When Kasyapa heard this, he was delighted that she desired the same thing that he did. "We're in the same boat," he said to her. "I also wanted to be a practitioner, but I didn't expect that the servants would find someone who looked exactly like that statue. How about this: why don't we split the bed into two? We'll be married in name only."

They happily did so, but when Pippala's parents later realized what they were doing, they considered it inauspicious. They got rid of one bed, thinking that the young couple would then have to sleep in the same bed. But the couple had a different way of solving the problem: they took turns sleeping on the bed. One slept until midnight while the other one meditated. After midnight, they changed places. The two practitioners lived like this for twelve years.

When Kasyapa was thirty years old, his parents passed away. One day, his wife told the servants to press sesame for oil. The servants noticed that there were small worms in the sesame and said to themselves, " We're killing so many worms here, but it's not our fault. Our mistress told us to do it." She overheard this and immediately told them to stop.

Meanwhile, Kasyapa was working in the field and he noticed that many worms in the field were injured or killed by the farming tools or the cattle. He was saddened by this situation, and he went back to his house. He noticed that his wife had something on her mind, so he told her what he had seen and she told him what she had heard. They were unhappy with all they had ovserved, so they decided to leave their home. Kasyapa said to his wife," I'll go find a good teacher first, and then I'll come back to get you."

So Kasyapa left to search for a good religious teacher. He went to many places, but he could not find a suitable teacher until he came across the Buddha, who has living in the Bamboo Grove Abode outside of Rajagrha. When Kasyapa saw the Buddha's gracefulness and listened to his inspiring lectures, he prostrated himself before him and asked the Buddha to accept him as a disciple. The Buddha kindly agreed and shaved his head. Then the Buddha started to teach him. Eight days later, Kasyapa was enlightened and attained arhathood. Then, Kasyapa remembered Subhadra and asked a nun to bring her to the Buddha. Because of her beauty, she became the target of much gossip. She felf so upset that she decided not to go out begging for food. Kasyapa felt sorry for her, so with the Buddha's permission, he gave her some of his food. Of course, this also caused a lot of gossip. Subhadra realized what was happening, so she vowed to study very industriously, and a few days later she also attained the arhathood.

Kasyapa was very good at observing asceticism, which disciplined his mind to attain nirvana. He disliked the community life of the sangha. He considered corpses and bones to be quite beneficial for comprehending the impermanence of life.

Sariputra and other disciples suggested that he change his ascetic practices and work to help other people. Kasyapa refused, saying,"I can only set myself as a good example of an ascetic and allow other people to respect and follow me." The Buddha also told him one day to stop his practices because he was frail and looked feeble. Kasyapa refused again."I consider asceticism to be a happy state of life. I don't worry about food or clothing, I don't have any sense of loss or gain, and I can feel the happiness of emancipation." The Buddha then made a significant comment that the Way he tried to teach would one day be ruined not by heretics, but by corruption and degradation within his own sangha. To prevant his unfavorable prophecy from happening, every member of the sangha lived an austere, serious life like Kasyapa. The Buddha said to Kasyapa, "You can go ahead and lead the life that is most suitable for you yourself."

Many Buddhists believe that they will obtain merits by offering something to a monk or nun. Kasyapa often begged food from the poor so that they could have a chance to receive merit. One day he noticed a poor, old woman squatting by the sewer of a rich family's house and using a roof tile to scoop up gruel thrown away by the rich family. Kasyapa went to her and begged her to give him some. The old woman was surprised that Kasyapa would ask her to offer something to him. "You know I am a poor, sick, old woman," she said. "There is nothing I can offer you."

"You must realize that the act of making offerings is not exclusive to rich people," Kasyapa replied. "Anyone can make an offering of anything, and you can give me some gruel." So she happily gave some of it to Kasyapa, who immediately drank it all. Because of this offering, she turned into a beautiful celestial being after she died.