiritual reality. In the Pāli Canon, the Blessed One is presented as a human being who, through unsurpassed personal effort, directly realized the laws governing the mind and the nature of existence. He is Satthā devamanussānaṃ—the Teacher of devas and humans—the unsurpassed guide who discovered and taught the principles governing mind (nāma) and matter (rūpa).

Now consider how His teaching has often been transformed. Instead of honoring the Buddha as the Fully Enlightened Teacher, many have elevated Him into a supernatural deity endowed with limitless powers, capable of manifesting countless forms and miraculously rescuing beings from the consequences of their actions. From the standpoint of the Early Buddhist teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, this understanding does not reflect the role that the Buddha attributed to Himself.

The uncompromising truth about compassion: If the Buddha could liberate beings simply through supernatural power, then out of boundless compassion He would already have freed the world from war, disease, and suffering more than 2,500 years ago. Yet He neither claimed to do so nor taught that liberation could be bestowed in this way. Why? Because He is the Teacher who shows the path, not a deity who grants salvation.

As the Dhammapada (Verse 165) declares:

"By oneself is evil done; by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone; by oneself is one purified. Purity and impurity depend on oneself; no one can purify another."
(Attanā va kataṃ pāpaṃ, attanā saṅkilissati...)

A Denial of the Law of Kamma

When one prays for blessings, asks for the removal of wrongdoing, or seeks guaranteed rebirth through external intervention, one departs from the principle of Kamma-niyāma—the universal law of kamma taught by the Buddha. According to the Pāli Canon, every being inherits the results of his or her own intentional actions, and no one can erase those results on another's behalf.

By seeking salvation from an external source, one also overlooks the Buddha's repeated encouragement to rely upon one's own cultivation. As He declared:

"Attā hi attano nātho" — "One is truly one's own refuge."

Ask yourselves honestly:

Are you following the Buddha in order to cultivate the courage, wisdom, and diligence needed to walk the path for yourselves?

Or have you come to depend upon external powers, hoping that another will accomplish what only your own practice can achieve?

The Buddha's teaching invites every person to awaken through direct understanding. Liberation is realized not by dependence, but through the cultivation of virtue (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā), leading to the complete ending of greed, hatred, and delusion.

2. THE METAPHYSICAL "BODHISATTVA PATH" — A NOBLE IDEAL OR A SUBTLE FORM OF SELF-DELUSION?

Many speak of "postponing one's own enlightenment in order to save all beings" as the highest expression of compassion. But examine this carefully with a clear and discerning mind: is this truly compassion, or could it become a dangerous rationalization rooted in ignorance (avijjā)?

The paradox of the drowning person: In the Pāli Canon, the Blessed One teaches that a person who is still trapped cannot free another who is equally trapped. One who is sinking cannot rescue another who is sinking. If an ordinary worldling (puthujjana), who has not yet eradicated greed, hatred, and delusion, and has not yet fully understood the true nature of mind (nāma) and matter (rūpa), proclaims that he will "liberate all beings," then from the perspective of the Early Buddhist teachings this may reflect the arising of conceit (māna) and wrong view rather than genuine wisdom.

The urgency of liberation: The Buddha repeatedly described the world as being consumed by fire. In the Ādittapariyāya Sutta (The Fire Sermon), He declared that the eye, forms, consciousness, feeling, and the entire field of experience are "burning" with the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion. Elsewhere, He compared the Dhamma to the urgent removal of a poisoned arrow rather than engaging in speculative discussion. The immediate task is to extinguish these fires through direct realization of the Dhamma and the attainment of liberation.

The danger of complacency: From the Theravāda perspective, if supernatural bodhisattvas are regarded as beings who will ultimately accomplish the work of liberation on behalf of others, such a belief can become a subtle obstacle. It may encourage postponement of one's own diligent practice and weaken the urgency with which the Buddha consistently urged His disciples to cultivate the path here and now.

