<< 11. A Vision of Peace 12.
A Father's Fear
13. Escape
14. The Journey Begins 15. Six Years of
Struggle
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15. Six Years of Struggle An Offering 17.
The Great Battle 18. Awakened 19. Whom to Teach 20. The First Teaching
21. A Mother's Grie 22. A Rude Man 23. Words of Praise 24. Kindness to
Animals 25. The power of Love 26. The return 27. The King and the Spirit
Tree 28. Equal love to All 29. The Final days
Issued a Buddha poornima wallpaper Buddha & Sai Baba
A Vision of Peace
The Prince sank deeper and deeper
into gloom. He seemed to lose interest in everything. He hardly ate
anything anymore, and as a result began to look pale and unhealthy. The
King and everyone else were very upset that these unhappy changes had come
over their beloved Siddhartha.
One day he appeared before the King. "Father," he began, "lately my mind
has been very troubled. I feel restless and would like your permission to
leave the palace once again. Perhaps a change of scenery will do me good."
The King was quick to agree to his son's request, for he would do anything
to please him and make him happy again. But, as before, he asked some of
his most trusted ministers to stay close to the Prince and keep an eye on
him. This time Siddhartha saddled Kantaka himself and rode out of the
palace grounds in search of some beautiful countryside. Finally he came to
the edge of some farmland and dismounted. The ministers followed close
behind. They tried to gain his attention with stories, news and gossip of
the court. But the Prince had no interest in such idle talk, and soon the
ministers left him alone and walked away, still chattering to themselves.
Siddhartha looked out over the farmland. A man and his oxen were plowing
the field, the birds were singing and the sun was shinning brightly. "It
is so beautiful here," he thought. "The plowed rows in the field look like
ripples on a lake." He sat down, and his mind relaxed for the first time
in a long while. But as he looked closer at the scene before him, he began
to notice things he had not seen before. Where the plow had come by and
cut rows into the soil, he saw the bodies of hundreds of small insects
that had been killed by its blade. He saw hundreds more running back and
forth in conclusion now that their homes had been destroyed
He also noticed that the birds were not just gayly singing. They were
constantly searching for food, swooping down to snatch up the frightening
insects. and the smaller birds darted about in fear, scared of the hawks
and other large birds who circled hungrily above them.
He noticed that the oxen labored heavily while trying to drag the heavy
plow through the ground. The lashes of the farmer's whip cut painful
blisters into their sweating sides. And the farmer, too, worked hard. Like
the beasts, his rough and sun-burnt body glistened with sweat.
"Such a circle of misery," thought the Prince. "This farmer, his animals,
the birds and the insects work all day to be happy ,comfortable, and
having enough to eat. But, in fact, they are constantly killing and
hurting each other. How pitiful of the world seem to me." The Prince's
heart was filled with compassion for all these suffering creatures. He
hated to see them so unhappy. He found a shady place to sit under a rose
apple tree and began to meditate deeply on what he had seen. As he looked
deeper and deeper into the nature of the suffering he saw, his mind became
more and more concentrated and calm. He experienced a quietness unlike
anything he had known before.
With his mind now at rest he began to think, " every living thing is
searching for happiness. Yet most are so blinded by their ignorance and
desires that they find nothing but misery. Fear, disappointment, hunger,
old age, sickness, and death are rewarding for their trouble! " "Now that
I have seen this, I have no more interest in the small and changeable
pleasures of this world. I must find something that will bring me lasting
peace and happiness. But how can I content to be free from others
suffering? I must find out a way to help all other living as well. Because
they have been so kind to me , and they are so suffering. And then I will
share this experience with them."
When Prince Siddhartha had finished this compassionate meditation . He
opened his eyes and saw a man who was standing in front of him with a
dress like a poor beggar. His eyes were bright and calm. "Please tell me,"
the Prince asked, "who are you?"
The man answered, " I am someone who has become frightened by the
sufferings of the world. I have grown tired of the so-called pleasures to
be found in the company of others, so now I wander alone. I have given up
my home and now live and sleep in caves, in the forest or wherever I find
myself. My only interest in finding the highest and most happiness." When
he had spoken these words, the man disappeared. " At last I have found the
true meaning for my life," he thought , "I begin searching for the true of
the happiness and stop these sufferings." With this thinking, he went back
to the palace.
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A Father's Fear
Upon his arrival home the Prince immediately went to the King's room.
Pressing his hands together, as was the custom when making an important
request, he announced, "I wish to become a homeless wanderer and search
for the end of all suffering. Grant me your permission, Father, to leave
the palace." From the time his son was a baby, the King had feared that
someday he would have to hear this dreaded request. But still his son's
words came as a great shock to him. In a voice chocked with tears he
replied, "Dearest son, forget this idea of leaving. You are still much too
young to follow the lonely life of a holy man. Wait until you are older.
