The Discourse to Prince Bodhi
[7. The Fasting]
Then, Prince, this occurred to me: ‘What if I were to practice with cutting off food entirely?’
Then, Prince, some gods having approached, said this to me: “Do not, Sir, practice with cutting off food entirely. If, Sir, you will practice with cutting off food entirely, we will make you imbibe divine nutrient through the pores of your skin, and you will keep going.”
Then, Prince, this occurred to me: ‘If I were to claim I am entirely without food, and these gods were to make me imbibe divine nutrient through the pores of my skin, and I were to keep going, that would be a falsehood for me.”
Then, Prince, I rejected those gods, saying: “Why should I do that?”
Then, Prince, this occurred to me: ‘What if I were to take food little by little, measure by measure, whether it be mung bean soup, or vetch soup, or chick-pea soup, or pea soup?’
Then, Prince, I took food little by little, measure by measure, whether mung bean soup, or vetch soup, or chick-pea soup, or pea soup.
Then, Prince, as I took food little by little, measure by measure, whether mung bean soup, or vetch soup, or chick-pea soup, or pea soup, this body became excessively emaciated.
Just like vine knots or bamboo knots, so were my limbs both great and small through having so little food.
Just like a camel’s foot, so did my buttocks become through having so little food.
Just like a twisted vine, so did my backbone become twisted through having so little food.
Just like an old hall, in which the main beam is rotten and broken, so did my ribs become rotten and broken through having so little food.
Just like in a deep pool, the stars in the water are seen lying deep and distant, so in the sockets of my eyes, the pupils of my eyes were seen lying deep and distant through having so little food.
Just like a freshly cut bitter gourd will become withered and shrunken through wind and heat, so did the skin on my head become withered and shrunken through having so little food.
Then, Prince, thinking: ‘I will touch the skin of my stomach,’ I took ahold of my backbone, thinking: ‘I will touch my backbone,’ I took ahold of the skin of my stomach, so far, Prince, did the skin of my stomach and my backbone stick together through having so little food.
Then, Prince, thinking: ‘I will pass excrement or urine,’ I fell down face forward right there through having so little food.
Then, Prince, I rubbed this body and my limbs comfortably with my hand.
Then, Prince, as I rubbed my limbs with my hand, hair that was rotten at the root fell out of my body through having so little food.
Further, Prince, this occurred to men after seeing me: ‘The ascetic Gotama is black,’ and to some men this occurred: ‘The ascetic Gotama is not black, the ascetic Gotama is brown,’ and to some men this occurred: ‘The ascetic Gotama is not black, he is not brown, the ascetic Gotama has golden skin.’
So far, Prince, was the pure and bright colour of my skin spoilt through having so little food.
Then, Prince, this occurred to me: ‘Those ascetics and priests in the past times who felt acute pain, sharp, harsh, and bitter feelings, there is nothing beyond or superior to this.
Those ascetics and priests in the future times who will feel acute pain, sharp, harsh, and bitter feelings, there is nothing beyond or superior to this.
Those ascetics and priests who now feel acute pain, sharp, harsh, and bitter feelings, there is nothing beyond or superior to this.
But even by undergoing this bitter austerity I did not attain a state beyond ordinary human beings, a distinction of what is truly noble knowledge and insight.
I wonder is there another path to Awakening?’