Moral

Kisa Gotami
By Witsarut Pankaew

Content

Preface
Introductory Story
To profess Buddhism
His/her work on Buddhism
Virtues as good model foe leading a life
Reference

Preface

This report is part of Moral subject. The purpose of this
report is to study about Kisa Gotami such as her Introductory
Story, her profess to buddhism, her work on buddhism, and
virtues as good model foe leading a life. I hope this report will
have benefits for everyone.

Introductory Story

During Buddha’s time, there lived a woman named Kisa
Gotami. She married young and gave birth to a son. One day, the
baby fell sick and died soon after. Kisa Gotami loved her son
greatly and refused to believe that her son was dead. She carried
the body of her son around her village, asking if there was anyone
who can bring her son back to life. The villagers all saw that the
son was already dead and there was nothing that could be done.
They advised her to accept his death and make arrangements for
the funeral. In great grief, she fell upon her knees and clutched
her son’s body close to her body. She kept uttering for her son to
wake up. A village elder took pity on her and suggested to her to
consult the Buddha.

“Kisa Gotami. We cannot help you. But you should go to the
Buddha. Maybe he can bring your son back to life!”

Kisa Gotami was extremely excited upon hearing the
elder’s words. She immediately went to the Buddha’s residence
and pleaded for him to bring her son back to life.

“Kisa Gotami, I have a way to bring your son back to life.”

“My Lord, I will do anything to bring my son back”
“If that is the case, then I need you to find me something. Bring
me a mustard seed but it must be taken from a house where no
one residing in the house has ever lost a family member. Bring
this seed back to me and your son will come back to life.”

Having great faith in the Buddha’s promise, Kisa Gotami
went from house to house, trying to find the mustard seed. At the
first house, a young woman offered to give her some mustard

seeds. But when Kisa Gotami asked if she had ever lost a family
member to death, the young women said her grandmother died a
few months ago. Kisa Gotami thanked the young woman and
explained why the mustard seeds did not fulfill the Buddha’s
requirements. She moved on to the 2nd house. A husband died a
few years. The 3rd house lost an uncle and the 4th house lost an
aunt. She kept moving from house to house but the answer was
all the same – every house had lost a family member to death.

To profess Buddhism

Kisa Gotami finally came to realise that there is no one
in the world who had never lost a family member to death. She
now understood that death is inevitable and a natural part of life.
When she can think of it like this: The light of wisdom flashed in
his heart. The heavy sorrow that had been weighed down was
relieved, and the mind refreshed and airy. She arranged the
cremation of her own son and went to see the Buddha in which
he spoke to the world briefly: “Death takes away the life of one
who is intoxicated with children and wealth, as if a flood swept
through the lives of the sleeping people. Therefore, at the end of
the short sermon, Kisa Gotami attained Sotapatti Fruition.
Requested to be ordained as a nun. He sent her to be ordained in
the Sangha. After being ordained, he was given the same name as
"Phra Kisa Gotami Nora."

Her work on Buddhism

One day, while the elders followed the lamps to
illuminate the temple, seeing the flames rise and dim, got up and
dimmed like this all the time. Then came the knowledge that all
animal life is like a lamp, happen and then die, die and be born
again, circulating in the cycle of birth and death. She don't know
how long until she attained nirvana to stop this cycle of birth and
death. Suddenly a bright light appeared, as if the Lord Buddha
had come and sat before her, a voice rang out, saying, "Right, Kisa
Gotami, whoever sees nirvana. Even if you only live one day is
still better than one who is a hundred years old but does not see
it.” At the end of the proverb Kisa Gotami has attained
Arahatship and was able to meet Kisa Gotami. Recognized by the
Buddha as Ettakka (superior than others) in a gloomy robe is a
holder of strict vows. There is a very simple existence. She is a
woman who plays a role in upholding Buddhism.

Virtues as good model foe leading a life

The story of Kisa Gotami is usually told to remind us of
impermanence, of the reality of death. And it does that well; it
does that masterfully. But today we’re using this story to help us
understand how strong emotion can at times help us deny a truth
we don’t want to face. The story also helps us see how strong
emotion can even cause us to act in unwholesome, unwise, or
even foolish ways.

Remember in the story the man who sent Kisa to see the
Buddha did so because he realized she had become mentally
unbalanced because of her grief.

Not only grief, anger and jealousy can have strong and
sometimes detrimental effects on us. These strong emotions at
times can give us the excuse to say and do things we know are not
proper. Things we usually wouldn’t do or say.

It’s not only sadness, love can also be a reason we might
do or say things we perhaps should avoid. Playing favorites.
Choosing a person you like over one more qualified. Forgiving an
error a friend commits but not forgiving the same error when
done by a non-friend.

The fourth of the Four Noble Abodes is Equanimity.
The dictionary says equanimity is “evenness of mind, especially
under stress; right disposition; balance."
In our lives most of us can probably find an example were a
strong emotion has helped us make an unwholesome or wrong
decision. A time when a strong emotion has helped us act with a
mind not balanced.

That is the other lesson the story of Kisa is teaching us,
reminding us. To be aware, to be mindful. We practice meditation
to help us in that awareness, that mindfulness.
Sorrow, sadness, happiness, and love are always going to be a part
of our lives. We need to remember, to practice so we are able to
guide our lives and not be led by these passing emotions.

Kisa’s great sorrow overwhelmed her. The Buddha
carefully, slowly helped her remember and regain her equanimity.

We all have to remember what Kisa discovered: no
house, no person, is without sadness or love, without comings
and goings. We remember this and we can live with balance and
peace.

References

https://sites.google.com/site/samnaokeawda1/hnwy-thi-4-
phuthth-prawati-phuthth-sawk-sasni-kchn-taw-xyang-laea-
chkhkhkh/phuthth-sawk-phuthth-sawika/phra-ki-sa-kho-tmi-
theri
http://gentlebuddhism.blogspot.com/2013/07/lessons-from-
story-of-kisa-gotami.html
https://buddhiststories.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/kisa-
gotami-and-the-mustard-seed/