Bodhisatta’s Vision: The Naked Ascetic’s Redemption

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was once a naked ascetic who lived a life of extreme austerity and self-mortification deep in the forest. He was dirty, emaciated, and alone, driven by a quest to learn the truth about life through these harsh practices. His diet consisted of small fish, cow dung, and other refuse, and he fled whenever other humans came near.Despite the harsh conditions, including sleeping out in the open during the snows of winter and in a thicket during the heat of summer to avoid cooling winds, he embraced this insufferable existence for his entire adult life. However, as he lay dying, he had a vision of hell and realized that his life of extreme asceticism had been worthless.After this realization, he died free of his delusions and was reborn in heaven, indicating that the vision had brought him some level of spiritual clarity and redemption.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

This tale has a significant connection to the Buddha’s later life. One of the Buddha’s disciples left the sangha to follow another religious teacher who promoted extreme asceticism. While out on a morning alms round, Sariputta, one of the Buddha’s top disciples, heard this former disciple criticizing the Buddha for not being superhuman and saying that his doctrine did not lead to the destruction of sorrow.When Sariputta told the Buddha what he had heard, the Buddha listed some of his abilities and explained that people who spoke such heresy would be cast into hell if they did not renounce it. To illustrate the ineffectiveness of extreme asceticism, the Buddha told this story of his past life as a repulsive naked ascetic.The Buddha did not identify any earlier births other than his own in this context, focusing instead on the moral lesson and its relevance to the criticism he faced.

Moral

The Lomahamsa Jataka teaches us about the futility of extreme asceticism as a path to spiritual enlightenment. The story emphasizes that such practices, while they may seem rigorous and dedicated, do not necessarily lead to true understanding or liberation. The Bodhisatta’s life as a naked ascetic serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of self-mortification and the importance of following a balanced and wise path, such as the Middle Way taught by the Buddha.This tale underscores the Buddhist principle that true liberation comes from understanding and practicing the Dhamma, rather than through extreme physical or mental austerity. It highlights the importance of rejecting harmful and unproductive practices in favor of a more balanced and compassionate approach to spiritual development.