Once long ago when the Buddha was alive and preaching the Dharma, a woman named Kisa Gotami brought her dead son to him. He was her only child and had died very young. Refusing to accept his death, she had gone door to door, seeking a cure that would revive him. Feeling pity for her, someone had suggested she meet the Enlightened One, who was visiting a nearby village. And so here she was, weeping and begging the Buddha to revive her child, since the Holy One had attained enlightenment and knew how to work miracles. The Buddha, seeking to help her through her suffering, placed a mustard seed in her hand. He promised to revive her son if she came back empty handed after giving the mustard seed to a household in the nearby village. There was only one condition – she had to give the seed to someone who had not faced a death in the family. Kisa Gotami went from door to door, seeking a household that met the Buddha’s condition. But every family had suffered the loss of a beloved husband or wife, a child or a parent, or a sibling. Death had left its mark everywhere. At the end, the mother realized the futility of her quest, buried her son in a nearby forest, and returned to the Buddha as his disciple. It is a simple story, but profound in the lesson it is trying to teach us. All around we see evidence of death and decay, but our hearts and minds cling to permanence, especially of our loved ones and ourselves.
https://www.beingfulness.com/new-blog/buddhist-and-hindu-parables-of-impermanence
It puts a new twist on “if you have faith like a mustard seed”, doesn’t it?
There are plenty of Buddhist parables out there that speak of impermanence and death, but this was one I recalled and looked up for today.
Unlike in Christianity, where Jesus brings back the dead, Buddhism teaches to accept death, and does not change it. It teaches that suffering it caused by a desire for permanence -- for a desire not to lose things. These are true teachings (although some suffer because things do not change, which should not be forgotten).
I wanted to put this here as a useful illustration. The link also has additional stories from Hinduism that talk about impermanence and may be able to assist with having that fact settle in.
