Once upon a time, there lived a man in Đambunada and as his wedding approached, he thought: If only the blessed Buddha would come to the celebration.
And lo and behold, the Blessed One passed by his house, looked at him, and upon reading the groom’s desire in his heart, agreed to enter.
When the saint appeared accompanied by numerous deities, the host, who was not wealthy, welcomed them, saying: Eat and drink, my lord, to your heart’s content, you and all your entourage.
While the deities feasted, the food and drinks never diminished, and the host thought: How miraculous! It would be enough to treat all my relatives and friends. If only I had invited them.
Just as he thought that, all his relatives and friends rushed into the house. And even though the courtyard was small, there was enough room for everyone. They all sat down at the table and the feast began, where each guest was served before they could even ask.
The Blessed One was pleased to see so many guests in good spirits, and he entertained and cheered them all with words of truth.
The proclamations of the blessed path were as follows:
The greatest joy a mortal can imagine is marriage, where two hearts unite in love. But there is an even greater joy: the fusion with the truth. Death will separate husband and wife, but will not harm those who are wedded to the truth.
Therefore, align with the truth and live with it in a sacred bond. A husband, if he loves his wife and yearns for a union that is eternal, must be faithful to his wife as he would be loyal to the truth itself, and in turn, the wife will trust, honor, and protect him. In return, if a wife loves her husband and longs for a union that is eternal, she must be faithful to him as she would be to the truth itself, and he will in turn give her his trust and care for her. Truly, I tell you, their children will be like them – living proof of their happiness.
Let no one live alone, let everyone be wedded in holy love with the truth. And when Mara, the destroyer, comes to separate your being from In his visible form, you will continue to live in truth and taste eternal life, for truth is immortal.
And there was no guest who was not refreshed by these words and who did not feel the beauty of the right path; and all of them sought refuge in Buddhi, dharmi, and sanghi1. q
From the Fo Pen Hsing Chi Ching, Buddha’s biography in Chinese (A Thousand Lotus Flowers, Vesna Krmpotić).
Selected by Nataša Žaja