Jātaka 002: Vaṇṇupatha Jātaka Determination in the Desert Ashin Sarana: After three months of unsuccessful meditation, a young monk decided to disrobe, but monks and the Buddha stopped him for lack of perseverance. Buddha explained that in a past life he led a caravan across a desert as a merchant Buddha-to-be, and ordered his people to throw away their water when they were close to their destination. But just before they arrived at their destination, the navigator fell asleep, the unguided oxen turned back, and they returned to the desert without any water. The Buddha-to-be ordered his men to dig under a clump of kusa grass, and a young man who was to become the dissatisfied monk broke the rock underneath the hole, causing a fountain of water to spring up. The men drank water, sold their goods in the destination city, and returned safely, and the monk became an Arahant after hearing this story.
Yamona’s drawing When a young monk decided to disrobe because of the unsuccessful meditation, the Buddha and the other monks stopped him. The Buddha told him his past life. The Buddha to be was born as a merchant and the young monk was his follower. They were traveling to sell their goods in another city. On the way the merchant thought they were closed to their destination and he ordered that the water to be thrown away. But that night , the guide fell asleep and the unguided oxen traveled in the circle. And the men were thirsty and almost fainted then the merchant found a clump of Kusa grass and thought there must be water so he ordered his men to dig. Then to run into a big rock . The men got discouraged. The merchant went to a boy and said you need to break the rock with this hammer. The boy broke the rock and the water came out like a fountain. That boy was the discouraged monk. After hearing to this story, the monk became enlightened.Kids’ drawing
