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

No one spoke for a long while. Then the young man to whom the flute belonged asked the Buddha, “Master, you play so wonderfully!
I’ve never heard anyone who could play so well. Who did you study with? Would you accept me as your student so that I could learn flute
from you?”
The Buddha smiled and he said, “I learned to play the flute when I was a boy, but I have not played in nearly seven years. My sound,
however, is better than it was before.”
“How can that be, Master? How can your playing have improved if you have not practiced in seven years?”
“Playing the flute does not depend solely on practicing the flute. I now play better than in the past because I have found my true self. You
cannot reach lofty heights in art if you do not first discover the unsurpassable beauty in your own heart. If you would like to play the flute
truly well, you must find your true self on the Path of Awakening.”
The Buddha explained the path of liberation, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path. The young men listened intently, and
when the Buddha was finished speaking, every one of them knelt down and asked to be accepted as a disciple. The Buddha ordained them
all. He then instructed them to make their way to Isipatana and introduce themselves to the bhikkhu Kondanna who would give them
guidance in the practice of the Way. The Buddha told them he would see them again before long.
That night the Buddha slept alone in the forest. The next morning he crossed the Ganga and headed east. He wanted to visit the children
of Uruvela before making his way to Rajagaha to see King Bimbisara.