apassam amatam padam
Ekaham jivitam seyyo
passato amatam padam.
Though one should live a hundred years without perceiving the Deathless State,
yet better, indeed, is a single day's life of one who perceives the Deathless State.
The cure for death (Kisa Gotami)
Kisa Gotami lived in Savatthi. She was known as
Kisa Gotami because of her slim body. Kisa Gotami married a rich
young man and a son was born to them. The son died when he was
just a toddler and Kisa Gotami was stricken with grief. Carrying
her dead son, she went everywhere asking for medicine that would
restore her son to life. People thought she had gone mad. But a
wise man seeing her pathetic condition, decided to send her to
the Buddha. He advised her, 'Sister, the Buddha is the person you
should approach. He has the medicine you want. Go to him.' Thus
she went to the Buddha and asked him to give her the medicine
that would restore her dead son to life.
The Buddha knowing her distracted mental
condition told her to get some mustard seeds from a home where
there had been no death. Overjoyed at the prospect of having her
son restored to life, Kisa Gotami ran from house to house,
begging for some mustard seeds. Everyone was willing to help her
but she could not find a single home where death had not
occurred. The people were only too willing to part with their
mustard seeds, but they could not claim to have not lost a dear
one in death. As the day dragged on, she realised that hers was
not the only family that had faced death and that there were more
people dead than living. As soon as she realised this, her
attitude towards her dead son changed; she was no longer attached
to the dead body of her son and she realised how simply the
Buddha had taught her a most important lesson: that everything
that is born must eventually die.
She buried her dead son and told the Buddha
that she could find no family where death had not occurred. Then
the Buddha said, 'Gotami, you should not think that you are the
only one who has lost a son. As you have now realised, death
comes to all beings. Before their desires are satiated death
takes them away.'
Perceiving the fleeting nature and impermanency
of life, Kisa Gotami decided to renounce the worldly life. She
then requested the Enlightened One to admit her to the Order of
Bhikkhunis. Accordingly, the Buddha sent her to the community of
nuns and directed that she be admitted. Thus she was admitted as
Bhikkhuni Kisa Gotami.
She was a very hardworking bhikkhuni and was
always mindful and conscientious of her religious duties, and
strove diligently for her spiritual development to purify her
mind of all mental defilements.
One night, she lighted some oil lamps. Having
lighted the oil lamps, she went and sat down a short distance
away. Then she started to look at the flames. With her mind
focussed on the flames she noticed that while some flames flared
up some others flickered out. With her mind concentrating on the
flames as her Subject of Meditation, she meditated as follows,
'Even as it is with these flames, so also is it with living
beings in this world: Some flare up, while others flicker out;
only those who have attained Nibbana are no more seen.'
The Buddha through his supernormal power, saw
Kisa Gotami from the Jetavana Monastery. He sent forth his
radiance and exhorted her to continue meditating on the
impermanent nature of all component things. The Buddha also
commented, 'Though one should live a hundred years without
perceiving the Deathless State (Nibbana), yet better
indeed, is a single day's life of one who perceives the Deathless
State.'
At the conclusion of the discourse, Kisa Gotami
attained Arahanthood.
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