A woman came to the Buddha, weeping and remembering. Her child had died, and she could have no more children. She cried and begged the Buddha to bring her child back to life.
The Buddha said:
“I will help you. But first, go into the village and bring me a few mustard seeds from a house in which no one has ever died.”
The woman went from house to house throughout the village. Everywhere people told her:
“We can easily give you mustard seeds, as many as you wish. But the other condition cannot be fulfilled. In this house, people have died.”
This happened again and again. Yet the woman continued to hope and kept knocking on doors. She walked all day long.
By evening, a great understanding dawned upon her: death is an inseparable part of life and happens everywhere. Death is not something personal; it does not concern only her.
With this understanding, she returned to the Buddha. He asked her:
“So, where are the mustard seeds?”
She smiled quietly, bowed at his feet, and said:
“I wish to know that which never dies. I no longer ask you to bring my son back to life, for I know that even if he were returned, he would die again. Please help me to know that which never dies.”
Source: Traditional Indian wisdom story (retold by Osho)
