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

Chapter Twenty-Four
Taking Refuge
News of Yasa becoming a bhikkhu spread quickly among his friends. His closest companions—Vimala, Subahu, Punnaji, and Gavampati
—decided to visit him at Isipatana. On the way there Subahu said, “If Yasa has decided to become a monk, his Master must really be
extraordinary and the path he teaches most lofty. Yasa is very discriminating.”
Vimala retorted, “Don’t be so certain. Perhaps he became a monk on a whim, and it won’t last long. After six months or a year, he may
very well abandon such a life.”
Gavampati disagreed. “You’re not taking Yasa seriously enough. I have always found him to be quite serious, and I’m sure he wouldn’t
do anything like this without sincerely intending it.”
When they found Yasa at the Deer Park, he introduced them to the Buddha. “Teacher, these four friends of mine are all fine persons.
Please have compassion and open their eyes to the path of liberation.”
The Buddha sat down to talk with the four young men. At first Vimala was the most skeptical, but the more he heard the more impressed
he became. Finally, he suggested to the other three that they all ask the Buddha to accept them as bhikkhus. The four young men knelt
before the Buddha. Recognizing their sincerity, the Buddha accepted them on the spot. He asked Kondanna to give them basic instruction.
Yasa had several hundred other friends who soon heard how Yasa and his four closest companions had all become bhikkhus. One
hundred twenty of these young men, all in their twenties, met outside Yasa’s home and decided to visit Isipatana that very morning. Yasa
was informed of their arrival and he came out to greet them. He spoke about his decision to become a bhikkhu and then he led them to
have an audience with the Buddha.
Surrounded by the young men, the Buddha spoke about the path which can end suffering and lead to peace and joy. He told them about
his own search and how he had vowed to find the Way while he was still a young man. The one hundred twenty young men listened as if
entranced. Fifty of them requested to become bhikkhus at once. Many of the other seventy also wanted to become bhikkhus but could not
abandon their responsibilities as sons, husbands, and fathers.
Yasa asked the Buddha to accept his fifty friends, and the Buddha agreed. Overjoyed, Yasa said, “With your permission, tomorrow I
will pass by my parents’ home when I am out begging. I can ask them if they might like to offer robes and bowls to these new bhikkhus.”
The Buddha now had sixty bhikkhus living with him at the Deer Park. He remained there for three additional months in order to guide the
community. During that time, several hundred men and women were accepted by the Buddha as lay disciples.
The Buddha taught the bhikkhus how to practice observing their body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. He
taught them about the interdependent nature of all things and explained that meditating on interdependence was very important. He
explained that all things depend on each other for their arising, development, and decline. Without dependent co-arising, nothing could exist.
Within one thing existed all things. “The meditation on dependent co-arising,” he said, “is a gate which leads to liberation from birth and
death. It has the power to break through fixed and narrow views such as the belief that the universe has been created either by some god or
from some element such as earth, water, fire, or air.”
The Buddha understood his responsibility as a teacher. He cared for and guided the sixty bhikkhus like a loving elder brother. He also
shared a lot of responsibility with his first five disciples. Kondanna guided twenty young men, while Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama, and
Assaji each helped guide ten young men. All the bhikkhus made great progress along the path.
When the Buddha saw this, he called the community together and said, “Bhikkhus, please listen. We are totally free, not bound by
anything. You understand the path now. Proceed with confidence and you will make great strides. You can leave Isipatana whenever you
like. Walk as free persons and share the Way of Awakening with others. Please sow the seeds of liberation and enlightenment to bring
peace and joy to others. Teach the path of liberation which is beautiful from beginning to end, in form and content. Countless others will
benefit from your work of spreading the Dharma. As for me, I will leave soon. I plan to head east. I want to visit the bodhi tree and the
children in Uruvela village. Afterwards I will go to visit a special friend in Rajagaha.”
After listening to the Buddha’s words, a large number of bhikkhus, clad in brick-colored robes and carrying just their begging bowls, left
to go spread the teaching. Only twenty bhikkhus remained in Isipatana.
Before long, many people in the kingdoms of Kasi and Magadha heard about the Buddha and his disciples. They knew that a prince of
the Sakya clan had attained liberation and was teaching his path in Isipatana, near the city of Varanasi. Many monks, who up to then had
not yet attained the fruits of liberation, felt greatly encouraged, and they came from all directions to Isipatana. After hearing the Buddha