Glimpse into the moment when Buddha left severe austerity

The meal Sujātā provided was no ordinary sustenance. It restored his strength, and from that moment on, Siddhartha abandoned the path of extreme asceticism

By Don de Silva 

The story begins by the mighty Nerańjarā River, just outside the village of Bakraour, in Gaya, State of Bihar, India, where a majestic banyan tree stood. Just opposite, about a mile away as directly as the crow flies, from the Mahābodhi Temple, over on the other side of the river. 

Under its sprawling branches sat a man — emaciated, and worn by years of severe austerities. His hair black and long, his robes threadbare, he sat unmoving. The Boddhisatta, the seeker, Siddhartha Gautama, a former prince of the Sakyan kingdom, had come close to the very edge of life in his search for truth. 

Years of unrelenting deprivation had left his body frail. His struggle for liberation from the suffering of the world had taken him to the brink of death.

In the Majjima Nikaya, Middle Length Discourses 36, the Buddha recalls a pivotal moment to leave austerity. He recalls a time when, as a young boy, meditating: “I entered and remained in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected.”

The suttacentral.com explains the moment: “The gentle and pleasant practice of jhāna is contrasted with the fiery austerities. …This showed him that peace of mind is a natural process of letting go, not dependent on metaphysics.”

The Buddha continues in the Majjima Nikaya 36:

“Then I thought,

Tassa mayhaṁ, aggivessana, etadahosi:

‘I can’t achieve that pleasure with a body so excessively emaciated. Why don’t I eat some solid food, some rice and porridge?’ 

‘na kho taṁ sukaraṁ sukhaṁ adhigantuṁ evaṁ adhimattakasimānaṁ pattakāyena, yannūnāhaṁ oḷārikaṁ āhāraṁ āhāreyyaṁ odanakummāsan’ti.’

So I ate some solid food.

So kho ahaṁ, aggivessana, oḷārikaṁ āhāraṁ āhāresiṁ odanakummāsaṁ.”

After eating solid food and gathering my strength, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskilful qualities, I entered and remained in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected.

So kho ahaṁ, aggivessana, oḷārikaṁ āhāraṁ āhāretvā, balaṁ gahetvā, vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihāsiṁ.

How did the Buddha obtain solid food? 

How did the Buddha obtain “solid food”? 

We turn to an astute and devout woman named Sujātā. And, she was not a “milk-maid” as some articles would have us believe. 

According to the Nidanakatha of the Jātakakathā, translated by the Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar, NA Jayawikrama, published by the Pali Text Society, she was born to a well-to-do family in the village of Senäni in Uruvela (Gaya) and then became the wife of a landowner and a farmer, who had some 1,000 herd of cattle.

The banyan tree, standing tall near the riverbank, was her shrine. She had made the following vow: “If I marry a member of a family of equal rank and succeed in obtaining a son as my first child I will make an annual sacrifice to you spending a hundred thousand.” Her wishes fulfilled, she prepared to give her thanks. She has prepared milk-rice. 

It was early morning, the air still cool, and she turned to her faithful servant Punnā. “Punnā,” Sujātā said, “Go to the tree. Prepare the space for the offering.”

Punnā made her way toward the tree. The path was familiar. But that morning, something was different. The light of dawn was gentle. As she neared the banyan tree, she stopped abruptly. There, beneath its branches, sat not the deity, but a man, with a thin frame.

When Punnā saw the Boddhisatta, overcome with fervour, she ran back to Sujātā, says the Nidanakatha. “Our deity,” she reported, “has come down from the tree. He waits beneath its shade.”

Sujātā and Punnā, carrying food, approached the tree. The emaciated figure radiated a sense of remarkable presence. His suffering was visible; yet his face was serene. 

The Boddhisatta, took the bowl of rice, knowing that this moment marked the turning point of his life. According to Yamaka Vagga, this memorable day was: “early in the morning on the day of full moon of the month Visākhā he ate rice-porridge presented to him by Sujāta.”

Mn 36 says that the Boddhisatta was accompanied by five mendicants, who were also practising austerity towards enlightenment. When they saw him taking nourishment they left disappointed. The Buddha reported them as saying: 

“The ascetic Gotama has become indulgent; he has strayed from the struggle and returned to indulgence.

‘bāhulliko samaṇo gotamo, padhānavibbhanto, āvatto bāhullāyā’ti.”

The meal Sujātā provided was no ordinary sustenance. It restored his strength, and from that moment on, Siddhartha abandoned the path of extreme asceticism: liberation was not to be found in the destruction of the body, but in the balance of the mind.

Later, Sujātā adopted Punnā. I think both Sujātā and Punnā and householders of the village continued to serve the Bodhisattva, providing further meals and shelter to get his strength back as he prepared for his great realisation.

Temple and stupa

In honour of Sujātā’s profound act of kindness, a small temple, was erected, next to a banyan tree, now revered as Sujātā’s shrine. 

Not very far from the temple stands the Sujātā stupa.

Devotees visit the location, where the Buddha’s journey toward enlightenment was sustained. It stands today as a quiet monument to the power of dana, acts of compassion, in transforming the course of history.

Sujātā and Punnā are remembered not just for their act of charity, but for their essential part in helping the seeker, who would awaken the world.

Sources: 

Jataka Commentary in Jatakatthakatha, Nidanakatha, The Story of Gotama Buddha, vol.1 - N A Jayawickrama (294p)

Yamaka Vagga, Book I. Pairs, Yamaka Vagga I. 8. The Chief Disciples Aggasāvakavatthu (11-12)

Majjima Nikaya, Middle Length Discourses 36: The Longer Discourse With Saccaka Mahāsaccakasutta