Gautam Buddha himself strictly followed the regimen of the monk life. Every day he religiously meditated for a certain period and then went to the nearest township to seek alms.
He considered it his sacred duty and never missed it. It was the monk’s way of killing one’s ego and feeling of pride. In this way they reached the end point of humility. They considered even self-respect a form of ego, a barrier between this life and Nirvana. Buddha went to beg be it rain or thunderstorm. Sometimes he went alone.
One day, he was returning to monastery after seeking alms when he saw a sick beggar lying under a tree by the roadside. He was moaning and lying in his own filth, urine and excreta. Buddha went to him and asked, “Brother, why do you suffer so? And alone?”
Beggar informed, “I am sick. Grave malady.”
“Where are your companions or relatives?”
“They all left me because I am dirty. I am all filth. No one would like to come near me.”
Buddha put down his alms bowl and brought water in the beggar’s pot. He cleaned the beggar and shifted him to a clean spot. Then, he fed the beggar whatever was in his bowl.
Luckily he saw another monk returning from the town. He called out to him and they carried the sick beggar to the monastery. The beggar was properly treated. After recovering from illness the beggar joined Sangha and started a new life.
Amrapali
Buddha mostly kept travelling and preaching which took him to many cities and lands. Once in the course of his travel he arrived in the famed capital of the Lichhvi kingdom. The capital was the famed city of Vaishali, which was also known for being the abode of the glamour girl, Amrapali, the court dancer and the highest prized society girl.
She was an accomplished dancer besides being a beauty. Her company was a much sought after delight. And her lovers and admirers were countless. Amrapali allowed only royal personage of her choice to court her.
Only once courting her could cost a load of high quality precious jewellery and other gifts. Thus, she was immensely rich.
In a way she was suffering from the good-things-of-life fatigue. Her mind secretly wished to explore the other side of the fence to see if the spiritual grass was greener. It promised to be refreshing experience where carnal desires and worldly riches were meaningless.
She had secretly been mulling over the teachings and the spiritual wisdom of Lord Buddha. A person who was born in a great royal family as the crown prince and who had all the riches at the snap of his fingers yet he gave it all up for his spiritual quest.
What experience it would be to meet and talk to such a person, she often wondered.
Then, it happened.
Gautam Buddha was in her city. She was all agog about it. Amrapali reached the garden where Buddha was supposed to be putting up.
When she reached there Buddha was meditating. She quietly slipped in and stood before him. She stared at the peaceful and glowing face of a serene beauty, that was Gautam Buddha. His eyes were closed.
She felt swept by a feeling of joy like the one she had once experienced in her mother’s lap.
Buddha felt the presence of someone there. He opened his eyes and looked at the pretty face of Amrapali. He betrayed no emotion.
His composed voice asked, “Sister, what can I do for you? What brought you here?”
Amrapali paid obeisance and prayed with folded hands, “Lord, I came to see you. I am a royal court dancer. I wish to invite you to my place Amravan for meals. I will feel blessed and redeemed if you don’t feel it below your dignity to accept my request.”
Buddha said, “We don’t believe in quality or degree of dignity, sister. For me all human beings are equal. Does not matter if a person is rich or poor, beggar or prince or a court dancer. I can’t refuse your sincere and honest invitation.”
Amrapali was ecstatic. She touched the feet of Buddha and ran back to her place to make the necessary arrangements for the meals for her holy guest.
On her way, she ran into a group of princes who were coming from the opposite direction. The princes were puzzled to see Amrapali racing her chariot from the other side.
One of the princes called out, “Where does the beauty of Vaishali go racing her chariot?”
Another said, “No need to prove that you are a fast woman. Every one knows it.”
Yet another asked, “Or are you contesting in this year’s Vaishali chariot race?”
Amrapali didn’t mind those taunts that day. Instead, She cheerfully announced, “I am hurrying as I have to prepare food for my guest, Lord Buddha who has kindly accepted my invitation.”
The information stunned the princes.
They were no more laughing because they were themselves going to Buddha to invite him to the palace for meals. The princes exchanged agitated glances. A saint accepting the invitation of a society girl was very odd.
Was Amrapali talking rubbish?
When the princes extended invitation for meals to Buddha, he said, “Sorry princes. I have already accepted the invitation of a young woman named Amrapali.”
A prince remarked, “You can’t be serious, Lord. A holy man at the house of a court dancer makes no sense. She is a high society girl.”
Buddha smiled, “Youngman! I make no distinction between a man or woman, rich or poor, prince or pauper or court dancer or warrior. As far as making sense is concerned even a fakir like me eating royal food at your palace would equally make no sense. May I ask why have you come to invite me? To make no sense!”
Buddha went to the garden house of Amrapali and partook the food offered by her.
The incident so impressed Amrapali that she reassessed her life.
Suddenly, being the court dancer and flirting with royal people looked meaningless exercises that would leave her empty handed in the end. She had no heart for it any more. Spiritually she had transformed. In Lord Buddha’s teachings she saw the truth of life, the ultimate goal of union with Power Supreme.
She donated all her worldly possessions to Sangha and became a Buddhist nun to the utter shock of the Vaishali royal court and her admirers and the lovers.
