Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Page 280

“There are always winners and losers in competition, but that doesn’t mean the losing side wasn’t good enough. Besides, Gautama was absent because he was in a coma, not for any other reason. Devadatta and Siddhartha are the eyes of Devadatta. Siddhartha is the symbol of pride, and Devadatta is dignity.”

It was because of Gavia's words that King Suddhodana's plan succeeded. As for Devadatta's treatment, King Suddhodana also allowed him to ride in a chariot after Gavia's persuasion. After all, he was the first in his class, and Devadatta was naturally very grateful for this. He knew in his heart that if he really competed with Siddhartha, he would have no chance against him.

That night, it snowed heavily.

"What are the boundaries of the palace, Siddhartha?"

"Teacher, all is well."

Siddhartha turned to look at Gavia, “Tomorrow is the victory parade, and I will go outside the palace walls for the first time.”

"Are we finally going out?"

Siddhartha never left the palace. This was because King Suddhodana, in order to ensure that Siddhartha could become a pure Chakravartin, did not hesitate to drive out all the poor and disabled people in the city—in short, all those who looked bad. Even when Siddhartha had to go out, he would make sure that the roads were filled with flowers, people's songs and laughter, so that he could feel the vitality of the world and not see any sad things.

This is an incredibly beautiful world, the world that King Suddhodana created for Gautama to see.

This time, it's the same.

“Yes, I used to learn about the world through you, my teacher, the Vedas and the Upanishads. I could see the whole world as I recounted all the events. But tomorrow I will experience it for myself. The city gates will open for me, and I will see the people of the country.”

The following day, the magnificent capital was filled with flowers and joyful dances.

However, an unexpected incident occurred. An ordinary person came to the front of the group and asked Gautama to rescue his child who had been carried away by a leopard. This was naturally unacceptable to the compassionate Gautama, who immediately left the group and searched for the child in the nearby forest.

The outcome was, of course, a close call. The child was only slightly injured and was taken back to the palace by Gautama, but Gautama was met with only blame.

“You shouldn’t have brought the child here; you could have just handed him over to the guards.”

"That's what King Suddhodana said."

“Father, I couldn’t control myself when I saw my child injured.”

“What about the people? They expect a brave king, not a nice guy. You shouldn’t have abandoned the procession. Even if you really had to go, you could have just killed the leopard. Why bring the child here? The future king should watch his words and actions, Gautama.”

Faced with his father's accusations, Gautama knew he shouldn't argue in front of so many people, so he could only lower his head and silently endure it.

Just then, Gavia, who had just arrived, spoke up.

“Your Majesty, why not listen to the voices within the capital? Everywhere you hear praise for Gautama.”

The wind blows, carrying the sounds of people—

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Long live Gautama!"

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

Such a cry was to be expected. In the eyes of the people, Gautama, who could abandon the procession that was merely a plea for help from the people, must be a good king. However, King Suddhodana remained indifferent.

“Master, Your Majesty cannot be too merciful. Even when surrounded by powerful enemies, you should remain calm. I understand that thoughts change with age, but I did not know that my father’s influence… would gradually diminish.”

"Your Majesty, this is your family matter, and I cannot comment further, but I understand—"

Gavia looked at Gautama, who was slightly raising his head, and smiled gently, "Your child loves his father very much."

Upon being told this, Jingfanwang's expression softened, but he still maintained a tough stance.

So, after taking a deep breath, Gautama said this to King Suddhodana.

"As a child, I would give anything for my parents, even my life—"

Suddenly, a leopard's head was thrown at Gautama's feet. The green-haired youth stared at the leopard's head and trembled slightly.

"This is the head of a wild beast that carried away the child."

Devadatta walked out with a smile.

"What have you done, brother? Didn't you promise me you wouldn't kill it?!"

"Oh? Release it back into the forest."

Devadatta dismissed Gautama's anger with disdain, saying, "Should we let it go and eat people again? These delusional creatures should just die."

“...Brother, they don’t eat people, they are forced by people.”

When Gautama pointed it out, Devadatta, who had been so self-righteous, lost some of his momentum, but he still spoke with unwavering resolve.

"So what? It's already killed a child!"

No, the child is still alive.

"What if you die?"

"Because of doubt, you casually end a life."

"This is called hunting! Siddhartha!"

Devadatta retorted.

"Then, what should I do if I suspect that my brother will seize the throne?"

In an instant, Gautama drew Devadatta's sword, "How about I kill you now?"

This scene instantly drew gasps of amazement from everyone, even the King of Pure Rice couldn't help but shout:

“Siddhartha, is this how you speak to your brother! Put down your sword! Devadatta did the right thing; once animals taste human blood, the village is likely to be destroyed.”

Gautama pursed his lips, and said with deep sorrow and indignation:

“Aren’t we doing the same thing in the name of war, proving our heroism through killing? Because of our fighting, countless others pay the price with their lives. Parents mourn the death of their children, women weep for the tragic death of their lovers, and a casual mention of hunting is enough to put them to death. Is this justice?”

"No, my Devadatta did nothing wrong!"

Devadatta's mother shouted, "Siddhartha, this is your jealousy at work! The responsibilities that should have been borne by the crown prince have been fulfilled by my son, and you not only fail to praise him, but you also draw your sword against him. Is this fair?!"

"Put down your sword! Siddhartha! Get out of here immediately!"

The atmosphere in this magnificent palace was incredibly tense.

