Chapter 10: The Sermon at Benares

Introduction

"The Sermon at Benares" is a profound narrative that delves into the life and teachings of **Gautama Buddha**, the founder of Buddhism. The chapter particularly focuses on a significant incident involving a grieving woman named **Kisa Gotami** and how Buddha used her personal tragedy to impart a universal lesson about the inevitability of death and the path to peace.

Story Summary

The chapter begins by introducing **Gautama Buddha**, originally named **Siddhartha Gautama**, a prince born in Northern India. At the age of twelve, he was sent away to study Hindu sacred scriptures and returned four years later to marry a princess. They had a son and lived a royal life for ten years, shielded from the sufferings of the world.

At the age of twenty-five, the prince, while out hunting, encountered a sick man, then an aged man, and finally a funeral procession, followed by a monk begging for alms. These four sights deeply moved him, prompting him to renounce his princely life. He left his palace, seeking enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. He wandered for seven years, finally sitting under a Bodhi tree until he attained **Enlightenment** after seven days. He then became known as the Buddha (The Awakened or The Enlightened).

Buddha delivered his first sermon in the city of **Benares (Varanasi)**, at the holy city on the river Ganga. This sermon addresses the profound truth about suffering and the impermanence of life, triggered by the story of **Kisa Gotami**.

Kisa Gotami was a woman whose only son had died. Overwhelmed by grief, she carried her dead child from house to house, pleading for medicine that would bring him back to life. People either thought she was mad or directed her to Buddha. Eventually, she was advised to go to the Buddha.

When Kisa Gotami approached Buddha, he patiently listened to her plight. Instead of performing a miracle, he gave her a task: to bring him a handful of **mustard seeds** from a house where no one had ever died. Desperate, Kisa Gotami went from door to door, but every house she visited had experienced the death of a loved one – a father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife, or child.

Gradually, Kisa Gotami realized the universal nature of death. She sat by the roadside, contemplating the flickering lights of the city that eventually extinguished, much like human lives. She understood that death is a common fate, and no one can escape it. Her personal grief transformed into a profound understanding of life's inescapable cycle.

Buddha then delivered his sermon, explaining that grief and sorrow only increase pain and hinder the path to peace. He taught that wise people do not grieve, understanding that all living beings are subject to death. Just as ripe fruits are in danger of falling, and earthen vessels eventually break, so are mortal lives destined to end. Clinging to life and loved ones in the face of inevitable loss causes only more suffering. Those who overcome sorrow will find peace and freedom from suffering.

Gautama Buddha delivering a sermon under a tree in Benares.

Main Characters

Key Themes

Textbook Questions and Answers

I. Oral Comprehension Check (Page 130)

  1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

    When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house asking for medicine that would cure her dead child and bring him back to life. No, she does not get it, because no medicine can bring a dead person back to life. Death is irreversible.

  2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks to the Buddha. What does she ask for the second time? Does she get it? Why not?

    Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house, this time asking for a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had ever died. No, she does not get it. She fails because she could not find a single house where death had not occurred, showing that death is universal and inevitable.

  3. What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time?

    The second time, Kisa Gotami understands that death is a universal and inescapable part of human existence. She realizes that everyone experiences loss and that grieving for the dead is fruitless because death spares no one. This universal truth was something she failed to comprehend in her initial, personal grief.

  4. What was the Buddha’s idea of the ‘right amount’ of mustard seeds?

    The Buddha's idea of the 'right amount' of mustard seeds was not about quantity, but about the condition under which they were obtained: they had to come from a house where no death had ever occurred. This seemingly simple condition was, in fact, impossible to fulfill, leading Kisa Gotami to the realization of life's universal suffering and the inevitability of death.

II. Thinking about the Text (Page 130)

  1. What did Siddhartha Gautama see when he went out for hunting? What effect did it have on him?

    When Siddhartha Gautama went out for hunting, he saw four sights in succession: a sick man, then an aged man, a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights profoundly affected him, leading him to realize the suffering and impermanence of life. He was so moved that he renounced his princely life to seek enlightenment and find a solution to human suffering.

  2. How did Kisa Gotami realize that death is a part of life?

    Kisa Gotami realized that death is a part of life when she was unable to find a single house where no one had ever died, as instructed by Buddha. As she went from door to door, she encountered families who had all experienced the death of a loved one. This repetitive failure made her understand that death is not unique to her son but is a universal phenomenon that affects everyone, regardless of their status or wealth. Sitting by the roadside and observing the city lights, which appeared and disappeared like human lives, further solidified this realization.

  3. What did the Buddha teach Kisa Gotami in the sermon?

    In the sermon, the Buddha taught Kisa Gotami that death is inevitable for all mortals, and no one can escape it. He explained that grieving and lamenting only increase one's pain and sorrow, leading to further suffering rather than bringing peace of mind. He emphasized that the wise do not grieve, knowing the nature of the world. Those who overcome sorrow and lamentation will find peace and contentment, becoming free from suffering.

  4. What do you understand about the inevitability of death from the story?

    From the story, I understand that death is an undeniable and universal truth of existence. It is not something that happens to a select few, but a common fate for all living beings, regardless of their age, status, or family. The story illustrates that clinging to life or loved ones and refusing to accept loss only amplifies suffering. True peace comes from understanding and accepting this inevitability, realizing that all things born are subject to decay and dissolution, much like ripe fruits are in danger of falling, or earthen vessels will eventually break.



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