The Buddhist Story of 4 Wives & Its Meaning – Cont`d (Meaning Unfolded).

Gautama Buddha concluded the story as follows; Every man and woman has four wives or husbands. What do these wives signify?

The First Wife

The first “wife” is the body, day and night we love our body. In the morning we dress and get it ready for the day, making ourselves look presentable. We take care of our body like the first wife in this story. But, the reality is our first wife can`t follow us into the next world. It must be thrown back into the earth from which it came.

The Second Wife

The second “wife” represents our material things such as property, fame, position and mullah (money). Often times we are afraid to lose these possessions and want to own more of them. But, at the end of life we are forced to let them go. Trying to hold on to them is pure ego.

The Third Wife

Believe it or not, the third “wife” is the relationships of our family and society. While they are saddened by our passing there is nothing they can do, sadly.

The message here is that we can’t take our body, wealth or family with us in the end. We`re born alone and die alone ( stuff gets real).

The Fourth Wife

The only “wife” to follow us after death is the fourth. She represents the mind. When we pass on we take all of our happiness, anger, greed, compassion, empathy etc. with us.

Negative feelings are definitely KARMA that must be let go of in this world or the next. The fourth wife told her dying husband, “I will follow you wherever you go”.

If this resonated well with you, please share. If it didn`t, at least thank you for reading.