Six Years of Hardship

With his five friends, Siddhartha went to a forest near the village of Uruvela. Here, several holy men were living in and tormenting themselves with extreme poverty. They believed that if they put their bodies through terrible physical hardship, they would understand the truth. Some slept on a bed of nails. Some stood on their head. They all ate so little they were just skin and bones. Siddhartha found a quiet spot on the banks of a nearby river. There he practised the most severe hardship. He slept on a bed of thorns. He ate only one grain of wheat and one sesame seed a day. At other times, he would eat nothing at all. His body wasted away until there was only a layer of thin skin covering his bones. Birds made nests in his matted hair and layers of dust covered his dried-up body. Siddhartha sat completely still, not even brushing away insects.

The Song of the Lute

One evening, a group of young girls on their way home passed by Siddhartha who was sitting in meditation. They were playing lutes, a musical instrument, and singing. He thought, “When the strings of the lute are loose, its sound won’t carry. When the strings are too tight, it breaks. When the strings are neither too loose nor too tight, the music is beautiful. I’m pulling my strings too tightly. I cannot find the Way to Truth living a life of luxury or with my body so weak.” Thus, he decided to give up self-torture. He came to know that this was not the correct way. Soon after, while bathing in the river, Siddhartha was so weak that he fainted and fell. Sujata, a young village girl who lived by the river, saw him and brought him a bowl of rice and milk. After his meal, he immediately felt stronger and continued his meditation. When his five companions saw him eat, they were disgusted, thinking he’d given up. So they left him.