One day, the Buddha told his disciples, “There lived a man who had four wives. When he was on his deathbed, he asked his first wife if she would accompany him after death. She refused. His second wife also refused to go with him, while his third wife accompanied him till the graveyard. However, his fourth wife, whom he was not very fond of, gladly agreed to follow him wherever he went.” The Buddha’s disciples asked, “What does the story mean?” The Buddha explained, “The first wife is our body which we have to leave behind when we die. The second wife is our wealth, property and fame The third wife is our relatives. The fourth wife is our mind or consciousness, as well as our good or bad actions. This is our karma (deed), and stays with us from one life to another.”
Moral: Our good actions will stay with us even beyond death.
