Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"Everything around you is like a lamp."

Chapter 338 The Lamp for the Poor.

The Kauravas War, which swept across all of India, ended thousands of years ago. The present-day Bharata has disintegrated and transformed into a period of vying for supremacy among sixteen powerful states.

Magadha was one of the sixteen kingdoms, and also the kingdom that Siddhartha ruled for the longest period.

The sunlight shone unabashedly on the impoverished people during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, the radiant sun bestowing upon them empty promises.

Let them know that arduous labor and harsh conditions are the natural fate of those born lowly. The young children, laughing and playing, watch their parents with hunched backs and covered in sweat, and see the dusty life they too will eventually face, and laugh even louder.

At this moment, Gavia and Siddhartha, dressed in yellow robes of asceticism, walked together under the scorching sun, leaning on their staffs.

"Excuse me, how do I get to the Pure Land of the Sage Udalamotsa?"

Looking at the low-caste men carrying timber from the side road, Siddhartha asked.

“The hermit Uddalamotsa? He lives in seclusion to the east of the palace. Just follow this road straight ahead.”

"Thank you..."

Just as he was about to leave with his teacher, Siddhartha suddenly saw a group of soldiers with livestock, so he asked, "Where are the soldiers taking them?"

"Going to the palace to be used as a sacrifice, who knows how bad the harvest will be this year."

"Sacrifice..."

Siddhartha repeated the word, then watched the people toiling away in the scorching heat, their skin nearly cracked.

"Do you want to stop it?"

Gavia asked.

"If we let the animals work together, the harvest might be better. What's the point of sacrificing them? Judging from what they just said, who knows how many years they've been sacrificing them..."

Then Siddhartha resolutely stood in front of the soldiers and opened his arms.

"Please stop, the animals are already howling."

"Hey, ascetic, get out of the way."

The soldier looked at Siddhartha with some impatience.

"If you want to pass, then step over my dead body."

"...What are you doing? I'm just following orders, taking these cattle to sacrifice to the gods. Do you, this ascetic, intend to defy the righteous path...?"

“My true law is to not sacrifice what people depend on for survival.”

Siddhartha said, word by word, “Go and tell your king that there are renegade who want to stop the sacrifice.”

The soldiers, stunned by Siddhartha's imposing presence, were momentarily at a loss, but they quickly went to report to the current king of Magadha.

The King of Magadha had originally planned to offer 101 livestock and 1001 priests as sacrifices, but upon hearing the news reported by the soldiers, he was furious and quickly rode his horse to the place where Siddhartha was blocking his way.

"This is my land! The place I rule!"

The King of Magadha picked up his sword and glared angrily at Siddhartha, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his back to him.

"Kingdoms are built, kingdoms are destroyed, and so is the supreme truth of life."

Siddhartha replied calmly.

Are you preaching the Dharma to me?

“I only oppose all evil deeds done in the name of the Dharma.”

“If it weren’t for the fact that you are a renegade, you would have been beheaded long ago.”

“I forgive you for the crime of killing the outcast.”

Siddhartha's words sounded like a provocation to the king, which angered him so much that he drew his sword to kill him. However, when he came face to face with Siddhartha, he was stunned and dropped the sword.

“You…Siddhartha…you are the one who has rejected me…If it weren’t for you, I would have made a terrible mistake…”

Magadha was located in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges River, roughly corresponding to most of present-day eastern India. In other words, it was very close to Tivaruvivi, where Siddhartha was located. The King of Magadha knew of Siddhartha, the Chakravartin, very early on, and thus approached him to build a relationship when he was young. As a result, the two had a fairly good relationship.

The news that Siddhartha had renounced the throne and become a renunciant was currently only circulating within the territory of Divirahu and had not yet spread elsewhere. This was why the King of Magadha was so shocked that Siddhartha, who should have become a Chakravartin (universal monarch), had become a renunciant…

Looking at the familiar person before him, Siddhartha had long since lost his initial hesitation and calmly continued to answer:

“I may die by your hand, but the greater sin is to slaughter these animals on which people depend for survival.”

"Let's put this aside for now... Siddhartha, why did you become a renunciant?"

"I am not afraid of life and death, I only want to find a way for all beings to be free from the cycle of reincarnation. If it exists, that is my goal."

Siddhartha remained calm.

“Otherwise, how are we any different from sacrificial animals, left to be slaughtered at will? Your Majesty, they have committed no sin and should not be sacrificed. They are just as full of life as we are. What righteous law allows us to kill the weak to escape our misfortune? If animals could speak, they would also say that people must pay the price for what others have done. If this is the righteous law, then the weak who reject it will say, ‘This is unlawful.’”

King Magadha was conflicted by Siddhartha's words, because sacrificing animals to please the gods had been the rule of the Dharma for many years, and to give up now would undoubtedly be to go against the Dharma like the six teachers. However... for a moment, the king did think that what Siddhartha said made a lot of sense.

So the king thought that no matter what, Siddhartha was ultimately a Chakravartin, which led him to make a decision.

"Today, my friend."

The king embraced Siddhartha, saying, "You stopped me from doing something illegal."

Then, the king turned to the crowd nearby, raised his hand, and continued speaking.

"From this day forward, Magadha shall no longer allow animal sacrifices!"

Then he turned to face Siddhartha.

“Siddhartha, I never expected we would meet under these circumstances. I am sleeping in bed, while you are lying in the open. How about this, Siddhartha, come with me to the palace. No one will disturb your practice there. I will treat you well—”

However, Siddhartha refused the king's request.

