The Mustard Seeds

   During the class tonight, our teacher explored the parable of the mustard seed in Buddhism. According to this very famous story, Kisa Gotami is a person who is so blessed by the birth of her child because it is the one relationship which allows her to connect with others. When the child dies, Kisa Gotami becomes so despondent that she cannot even bear to face the reality of death. Finally, after consulting with the Buddha, the Buddha suggests that her child can be revived if Kisa Gotami can bring back mustard seeds from a family which did not experience any death. After going from one household to the next, she realizes that there is not one family that has escaped death and the ravages of time, and it's at that moment that her mind reaches a profound state of peace and inner acceptance.
   I tried to understand within myself: what is the complicated secret of this story? Why would Kisa Gotami suddenly feel so much relief in knowing that there isn't a single household that does not experience death in the family? Part of me believes that much of this story centers around the journey that Kisa Gotami must go through to find out that no family escapes from death. Think of all the things that Kisa Gotami needs to do before she can see that there is no escaping death: going door to door, appealing to others for help, seeing the helplessness of others, and realizing that others have suffered the same as she. For me, the power of this story seems to lie not in a concept of impermanence, but in a process of coming to realize the one-ness of all sentient beings in a shared suffering. Even though I may appear to be well off compared to someone else, it's not long before illness might strike, even in the healthiest household.
     Then there is also this theme of inescapability. Things are so because there is something existentially given about them which cannot be avoided no matter how hard one tries. Once Kisa Gotami realizes she has absolutely no way to escape from her present situation and loss, she becomes free from the struggle to get rid of painful emotions. To know that others share in Kisa Gotami's suffering must be a kind of liberating experience, in the sense that it signifies the cessation of striving to be somewhere else.
     The universal theme of interconnection is probably the most touching aspect of this story. As long as I can open up to the fact that everyone is in this life together, there is a relief from trying to protect the self from the pains of daily life. Throughout this narrative, there is not one mention of emptiness, or dependent origination, or middle path. Yet, all of these concepts seem to hinge around the theme that all things are related to each other, in a constant motion.