SONA

The monk who tried too hard
A son of a rich businessman, Sona liked to listen to lute music and to play the instrument. As he was brought up in the lap of luxury, his skin was very delicate and soft. It was said that hair grew out of the skin of his soles. Once he was brought before King Bimbisara who wanted to see the unusual feet he had heard so much about. Sona lived near the Vulture's Peak Rock in Rajagaha where the Buddha stayed during some rainy seasons. One day, Sona went to the Vulture's peak rock to listen to the Buddha's sermons about the happiness experienced from non-attachment of worldly desires. As he wanted to experience this happiness, Sona asked to be ordained as a monk.
After becoming a monks, he was taught to be constantly mindful, even when walking. Sona was very enthusiastic. Everyday he walked to and fro in the monastree until one day his feet developed blisters and bied. Even after trying so hard, yet he did not experience happiness, only pain and disappointment. thought of craving for worldly things stills came to his mind. "It is no use," Sona said to himself, "I have tired so very hard, but have still not achieved what i wished for. It is better for me to return to lay life and enjoy the happiness i used to experience by performing charity."
When the Buddha heard about this he went to see Sona. "Sona," he said, "Ihave heard that you are not getting good results from your practice of mindfulness and want to return to the lay life. Suppose I explain why you did not get good results, would you stay on as a monk and try again?"
"Yes, I would, Lord." replied Sona.
"Sona, you were a musician and you used to play the lute. Tell me, Sona, did you produce good music when the lute strings were well tuned, neither too tight nor too loose?"
"I was able to produce good music, Lord." replied Sona.
"What happened when the strings were too tightly wound up?"
"I could not produce any music, Lord." said Sona.
"What happen when the strings were too slack?"
"I could not produce any music at all, Lord." replied Sona.
"Sona, do you now see why you did not experience the happiness of renouncing worldly craving? You have been straining too hard in your meditation. Do it in a relaxed way, but without being slacek. Try it again and you will experience to good results." Sona understood and stayed on in the monastree as a monk, and soon he attained sainthood.

PRINCE NANDA

Prince Nanda was the step-brother of the prince Siddhartha. When he was thirty-five years old king Suddhodana wished to give him Prince Janapada Kalyani and let him live in a separate palace. The king wished to have all these festivals on the same day and waited for the Buddha to return to Kapilavatthu and bless Nanda and Janapada Kalyani. On the third day after the Buddha's return to Kapilavattu he made all the arrangements for the festivals and invited the Buddha to attend the wedding. The Buddha went there, had lunch, blessed all of them and handed his begging bowl to Nanda and went away.
Nandathought, "the Lord Buddha will take the bowl at the door step." But the Buddha went straight on without taking the bowl. Then Nanda thought, "He will take it at the palace gate." His bride, Janapada Kalyani, also saw Nanda following the Buddha and thought, "My husband may be going to the temple to send the Buddha off." Then she said, "Darling, don't be late, return quickly." When Prince Nanada went to the temple to return the bowl the Buddha asked him. "Nanda, do you like to be a monk?"
"Yes, Sir," said Nanda and the Buddha ordained him. But Nanda was afterwards very sad and unhappy. He was always thinking of his beautiful bride. Other monks saw him very sad and asked Nanda, "Why are you so sad, Nanda?"
"Brothers, I am disappointed. I do not like this monk's life. I want to leave it and go home," was Nanda's reply. They went and reported this matter to the Buddha. The Buddha showed him a charred she-monkey and then some fairies and asked him, "Nanda, which is more beautiful and charming your noble wife or these fairies?"

