Na~laka Suthraya

One day, ascetic Asitha, who was resting at noon, saw a group of gods in Thusitha heaven dressed in clean and beautiful clothes, including God Sakra, the Dominant god of the divine worlds, waving colourful clothes and singing thanksgiving hymns in great joy.

At that point, he began to wonder, “Why is this beautiful group of gods, overwhelmed with so much happiness and dancing with joy, with an extraordinary enthusiasm arising in the heart, waving these beautiful clothes delightfully?”.

“I have never heard of them having so much fun, even at such a triumphant moment, when the God Sakra defeated the Asuras in the Surasura war.
Even though it had been like that before, what kind of miracle had occurred today for them to be so happy?” he became curious.

Then he asked the Gods, “I am questioning you who live on the top of the Mahamera (hill), why are you singing, dancing, and clapping so beautifully with joy?” It is to resolve this curiosity that has arisen in my mind as immediately as possible.”

“The Bodhisathva, who will become a Buddha and is a priceless gem, was born in the human world for the sake of the world. That one who is gifted was born happily in the Lumbini Colony village of Shakyas”.

“That man who is greater and nobler than all creatures, comprehends everything about all the worlds and will get rid of these worlds.
As a mighty lion in a land of lions utters his lion’s roarer, so the Exalted One will proclaim the Dhamma’s very pure commandment power”.

On a new moon day, he went straight to King Suddhodana’s palace after hearing that.
Ascetic Asitha sat down and asked King Shakya, “Where is the prince? I would like to see him”.

Then King Shakya showed that noble son with an attractive beauty shining like a well-lit burner wearing a beautiful turban to the ascetic Asitha.

Asitha, the ascetic, was overjoyed. When he saw this prince with mind-blowing beauty, who shone like the sun in the cloudless sky of autumn, who shone like a burning crystal, who shone like the moon in the clear sky, a tremendous pure joy arose in him.

A thousand groups of gods dressed in colourful clothes spread out across the sky, holding and waving colourful flags, fans, umbrellas, and sunshades with beautiful, coloured handles, expressing their joy to the prince.

The sky was so densely packed with flags, fans, umbrellas, and sunshades that the gods waving them couldn’t be seen.

When he saw the seat of God Shakra, which looked like a giant gold coin, and the gods holding white flags on top, this Dusky colour ascetic, who had a pleasant appearance and wearing a turban, expressed his happiness with overwhelmed joy to the Gods.

After welcoming the great Sakya clan noble, ascetic Asitha, who knew beyond astrology, felt a sense of victory.
“This is a great noble who no one can equal. He will discipline the two-legged creatures and raise them to a nobleness”, he exclaimed loudly with words of joyful happiness.

He immediately began to cry resentful tears, remembering that the time remaining in his human life was very short and that he would not be able to meet this Supreme Being.

Suddhodana Shakya, seeing ascetic Asitha crying and murmuring, questioned ascetic, “Isn’t there no danger for the prince?”.

Knowing that Suddhodana Shakya had witnessed his mourning, the ascetic stated, “I do not say that anything bad or evil will happen to the prince”.
“There is no danger, even from a wind.
A person with superior intelligence who should not be underestimated”.
“He will become supreme by achieving omniscience and Nirwana.
He will disseminate the Dhamma commandment, which assists one in remaining completely pure.
He will uphold this comprehended Dhamma indefinitely for the sake of many people.
He will demonstrate how to live an absolutely celibate life”.

“I don’t have much time left; I will die during this time period.
I won’t be able to hear his unique and valuable doctrine.
Therefore, I have the feeling that I am on my way to destruction and that I am already in danger”, ascetic Asitha lamented.

He, who was celibate, left the royal palace in the city, bringing great joy to the Shakya clan.
After leaving the palace, he remembered his son-in-law. Then he went to meet him, thinking out of pity that his brother’s son should be prepared for discipline in the Dhamma of the Great Supreme One, who will appear in the future.

He went to meet his son-in-law, Nalaka and said:
“Be on the lookout until you hear from someone that a Buddha has appeared who has attained perfect enlightenment or comprehended the truth with his own wisdom and who shows the truth of the path to the world’s creatures. Then, go there and discipline in celibacy by carefully listening to his teaching and understanding it”.

Because of the wealth of perfect merits, he had accumulated thus far, Nalaka accepted the admonition that his uncle had given for his own sake.

From that point on, he began to live a celibate life with disciplined senses for seeing the Buddha with the intention of attaining the understanding of that noble and pure Dharma.

