A Parable About Grief and Madness
30 x 22 inches, Hotpress Cotton Paper, Watercolor, Pen, And Ink
This parable tells a story about overcoming maddness caused by inconsolable grief. Through gentle questioning by Gautama Buddha, Kisa Gotami is lead through her grief over the loss of her only Son following a quest given to her by Buddha, which leads her towards her enlightenment.
The Spirit
THERE was a rich man who found his gold suddenly transformed into ashes; and he took to his bed and refused all food. A friend, hearing of his sickness, visited the rich man and learned the cause of his grief. And the friend said: "Thou didst not make good use of thy wealth. When thou didst hoard it up it was not better than ashes. Now heed my advice. Spread mats in the bazaar; pile up these ashes, and pretend to trade with them." The rich man did as his friend had told him, and when his neighbors asked him, "Why sellest thou ashes?" he said: "I offer my goods for sale."
After some time a young girl, named Kisa Gotami, an orphan and very poor, passed by, and seeing the rich man in the bazaar, said: "My lord, why pilest thou thus up gold and silver for sale?" And the rich man said: "Wilt thou please hand me that gold and silver?" And Kisa Gotami took up a handful of ashes, and lo! they changed back into gold. Considering that Kisa Gotami had the mental eye of spiritual knowledge and saw the real worth of things, the rich man gave her in marriage to his son, and he said: "With many, gold is no better than ashes, but with Kisa Gotami ashes become pure gold."
Kisa Gotami Had An Only Son, And He Died
In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbors, asking them for medicine, and the people said: "She has lost her senses. The boy is dead. At length Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request: "I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can." The girl said: "Pray tell me, sir; who is it?" And the man replied: "Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha."
Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried: "Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy." The Buddha answered: "I want a handful of mustard-seed." And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added: "The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent, or friend." Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said: "Here is mustard-seed; take it!" But when she asked Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?" They answered her: "Alas the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief." And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
Kisa Gotami Became Weary and Hopeless
She sat down at the wayside, watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished. And she thought to herself: "How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness."
Putting away the selfishness of her affection for her child, Kisa Gotami had the dead body buried in the forest. Returning to the Buddha, she took refuge in him and found comfort in the Dharma, which is a balm that will soothe all the pains of our troubled hearts.
"The Life Of Mortals In This World Is Troubled and Brief and Combined With Pain"
The Buddha said: "The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings. As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death. As all earthen vessels made by the potter end in being broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, both those who are fools and those who are wise, all fall into the power of death; all are subject to death.
Hope Is For The Hopless
"Of those who, overcome by death, depart from life, a father cannot save his son, nor kinsmen their relations. Mark I while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortals are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world. In whatever manner people think a thing will come to pass, it is often different when it happens, and great is the disappointment; see, such are the terms of the world. "Not from weeping nor from grieving will any one obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation. People pass away, and their fate after death will be according to their deeds. If a man live a hundred years, or even more, he will at last be separated from the company of his relatives, and leave the life of this world. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind; he who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow, and be blessed."
A link to My Blog
Spectacular drawing! Looks so tender, and I love the colors a lot!:)
Thank you dear friend @inber.
@reddust
What a interesting post of life and death. I am human. So will I fear death?
I should not." Fear not, for I have overcome the world," said the Master.
So I should not fear. But, outward appearances are sometimes deceiving though.
What we truly believe in our heart of hearts, determines our peace or anguish.
Thank you for the enlightenment of human life and death.
Francis
My meditation vipassana teacher SN Goenka, said many times, "The Art Of Living Is The Art Of Dying." I was told if one lets go of the fear of dying, the veil will be lifted and they can see reality as it is. Thank you @francisk.
@reddust
Thank you for your reply and upvote. I am humbled.
I may have an outlook that varies some with others, but we base our trust on our present understanding. Let each search and seek out that which will bring them peace. And for each. It may be different. But, let us live at peace with one another while we are here in this realm.
Francis
Well said, I agree🙏
I love it @reddust! So gorgeous!!! I really like the one where she's holding her son. Your leaves are beautiful.
For the story, I want to say, that I have been trying to appreciate grief lately. It does a lot for us, Charles Eisenstein has an incredible podcast episode about it. Thanks for sharing your beautiful paintings hun!!!
Grief I found is like a huge thunderstorm that passes through my mind and body. My teachers helped me build a shelter so I wouldn't be carried away in the flooding of emotions, which I used to experience for years and years and years. Storms are good they bring rain and new growth but getting lost in them is awful. Thank you @itchykitten
Very engaging, this was a lovely read and the art was wonderfully enjoyable. Intense but in that really fulfilling way if that makes sense. Thank you so much!
Life is this way every once in awhile 🦋 Thank you @steampunk-penny🌿
Beautifull I lost my mom 4 years ago today, so this really hit deep.
I am sorry for your loss @bigbear, grief can heal or destroy us depending how we hold our mind, a lesson I am still learning (gentle hugs)
Thank you so much really needed that
Wonderful post! I love it.
I love the story enough to do an illustration. Thank you @chessmonster.
Beautiful artwork, and great entertaining storytelling.
Thank you @katdvine this story is as old as the human condition🌀
Great piece @reddust. The painting and the parable compliment each other very well and I am coming to learn thanks to yourself and others that presentation is very important!
The painting is really, really excellent and bursting with colour. The limbs of the trees also are excellent and look like human limbs which I like!
Thanks again for sharing your work with us!
Thank you @tonyr, yes presentation is like cooking. My favorite is prep, chopping up the food into nice bite sized pieces😁
Just love these drawings you've made...the hanging tree branches and well, everything!
Thank you @natureofbeing, trees are my favorite subject to draw. In Buddhism the bodhi tree represents the mind.
This post has been ranked within the top 25 most undervalued posts in the second half of Jun 13. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $38.97 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Jun 13 - Part II. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
If you are the author and would prefer not to receive these comments, simply reply "Stop" to this comment.
Nice parable.
Good art.
Thank you @builderofcastles
Psychedelic colours
Rainbow in Tibetan Buddhism carries totally different connotations compared to our gay pride rainbow symbolism.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_body
Beautiful work!
Thank you @whistlejacket🦋
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa coolllllllllllllllllllllllllll mom @reddust
The painting is excellent it compliments the parable very well.
💗💗💗 @reddust.
Thank you @veushang🙏