Gautama Buddha's personality (4) Leaving the family life
After worrying a long time, Gautama Buddha decided to leave his family life to become a religious monk. The leaving of family life suggests that a man or a woman becomes a monk, or a nun, for pursuing a religious truth. I suppose that Gautama Buddha had worried so much whether it is too immoral for him to leave his family without supporting them. But it was impossible for him to stop pursuing the Truth, which was his own dream for so long: to save human beings in the world through finding and sharing the real Truth of the world. Then, when he was 29 years old, one night he ordered his servant, called Channa, to bring a white horse to a garden in the castle, and Gautama Buddha left the castle secretly without anything said to his family. The servant Channa followed Gautama Bhuddha to a forest called Anupiya, but Gautama Buddha ordered Channa to go back to Gautama Buddha's parents, taking with him Gautama Buddha's gorgeous clothes as an article left by the departed. And Gautama Buddha went ahead for his research of the Truth.
posted by GUDO NISHIJIMA | 9:10 AM
5 Comments:
That would be a ruff decision to leave your loved ones. But I always thought Buddha knew that his family members would suffer and die also. Which propelled him to go find the truth so he could not only help his family but the whole world. It is a bigger quest then just living life supporting his family.
Hello everyone:
This part of Buddha's story used to bother me, in two ways.
First, it seemed cold to leave one's family. And second, I wasn't going to be leaving mine (so how was I going to be able to follow him?). I've since stopped caring.
On his leaving his family, it did lead to his finding the Big T Truth -- and it's just a story. A phrase I picked up on this blog (and liked) is: what possible effect could that have on my practice?
And as for following the Buddha's path, well, he lived then and I live now. I'm pretty sure that if the Buddha had come these days, he'd have a job. Maybe at a cosmetics company, or something in entertainment.
Thank you again, Master Nishijima, I appreciate your effort.
Rob Robbins
The story might point to the fact that having a family and living a life in search of an ultimate truth are mutually exclusive callings. I mean who can get in any quality pondering with a nagging wife and screaming kids around? Another problem is a loving wife can be a pretty enjoyable thing to have. You can get very attached to that kind of comfort.
If Buddha would not have left his family then we wouldn't be able to practice the truth now based on his teaching while staying with are family. It's fine to practice Buddhism with a family. Some people may find it's suites them to practice like a monk. No Problem.
Check out Dipa Ma. She got real far (not so long ago) while living the householder life and raising her daughter.
http://www.dipama.org
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