Have you heard about Upatissa and Kolita? They were highly accomplished in worldly knowledge. They were wealthy sons, not ordinary merchants as we know today. #They_were_titled_merchants' sons. They conducted trade between villages, cities, and countries.
In their city, there was a hilltop festival during the full moon of Tazaungmon (November). It was a celebration where young men and women enjoyed themselves, with beauty contests and such. People wore golden necklaces, diamond necklaces, wearing diamond fabric, jade fabric, and silk fabric. They returned to the city for the festival.
Arriving late at the city gates, they rested and ate before heading to the festival pavilion. The townspeople were already there. When these two merchant sons arrived, the crowd #automatically_made_way for them.
When they reached the center of the pavilion, didn't they look in all four directions? Some people in the crowd remarked, "Oh, these two merchant sons must be looking for their sweethearts" or "They must be looking for their musical companions."
The two merchant sons looked around #with_spiritual_urgency (saṃvega ñāṇa). "Friend, look - there are over forty thousand people here. Let's consider a lifespan of one hundred years" (during the Buddha's time, that was the average lifespan). They asked each other, "How old are we now?"
"We're twenty-one years old, so about eighty years remain. Those who are eighty have twenty years left, those ninety have ten years left, those ninety-nine have one year left, and those who are ninety-nine years and eleven months have only one month left." See how they #contemplated_death_by_counting_backwards? Can anyone escape aging, sickness, and death?
Then Upatissa asked Kolita, "I've been thinking - where there is aging, there must be non-aging; where there is sickness, there must be non-sickness; where there is death, there must be deathlessness. Should we die pursuing wealth, or should we die seeking the Dhamma?"
#They_decided_to_die_seeking_Dhamma, not while pursuing wealth. These days, people want to die after making money, but while seeking Dhamma, one doesn't die - think about this, study this. Isn't this worth examining? We need to understand this deeply.
Consider this - can we take any of our gold, silver, or jewels #when_we_die? We can't take anything. Even with clothes, they'll change them to inferior ones before taking the body. If the clothes are too new, they'll change them. Isn't this worth considering?
We can't take anything with us, but don't wholesome and unwholesome deeds follow us? That can't be avoided. #Unwholesome_deeds_definitely_follow. Isn't this worth studying? This is how they calculated death.
They didn't watch the festival that day but returned home. After sleeping and asking their parents' permission, they left to seek the Dhamma. After traveling for two or three nights, they saw the Venerable Sañjaya walking in meditation near his monastery.
As travelers, Upatissa and Kolita paid respects to him. Venerable Sañjaya greeted them, "Young devotees, where are you going, where have you come from?" They replied, "We've come seeking the Dhamma of non-aging, non-sickness, and non-death."
"I teach those very things," said Venerable Sañjaya. Weren't they overjoyed to hear this? They said, "Venerable Sir, please accept us as your disciples, like your own sons, and guide us from wrong to right." They #entrusted_their_aggregates (became disciples).
Under his guidance, they practiced for one month but didn't find what they sought, then a year passed, and even after six years, they hadn't found it. Such patience they had - six years! I wouldn't last even a month, I'd leave if I didn't find what I was seeking. #Their_patience_was_remarkable.
When they discussed with other yogis, they never found anything beyond what they already knew. After various discussions, they concluded, "Surely our teacher himself doesn't truly know the Dhamma." #They_had_made_their_assessment.
"Our teacher himself doesn't truly know the Dhamma." So they asked permission to leave. After walking two or three miles, they came to a fork in the road. #We've_spent_enough_time_together. "You take the left path, I'll take the right.
If you find the supreme Dhamma, teach it to me, and if I find it, I'll teach you" - didn't they make this agreement? They did. That's how they parted ways. I think about this - I wouldn't dare go alone, I'd have to follow you. I wouldn't be brave enough.
Were their levels of faith equal? #Wasn't_their_desire_to_know_Dhamma_intense? #Did_they_still_have_any_fears_about_their_bodies? Isn't this worth examining? How inspiring this is!
When they reached near Rajagaha, the Buddha had sent out his disciples. Among the five ascetics (Pañcavaggi) - Kondañña, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama, and Assaji - it was Venerable Assaji's turn for alms round. Seeing his deportment, Upatissa thought, "This person is no ordinary being.
