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

Chapter Twenty-Six
Water Rises, Too
Seven days later, the Buddha was happy to find himself back in the forest of the bodhi tree. He rested the night there. In the morning he
surprised Svasti by the banks of the Neranjara River. They sat for a long while along the shore before the Buddha told Svasti he should
continue cutting the kusa grass needed by the buffaloes. He also helped Svasti cut some grass. Then, bidding Svasti good-bye, he walked
to the village to beg.
The next afternoon the village children came to visit the Buddha in the forest. All of Svasti’s family was there. Sujata brought along all her
friends. The children were very happy to see the Buddha again. They listened intently while he told them all that had happened to him in the
past year. The Buddha promised Svasti that when Svasti was twenty years old, the Buddha would accept him as a bhikkhu. By that time,
Svasti’s sisters and brother would be old enough to care for themselves.
The children told the Buddha that over the past few months a spiritual community led by a brahman had settled nearby. There were five
hundred devotees in all. They did not shave their heads like the bhikkhus. Instead their hair was braided and then piled on top of their
heads. They worshipped the god of Fire. The brahman’s name was Kassapa. He was deeply revered by all who met him.
The following morning, the Buddha crossed the river and found Master Kassapa’s community. His devotees lived in simple huts made
from leafy branches and wore clothes made from the bark of trees. They did not enter the village to beg but accepted offerings brought to
them by the villagers. In addition, they raised their own animals for food and for making sacrifices. The Buddha stopped to speak with one
of Kassapa’s followers who told him that Kassapa was deeply versed in the Vedas and lived a life of utmost virtue. Kassapa, he explained,
also had two younger brothers who also led communities of fire worship. All three brothers held fire to be the original essence of the
universe. Uruvela Kassapa was deeply loved by his two brothers, Nadi Kassapa who lived with three hundred devotees along the
Neranjara about a day’s travel north, and Gaya Kassapa who led two hundred devotees in Gaya.
Kassapa’s disciple led the Buddha to his master’s hut so that the Buddha could have an audience with him. Although Kassapa was no
longer a young man, he was still quick and alert. When he saw the young teacher’s extraordinary bearing, he felt immediately drawn to him
and treated him as a special guest. Kassapa invited the Buddha to sit on a stump outside the hut, and the two enjoyed a long conversation.
Kassapa marvelled at how deeply versed the Buddha was in the Vedas. He was further astounded to discover that this young monk had
grasped certain concepts in the Vedas which had eluded his own understanding. The Buddha helped explain certain of the most profound
passages in the Atharveda and Rigveda scriptures which Kassapa thought he had understood but discovered he had not yet truly grasped.
Even more amazing was the young monk’s knowledge of history, doctrine, and brahmanic rituals.
That noon the Buddha accepted Uruvela Kassapa’s invitation to have a meal with him. The Buddha neatly folded his outer robe into a
cushion and sat upon it, eating in mindful silence. So impressed was Uruvela Kassapa by the Buddha’s serene and majestic countenance
that he did not break the silence.
That afternoon they continued their conversation. The Buddha asked, “Master Kassapa, can you explain to me how worshipping fire can
lead a person to liberation?”
Uruvela Kassapa did not answer right away. He knew very well that a superficial or ordinary response would not suffice for this
extraordinary young monk. Kassapa began by explaining that fire was the basic essence of the universe. It had its source in Brahma. The
main altar of the community, the Fire Sanctuary, always kept a sacred fire burning. That fire was itself the image of Brahma. The
Atharveda scripture spoke of fire worship. Fire was life. Without fire there could be no life. Fire was light, warmth, and the source of the
sun which enabled plants, animals, and people to live. It chased away dark shadows, conquered the cold, and brought joy and vitality to all
beings. Food was made edible by fire, and thanks to fire, people were reunited with Brahma at death. Because fire was the source of life it
was Brahma himself. Agni, the god of fire, was one of the thousands of manifestations of Brahma. On the Fire Altar, Agni was portrayed as
having two heads. One symbolized the daily uses of fire and the other symbolized the fire of sacrifice and returning to the source of life. The
fire worshippers performed forty sacrificial rites. A devotee in their community had to observe precepts, practice austerities, and pray
diligently in order to follow the path that would one day lead to liberation.
Kassapa was strongly opposed to those brahmans who used their position in society to acquire wealth and lose themselves in pursuit of
sensual pleasures. He said that such brahmans only performed rituals and recited the scriptures in order to become rich. Because of that the
reputation of the traditional brahmanic path had become tarnished.
The Buddha asked, “Master Kassapa, what do you think of those who regard water as the fundamental essence of life, who say that
water is the element which purifies and returns people to union with Brahma?”