The Buddha’s last words were simple and profound: “Be a lamp unto yourself. Be a light.”
In our practice, the invitation is not to look for light outside ourselves, but to discover the radiance of compassion and awareness that has always been within.
There is an ancient story from India of a young man named Nachiketa. His father, seeking spiritual merit, made a great public offering to the temple. But Nachiketa sensed it was more for show and afterlife insurance than for devotion and love. When the boy challenged him, the father grew angry and exclaimed, “Then I give you to Death!”
Instead of shrinking away, Nachiketa took the words to heart. He went to the kingdom of Lord Yama, the King of Death, and waited three days without moving until Yama returned. Impressed by the boy’s sincerity, Yama offered him three boons—three blessings.
For the first, Nachiketa asked for forgiveness. This is where the light begins—with forgiveness. Without forgiveness, we remain chained to the past. Forgiveness does not mean we condone injustice, nor that we forget. It means we release the burden of hatred so that love can flow again.
“With forgiveness, with the water of mercy, we begin to come alive, the light begins to permeate, penetrate our heart and being.” – Jack Kornfield
For his second boon, Nachiketa asked to be filled with the fire of life—the passion to live awake, wholehearted, and true. This fire is the spark of sincerity that awakens us from sleepwalking through existence. It is the courage to love deeply, to speak truth, and to inhabit our lives fully.
“Prana, inner power, chi, life-force, kundalini—these are all names of the passion for spiritual truth.” – Jack Kornfield
Finally, Nachiketa asked for the deathless—for that which does not die. Yama tempted him with pleasure, wealth, and honor, but the young man was unmoved. “All these will pass away,” he said. “I want that which is eternal.”And Yama replied that the deathless is not found outside us. It can only be discovered in the deepest awareness of the heart—you are not your body, you are consciousness itself, the inner light that was never born and never dies.
“When we touch our true nature and discover that we can rest in love in the middle of all things, we become a lamp, we become a light. It is not far away, it is nearer than near.” – Jack Kornfield
This story is our story, too. We begin by softening the heart through forgiveness. We awaken the fire of sincerity and presence. And we discover, at the center of it all, the deathless light of awareness itself. When we touch this, we become a lamp—not only for ourselves, but for all beings.
May you remember that this light is already here within you. May you trust it, live from it, and let it shine through you into the world.
With metta,
Jack
P.S. If you would like to dive deeper into the wisdom of this story and my other favorites, please join my course, Transform Your Life Through Jack Kornfield’s Most Powerful Stories: A 10-Hour Journey
