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devotees? Who will guide them if you leave?”
Kassapa answered, “Gautama, give me a chance to speak with them this morning. Tomorrow afternoon I will let you know of my
decision.”
The Buddha said, “The children in Uruvela village call me the Buddha.”
Kassapa was surprised. “That means the Awakened One, doesn’t it? I will call you the same.”
The next morning, the Buddha went begging in Uruvela village. Afterwards he went to the lotus pond to sit. Late that afternoon, Kassapa
came looking for him. He told the Buddha that all five hundred of his devotees agreed to become disciples under the Buddha’s guidance.
The next day, Uruvela Kassapa and all his followers shaved their heads and beards, and threw the locks of hair into the Neranjara River
along with all the liturgical objects they had used for fire worship. They bowed before the Buddha and recited three times, “I take refugee in
the Buddha, the one who shows me the way in this life. I take refuge in the Dharma, the way of understanding and love. I take refuge in the
Sangha, the community that lives in harmony and awareness.” Their recitation of the three refuges echoed throughout the forest.
When the ordination was completed, the Buddha spoke to the new bhikkhus about the Four Noble Truths and how to observe one’s
breath, body, and mind. He showed them how to beg for food and how to eat in silence. He asked them to release all the animals they had
once raised for food and sacrifices.
That afternoon the Buddha met with Kassapa and ten of Kassapa’s senior students to teach them the fundamentals of the Way of
Awakening as well as to discuss how to best organize the sangha. Kassapa was a talented organizer and leader, and, with the Buddha, he
assigned capable senior students to train the younger bhikkhus, just as the Buddha had done in Isipatana.
The next day Nadi Kassapa, Uruvela Kassapa’s younger brother, arrived with his disciples in a state of shock. The day before, he and
his three hundred devotees who lived downstream from Uruvela had seen hundreds of braids and liturgical objects floating in the river and
they feared some terrible catastrophe had befallen the community of his elder brother. When Nadi Kassapa reached Uruvela it was the
hour of begging and so he was unable to find anyone. His worst fears seemed to be confirmed. But slowly bhikkhus began to return from
begging and they explained how they had all taken vows to follow a monk named Gautama. Uruvela Kassapa returned from begging with
the Buddha and was most happy to see his younger brother. He invited him for a walk in the forest. They were gone for a good length of
time, and when they returned Nadi Kassapa announced that he and his three hundred devotees would also take refuge in the Buddha. Both
brothers agreed to send someone to summon their brother, Gaya Kassapa. Thus, in the space of only seven days, the two hundred
devotees of Gaya Kassapa were also ordained as bhikkhus. The Kassapa brothers were well known for their brotherly love and sharing of
common ideals. Together they became deeply devoted students of the Buddha.
One day after all the bhikkhus had returned from begging, the Buddha summoned them to gather on the slopes of the mountain in Gaya.
Nine hundred bhikkhus ate in silence with the Buddha and the three Kassapa brothers. When they were finished eating, they all turned their
gaze to the Buddha.
Sitting serenely upon a large rock, the Buddha began to speak, “Bhikkhus, all dharmas are on fire. What is on fire? The six sense organs
—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind—are all on fire. The six objects of the senses—form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and objects of
mind—are all on fire. The six consciousnesses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, feeling, and thought—are all on fire. They are burning from the
flames of desire, hatred, and illusion. They are burning from the flames of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and from the flames of pain,
anxiety, frustration, worry, fear, and despair.
“Bhikkhus, every feeling is burning whether it is an unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral feeling. Feelings arise and are conditioned by the
sense organs, objects of the sense organs, and the sense-consciousnesses. Feelings are burning from the flames of desire, hatred, and
illusion. Feelings are burning from the flames of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and from the flames of pain, anxiety, frustration, worry,
fear, and despair.
“Bhikkhus, do not allow yourselves to be consumed by the flames of desire, hatred, and illusion. See the impermanent and
interdependent nature of all dharmas in order not to be enslaved by the cycle of birth and death created by the sense organs, objects of the
senses, and the sense-consciousnesses.”
Nine hundred bhikkhus listened intently. Each man was deeply moved. They were happy to know they had found the path that taught
how to look deeply in order to attain liberation. Faith welled in the heart of every bhikkhu there.
The Buddha remained in Gayasisa for three months to teach the new bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus made great progress. The Kassapa
brothers were talented assistants to the Buddha, and they helped him guide and teach the sangha.