Monks, on another occasion when the prince had grown a little older, he went with the sons of the ministers and some other boys to visit a farming village. After seeing the village, he entered a park at the edge of the fields. The Bodhisattva wandered around there in complete solitude. As he was strolling through the park, he saw a beautiful and pleasant rose apple tree, and he decided to sit down cross-legged under its shade. Seated there, the Bodhisattva attained a one-pointed state of mind.
He then settled into the first meditative concentration, which is free of factors connected with evil deeds and nonvirtues. It is accompanied by thought and analysis and is imbued with the joy and pleasure born of discernment.
He then brought about the cessation of thoughts and analysis and became perfectly quiet. As his mind became concentrated, he settled into the second meditative concentration, which is free of thought and analysis and is imbued with the joy and pleasure born of meditative absorption.
Without any attachment to joy, he remained in equanimity with mindfulness and introspection and experienced physical pleasure. Aware and cognizant, he felt physically at ease. He had settled into the third meditative concentration, which is without joy: “impartial, aware, and abiding at ease,” as the noble ones describe it.
He had already relinquished suffering and, as he now abandoned the feeling of comfort, both mental pleasure and displeasure vanished. Thus he settled into the fourth meditative concentration: perfectly pristine with impartiality and mindfulness, unconnected with pleasure or pain.
Right then five extremist sages, who had miraculous powers and the five superknowledges, were flying through the sky toward the north. Yet as they flew above this grove, they suddenly could not go any farther, and it felt as if they were being pushed back. With the hairs on their bodies bristling with anger, they spoke the following verse:
“Like an elephant tearing apart a fresh grove of mango trees, We proceed and reduce to ashes even the enormous diamond peak of Mount Meru. Even among gods we go unhindered, high above the realm of yakṣas and gandharvas, Yet here at this grove, we are weak. Whose force dissolves our magical powers?”
“It is the Śākya prince, descendant of the best of kings, who shines like the dawn; This wise, supreme man has a moon-like face with the beauty of a blooming lotus. He, whom gods, nāga kings, gandharvas, and yakṣas revere, is in the park, concentrating; His power, gained from merit in millions of lives, is thwarting your miracles.”
When the sages looked down below, they saw a child blazing with glory and splendor, and they thought, “Who is this seated here? Could it be Vaiśravaṇa, lord of wealth? Or is it Māra, lord of sense pleasures, or perhaps the lord of the mahoragas? Could it be Śakra, the vajra holder? Or is it perhaps Rudra, or the lord of kumbhāṇḍas? Could it be the mighty Kṛṣṇa, or perhaps the divine moon, or the thousand-rayed sun? Or will it turn out to be a universal monarch?” Then they spoke the following verse:
“This youth appears far more beautiful than Vaiśravaṇa. So is he Rāhu, an image of the vajra holder, the sun, or the moon? Or maybe he is an image of the supreme lord of sense pleasures, or Rudra, or Kṛṣṇa? Or perhaps he is a perfect Buddha, adorned with glorious physical signs?”
“All the splendor of Vaiśravaṇa and the thousand-eyed one, All the splendor of the four guardians of the world and the lord of the demigods, All the splendor of Brahmā, lord of the world, and Kṛṣṇa, Is minuscule in comparison to that of the son of the Śākyas.”
Once the sages heard the goddess’s words, they descended to the ground. There they saw the Bodhisattva practicing concentration, his body immovable and blazing with a mass of light. Reflecting on the Bodhisattva, they praised him with verses. One of the sages said:
A great many people ran around searching for the boy. Finally one of the ministers saw the Bodhisattva seated cross-legged, practicing concentration in the shade of a rose apple tree. Although the shade of all the trees had shifted by that time, the shade of the rose apple tree had not left the Bodhisattva’s body. Seeing him there, the minister was surprised. Elated with a sense of satisfaction and joy, he was ecstatic. In a state of jubilation he rushed before King Śuddhodana and said the following verses:
“Your Majesty, look! This child is practicing concentration In the shade of the rose apple tree. He shines with glory and splendor Like Śakra or Brahmā!
