Suffering

SUFFERING

A woman gave birth to a child but sadly, after a few days, the child died. The woman was so distraught that she strapped the child to her body and went in search of someone who could resuscitate the child. She went to holy men, to doctors and magicians but nobody could help her.

Finally, someone said to her, “High up in the mountains, there is a saint. This saint is supposed to be so close to God that he doesn’t even need to eat. His God provides him with food.”

The woman found the saint and told him about her suffering. He listened intently and after a few moments said, “I can help you, but first you need to bring me a handful of mustard seeds from the home of someone who hasn’t suffered death and pain. When I have those seeds in my hand, I can help you.”

The woman went in search of a house that had not experienced such a darkness of suffering but she could not find such a place. In her search, she sat and listened to the stories of suffering other people experienced. As she heard these stories of struggle and pain, she gradually came to terms with her own suffering. Finally, she was able to bury her infant in the soil of the world.