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depth of their wisdom, virtue, and attainment.”<br />
The king understood. He said, “Lord, it is similar to when I send spies to investigate situations in other places. They disguise themselves<br />
so they will not be recognized. Often when they return to the palace, even I do not recognize them until they have discarded their disguises<br />
and washed their faces. Yes, I see you are correct. Unless you know someone in depth, you cannot understand the depth of their virtue,<br />
wisdom, and attainment.”<br />
The Buddha invited the king to walk with him to his hut. When they arrived, the Buddha asked Ananda to put out chairs.<br />
The king confided to the Buddha, “Lord, I am now seventy years <strong>old</strong>. I want to devote more time to spiritual studies. I feel I should do<br />
more sitting and walking meditation than I have in the past. But Lord, palace affairs are most time-consuming and demanding. Sometimes<br />
when I come to your Dharma talks, I am so tired I cannot keep my eyes open. I feel so ashamed. Lord, I am also guilty of overindulgence<br />
in food. One day I came to the monastery after eating entirely too much. It made me sleepy, and I went for a walk in hopes that walking<br />
meditation would clear my mind. But I grew more and more sleepy. I did not even notice you were standing on the same <strong>path</strong>, and I<br />
bumped right into you. Do you remember?”<br />
The Buddha laughed. “Yes, I remember, your Majesty. Majesty, simply eat less. Doing so will make your mind and body feel lighter,<br />
which will improve your ability to perform both your work of governing and your spiritual practice. You might ask Queen Mallika or<br />
Princess Vajiri to help you by supervising your daily meals. They could serve you smaller quantities, still paying attention to the quality of<br />
nutrition.”<br />
The king joined his palms to accept the Buddha’s suggestion.<br />
The Buddha continued, “It is good to devote more time to looking after your health and pursuing your spiritual practice. Not much time<br />
remains you in this life. Majesty, suppose a trusted messenger brought you news that a mighty mountain, high as the sky, was approaching<br />
from the East, crushing every living thing in its <strong>path</strong>. Just as you begin to worry about this situation, another trusted messenger brings news<br />
that a mighty mountain is advancing from the West, also crushing everything in its <strong>path</strong>. Then messengers from the North and South arrive<br />
bearing similar messages. Four mountains are advancing towards the capital, crushing every being in their <strong>path</strong>s. You know that you cannot<br />
escape. There is nothing you can do to prevent the mountains from coming. Your time is short. What would your Majesty do?”<br />
The king pondered for a moment and then said, “Lord, I believe there is only one thing I could do. That would be to live my remaining<br />
hours in as worthy and serene a way as possible, following the true teaching.”<br />
The Buddha praised the king. “Yes, your Majesty! Those four mountains are the mountains of birth, <strong>old</strong> age, sickness, and death. Old<br />
age and death are closing in on us, and we can never escape.”<br />
The king joined his palms. “Lord, remembering that <strong>old</strong> age and death are approaching, I understand that the best thing I can do is to live<br />
my remaining days and months according to your teaching, living serenely, mindfully, and benefiting others, including the future generations.”<br />
The king stood up and bowed to the Buddha before taking his leave.<br />
That rainy season, many brahmans and members of different religious sects gathered in Savatthi. They organized sermons, lectures, and<br />
debates throughout the region, inviting people from the city to attend. At the debates, different sects were given a chance to expound their<br />
doctrines. Several of the Buddha’s lay disciples attended some of these debates. They t<strong>old</strong> the Buddha and the bhikkhus what they had<br />
seen and heard. They said that every metaphysical problem imaginable was presented and that every speaker considered his doctrine the<br />
only correct one. The debates began cordially but often ended in angry shouting matches.<br />
The Buddha t<strong>old</strong> his disciples the following fable:<br />
“Once upon a time, a clever king invited several people blind from birth to visit the palace. He brought out an elephant and asked them<br />
to touch it and then describe what the elephant was like. The blind man who rubbed its legs said that the elephant was like the pillars of a<br />
house. The man who stroked its tail said the elephant was like a feather duster. The person who touched its ears said it was like a<br />
winnowing basket, and the man who touched its stomach said it was like a round barrel. The person who rubbed its head said the elephant<br />
was like a large earthenware jar, and the person who touched its tusk said the elephant was like a stick. When they sat down to discuss<br />
what the elephant was like, no one could agree with anyone else, and a very heated argument arose.<br />
“Bhikkhus, what you see and hear comprises only a small part of reality. If you take it to be the whole of reality, you will end up having a<br />
distorted picture. A person on the <strong>path</strong> must keep a humble, open heart, acknowledging that his understanding is incomplete. We should<br />
devote constant effort to study more deeply in order to make progress on the <strong>path</strong>. A follower of the Way must remain open-minded,<br />
understanding that attachment to present views as if they were absolute truth will only prevent us from realizing the truth. Humility and openmindedness<br />
are the two conditions necessary for making progress on the <strong>path</strong>.”