Siddhartha

IN ANCIENT INDIA, 2500 B.C., people pursued spiritual enlightenment the way americans pursue money, fame, and power; vigorously. in a small village lived siddhartha gautama with his father, who was a priest who desired that his son also become a holy man.

but siddhartha had other ideas. he wanted to seek and gain enlightenment - his way. when he sought permission to leave home, his father refused.  soon thereafter, siddhartha again requested leave of his father to explore the world, and again he was refused.

finally he refused to move until permission was granted....so his father waited, while siddhartha stood, motionless, for a day, and a night, and another day. finally his father, seeing that siddhartha was unwavering, relented, gave permission, and siddartha said farewell, and left...

he sought wisdom as a poor homeless penniless beggar, but didn't find it. he sought enlightenment by marrying a princess and living in extraordinary luxury, but this too proved ineffective. eventually he left his wife , and began wandering alone again, and this time he attracted some fellow travelers, also looking for enlightenment, hoping siddhartha would find and share it with them.

But, eventually, siddhartha's friends became impatient, and decided to go their own way. alone, siddhartha sat down beneath a fruit bearing bodi tree, and sank into deep, pensive thought, letting his mind relax, and empty...

then, it happened. in a sudden flash of incredible insight, siddhartha knew wisdon, knew that he had found, or been given, enlightenment. in his joy, he remembered his friends, who had recently left, and he knew he must go find them, and share his new light.

soon, he caught up with them, and said "you left one day too soon". then, beneath another bodi tree, he explained to them what he had learned, the awareness that had come upon him.

and they were amazed at what they heard, the profound beauty of the sublime message. one of them said to him: "siddhartha, are you an angel?" siddhartha replied "no". another asked : "then are you a god?" again, he replied "no, I am not a god".  still a third question came: "well then, what are you?"  to which siddhartah replied "I am awake".

Bb

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