A Fortunate Birth and a Holy Man's Visit

   At the time the Buddha was born, it was a time of great happiness. There was so

much gladness everywhere that his parents decided to name the Prince "Siddhartha",

which means "the one who has brought about all good".

    In the first few days after his birth, many people came to the palace to see the new

baby. One of these visitors was an old man named Asita. Asita was a hermit who lived

by himself in the distant forests, and he was known to be a very holy person. The King

and Queen were surprised that Asita would leave his forest home and appear at their

court, "We are very honored that you have come to visit us, O holy teacher." they said

with great respect. "Please serve you in any way we can."

    Asita answered them, "I thank you for your kind welcome. I have come a great

distance to visit you because of the wonderful signs I have recently seen. They tell me

that the son recently born to you will gain great spiritual knowledge for the benefit of all

people. Since I have spent my entire life trying to gain such holy wisdom, I came here

as quickly as possible to see him for myself."

    The King was very excited and hurried to where the baby Prince lay sleeping. He

carefully picked up his son and brought him back to Asita. For a long time the holy man

gazed at the infant, saying nothing. Then he finally stepped back, looked sadly up at the

sky, sighed heavily and began to cry.

    Seeing Asita weep, the King and Queen became very frightened. They were afraid

that the holy man had seen something wrong with their child. With tears in his eyes, the

weep? Didn't you and all the other wise men say that my son was born to be a great

man, to gain supreme knowledge? But now, when you look at my baby you cry. Does

this mean that the Prince will die soon? Or will something else very terrible happen to

him? He is my only child and I love him dearly. Please tell me quickly what you have

    Then with a very kind look, Asita clamed the new parents and told them not to worry.

"Do not be upset." he told them. "I am not crying because of something bad I saw for

the Prince. In fact, now that I have seen your son, I know for certain that he will grow

up to be more than just a great man. There are special signs that I have seen on this

glorious future.

    "If your son decides to stay with you and become a king, he will be the greatest king

in history. He will rule a vast realm and bring his people much peace and happiness. But

if he decides not to become a king, his future will be even greater! He will become a

great teacher, showing all people how to live with peace and love in their hearts. Seeing

the sadness in the world he will leave your palace and discover a way to end all suffering.

Then he will teach this way to whoever will listen.

    "No, dear King and Queen, I was not crying for the child. I was crying for myself. You

see, I have spent my whole life looking for the truth, searching for a way to end all

suffering. And today I have met the child who will someday teach everything I have

wanted to learn. But by the time he is old enough to teach, I shall already have died.

Thus, I shall not be able to learn from him in this life. That is why I am so sad. But you,

O fortunate parents, should not be sad. Rejoice that you have such a wonderful child."

    Then Asita took one long, last look at the child, and slowly left the palace. The King

watched him leave and then turned towards his son. He was very happy that there was

no danger to the Prince's life. The King thought, "Asita has said that Siddhartha will

become either a great king or a great teacher. It would be much better if first he

became a king. How proud I would be to have such a famous and powerful son! Then,

when he is an old man like Asita, he can become a holy man if he wants."

    So, thinking like this, the King stood happily with his baby in his arms, dreaming of

the fame that his son would someday have.

     The Pleasure Palaces

    Many years passed. The Prince grew into a bright, handsome and kind-hearted

young man. Soon afterwards, Prince Siddhartha and Princess Yasodhara were married.

The King wanted to be certain that his son would never desire to leave the kingdom, so

he ordered not one but three magnificent places to be built for the new couple. "Make

fountains. The second will be the winter palace, warm and comfortable. And the third

will be for the rainy season. Place these palaces in the middle of a large park, with

beautiful scenery in every direction. And surround the park with a large wall, so that

nothing unpleasant from the outside world can ever get in. Everything is to be so

    The King did everything possible to make these new homes attractive to the Prince.