The Buddha's teaching is direct and practical. It does not encourage postponing the ending of suffering. It calls upon each person to cultivate virtue (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā) in this very life, abandoning present craving rather than deferring liberation to an indefinite future. According to the Pāli Canon, only one who has fully crossed the flood is truly capable of showing others the way across.

3. THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF SPIRITUALITY: THE TRUE FACE OF THOSE WHO MISUSE THE DHAMMA

Today, many people are captivated by titles such as "Living Buddha" or "Great Master," promoted through widespread publicity and promises of wealth, peace, and guaranteed rebirth in a blissful realm. In doing so, the Dhamma—the path to liberation—is at risk of being transformed into a means of financial gain and personal influence.

The parable of the stone in the water: In the Asibandhakaputta Sutta (SN 42.6), the Blessed One gave a striking illustration:

If a man were to throw a large stone into a deep lake, and then a crowd gathered to pray and plead for the stone to rise to the surface, would their prayers cause it to float?

The answer is no.

In the same way, intentional actions (kamma) inevitably bear their corresponding results. According to the Buddha's teaching, the consequences of kamma cannot be erased by prayers, chants, or rituals alone.

The illusion of external salvation: The belief that merely reciting sacred formulas, repeating a name, or relying upon another being can "remove kamma" or guarantee liberation does not accord with the principle of Kamma-niyāma as taught in the Pāli Canon. Kamma is transformed through the cultivation of one's own mind—by abandoning greed, hatred, and delusion, and by developing virtue (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā). As the Buddha repeatedly emphasized:

"Attā hi attano nātho" — "One is truly one's own refuge."

From the perspective of the Early Buddhist teachings, any doctrine that promises liberation without personal cultivation should be examined carefully in the light of the Dhamma. The Buddha consistently warned that Māra seeks to lead beings away from the path through attachment, complacency, and delusion—not necessarily through what appears obviously harmful, but also through comforting beliefs that discourage direct practice.

The Buddha's path is the path of those who have the courage to face reality as it truly is. It is not a refuge for avoiding the consequences of one's actions, nor a promise that another can walk the path on one's behalf. Liberation arises only through understanding, practice, and the direct realization of the Dhamma.

🔴 CONCLUSION: THE CHOICE BETWEEN LIBERATION AND SAṂSĀRA

The choice is entirely yours.

You may continue to close your eyes and ears, remaining absorbed in the dream of dazzling illusions and teachings that promise salvation through external power. You may choose to devote your wealth to those who turn spirituality into a marketplace, seeking temporary comfort under the shadow of wrong view (micchā-diṭṭhi).

But remember this well:

The truth does not change according to our beliefs.

The Pāli Canon—preserved by the Theravāda tradition as the earliest complete record of the Buddha's teachings—remains a Mirror of the Dhamma (Dhammādāsa), inviting every practitioner to examine the teachings carefully and distinguish what accords with the Dhamma from what does not.

The time comes for every person to face one of life's most profound choices.

Either continue to depend upon external forms, placing your hope in promises of deliverance while remaining bound by delusion (moha) and the endless cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra).

Or stand firmly on your own feet, take wisdom (paññā) as your guiding treasure, discipline (vinaya) as your teacher, and diligently cultivate the Noble Path that the Blessed One Himself realized and taught, bringing suffering to its end through direct practice.

The truth is often difficult for a mind still attached to craving, and genuine wisdom can be unsettling to those who seek comfort in familiar beliefs. Yet the Buddha consistently encouraged His disciples to investigate reality with courage rather than to rely upon comforting illusions.

It is better to endure the discomfort that accompanies awakening than to remain at ease in delusion, for only wisdom leads beyond suffering.

Whether one awakens or continues to wander in saṃsāra ultimately depends upon one's own understanding, practice, and cultivation.

"You yourselves must strive; the Tathāgatas only show the way."
(Tumhehi kiccaṃ ātappaṃ, akkhātāro tathāgatā.) — Dhammapada 276

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa

— True Dhamma —