Part 3 (1/2)
53. Q. _What were their names?_
A. Kondanna, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama, and a.s.saji.
54. Q. _What plan of discipline did he adopt to open his mind to know the whole truth?_
A. He sat and meditated, concentrating his mind upon the higher problems of life, and shutting out from his sight and hearing all that was likely to interrupt his inward reflections.
55. Q. _Did he fast?_
A. Yes, through the whole period. He took less and less food and water until, it is said, he ate scarcely more than one grain of rice or of sesamum seed each day.
56. Q. _Did this give him the wisdom he longed for?_
A. No. He grew thinner and thinner in body and fainter in strength until, one day, as he was slowly walking about and meditating, his vital force suddenly left him and he fell to the ground unconscious.
57. Q. _What did his companions think of that?_
A. They fancied he was dead; but after a time he revived.
58. Q. _What then?_
A. The thought came to him that knowledge could never be reached by mere fasting or bodily suffering, but must be gained by the opening of the mind. He had just barely escaped death from self-starvation, yet had not obtained the Perfect Wisdom. So he decided to eat, that he might live at least long enough to become wise.
59. Q. _Who gave him food?_
A. He received food from Sujata, a n.o.bleman's daughter, who saw him sitting at the foot of a nyagrodha (banyan) tree. He arose, took his alms-bowl, bathed in the river Neranjara, ate the food, and went into the jungle.
60. Q. _What did he do there?_
A. Having formed his determination after these reflections, he went at evening to the Bodhi, or Asvattha tree, where the present Mahabodhi Temple stands.
61. Q. _What did he do there?_
A. He determined not to leave the spot until he attained perfect wisdom.
62. Q. _At which side of the tree did he seat himself?_
A. The side facing the east.[4]
63. Q. _What did he obtain that night?_
A. The knowledge of his previous births, of the causes of rebirths, and of the way to extinguish desires. Just before the break of the next day his mind was entirely opened, like the full-blown lotus flower; the light of supreme knowledge, or the Four Truths, poured in upon him. He had become BUDDHA--the Enlightened, the all-knowing--the Sarvajna.
64. Q. _Had he at last discovered the cause of human misery?_
A. At last he had. As the light of the morning sun chases away the darkness of night, and reveals to sight the trees, fields, rocks, seas, rivers, animals, men and all things, so the full light of knowledge rose in his mind, and he saw at one glance the causes of human suffering and the way to escape from them.
65. Q. _Had he great struggles before gaining this perfect wisdom?_
A. Yes, mighty and terrible struggles. He had to conquer in his body all those natural defects and human appet.i.tes and desires that prevent our seeing the truth. He had to overcome all the bad influences of the sinful world around him. Like a soldier fighting desperately in battle against many enemies, he struggled: like a hero who conquers, he gained his object, and the secret of human misery was discovered.