POOR SOPAKA

Once there was a boy by the name of Sopaka belonging to a very poor family. When this boy was only seven years oldhis father passed away and his mother married another man who was very cruel, wicked and unkind. He always beat, scolded and shouted at small Sopaka who was very kind, innocent and good. The step-father always thought, "This boy is a nuisance. He is good-for-nothing. I hate him but Icannot do anything to him because his mother loves him very much. What shall i do about him?" One evening he said: "Dear son, let us go for a walk." The boy was surprised that his step-father spoke to him so kindly and he thought, " My step-father never talked to me so kindly. But now he seems to be very good. Perhaps my mother may have asked him to be kind to me." So he readily went with his step-father.
The step-father took him to a cemetery where there were many smelly dead bodies here and there, tied Sopaka to one of them and left him there while the boy was crying, "Father, please father, don't tie me to this smelly and dirty dead body. Please, father, please. I am frightened, father." Sopaka began to cry as loudly as he could. But his step-father went away without caring for him. As the night became darker and darker Sopaka's fear increased. There was nobody in the cemetery and the boy was so frightened that his hair stood on end and drops of sweat began to roll down from his body until he was fully wet with sweat. When he heard the noises of jackals, tigers, leopards and other wild animals he began to cry still louder. When he know that he was all alone and there was nobody in this terrible place to help him, he saw a shining, noble looking and most handsome person with a very bright light coming towards him and heard him speak in a most sweet voice: "Sopaka, don't cry. I am here to help you, fear not." And in a moment, Sopaka, broke his help and stood before the Buddha in the Jetawana Temple.
Sopaka could not belive his eyes and ears. Although the Buddha was staying very far away from the cemetery, yet he heard Sopaka's cry and, creating a very bright light, sent it towards the boy and made the ropes break by his power. When this poor boy came to the Temple the Buddha bathed him, gave him some food to eat, clothes to wera and consoled him.
When the wicked step-father returned home Sopaka's mother asked him, "Where is my son?"
"I don't know," said the wicked man, "he came home before me and i thoght he was sleeping." But the mother could not sleep the whole night. She was crying and crying, thinking of Sopaka. Next day early in the morning she thought, The Buddha knows all, past, future and present. I must so to the Temple and asked the Buddha where my son is. So crying and weeping she went to the temple. Then the Buddha asked her, " Why sister, are you crying?"
"O Lord," said the lady,"I have only one son. Since last evening he is missing. My husband took him for a walk when he returned home he said that he did not know what had happened to my son."
"Don't worry sister. Your son is safe. Here he is," and so saying, the Buddha showed her Sopaka, now a monk, not as a boy. The mother was very happy to see her son again. After listening to the Buddha's teaching she thanked him very much and went away as a follower of the Buddha.

PRINCESS YASODHARA

When the Buddha had taken his meal all who knew him as Prince Siddhartha except Yasodhara, came to talk and respect him. All of them were still suprised but were very happy to see their beloved prince now in an orange coloured robc, respected by everybody, loved and worshipped by everybody. But Yasodhara was in her room thinking,"Prince Siddhartha in now an Enlightenet One - a Buddha. He now belongs to the line of Buddhas. Is it right for me, to go to him? He does not, and cannot need me. Is it right for me to go to him? I think it is better to wait and see. If he comes here, After a while the Buddha asked, "Where is Yasodhara?" "She is in her room," said his father
"Come, Let us go there," said the Buddha and giving his bowl to the king went to her room. As he entered the room the Buddha said, "Let her pay me respect as she likes. Say nothing." When yasodhara knew that the Buddha was coming to her room, she ordered her servant girls to wear yellow robes and to welcome him. And as the Buddha entered her room and before he took his seat came quickly to him and holding his ankles, placed her head on his feet and cried and cried until his feet were wet with her tears. The Buddha kept quiet and nobody stopped her until she was very tired of crying. Then she cleaned the Buddha's feet and sat down respectfully.
When she had sat down, her father-in-law, king Suddhodana said: "Lord, when my daughter-in-law heard that you were wearing yellow robes, she also robed herself in yellow; when she heard that you were taking one meal a day, she also did the same; when she heard that you had given up lofty couches, she lay on a low couch; when she heard that you had given up garlands and scents, she also gave them up; when her relatives sent messages to say that they would maintain her, she would not even look at anyone. So virtuous was my daughter-in-law."
"Not only in this last birth O king, but in a previous birth, too, she protected me and was devoted and faithful to me," said the Buddha and told him the story of the Candakinnara Jataka - one of the previous Birth stories.

