N
ow in the kingdom of Magadha there were two young friends named Upatissa and Kolita,
later known as Sariputta and Moggallana. They used to ride on rich golden palanquins and in horse-drawn carriages until one day they realized the impermanence of things and decided to renounce the world. They studied first under the teacher Sanjaya and then wandered about in search of a better teacher. After some time, Sariputta, while staying in Rajagaha, met the Buddha’s disciple Assaji—the fifth of the five ascetics converted at the deer park by the Buddha— who uttered to him the stanza beginning “Ye dhamma hetuppabhava” (Of things that proceed from a cause, their cause the Tathagatha has told, and also their cessation; thus teaches the great ascetic). Recognizing this as the true teaching, Sariputta went to find Moggallana, and the two resolved to visit the Buddha at Veluvana. The Buddha preached to them and ordained them as monks, and they became his chief disciples, who in time could answer questions within the range of no other disciples of the Buddha. The next rainy season was spent by the Buddha at Vesali, where he preached to his monks and to all who came there to see him.
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