Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
An incident in the life of the Buddha:
One day a young man came to the Buddha. He was in great
distress. He said, ‘Sir, yesterday my father died. I have come to
you with a special request. Please do something for my dead
father. When ordinary priests perform some rites or rituals,
one gains access to heaven. Venerable Sir, if a great man like
you performs any rites or rituals for my father, he will gain not
only entry but a permanent residence in heaven. Please sir, do
something for my father!’
The young man was emotional and unbalanced. The Buddha
knew that any kind of rational argument would have no effect at
this stage. He had his own way of explaining things. He asked
the young man to go to the market and buy two earthen pots.
The young man happily went and bought them, thinking that
this was preparation for some ritual. The Buddha asked him to
fill one with butter and the other with stones and pebbles. He did
all this. The Buddha told him to close and seal them properly,
and put them both in a nearby pond. He did so and both the pots
sank to the bottom. The Buddha now told him to bring a thick
stick, strike at them, and break them open. He did so, thinking
that now the Buddha was performing a wonderful ritual for his
father.
India is a vast and ancient land, full of diversities and extremes.
There are people who have attained full enlightenment like
the Buddha, and on the other hand, there are people in deep
ignorance, immersed in blind faiths, beliefs, and dogmas. One
belief is that when a parent dies, the son must take the corpse,
put it on the funeral pyre and burn it; when it is half burned, he
must take a strong stick, and break open the skull. The belief is
that, as the skull is broken on earth, so the gateway of heaven is
opened above, and the deceased enters heaven.
The young man thought that, as his father was already dead
and had been cremated the day before, the Buddha was asking
him to break open these earthen pots as a substitute. As he did so,
the butter escaped from the first and floated to the surface; the
pebbles escaped from the second pot and settled at the bottom.
‘Now,’ said the Buddha, ‘this much I have done. Call all your
priests. Let them come here and pray: Oh pebbles, rise to the
surface! Oh butter, sink to the bottom!’
‘Are you joking, sir? How is this possible? It is against the
law of nature, sir. The pebbles are heavier than water; they are
bound to stay down, they can’t float. Butter is lighter than water,
it is bound to float, it cannot go down.’
‘Young man, you know so much about the law of nature, and
yet you do not want to understand the law that is applicable to
one and all. If your father kept performing actions like pebbles
and stones, he was bound to go down. Who can pull him up?
If he kept performing actions which are light like butter, he is
bound to go up. Who can push him down?’
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Anapana Meditation for All: An effective tool to deal with Stress, Fear and Anxiety.
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Anapana Meditation in English - youtube.com/watch?v=aYJmFdeBfVQ
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questions@vridhamma.org
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Official Vipassana Organization Websites
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globalpagoda.org
dhamma.org
Introduction to Vipassana Meditation by S N Goenkaji
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPJVlVRVmhc7K5cRpUxOcm4wOrK6_8O9G
These videos are bought to you by Vipassana Research Institute (VRI) a non-profit-making body with the principal aim of conducting scientific research into the Vipassana Meditation Technique. The financing for running VRI comes mainly from donations. If you wish to make a contribution to this effort (100% tax exemption for Indians), please visit vridhamma.org/donate-online or through the mobile app mentioned above.
May all be benefited. May all beings be happy.
© Vipassana Research Institute
An incident in the life of the Buddha:
One day a young man came to the Buddha. He was in great
distress. He said, ‘Sir, yesterday my father died. I have come to
you with a special request. Please do something for my dead
father. When ordinary priests perform some rites or rituals,
one gains access to heaven. Venerable Sir, if a great man like
you performs any rites or rituals for my father, he will gain not
only entry but a permanent residence in heaven. Please sir, do
something for my father!’
The young man was emotional and unbalanced. The Buddha
knew that any kind of rational argument would have no effect at
this stage. He had his own way of explaining things. He asked
the young man to go to the market and buy two earthen pots.
The young man happily went and bought them, thinking that
this was preparation for some ritual. The Buddha asked him to
fill one with butter and the other with stones and pebbles. He did
all this. The Buddha told him to close and seal them properly,
and put them both in a nearby pond. He did so and both the pots
sank to the bottom. The Buddha now told him to bring a thick
stick, strike at them, and break them open. He did so, thinking
that now the Buddha was performing a wonderful ritual for his
father.
India is a vast and ancient land, full of diversities and extremes.
There are people who have attained full enlightenment like
the Buddha, and on the other hand, there are people in deep
ignorance, immersed in blind faiths, beliefs, and dogmas. One
belief is that when a parent dies, the son must take the corpse,
put it on the funeral pyre and burn it; when it is half burned, he
must take a strong stick, and break open the skull. The belief is
that, as the skull is broken on earth, so the gateway of heaven is
opened above, and the deceased enters heaven.
The young man thought that, as his father was already dead
and had been cremated the day before, the Buddha was asking
him to break open these earthen pots as a substitute. As he did so,
the butter escaped from the first and floated to the surface; the
pebbles escaped from the second pot and settled at the bottom.
‘Now,’ said the Buddha, ‘this much I have done. Call all your
priests. Let them come here and pray: Oh pebbles, rise to the
surface! Oh butter, sink to the bottom!’
‘Are you joking, sir? How is this possible? It is against the
law of nature, sir. The pebbles are heavier than water; they are
bound to stay down, they can’t float. Butter is lighter than water,
it is bound to float, it cannot go down.’
‘Young man, you know so much about the law of nature, and
yet you do not want to understand the law that is applicable to
one and all. If your father kept performing actions like pebbles
and stones, he was bound to go down. Who can pull him up?
If he kept performing actions which are light like butter, he is
bound to go up. Who can push him down?’
Download Vipassana Meditation App
Google App - play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vipassanameditation
Apple iOS - apps.apple.com/in/app/vipassanameditation-vri/id1491766806
Subscribe to Vipassana Meditation YouTube Channel Here:
youtube.com/user/VipassanaOrg
Anapana Meditation for All: An effective tool to deal with Stress, Fear and Anxiety.
Anapana Meditation in Hindi - youtube.com/watch?v=TMfMdj7XAbk
Anapana Meditation in English - youtube.com/watch?v=aYJmFdeBfVQ
Exclusive dedicated Anapana sessions of around 60min can be arranged on request for government departments, schools, educational institutions, private companies and any other institutions. Please write to childrencourse@vridhamma.org
To get more information on Anapana or to ask any question please email us your query at:
questions@vridhamma.org
Join Telegram Channel: https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAExY2poP-74GPqFClg
Also you can connect with us on:
Official Social Profiles of Vipassana Meditation
facebook.com/Vipassanaorganisation
instagram.com/vipassanaorg
twitter.com/VipassanaOrg
Official Vipassana Organization Websites
vridhamma.org
globalpagoda.org
dhamma.org
Introduction to Vipassana Meditation by S N Goenkaji
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPJVlVRVmhc7K5cRpUxOcm4wOrK6_8O9G
These videos are bought to you by Vipassana Research Institute (VRI) a non-profit-making body with the principal aim of conducting scientific research into the Vipassana Meditation Technique. The financing for running VRI comes mainly from donations. If you wish to make a contribution to this effort (100% tax exemption for Indians), please visit vridhamma.org/donate-online or through the mobile app mentioned above.
May all be benefited. May all beings be happy.
© Vipassana Research Institute
