Question

What lesson on death and suffering did the Buddha teach Kisa Gotami in the chapter, ‘The Sermon At Benares’? (100 – 150 words)

Answer 1

Kisa Gotami was grieving over the death of her son and she approached Buddha with a request to give her medicine so that her son could live again. Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. But Kisa Gotami could not find any such house. She then realised that Death is inevitable and no one can escape it.

Later, The Buddha in his sermon told her that Life is brief and painful. He compares life to an earthen pot by saying that just as the pot breaks, life too will end someday. A wise person does not grieve as he knows the truth. Weeping does not bring peace to the mind. Only the one who has learnt to control his grief shall have peace of mind.