“Teacher… if I said anything that offended you, I must apologize because I was in a
trance for a while,” Achita said softly when he saw that his teacher was back to normal
and he himself was also back to normal.

“Not at all, Achita… I should thank you more for being the medium for me to converse
with Lord Narayana. It made me realize my stubbornness and foolishness. From now
on, you and all your companions must set out to meet the great man instead of me. I
will not let your golden opportunity slip away like mine. You must hurry to gather as
much immortal Dharma as possible, without delay,” Master Bavari said.

“Teacher is now very old. Your disciples cannot abandon you and leave you alone
without anyone to attend to you,” Achita said.

“I am well aware of that, but I cannot prevent you from finding the ultimate truth
either. If that person is truly the great man, there is nothing more precious than
meeting him. If I keep holding you back, I myself would feel guilty. Go, don’t let time
pass by meaninglessly like it did for me,” Master Bavari said.

“Uh uh uh… disciple…” Achita seemed to want to say something but didn’t.

“I know… this may be the last time we are together. Although I may not have the chance
to see your faces again because I may pass away before you return, please let me be the
one to give you this opportunity, to compensate for the time I let pass by in vain. In fact,
I also contributed to you missing this opportunity,” Master Bavari said.

“Your disciples are deeply grateful for your kindness, but how can we set our hearts at
ease, not worrying about you, knowing that we may never meet again?” Achita said.

“Well, if my fate allows, I may still be alive to receive the immortal Dharma after you
return. Now, please go and call everyone to gather for a meeting,”

Then Achita ordered his close disciple to summon the 15 fellow ascetics who were the
leaders, living in hermitages several kilometers apart. Each of them had about 1,000
disciples under their care. In total, there were 16,016 ascetics. This meeting was called
only for the 15 head ascetics, so that each of them could relay the message. When all 16
were present, Master Bavari announced:

“You and your 1,000 disciples must set out to meet the great man who has been
prophesied to be the enlightened one, the one who will declare the truth to sentient
beings to liberate them from suffering. He is currently residing in the city of Savatthi,
my hometown. But I myself do not have the fortune to travel there because I am too
old. I fear that such a long journey would cause hardship for both myself and you. If
your highest desire is the precious Dharma medicine, please let you and all your
followers set out to receive that medicine. Do not worry about me,” Master Bavari said
to the meeting with kindness for all his disciples.

“And how will we know if that person is truly the great man? What are the signs?”
Achita asked.

“Besides the external characteristics that you have learned about, how a great man
should look, ‘insight’ and ‘wisdom’ are what will make you realize whether that person
is the great man or not,” Master Bavari replied.

“Since disciples do not yet have ‘insightful knowledge,’ how will disciples know if he
has insightful knowledge?” Achita asked.

“When you arrive at his residence, do not say anything. But ask the questions you want
to ask in your mind. If that man truly has insightful knowledge, he will answer your
questions correctly,” Master Bavari advised.

“And what should we ask?” Upasiva, one of the 15 head ascetics, also asked.

“Ask about me, because you know me best. Who I am, which family I was born into,
what my physical appearance is, where I studied magic, and who my disciples are,”
Master Bavari suggested.

“Yes, teacher. Disciples will follow your advice,” Achita agreed.

“But wait. I will ask you to ask two more questions. First, ask what the heart of the
world’s Dharma is. And second, which method will lead to that world’s Dharma,”
Master Bavari emphasized.

“Yes, teacher,” Achita replied.

“You must prepare to depart as soon as possible. My time is running out,” Master
Bavari urged.

“Understood, teacher,” the 16 ascetics replied in unison.

The next morning, the 16,016 ascetics were ready to embark on a long journey.
Everyone prepared only the necessary belongings, which were tightly packed for ease
of carrying. The belongings mainly consisted of alms bowls for food, water containers,
bags for essential items such as bathing cloths, sleeping cloths, candles, tinder, flint,
tooth sticks, and common herbs for treating malaria. Everyone gathered in front of
Master Bavari’s hermitage, crowded in every corner, around the hermitage, under the
eaves, under the large trees. It was the most complete gathering ever.

At the foot of the stairs leading up to Master Bavari’s hermitage, Achita and the other
15 head ascetics, dressed in their traveling attire, stood waiting to bid farewell to their
respected teacher. The atmosphere at this time was noisy, with the sounds of the large
crowd. Everyone was talking excitedly about traveling to meet the legendary great
man, who was prophesied in ancient scriptures. Some speculated about the
characteristics of the great man, whether it was true that he would have all his toes the same length, whether it was true that his arms would reach his knees, whether it was
true that his skin would shine like gold, etc. And then the noise of the conversation
stopped abruptly. Silence fell over the entire area. Those who were talking
enthusiastically stopped and looked around to see what had happened. Suddenly, the
elderly Master Bavari slowly stepped out onto the porch. He didn’t say anything, just let
his gaze linger, as if trying to remember the faces of everyone for as long as possible.

“We have come to say goodbye, teacher,” Achita looked up and said to Master Bavari
after seeing that he didn’t speak.