The Great Sage

In one of his lives, the Bodhisattva came back as Jotipala, the son of a priest. He grew up to be a skilful archer and was recruited by the king for a salary or a thousand rupees a day. This made the other servants of the king jealous and they started hating Jotipala for his success.

Their behavior greatly disturbed Jotipala and he often wondered, “Why do people hate each other?” In due course, the king made Jotipala the chief archer. But before accepting his new post Jotipala came to the realization that all evil is caused by worldly attachments and decided to go into deep meditation in the forest.

Thus at midnight he dressed in plain saffron robes and left his house in search of the truth. He built a hut in the midst of a dense forest and started living the life of an ascetic. Soon many people including his parents and the king joined him as followers and thus Jotipala became a famous sage.

The author of this story is unknown and greatly appreciated!