“Like seeing a fire blazing on a mountain peak, Or the moon present amid a cluster of stars, When I see him meditating with a torch-like luster, My limbs tremble.”
The ministers responded, “Even though the orb of the sun has shifted, the shade of his tree does not leave Prince Siddhārtha—who has the highest and most sublime marks of virtue and is as brilliant as the sky—while he practices concentration, motionless as a mountain.”
EN
On this topic, it is said:
EN
In summer, the first month after spring, When flowers were covered in buds and blooming, When cranes, peacocks, parrots, and myna birds were singing, Most of the Śākya boys went outside.
EN
Chanda, surrounded by the other boys, said, “Young Prince, come on! Let’s go and take a look at the forest. What use is staying in the house like a priest? Come on, let’s go call on some girls.”
EN
At midday, the Pristine Being, Unnoticed and without asking his parents, Went out to a village Accompanied by five hundred attendants.
EN
In that village, which belonged to the supreme king, There was a rose apple tree with many broad branches. Seeing the tree, the prince was disturbed by the suffering he had just understood, And remarked, “Conditioned things are no good! They bring a lot of suffering.”
EN
With a disciplined mind, he approached the shade of the rose apple tree, Gathered some grass, and spread out a seat for himself. Then, sitting cross-legged and upright, the Bodhisattva practiced concentration, Immersed in the virtue of the four concentrations.
EN
When five sages were coursing through the sky, They could not move beyond the top of the rose apple tree. Thwarted, they relinquished pride and conceit, And all of them were drawn to investigate.
EN
They thought, “We travel swiftly and without impediment, Penetrating the supreme Mount Meru, and likewise the surrounding ranges, Yet we are unable to pass beyond this rose apple tree. What could be the reason for this?”
EN
They descended and settled on the ground, Where they saw the Bodhisattva, the Son of the Śākyas, As he sat cross-legged at the trunk of the rose apple tree, practicing concentration, Shining and brilliant like the glow of gold from the Jāmbū River.
EN
Surprised, they joined their hands at their heads And paid homage, bowing down to his feet with palms joined. They said, “Holy One, Wellborn One, who brings happiness to the world! May you swiftly become awakened and lead beings to immortality!”
EN
The supreme tree bowed down like a lotus leaf; Though the sun shifted, its shade did not leave the Well-Gone One. Many thousands of gods, with palms joined, Bowed down to the feet of this resolute child.
EN
Śuddhodana, searching all around his quarters, asked, “Where has my son gone?” His maternal aunt said, “I have searched but did not find him; Your Majesty, please find out where the boy has gone.”
EN
Śuddhodana frantically asked his attendants, The doormen, and everyone else in the inner quarters, “Has anyone seen my son go out?” Then someone said, “Your Majesty! The Supreme One has gone to a farming village.”
EN
The king hurriedly left together with his companions And saw the prince sitting on a hill by the farming village, Benefiting others and blazing with splendor, Like a trillion rising suns.
EN
Taking off his crown, sword, and shoes, The king made salutations to the prince with his palms joined above his head. The king said, “Yes! The eminent sages speak eloquently and truthfully; The boy will surely leave home for the sake of awakening.”
EN
Twelve hundred gods with supreme devotion, As well as five hundred Śākya boys, approached. Seeing the miraculous power of the Well-Gone One with his ocean of qualities, They firmly engendered the intent set on supreme awakening.
EN
Shaking the ground of the entire trichiliocosm, The Bodhisattva arose from his absorption with mindfulness and introspection. The Resplendent One then said to his father in the voice of Brahmā, “O Father, relinquish your fields and seek no further!
EN
“If it’s gold that you seek, I will shower down a rain of gold; If it’s garments that you seek, I will offer you garments; If it’s grain that you seek, I will shower down a rain of grain. Your Majesty, please apply this genuinely to everyone!”
EN
Once he had instructed his father and those in the retinue, He instantly returned to the supreme city. In conformity with worldly convention, he dwelt in that city, Yet the Pristine Being had fixed his mind on renouncing the palace.
