There is a story about a woman who came to the Buddha with her dead child in her arms. Knowing that the Buddha had the power to restore the child, she asked him to do so... The Buddha chose the Middle Way.
Rather than restoring the child, the Buddha said to the woman, "Go and fetch me a mustard seed from a house that has not experienced death." The Buddha did not say, "Yes." or "No." - he said, "Look to the Path and see where it leads you."
In that moment the woman saw clearly the equanimity of life and the balance of experience. Enlightened in this way, she became one of the Buddha's ardent followers.
The lesson here is this: everybody experiences everything. There is no difference between us or among us. Whether it be loss or gain, love or hate, beneficence or tragedy, we are all equal in our experience. The playing field is always level.
This simple fact is the seed of compassion. It is the seed of understanding that your pain, your suffering, your loss, your gain, your joy, your sorrow, your poverty and your wealth are not yours alone, but are mine, as well - and that these things are also the province of every one of your brothers and sisters, of every man, woman and child on the planet.
