In the city of Sāvatthī in northern India, the Buddha had a
large centre where people would come to meditate and to listen to
his Dhamma talks. Every evening one young man used to come to
hear his discourses. For years he came to listen to the Buddha but
never put any of the teaching into practice.
large centre where people would come to meditate and to listen to
his Dhamma talks. Every evening one young man used to come to
hear his discourses. For years he came to listen to the Buddha but
never put any of the teaching into practice.
After a few years, one evening this man came a little early and
found the Buddha alone. He approached him and said, “Sir, I have a
question that keeps arising in my mind, raising doubts.”
“Oh? There should not be any doubts on the path of Dhamma;
have them clarified. What is your question?”
“Sir, for many years now I have been coming to your meditation
center, and I have noticed that there are a large number of recluses
around you, monks and nuns, and a still larger number of lay people,
both men and women. For years some of them have been coming to
you. Some of them, I can see, have certainly reached the final stage;
quite obviously they are fully liberated. I can also see that others
have experienced some change in their lives. They are better than
they were before, although I cannot say that they are fully liberated.
But sir, I also notice that a large number of people, including
myself, are as they were, or sometimes they are even worse. They
have not changed at all, or have not changed for the better
“Why should this be, sir? People come to you, such a great man,
fully enlightened, such a powerful, compassionate person. Why
don't you use your power and compassion to liberate them all?”
found the Buddha alone. He approached him and said, “Sir, I have a
question that keeps arising in my mind, raising doubts.”
“Oh? There should not be any doubts on the path of Dhamma;
have them clarified. What is your question?”
“Sir, for many years now I have been coming to your meditation
center, and I have noticed that there are a large number of recluses
around you, monks and nuns, and a still larger number of lay people,
both men and women. For years some of them have been coming to
you. Some of them, I can see, have certainly reached the final stage;
quite obviously they are fully liberated. I can also see that others
have experienced some change in their lives. They are better than
they were before, although I cannot say that they are fully liberated.
But sir, I also notice that a large number of people, including
myself, are as they were, or sometimes they are even worse. They
have not changed at all, or have not changed for the better
“Why should this be, sir? People come to you, such a great man,
fully enlightened, such a powerful, compassionate person. Why
don't you use your power and compassion to liberate them all?”
The Buddha smiled and said, “Young man, where do you live?
What is your native place?”
“Sir, I live here in Sāvatthī, this capital city of the state of
Kosala.”
“Yes, but your facial features show that you are not from this part
of the country. Where are you from originally?”
“Sir, I am from the city of Rājagaha, the capital of the state of
Magadha. I came and settled here in Sāvatthī a few years ago.”
“And have you severed all connections with Rājagaha?”
“No sir, I still have relatives there. I have friends there. I have
business there.”
“Then certainly you must go from Savatthī to Rājagaha quite
often?”
“Yes sir. Many times each year I visit Rājagaha and return to
Sāvatthī.”
“Having traveled and returned so many times on the path from
here to Rājagaha, certainly you must know the path very well?”
“Oh yes, sir, I know it perfectly. I might almost say that even if I
was blindfolded I could find the path to Rājagaha, so many times
have I walked it.”
“And your friends, those who know you well, certainly they must
know that you are from Rājagaha and have settled here? They must
know that you often visit Rājagaha and return, and that you know
the path from here to Rājagaha perfectly?”
“Oh yes, sir. All those who are close to me know that I often go
to Rājagaha and that I know the path perfectly.”
“Then it must happen that some of them come to you and ask you
to explain to them the path from here to Rājagaha. Do you hide
anything or do you explain the path to them clearly?”
“What is there to hide, sir? I explain it to them as clearly as I can:
you start walking towards the east and then head towards Banaras,
and continue onward until you reach Gaya and then Rājagaha. I
explain it very plainly to them sir.”
“And these people to whom you give such clear explanation, do
all of them reach Rājagaha?”
“How can that be, sir? Those who walk the entire path to its end,
only they will reach Rājagaha.”
“This is what I want to explain to you, young man. People keep
coming to me knowing that this is someone who has walked the path
from here to nibbāna and so knows it perfectly. They come to me
and ask, ‘What is the path to nibbāna, to liberation?' And what is
there to hide? I explain it to them clearly: ‘This is the path.' If
somebody just nods his head and says, ‘Well said, well said, a very
good path, but I won't take a step on it; a wonderful path, but I won't
take the trouble to walk over it,' then how can such a person reach
the final goal?”
coming to me knowing that this is someone who has walked the path
from here to nibbāna and so knows it perfectly. They come to me
and ask, ‘What is the path to nibbāna, to liberation?' And what is
there to hide? I explain it to them clearly: ‘This is the path.' If
somebody just nods his head and says, ‘Well said, well said, a very
good path, but I won't take a step on it; a wonderful path, but I won't
take the trouble to walk over it,' then how can such a person reach
the final goal?”
“I do not carry anyone on my shoulders to take him to the final
goal. Nobody can carry anyone else on his shoulders to the final
goal. At most, with love and compassion one can say, ‘Well, this is
the path, and this is how I have walked on it. You also work, you
also walk, and you will reach the final goal.' But each person has to
walk himself, has to take every step on the path himself. He who has
taken one step on the path is one step nearer the goal. He who has
taken a hundred steps is a hundred steps nearer the goal. He who has
taken all the steps on the path has reached the final goal. You have
to walk on the path yourself." ~ Goenka, The Art of Living
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