Buddha Shakyamuni

After leaving Magadha, he went to Vesali to practise under a famous ascetic Alara Kalama. Not satisfied with the results, he left to practise under revered teacher Uddaka Ramaputta. Again, this was not what he was looking for, so he left.^{1 c16, 2 p32, 3 p12, 7 p 19, 8 C2}

There was no other teacher he could turn to for guidance. The only option, then, was to find out by himself what was there for him to attain beyond that Samadhi which would really solve the problems of suffering beings.

Then Siddhartha went to the village Senani in Uruvela province and finding it a suitable environment, decided to take residence there. In a short time, the five ascetics, who had ordained themselves after the naming ceremony prediction of his becoming a Buddha, found him. The five, namely Kondanna, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama, and Assaji, then started accompanying him and looking after him.^{1 c17}

The accepted belief among the ascetics of the day was that it was by austere practices one could eradicate defilements of the mind. Siddhartha applied himself to ascetic practices, such as clenching the teeth while pressing the tongue to the palate, holding his breath for long intervals, and prolonged fasting. Taking it for granted, he increased the severity of his ascetic practices, day by day. He increasingly reduced his food intake and totally stopped going for alms. For sometimes, he ate only the fruits and leaves and then limited that, too, to what had fallen near him. His extreme penance even involved dangerous practices like trying to survive without breathing.^{4 fig 84, 5 fig 35, 9 p42}

While thinking of an alternative path, the technique of Anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) that he practised as a child which surprised everybody at the ploughing festival came to his mind. He tried to meditate in that way but was not very successful as he was very weak physically. Realizing that with an emaciated weak body, he would not be able to develop a pure and strong mind, he decided to give up self-mortification completely and started taking solid food gradually.

The people in the village Seneni were happy to see him coming for alms again but the five companions, who never thought that it was possible to attain any spiritual height by any means other than severe penance, were not happy. They, including Kondanna, who was so sure of Siddhartha's renunciation at the naming ceremony, thought that he was admitting failure and reverting to normal living. Therefore, they deserted him, charging that "Siddhartha is now bent over the luxuries."

Siddhartha was not at all disappointed but was firm in his determination, very confident that he was now on the correct path. Six years of this harsh regiment of self-denial and abstinence brought Siddhartha near to death from starvation.

He started analysing his own mind, carefully discriminating wholesome thoughts from unwholesome thoughts, and entering into full concentration when stressed. Balancing, calming and developing his mind, he approached the end of his sixth year of practising penance.