Once, a young, handsome son of a goldsmith was admitted into the Sangha by Venerable Sàriputta. The young monk
was given loathsomeness of the dead body as the meditation topic by Venerable Sàriputta. After taking the meditation topic he left for the forest and practiced meditation there; but he made very little progress. So he returned twice to Venerable Sàriputta for further instructions. Still, he made no progress.
So Venerable Sàriputta took the young monk to the Buddha, and related everything about the young monk.
The Buddha knew that the young monk was the son of a goldsmith, and also that he had been born in the family of
goldsmiths during his past five hundred existences. Therefore the Buddha changed the subject of meditation for the young monk; instead of loathsomeness, he was instructed to meditate on pleasantness. With his supernormal power, the Buddha created a beautiful lotus flower as big as a cart-wheel and told the young monk to stick it on the mound of sand just outside the monastery. The young monk, concentrating on the big, beautiful, fragrant lotus flower, was able to get rid of the hindrances. He was filled with delightful satisfaction, and step by step he progressed until he reached as far as the fourth level of mental absorption.
The Buddha saw him from his perfumed chamber and with his supernormal power made the flower wither instantly.
Seeing the flower wither and change its colour, the monk perceived the impermanent nature of the flower and of all other things and beings. That led to the realization of the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and the insubstantiality of all conditioned things. At that instant, the Buddha sent forth his radiance and appeared as if in person to the young monk and instructed him to get rid of craving . At the end of the discourse, the young monk attained arahatship.
