Devadatta shot a goose flying overhead. The Bodhisattva removed the arrow and bandaged the wound, saying that it did not
belong to him who had taken its life, but to him who had saved it.
The Bodhisattva (Buddha in the making) saw that all are subject to old age, disease and death, and that the ascetic must forsake the world. King Bimbisara offered him everything that would make his life agreeable, but the Bodhisattva replied that the world’s treasures would not bring him contentment, for he sought to subdue desire, not to indulge it. The Bodhisattva saw that severe asceticism had not brought him any nearer to the truth, so he decided to take some food.
The Buddha thought that the doctrine of cause and effect was too difficult for men to understand, and he decided not to teach it. But Brahma (the lord of the world) argued that since the advent of an enlightened soul is so rare, he should have mercy on the world. The Buddha taught the four truths (
suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, the path) and preached the impermanency of all created things.
The criticism was levelled against the Buddha that he was the savior of men, but not of women. Gautami wanted women to be admitted to the order of ascetics. But the Buddha replied that if women were admitted into the order, the rules of the order would not last for long. However, he was persuaded by Ananda (his most devoted follower) to change his stand and women were later admitted into the order.
Whe the Buddha heard of Kacyap’s use of magic, he forbade the ascetics from showing magical feats. In the words of the Buddha, the virtues of the ascetic must be concealed and his sins made public. But the brahmins of Vaishali, who claimed to be great magicians, felt that the Buddha was depriving them of their popularity. Devadatta wanted to acquire magical powers as well, but the Buddha told him to devote himself to virtue and to acquiring spiritual insight.
Prince Jeta asked the king who his enemies were, the king of Kosala answered that the Cakyas (the kinsmen of the Buddha) were his enemies. “If the Cakyas are your enemies, who are your friends?”, Prince Jeta replied. This shows the high esteem in which those associated with the Buddha were held even in those days.
All was not well between the king of Magadha and the Vrijians. Speaking to the noblemen from Magadha, the Buddha told him that as long as the people of Vriji adhered to the rules of welfare taught to them, their prosperity would only increase. The people of Vriji assembled frequently, their plans and undertakings were carried out in harmony, they followed the institutions made by their fellow citizens, their women folk were protected by their relatives and kinsmen, their elders and parents were honoured, their cairns (burial mounds) were revered, and their ascetics received the respect that was due to them.
Tradition holds that there are four life aims: artha (pursuit of wealth), kama (pursuit of desire), dharma (pursuit of duty) and moksha (pursuit of salvation). Unconsciously or consciously, the Indian people adhere to this value system.
The Buddha was a world conqueror not only because he was unvanquished in debate and discussion, but because he had gained mastery over the five vices (lust, anger, greed, pride, and ignorance), which is very difficult to achieve in this Kaliyuga or age of materialism. At the same time, in common with many other religious traditions, Buddhists also consider truth to be their highest calling.