This is a beautiful story about Buddha’s last time on the earth.
Buddha was dying. He walked for forty years with a lamp and thousands followed him. Now he was going to die.
One day in the morning he said: ’This is my last day. If you have something to ask, you can ask.’ The moment had come, the crossroad had come; now he would go on his own way. Suddenly, infinite darkness surrounded everybody. Ananda, Buddha’s chief disciple, started crying like a child – beating his heart, tears coming down – almost mad.
Buddha said: ’What are you doing, Anand?’
Anand said: ’What will we do now? You were here, we followed in your light. Everything was safe and secure. We have completely forgotten that darkness exists. Following you, everything was light.
Forty years, and now you are leaving – and you are leaving us in total darkness. We were better before we met you because at least we were attuned to darkness; now that timing is also lost. Don’t leave us in darkness! We could not attain to enlightenment while you were here; now what will happen when you are gone? We are lost forever.’ He started crying and weeping again.
Buddha said: ’Listen. Forty years you walked in my light and you could not attain to your own light. Do you think if I am alive forty years more, you will attain to your own light? Even four thousand or four million years? The more you walk in a borrowed light, the more you imitate, the more you will lose. It is better I should go.’
The last words on Buddha’s lips were: ’Be a light unto yourself.’ He died with this uttering: ’Be a light into yourself’ – ’APPO DEEPO BHAVA.’
The next day Ananda became enlightened.