He had the most skilled musicians-in his kingdom play there through out the day and

the night. All servants were beautiful young dancing girls, and the chefs in the kitchen

were instructed to serve a never-ending variety of delicious food. Nothing was allowed

    And so for many years Prince Siddhartha lived in these heavenly surroundings.

From morning to night he was entertained in a thousand ways. He never saw anything

that was not sweet and pleasant. For instance, if one of the servant girls became ill, she

was removed from the palace land not allowed to return until she was better again. In

this way the Prince never saw sickness or anything that might disturb his gentle mind.

The King ordered that no one speaking to the Prince should ever mention anything sad

or depressing. And even if one of the plants in the garden began to droop or wilt, it was

immediately snipped off by a special gardener. Thus the Prince never even saw a faded

or dying flower! In all these ways, then, he was kept ignorant of the suffering and

unpleasantness in the world.

     A Song of Beauty

    One evening after dinner, Prince Siddhartha lay reclining on his couch, his head

resting in Yasodhara's lap. The musicians were playing sweet melodies and the servant

girls were whispering and laughing quietly to each other. The evening was like so many

the Prince had known since moving into the pleasure palaces. But this night he felt a bit

restless. Turning to one of his favorite singers, he requested," Please lull us to sleep

with a song. Choose a tune you have never sung for me before."

    The singer graciously agreed and began to make up a new song from the words that

floated through her mind; all the while accompanying herself on a stringed instrument.

She sang of the beauties of the world, of the distant lands where she had traveled as a

child, of golden cities where happy people lived.

there are many other beautiful things to be seen in this wide world. There are cities and

towns, mountains and valleys, distant lands where people speak strange languages,

there are many things that I have seen, and many more that I have only heard about.

Your palaces and gardens are indeed beautiful, but there is much to see outside their

walls."

    Hearing this, the Prince became interested in seeing all these strange and wonderful

things for himself. For so many years he had been content to live within the pleasure

desired to journey out, and so he sent a message to the King requesting him to arrange

a travel party into the city beyond the garden walls.

    The King received his son's message and thought to himself, "So now my son wishes

to see our kingdom. So be it! He has stayed long enough inside his pleasure palaces. It

is time for him to see the kingdom he will someday rule."

     An Unexpected Sight

    The King still wanted to be certain that his trip will not disturb his mind. Otherwise

this might make him want to leave the kingdom and follow the holy life. So the day

before the Prince was about to travel to the city, the King sent his servants and soldier

out with this message: "By order of the King! Tomorrow the royal Prince Siddhartha will

visit the capital city of Kapilavastu. Decorate your houses and the streets and let

everything be colorful in his honor. Let those who are sick or old or in any way unhealthy

stay indoors tomorrow. Nothing should be seen in the city that is not young and fair and

beautiful." And then, very gently, the soldiers took all the street beggars and brought

them to a part of the city where the Prince would not visit.

    When morning came, the charioteer Channa groomed the Prince's favorite horse,

Kantaka, and drove out through the palace gates with his royal passenger. It was the

first time the Prince had seen Kapilavastu since he was a small child, and it was the first

time that most of the citizens of the city had ever seen their Prince.

    Everyone was excited and lined the newly decorated streets to catch a glimpse of

the handsome young man as he rode by. "How tall and good looking he is!" they said to

one another. "How bright his eyes and his brow! We are indeed fortunate that someday

he will be our king."

    And the Prince, too, was delighted. The city was sparkling and clean and

everywhere he saw people laughing and cheering and even dancing. The streets where

he rode were covered with the flower pedals the citizens joyously threw towards their

beloved Prince. "The song was true," he remembered happily, "This is indeed a golden,

beautiful and wondrous city!"

    But as the Prince and his charioteer were riding by they spotted an old, bent,

sad-looking person among the joyous crowd. Curious -- for the Prince had never seen

anything like this before -- he turned and asked, "Channa, who is that person over

there? Why is his face not smooth and shining like everyone else's; why is it pale and

wrinkled? Why is he so different from the others?"

answered the Prince, "Why Sir, that is just an old man."

