Bahiya of the Bark Cloth

Bahiya was a shipwreck survivor who lost all his clothes. To cover himself, he tied pieces of tree bark around his body. When he reached a city, the people mistook his strange appearance for deep asceticism and worshipped him as an Arahant (enlightened saint). Enjoying the free food and respect, Bahiya began to believe his own lie.

One night, a devata (deity) who had been his friend in a past life rebuked him: 'Bahiya, you are not an Arahant, nor are you on the path. You are living a lie. The real awakened one, the Buddha, is residing in Savatthi.'

Shocked into reality, Bahiya immediately ran non-stop for hundreds of miles to Savatthi. He arrived frantic and exhausted, finding the Buddha walking through the city streets on his daily alms round.

Bahiya threw himself at the Buddha's feet and begged, 'Lord, teach me the Dhamma!' The Buddha replied, 'Now is not the time, Bahiya. We are collecting alms.' Bahiya pleaded two more times, saying, 'Lord, life is uncertain; I may die today!'

Seeing Bahiya's intense urgency and ripe mind, the Buddha stopped in the middle of the street and gave him a profoundly brief teaching: 'Bahiya, train yourself like this: In the seen, there will be just the seen. In the heard, just the heard. In the sensed, just the sensed. In the cognized, just the cognized. Then you will not be 'there'. When you are not 'there', you will find the end of suffering.'

Hearing this single instruction on absolute, unattached mindfulness, Bahiya's mind instantly let go of all ego. He attained Arahantship (supreme enlightenment) right there in the dusty street. Moments later, after the Buddha departed, Bahiya was tragically gored by a runaway cow and died, but he died a fully liberated soul.