At the age of seven, Rahula, Buddha's son, first saw him.
His mother yashodhara told Rahula that go ask your inheritance to your father and pointed at Buddha's direction when he was eating his one meal of the day.
Rahula went to Buddha, put out his hand and asked for his inheritance. The five hundred monks and whole of kapilavastu was observing this event, everyone knew what it meant. Buddha's Dhamma was Rahula's inheritance.
But there was a problem, it had been just one year since his enlightenment. Buddha had never made a monk out of a seven year old. So he made him a monk in training, shramanera, a student who follows the shramana traditions, the one who recognize that there is no God and who accepts that only human alone can destroy their sufferings.
After that Rahula followed Buddha, learning when he taught and practicing day and night. Once he became skilled and proficient in the path, Rahula achieved the highest of the feats of this world. He achieved enlightenment. He thus became arahant, the one who has destroyed all of his sufferings.
Then he died after a short while. Buddha remained undisturbed when he heard this news.
Sufferings do not arise for the one who is enlightened - Dhammapada.
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