This is story of great disciples like Mahakashyapa who said to Gautam Buddha, ”Only on one condition can I become your disciple.”
Buddha said, ”What condition?”
And Mahakashyapa said, ”You have to protect me from enlightenment. Once I am enlightened, I will lose the master, because I will not be a disciple anymore. And at no cost do I want to lose you. I can forget all about enlightenment. You are my enlightenment.”
Buddha laughed and said, ”Mahakashyapa, you don’t know that in this very clear understanding and love, you are giving the indication to me that you will be my first disciple to become enlightened.” And Mahakashyapa was his first disciple to become enlightened. He was very angry, and for a few days he wouldn’t even speak to Buddha. Whenever Buddha would pass by his side, he would close his eyes. Finally Buddha said, ”Now forget it. Whatever happened, happened. And I am not saying to you to leave me or to go away to spread my message. I will not take any note of your
enlightenment. You can remain my disciple.” And there were tears of joy in Mahakashyapa’s eyes, and he fell at the feet of Gautam Buddha. He said, ”That’s what I was afraid of: that perhaps now you won’t allow me to touch your feet. And I had warned you before – but neither we listen to you nor you listen to us.”
Buddha said, ”It is not in my hands to make you enlightened or to prevent you from becoming enlightened. You came with such clarity that I was worried that you were going to become enlightened very soon.”
