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