    "Neither, O Prince," Channa answered. "Many years ago that wrinkled man before

you was young and strong as all the others you see here today. But slowly he lost his

strength. His body became bent, the color faded from his cheeks, he lost most of his

teeth, and now he appears the way he does."

    "Surly you know, O Prince, that everyone must experience old age. You, me, your

wife Yasodhara, Rahula, everyone at the palace --- we are all growing older every

moment. Someday most of us will look like that man."

    These words so shocked the gentle Prince that for a long time he remained

speechless. He looked like a person who had just been frightened by a sudden lightning

flash. Finally he regained his voice and spoke, "O Channa, I have seen something today

that I never expected to see. In the midst of all these happy young people this vision of

old age frightens me. Turn the chariot back to the palace; all my enjoyment of this trip

has fled. Turn back; I wish to see no more."

    Channa did as commanded. When they arrived back home, the Prince entered his

palace without greeting anymore, hurried upstairs to his own room, and sat by himself

for a long time. Everyone noticed how strangely he acted and tried hard to cheer him up.

But nothing helped. At dinner he did not touch any of his food, even though the chef

prepared his favorite meal. He pad no attention to the music and dancing, but sat by

himself thinking," Old age, old age, old age..."

     The Second Journey

    The King arranged another journey to an even more beautiful section of the city.

During this journey, the streets were decorated as before, and the people were again

happy to see their Prince. But this time, seen only by Siddhartha and his charioteer, a

vision of a sick person appeared in the crowd of laughing people.

who shakes his body and cries so pitifully?"

    "People become sick for many reasons, Sir. Perhaps he ate some bad food or let

himself become too cold. Now his body is out of balance and he feels feverish."

    "Do even happy like those in the crowd ever become sick?"

    "Oh, yes," answered the charioteer. "A person might be healthy one day and sick

the next. No one is safe from illness."

    For the second time the Prince was deeply shocked. "I cannot understand," he said,

     The Final Shock

    During the final journey, for a third time a vision appeared that only the Prince and

his charioteer could see. A group of sad-eyed people, carrying a long box in which a

body covered in a white sheet lay, appeared from one of the houses and slowly made its

way down one of the side streets.

    Again the Prince was at first confused. After Channa explained to him, the Prince

was shocked deeply. "Do you mean," he exclaimed passionately, "that one day my wife,

my child, my friends and myself will all be dead? And all these people I see here today,

all dressed up and so radiant, will also die? Oh, how blind is the world that it can dance

and sing while death is just waiting for everyone! Why do they all bother to dress

themselves in such fine clothes if one day they shall be wearing nothing more than a

simple white sheet? Do people have such short memories that they forget about death?

Or are their hearts so strong that the thought of death does not bother them? Come,

Channa, turn the chariot around. I wish to return to the palace and think."

     A Vision of Peace

    The Prince sank deeper and deeper into gloom. He seemed to lose interest in

everything. 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.

    This time Siddhartha saddled Kantaka himself and rode out of the palace grounds in

Siddhartha looked out over the farmland. A man and his ox were plowing the field, the

birds were singing and the sun was shining 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 confusion now that their homes had been destroyed.

    He also noticed that the birds were not just happily singing. They were constantly

searching for food, swooping down to snatch up the frightened insects.

He noticed that the ox labor heavily while trying to drag the heavy plow through the

ground. 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 --- they work all day trying to be happy and comfortable, to have enough to

eat. But, in fact, they are constantly killing and hurting each other, and themselves!

How pitiful the world seems 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 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 concentrate and calm. He

experienced 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, death --- these are the

rewards they find for all 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 be content to free only myself from suffering? I must figure

out a way to help all other living creatures as well. They have been so kind to me, and

they are suffering so much! I must search for a way to end all this suffering and then

share it with everyone else."

