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

leaning over the water, its leaves skimming the surface. He walked towards it slowly and grabbed onto it to support himself while he
climbed out of the water.
But as Siddhartha went to climb out of the water, his strength failed him.
He sat down to rest on the riverbank as the sun climbed higher into the sky. He spread out the cloth to dry in the hot sun, and when the
cloth was dry, Siddhartha wrapped it around himself and set out for the village of Uruvela. But before he had walked even half-way, his
strength failed him, and, unable to catch his breath, he collapsed.
He lay unconscious for some time before a young girl from the village appeared. Thirteen-year-old Sujata had been sent by her mother
to carry rice-milk, cakes, and lotus seeds to offer to the forest gods. When she saw the monk lying unconscious on the road, barely
breathing, she knelt down and placed a bowl of milk to his lips. She knew he was an ascetic who had fainted from weakness.
When the drops of milk moistened his tongue and throat, Siddhartha responded immediately. He could taste how refreshing the milk
was, and he slowly drank the entire bowlful. After a few dozen breaths he was revived enough to sit up, and he motioned Sujata to pour
him another bowlful of milk. It was remarkable how quickly the milk restored his strength. That day he decided to abandon austerity
practice and go to the cool forest across the river to practice there.
During the days that followed, he gradually began to eat and drink normally. Sometimes Sujata brought him food offerings, sometimes he
took his bowl into the village to beg. Every day he practiced walking meditation along the riverbank, and the rest of the time he devoted to
sitting meditation. Every evening he bathed in the Neranjara River. He abandoned all reliance on tradition and scripture in order to find the
Way on his own. He returned to himself to learn from his own successes and failures. He did not hesitate to let meditation nourish his mind
and body, and a sense of peace and ease grew within him. He did not distance himself or try to escape his feelings and perceptions, but