Siddhartha

of Gotama's disciples, the silently begging ones. Near the town was Gotama's favourite place to stay, the grove of Jetavan

m towards this area. And arriving at Savathi, in the very first house, before the door of which they stopped to beg,

ost venerable one, for we are two Samanas from the forest and have come,

in Jetavana, in the garden of Anathapindika is where the exalted one dwells. There you pilgrims shall spent th

ched our destination, and our path has come to an end! But tell us, oh mother of

seen him, walking through the alleys in silence, wearing his yellow cloak, present

ny pilgrims and monks as well from Gotama's community were on their way to the Jetavana. And since they reached it at night, there were constant arrivals, shouts, and talk of tho

s they sat here and there, in deep contemplation-or in a conversation about spiritual matters, the shady gardens looked like a city, full of people, bustling like bees. The majority of the monks wen

od had pointed him out to him. He saw him, a simple man in a y

said quietly to Govinda.

be in no way different from the hundreds of other monks. And soon, Govin

hy child, the Buddha walked, wore the robe and placed his feet just as all of his monks did, according to a precise rule. But his face and his walk, his quietly lowered glance, his quietly dangling hand and

solely by the perfection of his calm, by the quietness of his appearance, in which ther

e teachings from his

epresented second- or third-hand information. But attentively he looked at Gotama's head, his shoulders, his feet, his quietly dangling hand, and it seemed to him as if every joint of every finger of this hand was of these teachings, spoke of, breathed

themselves intended to abstain from on this day. They saw Gotama returning-what he ate could not

of the origin of suffering, of the way to relieve suffering. Calmly and clearly his quiet speech flowed on. Suffering was life, full of suffering was the world, but salvation from suffering had been found: salvation was obtained by him who would walk the path of the Buddha. With a

d into the community, sought refuge in the teachings. And Gotama accepted them by speaking: "You have heard th

also take my refuge in the exalted one and his teachings," and he as

scold you. We have both heard the exalted one, we have both perceived the teachings. Govinda has heard the teachings, he has taken refuge in i

have taken this step, now you have chosen this path. Always, oh Govinda, you've been my friend, you've always walked one step behind me. Often I have thought: Won't Govinda for once also take a step by him

t tone: "Speak up, I beg you, my dear! Tell me, since it could not be any other wa

ar my good wish for you, oh Govinda. I'm repeating it: I wish that

ized that his friend had lef

he exclaimed

home and your parents, renounced your birth and possessions, renounced your free will, renounced all friendship. This is what the

ged his friend, he should tell him why he would not want to seek refuge in Gotama's teachings, what fault he would find in these teachings. But Sidd

o had as novices taken their refuge in the teachings, to dress them up in the yellow robe and to instruct them in the first teac

ed through the grov

uddha's glance was so full of kindness and calm, the young man summoned his courage and asked th

Together with my friend, I had come from afar, to hear your teachings. And now my friend is going t

the venerable o

leave the exalted one without having honestly told him my thoughts. D

Buddha nodde

without gaps, clear as a crystal, not depending on chance, not depending on gods. Whether it may be good or bad, whether living according to it would be suffering or joy, I do not wish to discuss, possibly this is not essential-but the uniformity of the world, that everything which happens is connected, that the great and the small things are all encompassed by the same forces of time, by the same law of causes, of coming into being and of dying, this is what shines brightly out of your exalted teachings, oh perfected one. But according to

in it, an error. You should think about this further. But be warned, oh seeker of knowledge, of the thicket of opinions and of arguing about words. There is nothing to opinions, they may be beautiful or ugly, smart or foolish, everyone can support them or

e of your own search, on your own path, through thoughts, through meditation, through realizations, through enlightenment. It has not come to you by means of teachings! And-thus is my thought, oh exalted one,-nobody will obtain salvation by means of teachings! You will not be able to convey and say to anybody, oh venerable one, in words and through teachings what has happened to you in the hour of enlightenment! The teachings of the enlightened Buddha contain much, it teaches many to live righteously, to avoid evil. But there is one thing which th

he ground; quietly, in perfect equani

ou seen the multitude of my Samanas, my many brothers, who have taken refuge in the teachings? And do you believe, oh stranger, oh Sama

ne, I must decide, I must chose, I must refuse. Salvation from the self is what we Samanas search for, oh exalted one. If I merely were one of your disciples, oh venerable one, I'd fear that it might happen to me that only seemin

d kindness, Gotama looked into the stranger's eyes a

Samana.", the ve

isely, my friend. Be aw

nce and half of a smile remained fo

alk this way, too, thus free, thus venerable, thus concealed, thus open, thus child-like and mysterious. Truly, only a person who has succeede

glance. I do not want to lower my glance before any other, not before any other. N

He has deprived me of my friend, the one who had believed in me and now believes in him, who had