    When Prince Siddhartha had finished this compassionate meditation he opened his

before. His eyes were calm and bright and he had the look of great peace on his face.

    "Please tell me," the Prince asked, "who you are?"

    The man answered, "I am someone who has become frightened by the sufferings of

the world. I have grown tired of the so called pleasure to be found in the company of

others, so now I wander about 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 is in finding the highest

and most perfect happiness." When he had spoken these words, the man disappeared

as if by magic, leaving the Prince both astonished and overjoyed.

    "At last I have found the true meaning for my life," he thought. "I, too, shall give up

my home and begin my search for true happiness and the end of all suffering!"

    And so, with a firm mind and a steady heart, he mounted his horse and rode back

to the palace.

     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 choked 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 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, that I shall never become ill. That I shall never die and that I shall

never be unhappy. If you cannot 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 like a prisoner here."

    Siddhartha left the King's room and returned to his palace. He passed through the

and into his rooms. But none of these delights affected his mind. He had only one

thought, and that was to leave.

     Escape

    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. 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 don't want to wake up any of the guards. Tonight is a

very special night."

    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 Kapilavastu!"

    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 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 beginning 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 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.

     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 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 suffering. 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 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."

     Six years of Struggle

    Siddhartha heard that some very wise men lived in the kingdom of Magadha. So he

decided to travel far to find them.

    Eventually he came to the forest where the wise men lived. 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 search on my own."

    He continued his travels until he came to the Nairangana River. 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 things to your bodies?" the Prince asked these

men.

    "Most people in the world treat their bodies very gently," they answered, "yet still

experience much suffering. We feel that if we can learn to master pain, we shall have

    Siddhartha thought to himself, "For so many years I lived in those 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 suffering."

    And so he began these difficult 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 left 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, "Never have we

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 each night, but eventually he stopped going to sleep altogether! He

stopped taking even the one poor meal a day that he used to eat, and would only eat a

few seeds and berries that the wind blew into his lap.

    He grew thinner and 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 nineteen years old when he left his palace

and all their pleasures behinds. Now he was twenty-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 pleasure."

    "Then I left and began my search. I have lived in forests and caved 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 have wasted so much time in those places.

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 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

    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 and dirty even to think

clearly?"

    And so he slowly pulled himself up and went to bathe himself in the river. He was so

weak, however, that he fell and was almost drowned. With great effort, he just rest for

a while.

     An Offering

    In a small village at the edge of the forest lived a woman named Sujata. She had

just given birth to her first child and was very happy. She took finest milk and prepared

a delicious meal from it. Now she was taking this food into the forest as an offering to

the spirits she thought lived there. She had often prayed to these spirits and wanted to

thank them for helping her have such a healthy baby.

    As she entered the forest she saw Siddhartha sitting there, His body was thin and

weak, but his face was radiant and handsome. Sujata gazed at him in surprise. "I have

never seen anyone like that before," she thought to herself. "Perhaps it is the king of the

tree spirits himself!" and so she took the specially prepared food and placed it before

him.

    Siddhartha slowly opened his eyes and saw the bowl in front of him. Smiling silently

to Sujata he lifted it to his lips and began to drink. To her amazement, his body grew

more and more radiant as he drank. When he finished he placed the bowl down and

thanks her saying," You thought I was a spirit, but I am only a man in search of the truth.

Your offering has made me strong again. Now I am sure that I shall find the truth. Much

good will from what you have done today. Thank you."

    The five men who were living in the forest with Siddhartha saw him accept this

special food from Sujata. They were very disappointed. So they left, thinking that

Siddhartha was no longer interested in discovering the truth. But Siddhartha,

strengthen by his meal and prepared to meditate, was now ready to find what he had

been looking for all these many years. He stood up, went across the river and headed

towards what would be known in later years as the Tree of Enlightenment.