Among all the monks I've seen, none have such excellent deportment." #Wasn't_he_evaluating_the_deportment? Should he ask or not? Should he approach or not? "If I ask now, I might delay his alms round and cause him trouble," so he hesitated.
So when entering the city, he followed at a distance, about ten arm-lengths away. When Assaji left the city with his alms food, at about two furlongs' distance, didn't he call out, "Please wait, Venerable Sir, please wait"? And he stopped.
"Venerable Sir, since before you entered the city, I observed your deportment and concluded you must have attained something special. What teachings do you study?" Didn't he ask this? "We study the aggregates, sense bases, elements, noble truths, and dependent origination."
"Who is your teacher?" he asked. "The Buddha Gotama." His teacher was the Buddha! The five ascetics took turns collecting alms - when one collected, it was enough for six including the Buddha. They never missed teaching or listening to Dhamma. Isn't this worth examining?
Then he requested, "Venerable Sir, may I hear a teaching?" "Friend, I've only been a monk for seven days. I can't teach in detail yet." #Hadn't_he_completed_his_own_task? #But_he_still_needed_to_learn_how_to_teach_others.
"Venerable Sir, I don't need grammar, syntax, or linguistics. If you could just show me the essence, whether brief or detailed, #I_need_to_see_the_core_meaning. Isn't this why the ancient teachers would extract ten meanings from one verse?"
They would explain the meaning comprehensibly. Then Venerable Assaji recited: "Ye dhammā hetuppabhavā, tesaṃ hetuṃ tathāgato āha, tesañca yo nirodho, evaṃvādī mahāsamaṇo" - this was his verse.
Venerable Assaji hadn't finished the verse - "Ye dhammā hetuppabhavā, tesaṃ hetuṃ tathāgato āha" - when Upatissa said, "Stop, stop, Venerable Sir, you'll get tired. #I_understand_it_all!" The listener had understood!
The teacher had to stop! Isn't it amazing? The listener said he understood everything in just two minutes. Two minutes! How remarkable! Isn't this worth contemplating?
Now, arising and passing away - this is #looking_through_wisdom_glasses. When there's eye-sensitivity, doesn't it contact visible objects? Doesn't seeing consciousness arise? #Is_it_'I'_who_sees_or_seeing_consciousness? Do people see or is it just seeing of forms?
Look in all directions - east, west, north, south, up, down - #do_you_find_anything_other_than_forms? This arises from contact between two physical elements. Is it beings or just forms? Are cities and countries anything other than forms?
When analyzing the aggregates, this is #rūpakkhandha (form aggregate). Like bubbles in a stream or river, whether taught or not, it's there. When someone truly sees and understands this, will craving and attachment still arise? No more. Isn't this worth examining?
In what is seen and observed, is there anything to love? Anything to hate? #It's_free_from_love_and_hate. That's why it's taught that equanimous feeling arises in the eye, ear, nose, and tongue. Isn't it free from love and hate? Yes, it is.
Looking further, don't these phenomena disappear after being seen? #When_it_vanishes_do_you_find_aggregates_or_non-existence? Isn't non-existence taught as anicca (impermanence)? Isn't knowing taught as magga (path)? How clear this is!
Now, does the avijjā (ignorance) that wrongly perceives beings and persons cease or not? Does the avijjā that wrongly perceives human, deva, and brahma happiness cease or not? #Avijjā_has_ceased.
When avijjā ceases, do taṇhā (craving) and upādāna (clinging) that arise together with avijjā still come? Isn't it taught that when the root dies, the branches wither? When one knows it as suffering, doesn't avijjā cease? Avijjā has ceased indeed. Isn't this worth examining?
When there's no avijjā, where would taṇhā come from? Would taṇhā arise when something is seen as suffering? #Taṇhā_comes_when_seeing_happiness. It comes when seeing happiness in terms of beings and persons. When something is seen as suffering, can taṇhā arise? It cannot arise at all.
#Don't_they_say_taṇhā_dies? #This_is_what's_meant_by_transcending_vedanā (feeling). They teach it as transcending vedanā. Isn't this worth examining? Does 2 still lead to 3? If eye-consciousness doesn't lead from 2 to 3, would ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind-consciousness do so? Is there anything else besides this? No, there isn't...
This story is found in the Vinaya Mahāvagga (Vin I 39-44) and represents one of the most significant conversion stories in early Buddhism, leading to Sāriputta becoming one of the Buddha's chief disciples.
