The Stream of Tears

Monks, this Cycle of Rebirth is without discoverable beginning. A first point is not identifiable of beings roaming and wandering on, hindered by ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and fettered by craving.

What do you think, Monks, which is more: the stream of tears that you have shed as you roamed and wandered on through this long course, crying and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable — this or the water in the four great oceans?

‘As we understand The Teachings taught by The Perfectly Enlightened One, Venerable Sir, the stream of tears that we have shed as we roamed and wandered through this long course, crying and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable — this alone is more than the water in the four great oceans’.

Good, good, Monks! It is good that you understand The Teachings taught by me in such a way. The stream of tears that you have shed as you roamed and wandered through this long course, crying and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable — this alone is more than the water in the four great oceans.

For a long time, Monks, you have experienced the death of a mother; as you have experienced this, crying and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable, the stream of tears that you have shed is more than the water in the four great oceans.

For a long time, Monks, you have experienced the death of a father … the death of a brother … the death of a sister … the death of a son … the death of a daughter … the loss of relatives … the loss of wealth … loss through illness; as you have experienced this, crying and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable, the stream of tears that you have shed is more than the water in the four great oceans.

For what reason?

Because, Monks, this Cycle of Rebirth is without discoverable beginning. A first point is not identifiable of beings roaming and wandering on, hindered by ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and fettered by craving. For such a long time, Monks, you have experienced discontentedness, misery, and disaster, and swelled the cemetery.

It is enough to experience fading away of strong feelings towards all conditions, enough to become free from strong feelings towards them, enough to be liberated from them.

(Reference: SN 15.3)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how the tears we have cried in our past lives is equal to more water than in all of the seas.

We have lived so many past existences and experienced such great misery and despair in those existences, that The Buddha explains that the tears we have cried amounts to more volume than all of the water in all of the seas.

Separated from those things that are agreeable to the mind, one may grieve due to their craving/desire/attachment. Separated from mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, other relatives, wealth, health and other objects, are all things that can cause the mind to experience discontentedness if the mind is not trained to understand the impermanent nature of all these conditioned objects.

Discontentedness can cause the mind to cry having tears that amount to more volume than all of the seas due to our countless existences in various realms. A being experiences a massive amount of discontentedness throughout various existences before becoming motivated enough and wise enough to make an end to discontentedness through pursuit and progress to the Enlightened mind.