Within few days of the ordination of Sariputra, Dighanakha, a nephew of Sariputra heard that his uncle has chosen to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha, his young energy immediately rebelled against any conformity and he decided to challenge the Buddha and prove his superiority and in turn show his uncle that life is not following but discovering your own path.
At that time Buddha along with Sariputra were meditating at Griddhkuta
On approaching the Griddhkuta Mountain to confront the Buddha he found the Buddha and Sariputra meditating in a cave (Boar’s Grotto) on the slopes of the hill. And there he blurted out with all his conviction that I do not believe in any philosophy, neither yours nor anybody else’s.
"I am of the view that nothing suits me."
The Buddha all too familiar with such inconsistency pointed it out to him,
"Brahmin, this view of yours doesn't suit you either."
By affirming his belief he actually believes in a thought of non-belief, a contradiction of his own statement. Dighanakha realized his lack of understanding and arrogance. Being the wise person that he was, he listened intently as the Buddha spoke further about being open to all new ideas rather than clinging to any particular rationale.
When the Buddha found him receptive, he explained to him the virtues of impermanence and cause and cessation and dependant coexistence. He learned Vipassana meditation technique and became Sotapanna. Another very receptive monk, Sariputra heard his conversation and having successfully mastered the philosophy attained Arhanthood.
This conversation between the Buddha, Sariputra and Dighanakha took place in Boar’s grotto at Griddhkuta.
NEXT POST: Caves and Rock Shelters at Griddhkuta
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