Meanwhile stay here in Kapilavastu and rule my kingdom."
"O father, I shall stay here only if you can promise me four things. Tell
me that I shall never grow old, never become ill, never die, and never be
unhappy. If you can not promise me these things, then I must leave
immediately."
The King was shocked by these strange words and began to get angry.
"Forget these foolish ideas, Siddhartha," he said loudly. But the Prince
remained firm. "Father, If you can not save me from the sufferings of old
age, sickness, death and unhappiness, then you must let me go and try to
save myself. It is not right to keep me a prisoner here."
But the King would hear no more. "Do not let the Prince leave! Set a guard
around the palace grounds!" he shouted to his ministers and then stormed
out of the room angrily.
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Escape
Siddhartha left the King's room and returned to his palace. He passed
through the beautifully decorated rooms, the magnificent hallways, past
the sparkling fountains and into his rooms on the upper story. He walked
among the talented musicians and past the beautiful serving girls. But
none of these delights affected his mind. He had only thought, and that
was to leave.
That night after dinner a strange force seemed to enter the palace. One by
one the musicians and dancers and servants became drowsy and fell asleep.
Finally even Yasodhara fell asleep next to her baby Rahula. The Prince saw
them lying there and thought to himself, "I would like to hold my child in
my arms one last time before I leave, but that might awaken Yasodhara.
Then it would be very difficulty to depart. No, I must go quickly and
quietly before anyone wakes up."
Stepping carefully around the sleeping bodies, he reached the window and
climbed out onto the roof and then down to the ground. He went to where
Channa, the charioteer was sleeping and gently woke him up. "Hurry,
Channa, saddle my horse. I wish to ride tonight."
Channa was surprised that the Prince would want to go out in the middle of
the night, but he did as he was asked. He saddled Kantaka and led him to
the Prince. Siddhartha patted his horse and whispered, "Kantaka, my old
friend, we must be very quiet. I do not want to wake up any of the guards.
Tonight is a very special night." As the three of them approached the
heavy gates at the edge of the gardens, the doors suddenly opened by
themselves. Silently they rode out into the night. When they reached the
edge of the city, the Prince looked back and vowed, "until I learn how to
conquer all sufferings, I shall not return to this fair city of Kapilvastu
!"
They rode all night. Just as the morning sun was about to rise they
reached a quiet forest where many holy people lived. The Prince was happy
and thought to himself, "now my real journey has begun." Then he turned to
Channa and said, "my friend, I thank you deeply for your help. I have
reached the place that I wanted. Now it is time for you to take my horse
and return to the palace."
Channa could not believe that the Prince would not be returning to the
palace with him. He stood there confused, tears begining to fill his eyes.
The Prince understood his grief and spoke to him again very softly, "my
faithful Channa, do not cry. Sooner or later we all have to say goodbye.
Here, take these royal jewels I am wearing; I shall not need them anymore.
Return to the palace and tell my father that I have not left in anger. It
is not that I do not love my family anymore. Rather, it is because I love
them all so much that I must leave them for now. If I ever discover the
way to end all suffering, I shall return to them. If I fail, then it
really makes little difference that I am leaving them now. Sooner or later
death would pull us apart anyway. Go now, and let me begin my search."
Channa realized that there was no way he could change the Prince's mind.
He took Kantaka's reins from the Prince and slowly led the horse away.
Many times both the charioteer and Kantaka looked back at the Prince with
tears in their eyes. Eventually they reached Kapilavastu where Channa had
the sad duty of telling everyone that Siddhartha had left the royal life
forever.
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The Journey Begins
As Siddhartha stood alone in the forest, ready to begin his great
adventure, he thought, "From today onwards I am no longer a prince.
Therefore, it is not right that I continue to look and dress like one. "
He took his knife and cut off his long, flowing hair, a sign of royalty.
Then he met a poor hunter and said to him, "Sir, I have no more need of
these silk clothes. If I am to live in the forest I should wear something
rough like yours. Let us switch." The hunter was surprised and delighted
to receive such expensive clothing in exchange for his own and quickly
agreed to Siddhartha's suggestion.
Now that he was properly dressed as a poor seeker of the truth,
Siddhartha began to look for a teacher who could show him the way to end
all sufferings. He wandered through the forests and spoke to all the many
holy men he found there. Everywhere he went he was welcomed with respect.
Even though he now wore ragged clothes and ate only the poor food he could
beg, he was still a very handsome and striking looking man. When the
people in the forest saw him coming they said to each other, "Here comes a
very special person. His face is so strong and determined! If such a man
is looking for the truth, he is sure to find it."
