the four mountains parable

Several months ago I heard a Buddhist parable that left a strong impression on me. I've looked for it on-line, but I haven't been able to find a written version of it. Since I can't remember the exact title, I'll just call it The Four Mountains Parable, and re-tell it here as best I can.

A king heard that the Buddha was a great wise man, and so called him to his court for philosophical advice. When the Buddha arrived, the King asked, "How should I live my life? What should I do to have a meaningful life?"

The Buddha responded, "That is a common question. But first, I have to tell you something. Before you consider these other issues, you must understand this. There are four mountains descending upon your kingdom, and they will utterly destroy you and everything within your kingdom. There is no escape.

There is a mountain descending upon you from the north. It will utterly destroy you and everything within your kingdom.

There is a mountain descending upon you from the south. It will utterly destroy you and everything within your kingdom.

There is a mountain descending upon you from the east. It will utterly destroy you and everything within your kingdom.

There is a mountain descending upon you from the west. It will utterly destroy you and everything within your kingdom."

The point of the story is that we are all like the king, and the four mountains descending from all directions represent death. Realizing and accepting our own mortality is an important theme in Buddhist philosophy.

I especially like this parable because it not only reminds us of the inevitability of death, but of the temporary nature of everything around us as well. There is a person in my life who hurt me, years ago. I've been angry at them for a long time. But thinking of this parable helps me to have more compassion for them. We are all here only a limited time, what's the point? Soon they'll be gone anyway, and so will I. This might sound a bit morbid, but I think it's just a more understanding view of this situation called life.