(Source: Buddhachrita by Ashvaghosh, 2nd CE)
It was well past midnight.
About 2500 yrs, ago the young prince of Kapilvastu (Land of Rishi Kapil), of shakya-kul from Ikshvaku lineage of Survanshi Kshatriyas was wide awake.
He had been standing at the balcony of his palace, for quite a long time, peering at nothing in the darkness.
His mind was made.
All his life he had known life as full of pleasures. However, last week had turned his life upside down.
He had, for the first time, come across the great sufferings of human life ie Sickness, old age and death.
He had learnt, to his shock, that all humans,whether they be mightiest kings, , most breathing beauties or strongest warriors , they all must grow old, be weak, be sick and die.
This revelation has shook his soul. Now, he could not enjoy the pleasures of his youth, seeing the temporal nature of them and the suffering waiting ahead.
His heart was only at some peace after he had met the ascetic who had renunciated the worldly pleasures & attachments and was doing tapa for liberation from death and other miseries of life.
Now , he also had decided to be an ascetic himself and through his tapa seek the remedy of sufferings, not only for himself, but for all mankind.
His father was shocked to hear of his intentions and beside forbidding him, had also arranged for his son to be engulfed in pleasures of wine, women and food as a last resort to change his mind.
This particular night he had fallen asleep after long hours of wine, women and music. When he suddenly wokeup, all were sleeping in tortuous postures all around him. The sight he saw had almost made him cringe. The faces of the greatest beauties of the land which used to enchanted him, now looked almost outright ugly with the twisted sleeping postures, open mouth, dripping saliva and flowing make up.
He was disgusted with his life and now felt sure to go far from all of this and find freedom in solace of the forest. He had to leaving his son and wife behind. However, the remedy he would find would help them also.
He swung from the balcony and walking on rooftops reached the stable, got his horse and soon vanished into darkness.
A fortnight of travelling has passed. He had left his royal clothes, jewels and his horse behind. He had been travelling through forest tracks on foot. At one time he remembered his ancestor Prince Ram who had once left his kingdom and lived as an ascetic for 14 years to honour an oath of his father.
He had passed Rajgriha, the capital of the mighty Magadh Empire and reached the ashram of Rishi Arada on his quest. The Rishi had taken him as a disciple and had taught him the mysteries of mind, soul and universe as well as practices of Dhyana and Tapa. He had visited Rishi Udarkas and learnt under him also.
Now he had arrived at an ashram in the city Gayapuri, named on Rishi Gaya.
He had joined 5 Ascetics and alongwith them started practicing the hardest Tapa. The practices requires starvation for days, sitting in extreme temperatures and other very painful hardships.
Now, 6 year had passed and he didn't find himself any further in his quest for knowledge.
He was now very weak from abstaining from food,just skin and bones.
Now he felt that this weakness can only be a detriment and the body and mind should not be so weak as to obstruct his quest.
Unsure, he rose from his tapa, and to the criticism of his 5 fellow ascetics, started wandering.
He passed the river Falgu and sat under a fig tree.
He had been offered Milk and rice by Sujata, a kind girl of the village and the subsequent energy rush in his starved body and fading consciousness and given him a new vigor and clarity of purpose.
He had made a firm resolute of rising only after realizing the true nature of live and universe.
It was past midnight. Deep in meditation, his resolve was getting weak under constant challenges by his desires, fears, weaknesses from depths of own subconscious.
After a seemingly very long and tenous struggle to maintain his pointed concentration on his quest during his dhyana, suddenly all the hurricanes in his mind vanished & the truth, as if , lit every corner of his mind with bright warm light.
He had it. He had learnt the truth of life. He was now enlightened.
He was no longer just Siddharth, now he was an arhat (one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence), Jina (Ultimate victor), Gautam (Remover of Darkness) & Buddha (Enlightened) .
Later people would revere him Tathagat (Who came thus) & Bhagwan (Blessed one) also.
Free from his bonds he could also remember his previous births as Bodhisattva (Individual on path of Bodhi-Chitta, awakening).
Finally he knew the mystery of life and suffering.