Finally, Gavia broke the tension.

"Put it down, Siddhartha."

Upon hearing this, Siddhartha could no longer control himself. He dropped his sword, turned around, picked up the leopard's head, and walked out alone, with Gavia naturally following behind.

Siddhartha came to the forest where the leopard had been captured, and buried it in the soil with his bare hands.

Suddenly, rain began to fall, and in the midst of this downpour, Gautama knelt before the earth. Gavia, seeing this, reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"Teacher, confusion has struck me today: Who am I? Why did I come into this world?"

Gautama's face may have been wet with tears, or simply with rain, or a mixture of both.

Gavia didn't speak, she just gently stroked him.

"Teacher, was it really wrong to stop my brother? Everyone is against me, no one understands me..."

“Siddhartha, the five fingers of a person are all different, and so is human nature. You are compassionate by nature, while Devadatta is not. The leopard takes the child out of instinct, and Devadatta kills it out of his nature. You followed your instinct to save the child, and you have done your best. There is no need to suffer because of the opposition of others.”

"Teacher, if I want to be free from this suffering, is there a wonderful way to find it?"

"Naturally, the nature of animals is hard to change, but human nature can be controlled by oneself. Whether it is good or evil, light or darkness, it all lies in the essence of the heart."

Comforted, Gautama finally stopped crying and nestled in Gavia's arms.

Seeing the harmony between the master and disciple, King Suddhodana, who had rushed over on horseback out of concern for Gautama, quietly withdrew.

Knowing that King Suddhodana had already departed, Gavia sighed softly, then supported Gautama's shoulders and spoke earnestly.

"Open your eyes and witness the reality of the world with your own eyes, Siddhartha Gautama."

Gautama once asked Gavia this question—

"what is this?"

"The lamp is a symbol of knowledge and focus."

"why?"

The young king of ideals asked the silver-haired youth, puzzled.

"It is like knowledge, illuminating the world so that we can understand everything. It represents focus, because when the light is lit, people's attention is drawn to it."

The burning lamp illuminates the real world, dispelling illusions. Now, it reveals the most cruel side of the Indian pantheon to the Chakravartin King, who has been hidden by his father until now.

The King of Righteousness, unaware of his teacher's intentions, could only subconsciously follow his footsteps to the nearby world, a place that had once been filled with happiness, joy, flowers, and dance.

Then, in the distance, they saw someone dressed in incredibly 'lowly' clothes, their bare upper body covered in whip marks, while the white clothes on their head and lower body were already filthy, covered with a pile of yellow and filth.

This was the first time in Gautama's life that he had ever seen a human figure.

Therefore, Gautama's heart pounded incessantly.

This was the first time he had ever heard such a sound, and the first time he had ever seen such a person.

"I must say, you really are teachers. This is the first time I've ever seen people like you... You..."

Gautama, led by Gavia, looked at these strange people. However, even his smile could not make them dare to come forward. They could only clasp their hands together in fear and stare at the two people in front of them.

"Why are you retreating? Actually, I just wanted to ask a question: why do you tie peacock feathers to your backs like a tail? Is this a ritual or a tradition?"

"No, no, none of those are..."

These people hurriedly shook their heads, their fear undiminished by Gautama's kindness.

"Why is that?"

"For decoration."

"Oh, it was part of the decoration!"

Gautama's smile froze instantly at the words these people were about to say.

“No, Your Highness, this is neither decoration nor clothing. We are untouchables. It is tradition that our contact would pollute the soil. We must sweep away our footprints so that the Brahmins and Kshatriyas will not step on them. All untouchables wear peacock feathers on their backs.”

The green-haired youth opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something but unsure of what to say.

He felt a wave of weakness and could only walk forward blankly, wanting to reach out and touch the tormented skin of these people, but they avoided Gautama's outstretched hand in fear, their whole bodies trembling.

This outcome brought tears to Gautama's eyes, and he suppressed a certain emotion as he said:

"What kind of tradition is this? This is an insult to humanity! You are human beings too!"

"I'm sorry, we're not human, you've misunderstood, Your Highness. We have to leave, or we'll be whipped..."

Under the gaps in the trees, in the dazzling sunlight, Gautama could only watch as these people jogged away, their bare feet seemingly oblivious to the sharp stones that had injured them, as if they dared not let themselves be exposed to the sunlight.

"Teacher, what are untouchables? Why? I've never heard of them before, and I've never seen one before..."

Suppressing his grief, Gautama asked Gavia this question.

"The untouchables, also known as the Dalits, are people excluded from the caste system and engage in unclean professions such as slaughtering and shoveling manure. According to tradition, touching their belongings is considered defiled."

Why is this happening?

“Because that is how the Dharma is defined, they and the Shudras are not under the protection of the Dharma, therefore they cannot be considered human beings, Gautama.”

This is the righteous Dharma I have been studying all along, prescribed in the most sacred scriptures. Why is it like this...?

All the doubts could only be summed up in Gautama's murmur:

"Why is it like this... They are human beings just like me..."

"Just keep going."

Upon hearing this, Gautama, filled with a multitude of emotions, could only continue to follow behind Gavia.

Not long after, Gautama heard a crying sound and hurriedly went to find the source. He then saw a small child sitting and crying under a big tree.

"What happened? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Gautama gently stroked the child and asked.

"My brother, my elder brother..."

The child stretched out his hand high, as if to show his brother's height.

What happened to your brother?

"Several soldiers took him away."