Monks, on another occasion when the prince had grown a little older, he went with the sons of the ministers and some other boys to visit a farming village. After seeing the village, he entered a park at the edge of the fields. The Bodhisattva wandered around there in complete solitude. As he was strolling through the park, he saw a beautiful and pleasant rose apple tree, and he decided to sit down cross-legged under its shade. Seated there, the Bodhisattva attained a one-pointed state of mind.
He then settled into the first meditative concentration, which is free of factors connected with evil deeds and nonvirtues. It is accompanied by thought and analysis and is imbued with the joy and pleasure born of discernment.
He then brought about the cessation of thoughts and analysis and became perfectly quiet. As his mind became concentrated, he settled into the second meditative concentration, which is free of thought and analysis and is imbued with the joy and pleasure born of meditative absorption.
Without any attachment to joy, he remained in equanimity with mindfulness and introspection and experienced physical pleasure. Aware and cognizant, he felt physically at ease. He had settled into the third meditative concentration, which is without joy: “impartial, aware, and abiding at ease,” as the noble ones describe it.
He had already relinquished suffering and, as he now abandoned the feeling of comfort, both mental pleasure and displeasure vanished. Thus he settled into the fourth meditative concentration: perfectly pristine with impartiality and mindfulness, unconnected with pleasure or pain.
Right then five extremist sages, who had miraculous powers and the five superknowledges, were flying through the sky toward the north. Yet as they flew above this grove, they suddenly could not go any farther, and it felt as if they were being pushed back. With the hairs on their bodies bristling with anger, they spoke the following verse:
“Like an elephant tearing apart a fresh grove of mango trees, We proceed and reduce to ashes even the enormous diamond peak of Mount Meru. Even among gods we go unhindered, high above the realm of yakṣas and gandharvas, Yet here at this grove, we are weak. Whose force dissolves our magical powers?”
“It is the Śākya prince, descendant of the best of kings, who shines like the dawn; This wise, supreme man has a moon-like face with the beauty of a blooming lotus. He, whom gods, nāga kings, gandharvas, and yakṣas revere, is in the park, concentrating; His power, gained from merit in millions of lives, is thwarting your miracles.”
When the sages looked down below, they saw a child blazing with glory and splendor, and they thought, “Who is this seated here? Could it be Vaiśravaṇa, lord of wealth? Or is it Māra, lord of sense pleasures, or perhaps the lord of the mahoragas? Could it be Śakra, the vajra holder? Or is it perhaps Rudra, or the lord of kumbhāṇḍas? Could it be the mighty Kṛṣṇa, or perhaps the divine moon, or the thousand-rayed sun? Or will it turn out to be a universal monarch?” Then they spoke the following verse:
“This youth appears far more beautiful than Vaiśravaṇa. So is he Rāhu, an image of the vajra holder, the sun, or the moon? Or maybe he is an image of the supreme lord of sense pleasures, or Rudra, or Kṛṣṇa? Or perhaps he is a perfect Buddha, adorned with glorious physical signs?”
“All the splendor of Vaiśravaṇa and the thousand-eyed one, All the splendor of the four guardians of the world and the lord of the demigods, All the splendor of Brahmā, lord of the world, and Kṛṣṇa, Is minuscule in comparison to that of the son of the Śākyas.”
Once the sages heard the goddess’s words, they descended to the ground. There they saw the Bodhisattva practicing concentration, his body immovable and blazing with a mass of light. Reflecting on the Bodhisattva, they praised him with verses. One of the sages said:
A great many people ran around searching for the boy. Finally one of the ministers saw the Bodhisattva seated cross-legged, practicing concentration in the shade of a rose apple tree. Although the shade of all the trees had shifted by that time, the shade of the rose apple tree had not left the Bodhisattva’s body. Seeing him there, the minister was surprised. Elated with a sense of satisfaction and joy, he was ecstatic. In a state of jubilation he rushed before King Śuddhodana and said the following verses:
“Your Majesty, look! This child is practicing concentration In the shade of the rose apple tree. He shines with glory and splendor Like Śakra or Brahmā!
