A Handful of Mustard Seeds

Sham S. Misri

Once there was a young woman . Her only son, an infant, died suddenly. In deep sorrow, weeping profusely, she went to Buddha and said, “My only child is dead. Take pity on me and bring him back to life.”

Buddha replied, “Daughter, I will do so if you bring me a handful of mustard seeds. But they must come from a household where no one has died.”
The woman agreed readily. She went from house to house but could not find a single one where someone had not died. Everyone was ready to give her a handful of mustard seeds, but when she posed the condition, they were taken aback. The burden of what they said was, “What is this you are saying, young lady? The dead are many, the living few!”
At last the woman understood why Buddha had sent her on such a mission. Her sorrow was lightened. She went back and told him what everyone had said to her.
”My daughter,” he consoled her, “nothing is permanent in this world. Everything is in a flux, everything is subject to change, decay, and death. And change, decay and death cause sorrow and suffering. The only way to avoid them is to take to the process of consciousness and chant the holy name of God.”