old-path-white-clouds-thich-nhat-hanh

Anupiya.
Anuruddha suggested they get rid of their jewels and ornaments before they crossed the border. They all removed their necklaces, rings,
and bangles and wrapped them in a cloak. They agreed to find some poor person to give them to. They noticed a tiny barber shop by the
side of the road which was run by a young man about their own age. He was an attractive fellow but shabbily dressed. Anuruddha entered
his shop and asked him his name.
The young barber replied, “Upali.”
Anuruddha asked Upali if he could direct them across the border. Upali gladly led them there himself. Before they left him, they handed
him the cloak containing the precious jewels and ornaments. Anuruddha said, “Upali, we intend to follow the Buddha and live as bhikkhus.
We have no more use of these jewels. We would like to give them to you. With these, you will have enough to live in leisure the rest of your
days.”
The princes bid Upali farewell and crossed the border. When the young barber opened up the cloak, the glint of gems and gold dazzled
his eyes. He belonged to the lowest caste in society. No one in his family had ever owned so much as an ounce of gold or even a single
ring. Now he had an entire cloakful of precious gems. But instead of being happy, he was suddenly seized with panic. He clasped the
bundle tightly in his arms. All his former feelings of well-being disappeared. He knew there were many people who would kill to get at the
contents of the cloak.
Upali reflected. The young, noblemen who had enjoyed great wealth and power were giving it all up in order to become monks. No
doubt they had come to see the dangers and burdens that wealth and fame can bring. Suddenly, he too wanted to cast the bundle aside and
follow the princes in pursuit of true peace, joy, and liberation. Without a moment’s hesitation, he hung the bundle on a nearby branch for the
first passerby to claim, and then he too crossed the border. Before long, he caught up with the young nobles.
Surprised to see Upali running after them, Devadatta asked, “Upali, why are you running after us? Where’s the bundle of gems we gave
you?”
Upali caught his breath and explained how he had tied the bundle to a tree to be claimed by the first passerby. He said he didn’t feel at
ease with such riches and wanted to join them in becoming a bhikkhu under the guidance of the Buddha.
Devadatta laughed. “You want to become a bhikkhu? But you’re a—”
Anuruddha cut Devadatta off, “Wonderful! Wonderful! We would be pleased if you would join us. The Buddha teaches that the sangha
is like a great sea and the bhikkhus are like many rivers that flow into that sea becoming one with it. Though we may be born into different
castes, once we join the sangha, we are all brothers with no distinctions dividing us.”
Baddhiya extended his hand to shake Upali’s. He introduced himself as the former governor of the north provinces of Sakya. He
introduced the other princes to Upali who bowed deeply to each one. Together the seven young men continued on their way.
They reached Anupiya the next day and were told that the Buddha was staying in a forest two miles northeast of the city. They made
their way to the forest and there met the Buddha. Baddhiya spoke on behalf of the group. The Buddha nodded his acceptance of their
request to be ordained. Baddhiya also said, “We would like to ask that Upali be ordained first. We will then bow to Upali as our elder
brother in the Dharma, releasing any vestiges of false pride and discrimination that may remain in us.”
The Buddha ordained Upali first. Because Ananda was only eighteen he took the vows of a novice to prepare for full ordination when he
reached twenty years of age. Ananda was now the youngest member of the sangha next to Rahula. Rahula was delighted to see Ananda.
Three days after their ordination, they departed with the Buddha and the other bhikkhus and headed towards Vesali, where they rested
three days in Mahavana Park. After that, it took them ten days to reach Bamboo Forest Monastery in Rajagaha.
Venerables Kassapa, Moggallana, and Kondanna were happy to see the Buddha again, as were all six hundred bhikkhus living at
Bamboo Forest. King Bimbisara lost no time in paying the Buddha a visit as soon as he learned of his arrival. The atmosphere at Bamboo
Forest was happy and warm. The rainy season was fast approaching and Venerables Kondanna and Kassapa were well prepared. This
was the third rainy season since the Buddha’s Awakening. He spent the first at the Deer Park and the second at Bamboo Forest.
Before Baddhiya accepted the governor’s post, he had wholeheartedly studied spiritual matters. Now, under Venerable Kassapa’s
guidance at Bamboo Forest, he devoted heart and mind to his practice, spending almost all his time meditating. He preferred sleeping
beneath the trees to sleeping in a hut. One night while sitting in meditation beneath a tree, he experienced a happiness greater than any he
had ever known. He exclaimed, “O, happiness! O, happiness!”
Another bhikkhu sitting nearby heard Baddhiya call out. The next morning this same bhikkhu reported to the Buddha, “Lord, late last
night while I was sitting in meditation, I heard bhikkhu Baddhiya suddenly call out, ‘O, happiness! 0, happiness!’ It appears he misses the
wealth and fame he left behind. I thought it best to tell you.”
The Buddha only nodded.