“Like seeing a fire blazing on a mountain peak, Or the moon present amid a cluster of stars, When I see him meditating with a torch-like luster, My limbs tremble.”
The ministers responded, “Even though the orb of the sun has shifted, the shade of his tree does not leave Prince Siddhārtha—who has the highest and most sublime marks of virtue and is as brilliant as the sky—while he practices concentration, motionless as a mountain.”
EN
On this topic, it is said:
EN
In summer, the first month after spring, When flowers were covered in buds and blooming, When cranes, peacocks, parrots, and myna birds were singing, Most of the Śākya boys went outside.
EN
Chanda, surrounded by the other boys, said, “Young Prince, come on! Let’s go and take a look at the forest. What use is staying in the house like a priest? Come on, let’s go call on some girls.”
EN
At midday, the Pristine Being, Unnoticed and without asking his parents, Went out to a village Accompanied by five hundred attendants.
EN
In that village, which belonged to the supreme king, There was a rose apple tree with many broad branches. Seeing the tree, the prince was disturbed by the suffering he had just understood, And remarked, “Conditioned things are no good! They bring a lot of suffering.”
EN
With a disciplined mind, he approached the shade of the rose apple tree, Gathered some grass, and spread out a seat for himself. Then, sitting cross-legged and upright, the Bodhisattva practiced concentration, Immersed in the virtue of the four concentrations.
EN
When five sages were coursing through the sky, They could not move beyond the top of the rose apple tree. Thwarted, they relinquished pride and conceit, And all of them were drawn to investigate.
EN
They thought, “We travel swiftly and without impediment, Penetrating the supreme Mount Meru, and likewise the surrounding ranges, Yet we are unable to pass beyond this rose apple tree. What could be the reason for this?”
EN
They descended and settled on the ground, Where they saw the Bodhisattva, the Son of the Śākyas, As he sat cross-legged at the trunk of the rose apple tree, practicing concentration, Shining and brilliant like the glow of gold from the Jāmbū River.
EN
Surprised, they joined their hands at their heads And paid homage, bowing down to his feet with palms joined. They said, “Holy One, Wellborn One, who brings happiness to the world! May you swiftly become awakened and lead beings to immortality!”
EN
The supreme tree bowed down like a lotus leaf; Though the sun shifted, its shade did not leave the Well-Gone One. Many thousands of gods, with palms joined, Bowed down to the feet of this resolute child.
EN
Śuddhodana, searching all around his quarters, asked, “Where has my son gone?” His maternal aunt said, “I have searched but did not find him; Your Majesty, please find out where the boy has gone.”
EN
Śuddhodana frantically asked his attendants, The doormen, and everyone else in the inner quarters, “Has anyone seen my son go out?” Then someone said, “Your Majesty! The Supreme One has gone to a farming village.”
EN
The king hurriedly left together with his companions And saw the prince sitting on a hill by the farming village, Benefiting others and blazing with splendor, Like a trillion rising suns.
EN
Taking off his crown, sword, and shoes, The king made salutations to the prince with his palms joined above his head. The king said, “Yes! The eminent sages speak eloquently and truthfully; The boy will surely leave home for the sake of awakening.”
EN
Twelve hundred gods with supreme devotion, As well as five hundred Śākya boys, approached. Seeing the miraculous power of the Well-Gone One with his ocean of qualities, They firmly engendered the intent set on supreme awakening.
EN
Shaking the ground of the entire trichiliocosm, The Bodhisattva arose from his absorption with mindfulness and introspection. The Resplendent One then said to his father in the voice of Brahmā, “O Father, relinquish your fields and seek no further!
EN
“If it’s gold that you seek, I will shower down a rain of gold; If it’s garments that you seek, I will offer you garments; If it’s grain that you seek, I will shower down a rain of grain. Your Majesty, please apply this genuinely to everyone!”
EN
Once he had instructed his father and those in the retinue, He instantly returned to the supreme city. In conformity with worldly convention, he dwelt in that city, Yet the Pristine Being had fixed his mind on renouncing the palace.
Sutraya