Siddhartha studied with several teachers, but was not satisfied with what
he learned from them. "What they teach is helpful," he thought, "but it
does not lead to perfect happiness." Finally he heard that some very wise
men lived in the kingdom of Magadha where King Bimbisara ruled. So he
decided to travel far to the south and east to find them.
One day, as he was walking through Rajagriha, the capital city of Magadha,
he passed near the palace gates. One of the King Bimbisara's ministers saw
him and immediately ran to the King. "Sir," He said excitedly, "I have
just seen a most unusual man in the city. He is dressed in rags and begs
his food from door to door , but I am sure he must be a great person. His
face is so strong and he walks with such dignity. It almost seems that a
special light shines from him!" The King was very interested and asked
that Siddhartha be brought before him. They talked together for a while
and the King was very impressed by his intelligence, modesty and king
manner. Then the King said, " I have never met a man I felt I could trust
more than you. Please settle here in Rajagriha and help me rule my
kingdom." But Siddhartha replied politely, "O King, I have already had the
chance to rule a kingdom, but I had to refuse. I am not interested in
wealth or power, only in the path of truth. I thank you for you offer, but
I have come to your kingdom only to find teachers who can help me with my
search." Then the King bowed to the man in rags and said, " I wish you
have a lot of luck on your journey. If you do find what you are looking
for, please return here and teach it to me. But even if you fail, you are
already welcome to return to my palace." Siddhartha thanked him and
continued on his way.
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Six Years of Struggle
Eventually Siddhartha came to the forest where the wise men lived. He
studied first with Arada and then with Udraka. In a short time he mastered
everything they had to teach him. But still he was not satisfied. "My
teachers are holy people, but what they have taught me does not bring an
end to all suffering. I must continue to search on my own." He continued
his travels until he came to the Nairangana River, Near the holy town of
Gaya. He crossed the river and entered the forests on the other side.
There he found a group of five men. Their life was extremely simple. They
ate very little food, lived out in the open, and sat perfectly still for
many hours each day.
"Why are you doing such painful thing to your bodies?" Siddhartha asked
these men. "Most people in the world treat their bodies very gently," they
answered, "yet still experience such suffering. We feel that if we can
learn to master pain, we shall have found the way to control all
suffering." Siddhartha thought to himself, "For so many years I lived in
those luxurious pleasure palaces. I was treated very gently, yet still my
mind did not find peace. Perhaps these men are right. I shall join them in
their practices and see if this leads to the end of sufferings."
And so he began these difficulty and painful practices. He sat for
hours and hours in the same spot. Even though his legs and back hurt very
much, he would not move a muscle. He let himself be burned by the blazing
summer sun and chilled by the winter winds. He ate barely enough food to
remain alive. But no matter how difficult it was, he thought, "I must
continue and discover the way out of all misery!"
The five men were amazed at Siddhartha. They said to themselves, "we have
never seen anyone with as much determination as this man. He drives
himself on and on and never quits. If anyone is ever going to succeed in
these practices it will be Siddhartha. Let us stay near him so that when
he discovers the true path we shall be able to learn it from him."
Siddhartha treated his body more and more harshly. In the beginning, he
slept only a few hours for each night, but eventually he stopped going to
sleep . He stopped taking even the one poor meal a day that he used to
eat, and would only eat the few seeds and berries that the wind blew into
his lap. He grew thinner. His body lost its radiance and became covered
with dust and dirt. Eventually, he looked like little more than a living
skeleton. But still, he did not give up his practices.
Six long years passed. Siddhartha was thirty five, having spent six years
with hardly any food, sleep, shelter or decent clothing. One day he
thought to himself, "Am I any closer to my goal now than I was six years
ago? Or am I still as ignorant as before? When I was a Prince and lived in
luxury, I had everything a person could desire. I wasted many years in
those prisons of pleasures. "Then I left and began my search. I have lived
the forests and caves and have had nothing but poor food and much pain.
But I still have not learned how to put an end to suffering. I can see now
that it is a mistake to punish my body like this, just as it was a mistake
to have wasted so much time in those palaces. To find the truth I must
follow a middle path between too much pleasure and too much pain." He
remembered that many years ago, after he had seen the dead man, he had
meditated under a rose apple tree. "After that meditation," he thought,
"my mind was very calm and still. I was able to see things clearly for the
first time. I shall try to meditate like that again now."
But when he looked at himself he realized, "I have been sitting here for
such a long time with no food that I am tired, dirty and weak. I am so
thin that I can see my bones through my skin. How can I meditate when I am
too hungry dirty even to think clearly?" And so he slowly pulled himself
up and went to bath himself in the river. He was so weak, however, that he
fell and was almost drowned. With great effort he just managed to pull
himself to the shore. Then he sat for a while, resting.
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