Ascetic Nalaka heard the people say that ‘the Buddha appeared and established the Dhamma commandment’. Then he went to see the Buddha.

Ascetic Nalaka, who didn’t inquire anything so far because of the immense pleasure of seeing the Lord Buddha, who had a tremendous noble discipline, questioned the Blessed One, obeying his uncle, ascetic Asitha’s advice.

“Blessed One, I would like to learn about you who has transcended all Dhamma, in the same way that I learned about you from the ascetic Asitha”.

“I am asking you what the supreme practise is to follow in order to have a noble discipline by a monk who has renounced the lay life for a celibate life and relies on food begging”.

The Buddha

“I do not say that noble discipline, which definitely prevents the occurrence of troublesome births that a monk or a noble person should know, is difficult- intolerable.

Treat everyone in the village equally, whether they insult or respect you. Keep the mind free of contamination.
Be at ease and behave calmly without the dimension of ‘I’.

When you receive large or small donations, act as if they are a fire.
A monk should get rid of lust by preventing it as soon as he feels lust for a woman.

By abstaining from sex, you eliminate lust for all living beings, whether they agree with you or are greedy in lust, whether they are full of defilements or free of defilements.

If you think, “I don’t like persecution, I don’t like bitter evil suffering, I don’t like myself or anyone of mine to have to face persecution or suffering”, then consider others in the same way. Refrain from being hostile or persecuting others and avoid killing living beings.

If someone has the same desire, greed, and attachment to the filthy world as the creatures attached to the filthy world, discarding them is the practice to be followed by a wise person who wants to avoid hell.

Not eating more food than the stomach requires, Consuming food while being aware of the limit, Being content with what he receives,
Not being gluttonous for food, Not looking for food out of desire,
Getting rid of likes-dislikes whenever they arise, and so on, leads to Nirwana, which completely eliminates the Craving.

The monk, who wanders around the village seeking alms, sits at the base of a tree at the end of the forest.
The wise man who sits at the base of a tree at the end of the forest contemplates wisely again and again in order to discipline himself by keenly examining himself.

Since then, after the night is over, he returns to the village in the morning for Pinda Patha (food begging), and he acts consciously not to cling to the village’s respect or praises.

Should wander in the village only to beg for food, avoiding not only harsh but also friendly conversations, and immediately separating from bonds of friendships or relationships by dealing wisely and understanding the nature of lay people.

He who possesses both qualities of being content with what he receives and not being shocked by what he does not receive returns to the base of the tree after the food begging round.

That monk who has disciplined his words walks through the village with his bowl in hand, dwells wisely, training his mind to the point of,
not condemning when he receives a small amount of food and not despising the person who offers him that food.

It has been advised that an ascetic or noble person to not cling to both extremes of the eight worldly doctrines known as Mortification-Glory, Gain-Loss, Praise-Humiliate, and Comfort-Misery because none of these extremes help to end suffering.
Therefore, neither of these extremes should be approached.

In this way, the monk who does not allow impurities to enter his mind by getting rid of the clinging -conflicts dwells on eliminating the defilements.

He who dwells consciously by abandoning all large and small worldly affairs cannot be seen as subject to be insulted or despised.

He who likens lust to a razor blade strives to attain noble discipline by wisely contemplating the likes and dislikes that arise in him by looking at them wisely. He eats knowing the limit of the stomach’s needs, not tasting the food with greed.

He who has a determined mind and strives to eradicate birth does not allow his mind to become disoriented.
He lives a celibate life in order to rid himself of ‘Greed-Hatred-Delusion’ by not associating with ‘Craving-Obstinacy-Arrogance’.

He who has a concentrated mind free of confusion and defilements stays disciplined in one seat, is silent, and associates with meditative monks, his fame spreads in all ten directions.

Because the nature of being ashamed of sins occurs in the people who hear about this wise man who meditates to eliminate defilements, he is greatly respected by them due to the respect that arises in them that mixed confidence.

Observe how noisy streams and rivers come to a halt once they enter the great sea.
It is similar to how, while the fool makes a noise, the appeased remains silent.
Even if the fool frequently sounds like a half-empty pot, the scholar is as calm as a full lake.

The meditative monks say many things that are beneficial.
He preaches the well-known doctrine and what he understands to many people.

That person who is disciplined by accomplishment does not tell everyone about it. That sage is qualified for path wisdom. That wise sage attains the path’s wisdom.

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