Yassa was the son of Lady Sujātā, the same lady who once offered milk-rice to the Buddha when he was near death from self-starvation. Born into a wealthy family, Yassa lived the carefree life of a rich heir. He had no worries about livelihood. Instead, he passed his days in entertainment, surrounded by friends and followers.

In modern terms, he was like that charming, privileged guy who always knew how to throw a wild party. The type whose social media invites you just couldn’t miss if you were chasing fun.

On one particular night, Yassa was at home enjoying music, performances, and the company of maidens. (Back then, there were no electronic gadgets—no speakers, no streaming services.) After some time, the dancers and musicians stopped to rest, and Yassa, intoxicated, fell into a deep slumber. When he woke up, he found himself surrounded by people sleeping in complete disarray. In the dim light, the sight struck him like a vision of a graveyard. (In ancient India, corpses were often left exposed in open grounds.) That moment pierced him. He suddenly saw death everywhere and felt the futility of his pleasures and life.

This was similar to Prince Siddhartha’s awakening when he first confronted old age, sickness, and death. For Yassa, the question thundered in his mind:
“What is the purpose of all this? If everything ends in death, what is the meaning of all these?”

Suffocated by despair, Yassa fled his mansion into the quiet of the night. Aimlessly, he wandered until he reached the presence of the Buddha.

The Buddha’s Teaching to Yassa

Seeing him approach, the Buddha welcomed him gently:
“My dear son Yassa, this Dhamma of Nibbāna is free from torment, free from oppression by defilements. Sit here, and I shall teach you the Good Dhamma.”

Delighted, Yassa removed his golden sandals, bowed respectfully, and took a seat.

The Buddha began with gradual teachings—starting from truths people readily understood:

1. Generosity (dāna): A cause of happiness now, in future lives, and even leading toward Nibbāna.
2. Morality (sīla): The foundation of safety, dignity, and inner refuge.
3. Heavenly bliss (sagga): The joyful realms of devas that many long for.

But the Buddha did not stop there. He dismantled the illusion that heaven is the ultimate goal. Even divine beings, he explained, remain bound by desire and subject to rebirth. True freedom lies only in the Noble Path—free from defilements and beyond all suffering.

For Yassa, already weary of life’s emptiness, these words landed deeply. His mind began to let go of clinging to worldly existence. At that point, the Buddha revealed the Four Noble Truths—the root of suffering, its cause, its end, and the path leading to liberation. Yassa attained the first stage of enlightenment-Stream-enterer; because his mind let go of clinging to a self.

The Ripple Effect

Meanwhile, Yassa’s parents discovered him missing. His father set out searching and followed the trail of his golden footprints to where the Buddha was. With the Buddha’s guidance, Yassa’s father too attained Stream-enterer. Hearing the teaching again alongside his father, Yassa progressed further—attaining full enlightenment as an Arhat. (This reminds us about the importance of revisiting what we had previously learned. It can lead us to deeper understanding and awakening)

Soon, Yassa’s mother Sujātā and his wife also received teachings from the Buddha and reached the stage of Stream-entry. Later, Yassa’s friends, curious about his sudden renunciation, came to visit. He brought them to the Buddha, and one by one, they too entered the path, many eventually reaching Arhatship.

News spread quickly: five wealthy heirs had renounced everything to follow the Buddha. Then another fifty friends came searching, and they too were transformed. Yassa’s crisis had sparked an entire movement of awakening. In that manner, the Buddha’s monastic disciples increased to more than 60 arhat monks.

Reflection for Our Time

What can we take from Yassa’s story?

In today’s world, many young people can feel exactly what Yassa felt—that life is pointless despite wealth, success, or constant entertainment. Parties, status, pleasures—none of it shields us from emptiness when the question of meaning hits.

But Yassa’s experience shows us something important: disillusionment is not the end—it can be the beginning. To feel the futility of worldly pleasures is not a curse; it is the first step toward awakening.

Letting go is not running away from reality. It is daring to break free from the endless cycle of shallow comforts. For some, this may mean a life of renunciation. For others, it may mean reshaping life around deeper truths. Either way, it is a rebirth into something more real, more meaningful.

So when despair visits, when life feels empty, don’t see it as a failure. See it as the moment the heart begins to ask the right question. Yassa’s journey reminds us: sometimes, feeling lost is the first sign that we are finally ready to find the path.

May all be well and happy.