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Sarnath |
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When Buddha found enlightenment the Indian god Brahma was concerned that he was going to die before he could impart his knowledge to the world because he had remained in a rapturous state for several weeks without attending to the needs of his body. When Brahma tried to persuade him to teach Buddha was reluctant because he felt incapable of passing on such deep concepts that were both difficult to see and to understand. The site of his first teaching at Sarnath near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh is one of the four main pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. Here he came across five men who had been his companions on the path of asceticism that Buddha rejected. They were not impressed by his well fed appearance and thought him unworthy of their respect. Buddha replied that he had found the middle way between the extremes of luxury and asceticism. The five men became his first disciples.
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