As a Wandering Ascetic

Posted on July 28, 2007 in Buddhism Wheel of Life

Traditions recount Siddhartha’s numerous extraordinary experiences and encounters during his six years as a wandering ascetic. Siddhartha’s search for Truth was marked by his renunciation of worldly possessions. It is said that on the night of his 29th birthday, thirty-three gods descended to put to sleep all inhabitants of his kingdom so that he could leave un-noticed.

Embarking on a journey

Escorted by Channa till the outskirts of his kingdom, Siddhartha exchanged his royal robes with a hunter’s shabby saffron-colored clothes, and then embarked on an unknown journey alone. Transformed into a wanderer, Siddhartha trudged towards Magadha reaching Rajagaha, ruled by Bimbisara. Though going around begging with a bowl in hand, Siddhartha’s regal stature invited the attention of the people, and the talk of this noble-looking wanderer reached the Bimbisara’s ears.

Siddhartha especially earned the king’s reverence when he stopped the sacrifice of a hundred sheep and a hundred goats by stressing upon the importance of life in all creations. This led to the proclamation throughout the kingdom to discontinue sacrifices involving deprivation of life.

Learning about the Siddhartha’s genealogy, Bimbisara sent his men to ask him to stay in his kingdom promising the best accommodation, food and everything else he required for his comfort so that he could teach them while he carry on his search for the truth. But Siddhartha declined his offer and left Rajagaha, journeying towards a hill nearby where many hermits were living in caves with an intention to learn from them.

Siddhartha’s encounters

Halfway towards the cave, Siddhartha met a woman who was in search of a seed that keeps death at bay. Upon instructing her to bring him a “black mustard-seed” from a house where no death has occurred, and upon her failure to find one, Siddhartha revealed that every mortal must die.

After this, Siddhartha began his search under Alara Kalama from whom he learnt all the techniques of meditation. But since his teacher could not teach him the way to get beyond the reach of life and death, Siddhattha left him and sought guidance under Uddaka. However, after Siddhartha was disappointed to learn that even Uddaka could not teach him what he was searching for.

After leaving Uddaka, Siddhartha entered the forest with five more companions and indulged himself in extreme self-mortifications. But realizing that these techniques were leading him nowhere, Siddhartha finally settled down at the banks of Niranjana, near the village of Uruvela to immerse in meditation.

It was during this course that Buddhism’s percepts on equality and the middle-germinated through his encounters with a low-caste shepherd boy and a group of singers who opined that the strings of their musical instrument should neither be too tight, nor too loose in order to create harmonious music. Traditions recount that these unique experiences and encounters which Siddhartha had during the six years as a wandering ascetic before his enlightenment, shaped some basic tenets in Buddhism.

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