The Ascetic and the Rich Man: A Lesson in True Happiness

Once, the Bodhisatta was an ascetic living in the serene Himalayas. One day, he traveled to the city to gather salt and seasonings, and he spent the night in the royal park. The next day, a wealthy man, impressed by the ascetic’s peaceful and noble presence, approached him and offered to provide him with food and anything else he needed as long as he stayed in the city. The two men quickly became close friends.

The rich man, curious about the ascetic life, assumed it was a life of hardship and deprivation. He began to urge the Bodhisatta to abandon his austere lifestyle, reminding him of the pleasures of the householder’s life—luxurious comforts, rich food, and abundant drink. He even offered to give the Bodhisatta half of his wealth if he would renounce his ascetic ways and live with him in luxury.

The Bodhisatta responded with calm wisdom, explaining that the rich man’s view was clouded by ignorance and greed. He explained that the worldly life was in fact full of misery because it involved endless desires, competition, and the need to deceive others to get ahead. True peace and happiness, the Bodhisatta explained, could only be found in renunciation and the path of wisdom.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

The rich man in the story was an earlier incarnation of a friend of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s most devoted disciples. One day, this friend invited Ananda to his home, where he served him lavish food and attempted to persuade him to leave the sangha and live a life of luxury with him. He even offered to give Ananda half of his wealth if he would abandon the monastic life.

Ananda, however, refused the offer, explaining that desire leads to suffering and that true happiness lies in the pursuit of spiritual awakening, not material wealth. When Ananda later returned to the Buddha and shared what had happened, the Buddha told him this story to show that his friend had once tried the same thing with him in a past life.

Moral:

1. Desire Leads to Suffering: The rich man’s attempt to tempt the Bodhisatta away from his ascetic life demonstrates how worldly desires—luxuries, comfort, and wealth—are not the path to true happiness. The Bodhisatta’s wisdom reveals that such desires inevitably lead to suffering, because they create endless attachments and struggles.
2. The Illusion of the Worldly Life: The rich man’s insistence on the pleasures of the household life reflects the misconception that wealth and luxury can bring peace. The Bodhisatta’s response teaches that the worldly life is filled with deceit, competition, and the pursuit of fleeting pleasures, while the life of renunciation offers true inner peace and freedom from attachment.
3. True Peace in Renunciation: The Bodhisatta’s life as an ascetic is a model of peace through renunciation. His rejection of material wealth and comforts shows that true peace and fulfillment come not from external possessions but from internal wisdom and detachment.
4. The Power of Wisdom Over Greed: The Bodhisatta’s wisdom in the face of temptation highlights the importance of seeing beyond the surface of material life. While the rich man was blinded by greed, the Bodhisatta was able to see the emptiness of worldly pursuits and the lasting value of spiritual practice.
5. Continuity of Karma: The story also highlights the continuity of karma and how actions and tendencies from past lives can manifest in later ones. The rich man, in this case, has not changed his views on the value of wealth and comfort, showing that deep-seated desires can persist through lifetimes until wisdom and insight allow them to be transcended.

Lesson: This Jataka teaches that worldly wealth and pleasure cannot bring lasting happiness. True contentment comes from renouncing attachment to desires and pursuing wisdom and inner peace. It also shows that material wealth and desire often blind us to the deeper truths of life, and that wisdom gained through spiritual practice is the key to freedom and lasting happiness.