Are you going through a loss?

"Suffering" - A fable about pain in the face of death

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​A widowed woman had a son whom she adored. He was happy, until his son got sick and died. Pain tore through her. And, since she was unable to separate from her son, instead of burying him, she took him with her everywhere, before the restless gaze of her neighbors, who looked at her with a mixture of pity and surprise.

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"She's gone crazy," many said...

One day, the woman found out that the great Teacher was nearby, in the forest, and she decided to go there with her son on her back.

"Please, Master," the woman said between sobs. "Give my son back to life."

The Master looked at her compassionately and said:

– I will bring him back to life if you manage to bring a grain of rice from a house where no one has died.

The woman hurried to the town and called house to house in search of that grain of rice. But, to his surprise, all the families remembered someone who had died.

- My uncle died...

My father recently died...

At night, the woman returned to the forest totally empty. She was no longer carrying her son's body.

- And your son? Where did you leave it? - asked the Master.

– I buried him next to my husband… He no longer exists. Please let me learn from your teachings...

Moral: «Pain is inevitable; suffering, optional»

(“Suffering” – Buddhist fable)