Near Rajagaha there were two villages called Upatissa and Kolita. The headmen of these two villages were also know by these two names. Both the families were very close friends.
One day Upatissa’s wife, Sari, gave birth to a son. On the same day Kolita’s wife, Moggali, also gave birth to a son. Upatissa’s son, and Kolita’s son was known as Kolita or Moggali Putta – Moggali’s son or Moggallana. Both the sons were extremely friendly from their childhood.
When they grew up both of them used to watch dramas. One day while watching a drama called Giragga Samajja – mountain festival – young Kolita and Upatissa decide to leave home in order to seek greater happiness than watching a drama.
Now about this time there was staying near Rajagaha a famous religious teacher called Sanjaya. These two close friends went to him to seek advice. After some time they were not satisfied at all with the teaching of this master and stopped going to him. They wanted to know something more than what their teacher knew and taught. They asked to be taught the way of deathlessness. And they promised each other they would both search and study and meditate with all their power and to try to find the Truth of life, and whichever of them found it first, he would let the other know.
One morning, as Upatissa was in the main street of Rajagaha, he saw at some distance away, an ascetic going round from door to door begging alms of food. And as he looked at him, he was very pleased with everything about him. The unknown ascetic seemed to him to be most modest, so calm and collected in his way of walking along and standing still while the people brought out food from their houses and put it in the bowl. But when he had come nearer, his admiration of the ascetic was turned into wonder and reverence, for there was a look in his face such as he had never seen on the face of any ascetic before – a look of perfect peace, as of as smooth undisturbed lake under a calm, clear sky.
“Who is this?”
said Upatissa to himself.
“This ascetic must be one who has found what I am seeking, or else he must be the pupil of such a one. I wonder who is his teacher. Whose teaching can it be that he follows?”
I must go after him and find out.
When the ascetic had gone round all the houses, and now was going out of the city gate, Upatissa went up to him, and humbly spoke to him thus,
“Your coming and going, brother, are so pleasant. Your face is so clear and bright; Who is your teacher, Sir? What is your teacher’s name, Sir? What is he teaching Sir?”
“I can soon tell you that, brother”
said the ascetic happily.
“There is a great ascetic of the Sakya race who has left his home and country behind in order to follow the homeless life. And it is to follow him that I have left my home. He is my teacher. It is His teaching that I follow and practice.”
“And what is that teaching, Sir? What is it that your master preaches? I also would like to know it.”
said Upatissa eagerly, thinking that perhaps at last now he was going to hear from this ascetic about the Truth of life for which he and his friend Kolita had been looking for so long.
“I am only a newcomer into the monk’s life of the Buddha”
replied the ascetic modestly.
“It is only very recently since I began to study Buddha’s teachings, so I do not know very much yet about His Teachings. I cannot explain it to you in every little point. But if you want I can tell you the summary of it in a few words.”
“That is all I want, brother.”
said Upatissa quickly.
“Tell me the summary. The summary is just what I want. What need to make a lot of words about it?”
“Very well, then”
said the ascetic
“listen!”
The Buddha taught:
“There is a cause of everything,
The Buddha knows it;
He also knows that if there is no cause there is no result,
That is what he teaches.”
Assaji was the name of this ascetic whom Upatissa met and spoke to. Assaji was one of the first five monks who listened to the Buddha’s first sermon.
Venerable Assaji spoke only two lines, but Upatissa was so clever that he understand the other two lines and the meaning of the whole stanza. He realized the Truth that everything that ever has come into existence, or ever will come into existence, must pass away. And he said to the ascetic;
“If this is the doctrine you have learned from your teacher, then indeed you have found the state that is free from sorrow, free from death which has not been made known to men for ages and ages.”
Then he thanked him, paid him due respect and took leave of him. Off he went to find his friend Kolita and to bring him the great news that at last he had found what they wanted.
After a while he met his friend and before he spoke a word Kolita said:
“Why, brother, how clear and shining your face is! Can it be, brother, that at last you have found ‘The Truth of life’ we both ave been seeking so long?”
“It is so, brother; it is so”
was Upatissa’s glad reply.
“I have found the Truth of life.”
“But how, brother, how?”
Kolita asked eagerly.
When Upatissa explained to him how he got it, Kolita too realized the Truth of life and both of them went to see the Buddha. As they had already known His teaching it was very easy for the Buddha to make them monks. In a short time the Buddha made them His chief disciples. Sariputta’s wisdom and Moggalana’s miraculous power are well know in Buddhist history.
