85. Q. _Did the Buddha hear again from his family after leaving them?_

A. Oh yes, seven years later, while he was living at R[=a]jagrha, his
father. King Suddhodana, sent a message to request him to come and let
him see him again before he died.

86. Q. _Did he go?_

A. Yes. His father went with all his relatives and ministers to meet
him and received him with great joy.

87. Q. _Did he consent to resume his old rank?_

A. No. In all sweetness he explained to his father that the Prince
Siddh[=a]rtha had passed out of existence, as such, and was now changed
into the condition of a Buddha, to whom all beings were equally akin
and equally dear. Instead of ruling over one tribe or nation, like an
earthly king, he, through his Dharma, would win the hearts of all men
to be his followers.

88. Q. _Did he see Yasodhar[=a] and his son R[=a]hula?_

A. Yes. His wife, who had mourned for him with deepest love, wept
bitterly. She also sent R[=a]hula to ask him to give him his
inheritance, as the son of a prince.

89. Q. _What happened?_

A. To one and all he preached the Dharma as the cure for all sorrows.
His father, son, wife, [=A]nanda (his half-brother), Devadatta (his
cousin and brother-in-law), were all converted and became his
disciples. Two other famous ones were Anuruddha, afterwards a great
metaphysician, and Up[=a]li, a barber, afterwards the greatest
authority on Vinaya. Both of these gained great renown.

90. Q. _Who was the first Bhikkuni?_

A. Praj[=a]pat[=i], the aunt and foster-mother of Prince
Siddh[=a]rtha. With her, Yasodhar[=a] and many other ladies were
admitted into the Order as _Bhikkhunis_ or female devotees.

91. Q. _What effect did the taking up of the religious life by his
sons, Siddh[=a]rtha and [=A]nanda, his nephew, Devadatta, his son's
wife, Yasudhar[=a], and his grandson, R[=a]hula, have upon the old King
Suddhodana?_

A. It grieved him much and he complained to the Buddha, who then made
it a rule of the Order that no person should thenceforth be ordained
without the consent of his parents if alive.

92. Q. _Tell me about the fate of Devadatta?_

A. He was a man of great intelligence and rapidly advanced in the
knowledge of the Dharma, but being also extremely ambitious, he came to
envy and hate the Buddha, and at last plotted to kill him. He also
influenced Aj[=a]tashatru, son of King Bimbis[=a]ra, to murder his
noble father, and to become his