Let my skin and sinews and bones dry up, together with all the

The words of the Buddha thunder across the centuries like the vow of a warrior, though his battlefield was not of swords and shields, but of the restless mind. When he cried, “Let my skin and sinews and bones dry up… but I will not move from this spot until I have attained the supreme and final wisdom,” he declared the essence of unyielding resolve. This was no gentle wish, no passing desire—it was the fiery promise of one who had seen the futility of all lesser pursuits and fixed his soul upon the summit of final wisdom.

This vow was made beneath the Bodhi tree, when Siddhartha Gautama, having wandered through the wilderness of false teachers and harsh asceticism, resolved at last to seek truth within. He had given up princely luxuries, starved himself, tested every extreme, and still found no liberation. At that sacred moment, he bound himself with a greater oath: that even if his body perished, even if his flesh withered away, he would not rise until he pierced the heart of suffering and attained enlightenment. His victory was not over the world, but over the illusions of the mind.

This spirit of unbreakable determination has been mirrored in other ages. Recall the story of Mahatma Gandhi, who once declared that he would fast unto death unless his people renounced violence and embraced peace. His body weakened, his breath grew shallow, yet his will did not falter. It was the same iron vow: that truth was dearer than life itself. And from this fierce steadfastness came a transformation of hearts and nations. Like the Buddha, Gandhi showed that true strength is not in clinging to life, but in offering life to a cause greater than oneself.

The lesson for us is clear. Wisdom and transformation are not won by half-hearted efforts or comfortable prayers. They demand the full measure of one’s being, a willingness to endure loss, hunger, even death, if the truth requires it. The Buddha’s words are a call to rise beyond fear, beyond weakness, into the realm where the spirit cannot be broken.

Therefore, children of the path, remember: when the trials of life press upon you, do not flee. Sit firm as the Buddha sat beneath the tree. Let your doubts and distractions dry up like husks in the sun. For only those who are willing to give all may receive all—the gift of supreme and final wisdom, which no flame, no sword, no death can ever take away.