A DEAD BODY

On his return to the palace he was still very dissatisfied and was now thhinking more often. The king seeing him so changed became very sad. But once again the prince asked for his permission to go out of the palace to see more life in the city. The king agreed as it was of no use trying to stop his son. This time, wearing the clothes of noblemen the prince and Channa went out from the palace walking in many parts of Kapilavatthu. Then he saw a few people coming along the street crying while four men at the back were carrying a plank on which a very thin man lay flat and still. He was like a stone, never saying a word. Then the people went a little farther, rested the person down a pile of wood and set the wood on fire. The man did not move as the flames were burning the wood from all sides.
"What is this Channa? Why does that man lie there so still allowing these people to burn him up?" "he does not know anything. He is dead," replied channa. "Dead! Channa, Is this called death? And everyone has to be dead like that man?"
"yes, my dear prince, all living things must die someday. No one can stop death from coming," replied Channa. The prince was shocked and surprised and he could not say anything more. He thought that it was a terrible thing that such a thing called death should come to everybody, even kings, and sons of kings. Was there no way to stop it? He went home in silence and began to think in his own room in the palace the whole day. He was very sorry and sad and said. "everybody in the world must same day die; no one has found out how to stop it. O, there must be a way to stop it. I must find it out and help the whole world."

RETURNING HOME

When king Suddhodana came to know that the Buddha was preaching in Rajagaha he sent nine messenger, one after another, inviting him to come to Kapilavatthu. All the messengers became monks under the Buddha. The Buddha's teachings were so appealing to them that they wished to listen to more of his teachings and they forgot to convey the King's message. The King also had made arrangement for the Buddha t stay in the park named Nigrodha. But when the Buddha did not come, the king sent Kaludayi who was a playmate of the Buddha to invite the Buddha. Then only, the Buddha received the message and agreed to go to the palace.
When the people of Kapilavatthu came to know that the Buddha had come eo their city all of them flocked to the city to see the Buddha, and the Prince Siddhartha's own relatives said, "he is our younger brother, our nephew, our grandson." They asked their younger ones, "You go forward and respect him. We will sit behind you." Then the Buddha realised that some people even then, did not understand that he was already Enlightened but felt they were his elders. He showed them a miracle called the "twin miracle". The king seeing this miracle worshipped him.
The next day, he took his beging bowl and went from door to door asking for food. The king was very annoyed when he saw his son begging in the street. He ran to him and said, "Why do you disgrace me, my son? Why do you ruin me like this? Why don't you take food in the palace? Is it proper for you to beg food in this very city where you used to travel in golden seda chairs? Why do you put me to shame, my dear son?"
"I am not putting you to shame, O Great king This is our custom," said the Buddha calmly. "How can it be? Nobody in our family had ever to beg like this. How can you say "it is our custom?".
"O Great king, that is not the custom of your royal family. But it is the custom of the Buddhas. All the former Buddhas have lived by receving their food like this." However when the king begged him to take food in the palace, the Buddha went into the palace to take food.

THE KASSAPA BROTHERS

As soon as he had sisty monks the Buddha sent them away to preach his teaching to the people everywhere and then he himself also left the deer park at Isipatana, and turning Southwards in the direction of the Magadha counry, at last cane back to Uruvela. On the bank of the river there lived three brothers whose name were Uruvela Kassapa, Nadi Kassapa and Gaya Kassapa. They were living separately wit 500, 300 and 200 followers respectively. One evening the Buddha visited Uruvela Kassapa's hut and said; "If it is not an inconvenience to you may i spend the night in your kitchen?"
"I don't mind, Great Gotama, your spending the night in my hunt. But there is a fierce serpent king in the kitchen. I am afraid that it would harm you," said Uruvela Kassapa. "O! that I don't mind. If you have no objection shall i spend the night over there?" said the Buddha.
"All right, go and sleep. Good night and best of luck." said the ascetic. The Buddha also wishing him good night went into the kitchen and spreading some grass on the floor sat down on it. The serpent-king became very fierce and opening his mouth went to sting the Buddha. "I will not harm this poor serpent-king. But i will subdue him by my love and kindness." thought the Buddha. The more the scrpent-king became angry the more kindly became the Buddha. The serpent-king could not do any harm to the Buddha. Early in the next morning the ascetic thought that the Buddha might have been killed by the serpent-king and said to himself, "Let me go bury his body." so he went to see the Buddha.
When he went there he found Buddha siting in deep meditation. The ascetic was shocked and asked him whether the serpent-king had harmed him or not. "Here it is see yourself," said the Buddha and opened his begging bowl in front of the ascetic. Out came the fierce serpent-king. the ascetic that he had a great charm to tame any fierce serpent. "Can i too learn it?" asked the ascetic who was very proud of his power at the begining. He realised that the Buddha had acquired greater power than he so he became a follower of the Buddha. As soon as his younger brother came to know that their elder brother had became a Buddhist, they too, followed him. And all the thousand followers of these brothers also became Buddhists.