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BUDDHISM
99
Yasa, the son of the rich banker of Benaras was his first lay disciple and the story of the conversion of this young man, nurtured in the lap of luxury and wealth, is worth repeating. He had three palaces, one for winter, one for summer, one for rainy season. One night he woke from sleep and found the female musicians still sleeping in the room with their dress and musical instruments in disorder. He became disgusted with what he saw and in a moment of deep thoughtfulness said, “ Alas, what distress, alas! what danger.” And he left the house and went out. It was dawn and Gautama was walking up and down in open air and heard the perplexed and sorrowful young man exclaiming these words. He replied, “Here is no distress, Yasa. Here is no danger. Come here, Yasa. Sit down. I will teach you the truth.” And Yasa heard the truth from the saintly teacher and became converted. Yasa's father, mother and wife all went to Gautama and listened to the holy truth. Yasa became a personal follower of Gautama, the other three remained his disciples.
Within 5 months of his arrival at Benaras, Gautama had sixty followers. And now he called them together and dismissed them in different directions to preach the truth for the salvation of mankind. “Go you now, O Bhikkhus, and wander for the gain of the many, for the welfare of gods and men. Let not two of you go the same way. Preach, O Bikkhus, the doctrine which is glorious in the beginning, glorious in the middle, glorious in the end, in the spirit and in the letter; proclaim a consummate, perfect and pure life of holiness."
At Uruvela, Gautama converted three brothers named Kashyapa who worshipped fire in the Vedic form and had high reputation as hermits and philosophers. The eldest brother Uruvela Kashyapa and his pupils
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