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The Last Words of the Buddha

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.

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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.