A long time ago, there was a woman named Kisa Gotami who lived in a small village. She had a baby boy who she loved more than anything in the world. She held him close every day, sang him songs, and dreamed of watching him grow up.

But one day, her baby got very sick, and even though she did everything she could,  he didn’t get better. Eventually, her baby died.

Kisa Gotami was heartbroken. She couldn’t believe it was true. She held her baby and cried, and cried, and cried. She went from house to house in her village, asking people,

“Please, can someone help me? Is there a medicine or a spell that can bring my child back?”

People looked at her with love and sadness, but they said,

“We are so sorry. We know how much it hurts. But we cannot bring him back.”

At last, one kind person said,

“Go see the Buddha. Maybe he will know what to do.”

So she went to see the Buddha. She knelt at his feet and said,

“Please, please help me. I can’t lose my child. I will do anything.”

The Buddha looked at her with deep kindness and said,

“I can help you. But first, you must bring me one small mustard seed. You can find them in most homes. But here is the important part: the seed must come from a house where no one has ever lost someone they love.”

Kisa Gotami felt hopeful. That didn’t sound too hard! She ran to the first house and knocked on the door.

“Do you have a mustard seed?” she asked.

“Yes, of course,” they said.

“But… has anyone you loved here ever died?”

“Yes,” said the family. “Our grandmother died last year. We still miss her very much.”

Kisa Gotami said she was sorry for their loss and moved on to the other houses.

In every case, they had mustard seeds, but they had also lost someone. A brother. A parent. A friend. Over and over, it was the same.

As the sun began to set, Kisa Gotami sat down and took a deep breath. She looked up at the sky and realized something powerful:

She wasn’t alone.

Every single person she had met had known sadness. Every family had known love and loss. And as she listened to their stories, something surprising had happened. Her heart began to soften. She began to feel connected to others.

Her pain didn’t go away—but it was no longer hers alone.

Kisa Gotami returned to the Buddha and said,

“I understand now. Sorrow comes to all people. But as we listen compassionately to each other, the compassion grows and surrounds us all. ”

The Buddha nodded and with a kind smile, said,

“Even the tiniest mustard seed can help plant the truth in our hearts: that we are never truly alone. Love and loss connect us all.”