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

From one night to the next, Gautama meditated beneath the pippala tree, shining the light of his awareness on his body, his mind, and all
the universe. His five companions had long abandoned him, and his co-practitioners were now the forest, the river, the birds, and the
thousands of insects living on the earth and in the trees. The great pippala tree was his brother in practice. The evening star which appeared
as he sat down in meditation each night was also his brother in practice. He meditated far into the night.
The village children came to visit him only in the early afternoons. One day Sujata brought him an offering of rice porridge cooked with
milk and honey, and Svasti brought him a fresh armful of kusa grass. After Svasti left to lead the buffaloes home, Gautama was seized with
a deep feeling that he would attain the Great Awakening that very night. Only the previous night he had had several unusual dreams. In one
he saw himself lying on his side, his knees brushing against the Himalayas, his left hand touching the shores of the Eastern Sea, his right hand
touching the shores of the Western Sea, and his two feet resting against the shores of the Southern Sea. In another dream, a great lotus as
large as a carriage wheel grew from his navel and floated up to touch the highest clouds. In a third dream, birds of all colors, too many to
be counted, flew towards him from all directions. These dreams seemed to announce that his Great Awakening was at hand.
Early that evening, Gautama did walking meditation along the banks of the river. He waded into the water and bathed. When twilight
descended, he returned to sit beneath his familiar pippala tree. He smiled as he looked at the newly spread kusa grass at the foot of the
tree. Beneath this very tree he had already made so many important discoveries in his meditation. Now the moment he had long awaited
was approaching. The door to Enlightenment was about to open.
Slowly, Siddhartha sat down in the lotus position. He looked at the river flowing quietly in the distance as soft breezes rustled the grasses
along its banks. The night forest was tranquil yet very much alive. Around him chirped a thousand different insects. He turned his awareness
to his breath and lightly closed his eyes. The evening star appeared in the sky.