Austere Practices

In those days, Uruvela was a very famous place for austere meditation practices. Samaṇa Gotama went there and sat for meditation. Five other astrologers from Kapilavatthu who went in search of him, reached there and sat in his company for meditation. There was a strong belief in those days, that torturing one’s body led to purification of mind and to the permanent, eternal state that transcends all worldly realms.