The deliverance of Yasas
Early one morning, the Buddha was taking a stroll by the river when
suddenly a youth was seen running frantically from a distance towards his
direction. The young man kept shouting:" How I've suffered! How I've
suffered!"
When the youth came past the Buddha, the Buddha
cast a compassionate and sympathetic glance at him. At first the young man
looked at the Buddha in suspicion, but was then captivated by the Buddha's
distinguished appearance. Kneeling before the Buddha, he said:" Are you
the magnanimous and compassionate Buddha? Please save me! I am Yasas, and I have been rendered so restless by the hardship
of life. During daytime, I am so disturbed by the material concerns of profits
and entertainment that I do not have time to rest. In the evenings, I have been
indulging in singing and dancing orgies for so long that I cannot derive any
interest from them anymore. Last night, when everybody had left and I was
dragging my exhausted body onto the bed, I had a horrible dream which kept me
up for the rest of the night. As I got out of bed and walked into another room,
I saw my favourite dancer flirting with one of the musicians. I could not
contain myself as the flame of my detestation flared up inside of me. I became
berserk as I ran out of my house in the middle of the night. Although I did not
know where I was going, a mysterious force seemed to be pushing me all the way
until I reached the river at dawn. I can see that you must be the one whom
everyone calls the enlightened Buddha. I beg of you to save me from this
turmoil within me!"
The Buddha gently caressed Yasas,
and said:" Good young man! I am the Buddha you said. Do not feel troubled
anymore. You can calm down now to consider whether there is ever a party which
never ends, or beloved ones who can be forever with you. Do not be sad, as
everything in the world is an illusion. Everything is impermanent. We cannot
even rely on our own bodies, let alone on others. The time has come for you to
be delivered. So, let go of everything!"
The Dharma voice of the Buddha was like sweet dew
which quenched the flames of rage in Yasas' mind. He
looked again at the Buddha's kind face, and was moved to tears. Kneeling on the
ground, he begged the Buddha to let him renounce.
The Buddha mercifully gazed at Yasas,
and said:" Yasas! You better go home immediately
because your parents are worried about you. You do not have to leave home to
renounce. Some people who are wearing the robe of renunciation actually have
their minds tainted of worldly emotions. Although they live in the depths of
the forests, they have never forgotten fame and fortune. Can this be called
renunciation? On the contrary, those who are clad in exquisite attire ornated with jewels may have minds of pure brightness. They
may be the ones who can subdue the defilements and treat others with
equanimity. They may even preach the world with the Truth. These are the really
renounced ones. Why do you have to insist on renunciation?"
" Buddha! Your revelation on renunciation is
comprehensible to me, and I can accept it. I only implore the Buddha to let me
be a renouncer of defilements, a messenger of the
Truth and a follower of the Buddha."
The Buddha finally succumbed to Yasas'
earnestness, and allowed him to join the Sangha to be
a propagator of the Truth.