WAKKALI - THE MONK WHO ADMIRED

THE BEAUTY OF THE BUDDHA
In Sanatthi in India there was a young man who loved the Buddha so much that whenever he met him he kept on admiring the Buddha's appearance, his colour and his handsomeness. One day he thought, "So long as i live in my home i cannot see the Buddha always. I must go to the temple and be ordained. Then i can see him daily. So he went to the temple and asked the Buddha to ardain him. Then the Buddha ordained him.
Now he has the chance to admire the Buddha's appearance always. He did nothing but day and night - morning and evening, at breakfast and at lunch and all the time at every place whenever the Buddha went. Wakkali followed him like his own shadow and kept on admiring him. The Buddha waited for his knowledge to ripen and said not a word. After a few years the Buddha realised that Wakkali's knowledge was ripened and said to him, "Wakkali, what shall it profit you to look upon my body which is changing always? Whosoever, Wakkali, beholds my teaching, he beholds me."
Wakkali did not go away and instead of reading, learning, meditating or preaching the Dhamma continued to admire the Buddha. Then Buddha thought, "Unless this monk gets a shock he will never come to understand," So one day the Buddha had an invitation from a man to spend three months in Rajagaha. On the day he left for Rajagaha, Wakkali also tired to follow the Buddha. The Buddha said: "Go back, Wakkali, don;t follow me. I must go alone."
So Wakkali returned to his room disappointed and began to think, "What a long period is three months! He does not talk to me for three months; neither can i see him for three long months. What a miserable period i have to spend! What is the use of my living any longer. I throw myself headlong from the top of a mountain." So with this thought, he climbed to the top of a mountain called Mount Vulture peak. Now the Buddha, staying in Rajagaha, saw with his mind's eye Wakkali about to jump from the Vulture Peak and thought, "If this monk gets no comfort nor consolation from me he will kill himself." Then immediately he sent forth a radiant image of himself and showed himself before the monk. As soon as Wakkali saw the Buddha standing before him his sorrow vanished from him. Then the Buddha filled his mind with joy, happiness and peace, saying:
"The monk who has perfect faith in the Religion of the Buddha will be full of joy and satisfaction and reach the place of peace, happiness and end of sorrow."
Wakkali thought, "I have seen the teacher. He is calling me i must go to Rajagaha, with him. But how shall i go? asked himself. Then he heard, "Come Wakkali, fear not, as you look upon me, I will lift you up even as one who lifts up an elephant that has sunk in the mud. I will release you from sorrow and sadness as one who release the sun from clouds." In a moment Wakkali was really before the Buddha in Rajagaha and while listening to the Buddha, Became perfect.