Once upon a time, Prince Siddhartha, son of King Suddhodana, reached the age of nineteen. Harboring the desire to renounce the world, he sought an audience with his father. His presence was as majestic as Indra paying homage to Brahma (both deities who are protectors in Buddhism).
Brahma
The ministers informed the king of the prince’s arrival. Though often weighed down by worry, the king was overjoyed to see his son. Siddhartha bowed deeply in reverence, and the king embraced him and had him seated.
Once seated, Siddhartha spoke to his father:
“Separation is inevitable in the bonds of love and attachment. I humbly ask for your permission to renounce this world. I wish to learn the path and discover how to escape the suffering of parting from loved ones that everyone endures.”
Hearing this, the king felt a deep sorrow, as if Mount Meru (the cosmic mountain at the center of the world) had been shattered into pieces. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he could no longer remain seated. Grasping Siddhartha’s hands, he pleaded with tears in his eyes, “Do not say such things.”
Seeing his father’s tears, Siddhartha realized that his request would not be granted and returned to his palace. Yet, his longing to renounce the world remained unwavering.
The king ordered his ministers to fortify the gates of the castle on all sides. It is said that the sound of the gates being locked could be heard from forty li (approximately 156 km) away.
Siddhartha’s wife, Yasodhara, had three dreams.
In one, the moon fell to the ground.
In another, her teeth crumbled and fell out.
In the third, she lost her right forearm from the elbow down.
Upon waking, she told Siddhartha of these dreams.
“What could they mean?” she asked.
Siddhartha replied:
“The moon remains in the sky, your teeth are intact, and your arm is still there. These are merely dreams, not omens. There is no need to fear.”
Siddhartha had three other consorts. Each had her own chamber, attended by twenty thousand maidservants.
A celestial being entered the palace and, using divine powers, caused the maidservants’ appearances and clothing to become disheveled.
Some cast off their garments and lay asleep with their eyes open, resembling lifeless corpses. Others sprawled on their backs with limbs outstretched, mouths agape. Still others had stripped off their ornaments and lay covered in filth, defiling themselves with urine and feces.
Carrying a lamp, Siddhartha walked through the chambers and observed their disheveled state.
“Women are unclean and wretched in this way,” he reflected. “There is no reason to feel attached to such things.”
Siddhartha(Rubin Museum of Art,NY)
[Translation]
Siro Inuzuka
This text was created by using ChatGPT-4o to translate a modern Japanese translation into English, and then making some modifications. There may be errors in the English expressions. Please correct any mistakes.
[Cooperation]
Shinichi Kusano
●Japanese
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