"No, Your Majesty, I have saved them today, but countless people and creatures are still struggling in pain, everywhere is sorrow and suffering. If my teacher and I can end this suffering, we can bring peace and tranquility to all living beings."

"Teacher? The one from Divirove?"

The King of Magadha looked around and was surprised to find that it really was him. "I didn't expect that you would also become a rejecter..."

Gavia nodded, then said to Siddhartha, "Siddhartha, let the king treat you well. We'll leave tonight."

Since his teacher had said so, Siddhartha had no choice but to comply.

Kavia and Siddhartha were warmly received by the King of Magadha, and the banquet lasted until nightfall, when darkness enveloped their journey home.

The king of Magadha spent a fortune to invite various immortals and priests to install lamps on the roads, but a single strong wind extinguished all the lights he had prepared.

"Damn it, what's going on... what is that—"

Just as the king was growing increasingly anxious, he saw a faint light shining on the path leading out of the palace in the pitch-black world. Faint blessings came from the end of the darkness, causing the dim light to gradually expand, and the darkness to retreat in fear.

Far from the magnificent palace, smoke rising from a humble shed carried the smell of cheap food, and from within, someone sang a prayer, their voice becoming a 'beacon' to those who had previously helped them stop offering sacrifices—

It was a beacon of hope for a brighter tomorrow for the poor people who were too lowly to attend the banquet or prepare gifts.

Countless praises and countless aspirations can certainly make life seem magnificent, but a sincere heart that goes unnoticed by anyone can make one feel that their life is full of happiness.

Later Buddhist scriptures say the following:

The lamp that the king lit sometimes went out, sometimes went out.

However, the future has already arrived.

Even when people extinguished the lamps three times, the light did not go out; instead, it shone brighter, illuminating all directions, rendering the sun, moon, and fire pearls useless.

The lamps are lit according to the minds of all beings, and according to their capacity for understanding. They are lit with even greater intensity, and thus they shine upwards on the Great Brahma Heaven and around the three thousand great chiliocosms, where all can see their light.

……

In the dead of night, in the darkness, Gavia and Siddhartha saw the sage Udharama. From any angle, this sage appeared extremely poor, yet a beam of pure white light shone from him, making his bare upper body radiate a silvery glow.

"Peace be with you, Immortal."

Siddhartha was about to take off his ascetic robes and put them on the sage, but the sage waved his hand to stop him.

"I have abandoned clothing and taken the earth as my garment."

"But you're trembling..."

“My practice has transcended the limitations of the physical body. I am no longer afraid of the cold, nor do I need to eat. My asceticism and practice have made my body strong, ended my desires, and brought me liberation.”

What is liberation?

"Bliss."

The ultimate bliss is when a person breaks free from the bondage of Maya, escapes ignorance, and reaches a state of oneness with Brahman. The Upanishads state that "bliss is Brahman."

"But how can one escape suffering and achieve ultimate liberation?"

“What you call suffering, I do not consider suffering. I am happy to practice in my own way and will also attain liberation.”

"If ascending to heaven is my destiny, how can I save those beings who have lost themselves in this world of endless suffering? What should I do?"

"...Your thoughts are profound, and I cannot answer them for you. May you be blessed."

After being rejected by the sage Uddalamo, Siddhartha walked away somewhat dejectedly.

After a while, he suddenly said to Gavia:

"Teacher, where do you think the waves of the Ganges come from? They come from the sea, right? But why is the seabed so calm and still?"

"On the path to knowledge, asking questions is the first step, and my answer may not resolve your confusion."

"But I am still far from the finish line."

"Now that you've reached this point, you'll have to go alone from now on."

Although Siddhartha looked utterly dejected, Gavia said so nonetheless.

"Teacher, I've come so far, I've never thought of turning back."

"In that case, go meditate, and speak with the sage Yutuojia, who understands the true Dharma in this moment."

After Gavia finished speaking, he grabbed Siddhartha's hand and the green-haired youth instantly fell into a meditative state. In that instant, his soul traversed many regions and finally arrived at a snow-capped mountain.

When Siddhartha opened his eyes again, he saw an old man with white hair looking at him.

Who invited you here?

"My desire."

Although he did not know his teacher's intention, Siddhartha followed his heart and said so.

What has brought you here?

"Life is all the life energy that does not wish to suffer."

"Did you not bring your thoughts with you?"

"Thoughts are like waves rising in the sea, yet the sea remains unmoved. I have felt this, what is the purpose of life? Yu Tuo Jia Immortal."

"fan."

The old man looked around at the vast white landscape and thought, "Walking with the Milky Way, existing in my thoughts, time does not change, nor can it be left behind."

"And what about the bitterness?"

Siddhartha asked again.

"The impermanence of life is the cause of suffering."

"Then how can we transcend impermanence?"

"Feel that truth, that eternal existence, that immovability, that immortality, that eternity."

As he spoke, a golden light shone from the hand of the sage Uttaka and shone on Siddhartha, and then a beaded bracelet appeared.

The old man then said:

“In the past, the master of the six masters told me that as time goes by and the flowers bloom, he will descend into the world and become the King of the True Dharma. Holy King of the Wheel, it is my honor that you have chosen me.”

"Master Yutuojia, if the supreme truth exists, where is it?"

“At the center of each cycle, like the axle of a wheel, the disc revolves around it, yet it remains unmoved.”

Upon hearing this, Siddhartha was slightly puzzled.

"But if there is no reincarnation, where is the axis?"

“Countless cycles of rebirth come and go, and countless quantities surround you, hidden in nature; you may call them ‘me’.”