     The Great Battle

    The moment that the world had been waiting for was now at hand. Siddhartha, who

had given up a kingdom in search of truth, was approaching the tree. As he went closer

waiting what would happen next. Then branches of the tree bent down as if welcoming

him to come and sit down under its shade.

    Siddhartha sat down and crossed his legs in a firm meditation posture. Then he

made a bold and determined vow: "I shall not arise from this position until I have found

    The spirits of the air looking on rejoiced, hearing Siddhartha's great pledge. But not

everyone rejoiced at this moment. There was one force, Mara, who was terrified and

angry. Mara is the evil forces that disturb our minds. Mara is our greed, hatred,

ignorance, jealousy, doubt and all the other poisons bringing people unhappiness and

grief.

    Thus, when Mara saw Siddhartha seated under the Tree of Enlightenment, he was

enraged. Calling his sons and daughters he shouted, "Look, all of you. Prince

Siddhartha is seated in meditation. If he is successful and discovers the way to end all

suffering, what will happen to us? Don't you understand that we shall lose all our power?

We cannot harm people if he teaches them the truth. We must disturb his meditation!"

    So Mara and his evil force everything to disturb Siddhartha. They produced a storm

until everything around seemed ready to crash down. But beneath the branches of the

tree everything remained calm, protected by the force of Siddhartha's meditation.

    Mara saw that the storm had no effect so he turned to his troops and shouted,

"Attack!" They ran towards Siddhartha wildly, yelling blood-curdling screams. They

shot poisoned arrows at him. But as these arrows flew towards the Prince, they turned

into lotus petals and fell harmlessly at his feet. Nothing could disturb the peace of his

meditation.

    "If these weapons and fearful shapes do not distract him," Mara thought, "perhaps

a vision of beauty will disturb his mind." All at once the frightful demons turned into the

most beautiful and attractive women. These could not affect him. Memories of the

pleasure palaces, visions of his wife and son, heavenly music, delicious food --- nothing

could break through the calm determination of this seeker of truth.

    Mara felt defeated. But he had one last plan. Dismissing his attendants, he appears

alone in front of the Prince. Addressing him in a mocking voice he said, "So you are the

great Prince Siddhartha? You think you are a great meditator. So many holy people

have failed to find the truth, but you think you will succeed!"

    "How foolish you are! Don't you know that it takes a lot of preparation to find the

wasted nineteen years indulging yourself. Then you wasted six more years starving

yourself. Now you sit here thinking that wisdom will just come to you. How foolish! Quit

this meditation, or at least show me a witness who will swear that you are worthy of

succeeding where all others have failed."

    These scornful words failed to bother Siddhartha. Silently he lifted his right hand

from his lap, reached in front of him and touched the earth. Yes, the earth itself was

Siddhartha's witness! For countless lifetimes he had appeared on this earth in various

forms. He had practiced generosity and patience, he had acted lovingly and had

avoided harming others, and he had meditated on the truth. He had done all these

things --- sometimes as a man, sometimes as a woman; sometimes rich, sometimes

poor --- over and over again. He had done this all, just for the sake of discovering the

end to all suffering. And the earth was his witness.

    Mara realized that now he was truly defeated, and faded away like a bad dream.

Siddhartha was left complete alone. The storm clouds parted and the moon shone

brightly in the sky. The air smelled sweet and light dew glistened on the tips of the grass.

Everything was ready.

     Awakened!

    Siddhartha's mind was clam and relaxed. Slowly his concentration deepened and

his wisdom grew brighter. In his mind's eye he saw far into the past. He saw that when

one life ended, another began. Death only brought the body to an end; life itself

continued on and on finding a new body again and again.

    He saw that when a person did evil in one life --- such as harming another --- he or

she experienced sadness in the future. But when a person acted with love, happiness

and joy followed. Nothing anyone did was ever lost, but was carried on from life to life,

bringing happiness or pain.

