Beyond Life and Death

Anecdotes

oi-Priya Devi

By Priya Devi

Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 17:58

To go beyond life and death will have to be the objective of a sincere spiritual aspirant. A short story, reveals the truth.

A woman named Kisa, an ardent devotee of Buddha once carried her dead daughter, born to her delight a few months ago, to Buddha. Her heart gripping with grief, she fell at the feet of the enlightened one wailing, “O Lord who is all powerful, please do bring my daughter back to life"

Buddha said softly, “Bring me a handful of mustard seeds from a house where death has not occurred"

Kisa, not aware of the tremendous teaching behind those simple words took heart and proceeded on the mission. She walked from house to house for mustard seeds, eager to bring her daughter back to life. To her dismay she could not find a single house where death had not sneaked in . However understanding dawned on her about the unalterable fact of death. She could see the chain of life and death that bound one unfailingly. She quietly completed the last rights of her dead daughter and returned back to the feet of the Master to learn to go beyond life and death, the gate way to enlightenment.

The chain of life and death simply snaps with the dawn of spiritual enlightenment.