Browse
Top articles
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
00:00
00:00
Duration
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.
Today, I'm going to talk about
dealing with heartache and grief.
There's a Buddhist parable about
a woman who's only son died and
she was beside herself with grief.
So she went to the village holy man,
and asked, "Please, can you help me?
What magic spell can you do
to bring my son back to life?"
The holy man replied, "Go and find
me a mustard seed from a home that
has never known grief or sorrow.
We're going to use this mustard seed
to draw the sorrow out of your life
and bring back love to your heart."
Now, back in those days, every
house had mustard seeds for cooking.
So this seemed like a fairly simple task.
So the woman began immediately to go
and search for that magic mustard seed.
At the first house she came to, she asked
for a mustard seed and it was immediately
offered to her by a woman her own age.
And she asked, "Has there been any
grief or sorrow in this house?"
The kind lady nodded and told
her a story about her own
losses and her own heartache.
So she went to the next house where
a man offered her a mustard seed, but
alas, he too had a story of suffering.
He had been heartbroken.
The same thing happened at the next
house and the next house and the next.
So finally she came to a beautiful
mansion and she thought to
herself, "Okay, here we go.
This is the place where
I'm going to find it."
So she knocked at the door and
an elderly man came to the door.
She said to him, "I'm looking for a house
that has never known any sorrow or grief.
Is this such a place?"
"Ah," the elderly man sweetly replied.
"I'm so sorry.
You've definitely come
to the wrong place."
And he described to her all the
times in his long life where he'd
grieved or felt sorrow or suffering.
And as he spoke, he began to weep
and the woman began to weep with him
and then she stayed to comfort him.
They had tea together, and that
day they became good friends.
And on that day, she also
had a realization that there
probably was no house that had
never known sorrow or grief.
Just like her, everyone suffered.
When she came to understand that grief
and sorrow are a part of everyone's life,
she also realized that she wasn't alone.
She felt connected to everyone and
was also filled with compassion.
After that day, the woman became involved
in helping other people find comfort
and support through their suffering.
And that brought more love,
meaning and purpose flooding
back into her heart and her life.
And that was the magic
of the mustard seed.
I love this story.
I love what it points to.
Because so often when we go through our
own suffering and sorrow, we have this
really irrational sense of isolation.
It's as if we're the only one in the world
who's going through this kind of pain and
it can feel like something's gone terribly
wrong, like it shouldn't be happening.
But the reality is that suffering really
is a part of our shared human experience.
And I think this realization, although
it's very, very tender, can also be a
catalyst for feelings of belonging, self
compassion and compassion for others.
So when you're hurting, when you're
suffering, just seeing if you can
remember that you're not alone.
We really are all in this together
and let that remembrance sow
the seeds of compassion, love
and comfort in your own heart.
As always, thank you for your practice.
And let's settle in
for today's meditation.
Get Unlimited Access
A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.
Email Missing
We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.
If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.
Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.
Mindfulness
We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.
Private Browsing
Congratulations on taking the first step towards a more mindful life! As a token of our appreciation, we want to offer you an exclusive opportunity to upgrade to Mindfulness Plus+ for a price you won't find anywhere else.
Mindfulness Plus+ is our premium membership that includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and keep practicing throughout all stages of life.
Take this exclusive offer to further your mindfulness skills and experience deeper levels of well-being.
Annual membership
$0
Just a small sample of the life-changing 5-star reviews we get on a daily basis.
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
Claim your free access
Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.
7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.
Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.