Q: When Prince Siddhattha left royal family including his own wife and child for escaping from Suffering caused by Attachment, don’t you think that he was selfish? In my own thinking, he was selfish to do so.
A: Not at all. Do you think that an American president is selfish when he left his own beloved family to take the office as a president so that he can take perfect care of the country?
Q: Not at all.
A: Similarly, Prince Siddhattha was not selfish at all because he compassionately felt he was more responsible for the benefits and happiness of the entire humanity than his own family. He was not an ordinary human like us because the two possibilities about him was predicted by the five skillful, well-versed, and well-educated royal astrologers as soon as he was born. These two possibilities were (1). He would become a greatest and the most powerful king in the world and (2). He would become fully Enlightened One if he renounced the world.
However, by raising up his only index finger at the presence of the King, one of the five royal astrologers, named Kondañña predicted only one possibility about Prince Siddhattha, that he would renounce the world and he would definitely become Fully Enlightened One. The King, the father of Prince Siddhattha didn’t want to hear it because he loved his son so much. He didn’t want his son to renounce the world but he wanted his son to become a great king of the world.
Therefore, he told Kondañña to stop his answer but Kondañña didn’t stop his answer and courageously continued reporting his prediction about the Prince to the king. The king finally became annoyed and angry by Kondañña’s continuous and courageous report about the baby Prince Siddhattha to him so the king told his men to take him out from his presence and to banish him.
The royal astrologer, Kondañña said that he would go to the Utuvela forest and meditate there until Prince Siddhattha renounced the world for his spiritual quest to do for the benefits and happiness of the entire humanity. Finally, as you know, the Prince Siddhattha left the palace and royal family for searching the way that could make everyone quite equally feel beneficial, happy, peaceful, safe and secure spiritually by deeply meditating in remote area such as a certain forest.
Therefore, he left his own royal family for finding the way so that he could take perfect care of the entire humanity as an American president left his own family when he moves to the office and takes position there.
Q: Oh! I see, now. It is so clear now about why Prince Siddhattha was not selfish. Thank you so much indeed for giving us time and sharing perfect wisdom with us.
A: You’re always welcome.
