Chapter 283

"Oh?"

"Because if you don't leave, you will die, and the suffering will continue."

"Wait a minute, isn't this a story from Krishna...?"

Belatedly realizing what was happening, Siddhartha continued in a cheerful, joking tone, "Teacher, you've lived that long?"

"Living too long can lead to numbness; it's more accurate to say that living a long or short life makes little difference."

Kavia cleared his throat. He felt it was a long time ago, more than two thousand years ago, in those turbulent rivers that were rarely seen in a thousand years, he guided Krishna's father Vasudeva, to help Krishna escape the predicament of his birth, to witness birth, and to witness death. That's how it was.

"That's why you went on this arduous journey with me, Teacher."

Siddhartha smiled.

Since becoming Renunciant, he rarely smiled, probably because he still carried a heavy burden in his heart. But since it was his first journey of freedom, he was somewhat excited. Of course, most importantly, his Teacher was with him, 'enduring hardship' together.

"It's pointless to merely observe everything from a superior perspective without experiencing it firsthand, because the environment itself can reshape one's thoughts and other aspects of life."

"... From this perspective, I, as Kshatriya, am actually an anomaly."

"Neither am I, and Siddhartha, you yourself said before that before being Kshatriya, you were first and foremost a human being... That is enough."

Despite their shoulders being submerged in water, the two continued to chat and laugh.

After a day, the two successfully arrived at the Purified Grove where the Rishi Arada resided.

At first glance, all you see are simple, grass-colored huts and many people dressed in yellow Ascetic Robe meditating.

Meditation, as described by the Ancient India, is a state of mental tranquility achieved by eliminating external distractions, suppressing various thoughts, and maintaining inner peace. Originating from the Upanishads, it is often associated with Wisdom and differs significantly from the modern understanding of Zen. Closely related to Yoga, striving to enter this state is an important practice.

Later, guided by one of Arada's Rishi, the two successfully spotted Arada practicing Samadhi Yoga in Rishi river.

Samadhi, also known as "equanimity," is the highest stage of Yoga practice. It refers to a state of being free from external disturbances, where the mind and the object of meditation are completely united without any distraction. Subjective consciousness is as if it does not exist at all. Yoga practitioners believe that being in this state allows one to recognize the true world and is an important path to ultimate liberation.

Breath control is one of the eight limbs of Yoga, which simply means controlling your breath.

"Greetings, Master, I am Siddhartha."

Siddhartha clasped his hands together and spoke to the Rishi Arada.

"I left home to cultivate myself, specifically to seek the Way and comprehend the truth."

The Rishi Arada smiled, but frowned slightly when he looked at Kavia beside Siddhartha.

As a master of the Samkhya school and a supporter of the Veda, he naturally sensed the aura of the 'Six Schools' emanating from Kavia, which was contrary to the Dharma. This made Arada want to drive the two away immediately, but before he could speak, Kavia spoke up.

"Arada, we have come to comprehend the Way you have seen and heard; we have no ill intentions."

"Um..."

This made Arada hesitate a little. After all, although their paths were different, the other party was so friendly, so it didn't matter.

So he said to Siddhartha:

"Do you know how to beg?"

"That's exactly why my Teacher and I came here."

"No, I'm not talking about knowledge, I'm talking about begging. If you seek the Way, then go begging."

Begging is asking for food, receiving alms from others.

However, Arada was not deliberately making things difficult for Siddhartha; rather, he and his disciples were genuinely doing just that. Therefore, Siddhartha, who had already come to some understanding, naturally agreed, and Kavia, who was accompanying him, went along with him.

"Teacher, I want to ask, how can I beg for food?"

Amidst the bustling streets, Siddhartha pursed his lips and asked Kavia beside him.

"So."

Kavia lowered her head slightly, then held a bowl on her head with both hands.

"'Venerable Sir, please give alms,' he said."

Following Kavia's example, Siddhartha quickly found his first house to beg for alms. After begging, he subconsciously raised his left hand, which puzzled the green-haired youth, who stared blankly at his raised hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Teacher, I don't know why, but I subconsciously raised my hand to offer blessings."

