You Think You're the Only One Suffering. The Buddha Sent Her to Every House.

She knocked on the first door with her son in her arms and asked for mustard seed. Kisa Gotami's story, from the commentaries on the Theri verses and the Dhammapada, as the story is retold: a young mother in Savatthi, a child who died, and a teacher who sent her to every house in the city. Every house has a lamp for someone. 0:00 Not the only one 0:27 The thin one 1:36 Medicine 2:40 One mustard seed 3:16 Every house 4:59 Setting him down 5:13 The lamps Story: Therigatha commentary (ThigA X.1); Dhammapada commentary, the story for Dhp 287; Anguttara commentary on the foremost nuns (AN 1.14, Kisa Gotami) (as the story goes). The commentaries differ on her background; we follow the Anguttara commentary (born poor in Savatthi, mistreated by her husband's family until she bore a son). The Buddha's words on her return are from the Dhammapada commentary, shortened. The lamp scene follows a modern retelling of the Dhp 114 story. In the commentaries she leaves his body in the charnel ground; the burial, the lamp on his grave and the lit windows along the street are ours. Silhouette Shorts. Philosophy in silhouette. #buddha #buddhism #grief