The methods of his practice were unbelievably rigorous.
He spurred himself on with the thought that "no ascetic
in the past, none in the present, and none in the future,
ever has practised or ever will practise more earnestly than
I do."
Still the Prince could not realize his goal. After six years
in the forest he gave up the practice of asceticism. He
went bathing in the river and accepted a bowl of milk
from the hand of Sujata, a maiden, who lived in the
neighboring village. The five companions who had lived
with the Prince during the six years of his ascetic practice
were shocked that he should receive milk from the hand
of a maiden; they thought him degraded and left him.
Thus the Prince was left alone. He was still weak, but
at the risk of losing his life he attempted yet another
period of meditation, saying to himself, "Blood may become
exhausted, flesh may decay, bones may fall apart, but I
will never leave this place until I find the way to Enlightenment."
It was an intense and incomparable struggle for him.
He was desperate and filled with confusing thoughts,
dark shadows overhung his spirit, and patiently he
examined them one by one and rejected them all.
It was a hard stuggle indeed, making his flesh fall away,
and his bones crack.
But when the moring star appeared in the eastern sky,
the struggle was over and the Prince's mind was as clear
and bright as the breaking day. He had, at last, found
the path to Enlightenment. It was December eighth, when
the Prince became a Buddha at thirty-five years of age.
첫댓글 35살에 나도 절방에서 낑낑대고 있었건만,.... 전생에 많이 닦지 않고 실컷 놀다가 이제서야 해보겠다고 덤비니, 누군들 흉내는 못내랴만 쯧쯧. 어찌 되었든지 부처님의 가르침 만났을 때, 한눈 팔지 말고 부지런히 정진 정진, 앞만 바라보고 가세나.![파이팅](https://t1.daumcdn.net/cafe_image/pie2/texticon/ttc/texticon68.gif)
세번째줄 presento (선물) 오타 12번째줄 shocked (충격) 밑에서 네번째줄 mind(마음) 오타가 있습니다.