(Continued ....)
It was well past midnight.
About 2500 yrs, ago the young prince of Kapilvastu (Land of Rishi Kapil), of shakya-kul from Ikshvaku lineage of Survanshi Kshatriyas was wide awake.
He had been standing at the balcony of his palace, for quite a long time, peering at nothing in the darkness.
His mind was made.
All his life he had known life as full of pleasures. However, last week had turned his life upside down.
He had, for the first time, come across the great sufferings of human life ie Sickness, old age and death.
He had learnt, to his shock, that all humans,whether they be mightiest kings, , most breathing beauties or strongest warriors , they all must grow old, be weak, be sick and die.
This revelation has shook his soul. Now, he could not enjoy the pleasures of his youth, seeing the temporal nature of them and the suffering waiting ahead.
His heart was only at some peace after he had met the ascetic who had renunciated the worldly pleasures & attachments and was doing tapa for liberation from death and other miseries of life.
Now , he also had decided to be an ascetic himself and through his tapa seek the remedy of sufferings, not only for himself, but for all mankind.
His father was shocked to hear of his intentions and beside forbidding him, had also arranged for his son to be engulfed in pleasures of wine, women and food as a last resort to change his mind.
This particular night he had fallen asleep after long hours of wine, women and music. When he suddenly wokeup, all were sleeping in tortuous postures all around him. The sight he saw had almost made him cringe. The faces of the greatest beauties of the land which used to enchanted him, now looked almost outright ugly with the twisted sleeping postures, open mouth, dripping saliva and flowing make up.
He was disgusted with his life and now felt sure to go far from all of this and find freedom in solace of the forest. He had to leaving his son and wife behind. However, the remedy he would find would help them also.
He swung from the balcony and walking on rooftops reached the stable, got his horse and soon vanished into darkness.
A fortnight of travelling has passed. He had left his royal clothes, jewels and his horse behind. He had been travelling through forest tracks on foot. At one time he remembered his ancestor Prince Ram who had once left his kingdom and lived as an ascetic for 14 years to honour an oath of his father.
He had passed Rajgriha, the capital of the mighty Magadh Empire and reached the ashram of Rishi Arada on his quest. The Rishi had taken him as a disciple and had taught him the mysteries of mind, soul and universe as well as practices of Dhyana and Tapa. He had visited Rishi Udarkas and learnt under him also.
Now he had arrived at an ashram in the city Gayapuri, named on Rishi Gaya.
He had joined 5 Ascetics and alongwith them started practicing the hardest Tapa. The practices requires starvation for days, sitting in extreme temperatures and other very painful hardships.
Now, 6 year had passed and he didn't find himself any further in his quest for knowledge.
He was now very weak from abstaining from food,just skin and bones.
Now he felt that this weakness can only be a detriment and the body and mind should not be so weak as to obstruct his quest.
Unsure, he rose from his tapa, and to the criticism of his 5 fellow ascetics, started wandering.
He passed the river Falgu and sat under a fig tree.
He had been offered Milk and rice by Sujata, a kind girl of the village and the subsequent energy rush in his starved body and fading consciousness and given him a new vigor and clarity of purpose.
He had made a firm resolute of rising only after realizing the true nature of live and universe.
It was past midnight. Deep in meditation, his resolve was getting weak under constant challenges by his desires, fears, weaknesses from depths of own subconscious.
After a seemingly very long and tenous struggle to maintain his pointed concentration on his quest during his dhyana, suddenly all the hurricanes in his mind vanished & the truth, as if , lit every corner of his mind with bright warm light.
He had it. He had learnt the truth of life. He was now enlightened.
He was no longer just Siddharth, now he was an arhat (one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence), Jina (Ultimate victor), Gautam (Remover of Darkness) & Buddha (Enlightened) .
Later people would revere him Tathagat (Who came thus) & Bhagwan (Blessed one) also.
Free from his bonds he could also remember his previous births as Bodhisattva (Individual on path of Bodhi-Chitta, awakening).
Finally he knew the mystery of life and suffering.
(Continued ....)