"That's normal. When someone respects you, your soul naturally wants to bless them."

Having found the answer, Siddhartha resumed begging for alms. The locals were generally friendly, and few knew Siddhartha, so Siddhartha felt quite comfortable.

"Venerable Sir, please give alms."

"Wait, I've seen you before. You're the Crown Prince of Kapilavastu, Gautama Siddhartha, aren't you? I've seen your Rajasuya with others before. Why are you begging for alms? Why don't you come inside with me and have something better to eat? This has been sitting here for who knows how long."

Just as Siddhartha was calling out as before, the people giving alms made a rather surprised sound.

It has been said that one can overcome the hardships endured in private, but the dignity displayed in public is incredibly fragile.

This was perfectly suited to Siddhartha's situation at that moment. Although he had made up his mind to abandon himself, this was only the beginning, and how easy was it to do so?

Human dignity is an incredibly wondrous thing. Siddhartha had already believed that he had abandoned it, but when those who knew him saw him doing such a thing, he suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

"I..."

Siddhartha pursed his lips, somewhat unable to meet the man's gaze. For a moment, he really wanted to run away, but then he thought of his Teacher who had begged for alms with him, the people who had suffered so much, the despair of those labeled 'Untouchable,' and the war-torn land.

Many people say that I will inevitably become the Wheel-Turning King unifies the world, and that the Dharma will continue to shine, which is also the reason for my existence.

Therefore, one must never overstep the bounds, and must never do anything that is not befitting a king.

Even so.

Even so, I want to do something for those who, under the scorching Sun, have grieved since the birth of the Dharma.

It wasn't from today, but from that day, that I decided to 'endure hardship'.

So Siddhartha took a breath, raised his head, looked directly at the man, and said, word by word:

"I am not the Crown Prince, I am merely Bhikkhu, and I cannot enter your house to eat. Please forgive me."

The term Bhikkhu originates from "begging," meaning a person who begs for alms. It does not only refer to Buddhism monks; Hinduism also use the Bhikkhu during their Sannyasa.

Seeing this, those who knew Siddhartha's past identity could only watch him leave in silence.

Kavia didn't say much about this, because for someone who had already made up their mind, there was no need to say anything more.

Moreover, Arada's asceticism was an old India practice, and it didn't really help Siddhartha achieve transcendence. However, such things still needed to be experienced personally by him.

Two days later, because Siddhartha's talent was so amazing, Arada had the idea of taking him as a disciple. So he went to Kavia and asked if he could agree to this request. Kavia naturally agreed, and Siddhartha, knowing that Kavia had agreed, naturally agreed as well.

After all, in the original development, Arada was one of Siddhartha's Teacher, so from Kavia's perspective, there was no major problem.

One day later, the sky was a clear, cloudless blue, dazzling and bright. The nearby river, illuminated by the bright sunlight, shone like crystal.

At that moment, Kavia was beside Siddhartha, who Meditation under a tree, and lit a bonfire for him.

Why do you look so worried, Arada?

Kavia looked at Arada approaching and asked this question.

"Siddhartha had been meditating for several days, without drinking a drop of water, a state I cannot reach..."

Arada looked at Siddhartha with concern, who had his eyes closed. "I hope nothing bad has happened to him."

Kavia shook her head:

"No, you should understand that Siddhartha has already reached the highest state of meditation. He has long since broken free from the constraints of the Flesh and feeds on inner pleasure. In fact, it is no easy feat for Siddhartha to reach this state; even the Six Schools and other practitioners of the path cannot achieve such speed."

"If you, sir..."

Looking at the completely unmasked Kavia, Arada sighed softly, "Not one of the Six Schools, but one of the Dharma; this must be a fortunate thing."

"Is that so? Let's not talk about this anymore, Arada, don't worry."

The silver-haired youth smiled, "Even when a mother is asleep, she still takes care of her child. I will always take care of Siddhartha. Let's go back and get some rest."

"... I have entrusted all my knowledge to Siddhartha, and I truly hope that he can take over from me Protection this Purified Grove. I hope you will convey my message."

