The Time When Buddha Explained Death - A Buddhist Story

One day, a woman lost her young son and just a few days before, her husband had also died. Kissa Goutami was her name, and now her only son had perished. She was in great despair for naturally, her child was her only hope. The Buddha happened to be passing through town and the people said: "Do not cry & do not weep. Why don't you take the child to the Buddha? He is so compassionate, perhaps he may revive him back to life."

The woman upon hearing this, rushed with the dead body of the child to find him. When she had found him, Buddha looked at the woman, told her to put the child in front of him & said to her: "Yes, I will revive him, but you will have to fulfill one condition." The woman said: "I am ready to give even my life. Say any condition and I will fulfill it." 

Buddha replied: "It is a simple condition, I never make big requirements of people, only small ones. This is a very simple task. Just go into town and bring a few mustard seeds. But remember one thing: the mustards seeds should come from a house where nobody has ever died."

The woman was in an insane state, she could not see the point. "How can you find a house where nobody has ever died?" she wondered confusedly. Regardless, she rushed with great hope and knew that every house had mustard seeds because that was the only crop the people were growing. The whole village was growing it, so there was no problem in finding some. 

She knocked on many doors, and the people said: "A few mustard seeds? We can bring cartloads of mustard seeds, but we cannot fulfill that one condition. For many people have died in our house, so our mustard seeds won't do." 

When night dawned, the woman came to her senses as she had knocked on every door in the village and slowly, she realized that death was inevitable. It happens to everyone, and that nobody can escape from it. 

When she came back to the Buddha, she was a completely different woman. Her child was lying there and Buddha was waiting. He asked: "Where are the mustard seeds?" The woman laughed, fell down at his feet and said: "Initiate me into your path, because I have understood your message, that everyone has to die. Today my son has died, a few days before my husband died and a few days afterwards I may die. But before I die, I want to see the deathless. Now I am no longer interested in my child being raised from the dead. I am interested....... myself in seeing the eternal life."

Buddha said: "That was the purpose of sending you, so that you can be awakened." And thus, he initiated Kissa Goutami. 

You see, in life, we all have our own life clocks ticking & sands in our hour glass numbered. It may seem unfair as to why some people die before others, but it is just the circle of life. If there is no light, there can be no darkness, if there is no bad, there cannot be any good. And if there is no death, there cannot be any life. 

Understanding this may seem beyond us, for we are attached emotionally to the people we love, and rightly so! But life is a beautiful journey, so enjoy every second & every minute of it together with the people that you love. Take gratitude in it, & not regret from above.

Thanks for reading!  

Yours Sincerely,

Satori Café

(This is a Dare to Do original, with a slight refinement from Satori Café)