crowd looked on with long, sad faces, tearful expressions occa-
sionally erupting in cries of anguish. It was a chaotic scene, his
casket moving slowly through throngs of impassioned supporters,
all mourning the loss of an exceptionally noble person who pos-
sessed such a boundless ocean of loving kindness. Many in the
crowd wept openly as his body passed by. It was all they had left
of him – the last vestige of conventional reality still associated
with his presence in the world. He had entered the sublime, pure
land of Nibbãna. Never again would he return to physical, bodily
existence – the domain of tearful lamentations.
His devotees wept one last time – with affection and respect
for a man whose Dhamma teaching had soothed their hearts and
tempered their ignorance. Through his grace, they had gained the
presence of mind needed to reflect on the merits of virtue and
the failings of evil. Reminded of his great virtue, they longed to
keep his body awhile longer as an object of veneration, though
they knew this was now impossible. So they asked only that they
be allowed this final chance to offer their tears and heartfelt emo-
tions as tokens of their deep appreciation.
Although they may have been unfortunate in many ways,
they did have the wonderful good fortune to witness for them-
selves the final farewell of a supreme sage, sublimely free of all kile-
sas – an extremely auspicious event that is rarely ever witnessed.
Having transcended saÿsãra’s abundant misery, he had already
reached the Ultimate Happiness of Nibbãna. Even so, they contin-
ued to hope that his compassion would be with them in this hour
of sorrow – a sorrow that made them weep with longing for that
noble being of unbounded virtue who was so dear to their hearts.
They wondered when they would ever find a way to escape Mãra’s
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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