    As he discovered how all life is linked together in this way, deeper truths appeared

to his mind. The sun, planets, all the stars, the galaxies of the universe --- they all

appeared in his meditation. He saw how everything, from the smallest speck of dust to

the largest star, was linked together. Everything was constantly changing: growing,

decaying, and growing again. Nothing happened without a cause, and every cause

produced an effect.

    Then he saw all the sufferings of the world. He saw how everyone --- from the

smallest insect to the greatest king --- ran after pleasure, only to end up with

unhappiness. And he discovered the reason for all this unhappiness. He saw that people

In their blindness they fight and steal and kill for the things they want, but these things

can never bring them lasting happiness. Soon they change or decay, and the search

starts again.

    He saw that people fight against the things they dislike. Their whole life is filled with

hatred and anger. And every time they harm someone else, they suffer for it later. They

go from lifetime to lifetime creating more unhappiness for themselves. They are

searching for peace, but find nothing but pain.

    Finally he discovered the way to end all this suffering. If a person could see the truth

clearly --- as he himself had seen it this night --- all running after pleasure and away

from pain would stop. There would be no more greed or hatred in the person's mind. He

or she would no longer do anything to harm anyone else. Thus, there would be no more

unhappiness to be felt. With all hatred finished, the person's heart would fill with love.

And this love would bring a peace and happiness unlike anything else.

    When Siddhartha had seen all this, even the last speck of darkness disappeared

from his mind. He was filled with a radiant clear light. He was no longer an ordinary

person. He had become fully enlightened to the truth. He was now a Buddha. He had

reached his goal!

     Whom to Teach?

    Buddha was filled with the highest happiness. His mind, free from all darkness and

pain, felt a boundless joy. For days and weeks he stayed near the Tree of Enlightenment,

enjoying the bliss and happiness only a Buddha knows.

    Then he thought, "It was so difficult for me to reach the end of suffering and become

a Buddha. I had to work so hard for so long. When I see how blind and ignorant most

people are, I wonder if there is anyone who can understand the truths. I have

discovered. How could I possibly teach them? Perhaps it is better for me to live the rest

of my life in the forests alone and enjoy the happiness of being a Buddha myself."

    Then he heard an inner voice which said, "Please do not forget us! We are the

suffering beings of the world. We have been waiting for this moment ever since your

birth, and even before that. We have hoped and prayed these many years that you

would leave the princely life and discover the way to end all suffering. Now that you

have found this path, please teach it to us. Unlike you, we are still suffering."

    But another thought arose in Buddha's mind; "Who will be able to follow the

teachings I have to give? Who is strong and brave enough? Who will try hard and long

    And the inner voice came again: "It is true that our minds are clouded in ignorance,

O Buddha. But for some people this ignorance is not so thick. They will be able to

understand you. For their sake, please teach us all the true path!"

    The Buddha thought, "But even a Buddha cannot remove the sufferings of others if

they do not try to help themselves. People must want to get better before a doctor can

cure them. In the same way, they must want to hear the teachings of the truth before

anyone can help them. But whoever comes to me with an open mind will find that I am

ready to teach them in every way I can."

    Then he thought, "Who, among all the people in the world, should I teach first? Who

is the most ready?" He thought of the five men who lived with for so long in the forest.

"They are ready to understand the truth," he thought, "I shall teach them first."

    He knew that he would find these men in the Deer Park "I shall go there," Buddha

thought, "and begin the work I came to do."

    Therefore the Buddha began his teachings. He taught for 49 years. Once the

Buddha addressed a crowd of a million people at Spirit Mountain, he remained silent

and did not speak a word; he just held up a flower and twirled it, showing it to everyone.

No one could comprehend his meaning, except for Maha Kasyapa, who smiled in

understanding. Then Buddha announced to the crowd, "I have the bright treasury of

true teaching, the ineffable mind of nirvana. The form of reality is formless; the subtle

teaching does not insist on written words, but is separately transmitted outside of

doctrine. This I entrust to Maha Kasyapa."