I will tell him.

After receiving Kavia's promise, Arada departed.

As Kavia sat down again, Siddhartha suddenly opened his eyes and looked around somewhat bewilderedly.

"You have been meditating for several days."

Kavia explained it to him.

"But I didn't feel the passage of time..."

Siddhartha said with some excitement, "This time, I felt as light as a feather, dancing in the blue sky, beginning to fly like a bird, then rising like a cloud, gradually losing the sensation of my body. I felt like a tree, rooted to the earth, its trunk stretching into the distance, and then the endless void enveloped me, a kind of infinite peace..."

The green-haired youth looked up at the sky and continued.

"That was a feeling I had never experienced before, flowing from the depths of my heart, Teacher, that's what I felt."

"Your level of attainment is already very high, Siddhartha. What ordinary people take hundreds of years to reach, you achieved in just a few months..."

Kavia continued to look at Siddhartha, "Just now, Arada asked me to convey his wish that you become the guru of this Purified Grove. He has entrusted everything to you and has nothing left to give you, so he hopes that you will take his place in Protection this Purified Grove."

Upon hearing this, Siddhartha was taken aback for a moment, then quickly regained his composure:

"Teacher, Guru Arada- luo has shown me great kindness, and I should repay him, but—"

The young man's eyes hardened as he watched Kavia light the blazing campfire.

"Fire is inherently benevolent, bringing warmth to the cold and cooking food for the hungry. Yet, when fire is confined to a small space, serving only one household, doesn't it plunge all beings into darkness and suffering? The thoughts of Guru Arada have been of great help to me, but I understand that the Guru is a supporter of the Dharma, which is not what I desire."

"Therefore, I cannot stand still; I must find a way to escape the cycle of birth and death."

"Furthermore, the Dharma should be liberated; before the existence of various Caste, we are all one common being."

For some reason, Kavia, who was meeting Siddhartha's gaze, suddenly laughed and said something similar to what Siddhartha had said.

"Heaven should not create people who are superior to others, nor should it create people who are inferior to others."

I will eventually disappear from this world.

However, if he and all of them can get out of 'Lila' --

"In that case, I've made a huge profit in my life."

In that instant, Siddhartha seemed to see his Teacher, as if he could glimpse the Galaxy filling the heavens, the pitch-black dust of the Universe pressing down on him like a heavy weight, yet having almost no effect on him, or rather, being ineffective and even harmful...

But I'm willing to do it this way; that's how I feel.

Aside from that, it was beautiful; the dust particles had a faint luster like crystal, and would occasionally glitter in the endless darkness.

A scene utterly detached from reality and illusory, as if existing in Future yet to come, or perhaps in an unchanging past, but manifesting in the present 'now' due to present suffering.

Therefore, simply by gazing at this Serenity and beautiful scene, Siddhartha felt that the true light existed within the endless dust, like weeds, past, Future.

The following day, Siddhartha refused Arada's public request in front of everyone.

"... Yeah."

Arada gave a wry smile.

"It is my honor to have you as my guru; you never question my personal desires."

"You can go even further, Siddhartha. Uddaka Ramaputta of Magadha can guide you."

Arada looked at Kavia and Siddhartha, "I hope that when you succeed, my life will not be over."

After saying this, the two headed towards Magadha together.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Arada scooped up some soil from where they had set off and smeared it on his forehead.

"What are you doing, Teacher?"

Arada's disciple asked his Teacher, puzzled, about the meaning behind this action.

"You should also smear the mud they trampled on onto your foreheads; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Arada stretched out his hand, "Look at that departing figure. How many eras would it take for such a being to appear, making the earth, the sky, the Universe, and all things bow down at his feet?"

So hundreds of Ascetics followed suit, one after another imitating Arada, by smearing mud on their foreheads.

However, contrary to Arada's expectations, Siddhartha will indeed be as great as he said, but he will surpass Lila and become the Buddha, while Kavia will go to the opposite side of 'India,' which should be the place of darkness. As for the source of darkness, its location is unknown.

But surely light will eventually appear in the darkness, after all—