When King Suddhodana learned that his crown prince had attained enlightenment and become the Buddha, he sent a young official to invite him to Kapilavastu. He wanted to see his son once more before he died. The Buddha consented immediately to his father's wish. A few days later, he and his disciples arrived at Nyagrodha Garden outside Kapilavastu, where King Suddhodana had provided residences for them. The next morning, as he did every day, the Buddha led his disciples through the streets of the city to beg for food. People watched them marching along, and someone went to report to the king. King Suddhodana was both surprised and angered to hear that the prince was begging for food from his own people. He had assumed his own son was entitled to take anything he wanted, yet here he was begging on the street.

King Suddhodana went before the Buddha and reproached him for humiliating the royal family by acting like a beggar. The Buddha explained to his father that begging for food was practiced by all buddhas for the purpose of showing humility, and he told him some of the fundamentals of his teachings. His anger abated, the king then invited the Buddha and his disciples to accept food in the palace.

After finishing the meal the king had offered him, the Buddha began to preach to him, his relatives, the officials and all the other people there. He explained in detail the supreme truth he had attained and the method for eliminating all suffering. Everyone in the audience was able to understand. They received his teachings with confidence, reverently put them into practice, and became followers of the Buddha.

Later, at the request of King Suddhodana, the Buddha and two of his senior disciples went to the living quarters of Lady Yasodhara, his former wife, for she was quite sad at not having been able to hear his lectures. The Buddha's son, Prince Rahula, was seven years old at that time. He was later ordained by the Buddha and became the first sramanera (novice) in Buddhist history.

Many years later, after King Suddhodana passed away, the Buddha's foster mother, Lady Maha-Prajapati, also requested the Buddha's permission to let her leave home and become a nun. At that time, women were still confined to their homes, and the Buddha refused her request three times. The lady then begged his disciple and cousin, Ananda, and he went to see the Buddha."Venerable One, the lady did you the greatest favor in the past, for she is your aunt and your foster mother. She breast-fed you from the time your mother passed away, and she taught you and brought you up in place of your mother. I beg you, kindly allow women to leave home like men so that they too can practice your teachings in pursuit of the highest wisdom that you have expounded to the people of the world." The Buddha finally gave in to Ananda's tenacious begging and sincere attitude. Lady Maha-Prajapati thus became the first bhiksuni(Buddhist nun).