“You can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.” ~ Charles Bukowski
“This body is not me.
I am not limited by this body.
I am life without boundaries.
I have never been born,
and I have never died.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
“The wise person, heedful,
acquires a two-fold welfare:
welfare in this life &
welfare in the next.
By breaking through to his welfare
he’s called prudent,
wise.”
~Ittha Sutta: What is Welcome, Thanissaro, B., trans.
Dear friends,
A few months ago, I went to a drinks party at a neighbor’s house. My practice includes adherence to the five mindfulness trainings (precepts) which include non-harming and non-intoxication and I practice veganism and do not drink alcohol. These two things invariably lead to folks asking “why”. When I explained I was a member of a Buddhist order, the first question was, “So, you believe in reincarnation?” This really surprised me. I explained that in our tradition it was termed, “rebirth,” and most Buddhists I know do not spend much time thinking or worrying about past or future lifetimes. We have enough to keep us busy just trying to be present in this lifetime. The thing is that whatever we were, whatever we have done, it is all manifesting in this lifetime and we don’t need to look very hard to figure out who and what we were before. Everything that exists in this present moment is made of the past and everything in the future is made of this present moment.
If we are hoping for a good rebirth in the next life, or better yet, a good life in this lifetime—one we can enjoy right now, we can see the roots in the law of cause and effect. In the Dhammapada, the poetic book of verses accredited to the Buddha, the opening verse states that mind creates all things, all states of being, all realities, and that “If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox” (Buddharakkhita, A. trans., 1996). And the Buddha points out what we can expect if we act in alignment with our highest values, “If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow” (Buddharakkhita, A. trans., 1996). 2,600 years ago, the Buddha was telling us that we have more choice than we know about our lives…and the next.
Thich Nhat Hahn speaks about the “game of hide and seek” we play between life and death. The way we hide is in the form we take, which is impermanent and changeable. This human body is subject to the first law of thermodynamics, which states that matter is neither created or destroyed, but changes form; matter can manifest as liquid, vapor, or gas and transition back to solids. Physicists tell us an electron can behave as both a particle and a wave, it is not limited to one form. We can experience the same transition of energy in our life as thoughts transform into speech and actions. When we think of someone who was kind to us, even if they have died, we feel the warmth of their loving when we remember them. Their energy lights us up. Thich Nhat Hanh uses the word “continuation” when he speaks of dying because we do not stop being—we continue as another form. We can understand that we continue the lives of others, especially our blood ancestors—we have them in every cell of our being. We continue the energy of their life when we act in alignment with what they taught us through their lives.
The moment of death is very important for Buddhists. The last thought we think as we die creates our continuation. Dying is an opportunity for enlightenment and the Buddha taught that those who train in loving kindness can hope for a death with lucidity and calm and a happy continuation; “one dies unconfused; and — on the break-up of the body, after death — one reappears in the good destinations” (Ekamsena Sutta: Categorically, AN 2.18, Thanissaro, trans.). The thoughts we produce have an effect on us and upon others. The Buddha spoke about people who had thoughts of doubt or were swamped with regret at the moment of death—these thoughts actively led to a less happy death and a less happy destination for the next life. The thoughts we think are important and the way to steady the mind on what is wholesome is to train during our lifetime.
We don’t have to wait until we are dying to recall our goodness and love our life—we can do it now. We can consider, “what do I want my last thought to be?” Do I want to remember how others hurt me or my mistakes? When we understand that we have limited time on this planet, we can take care of repairing and making amends in the present. We can give ourselves the permission to deeply love the life we do have, to wake up and wonder what will delight us today and what opportunities will we have to delight others. We must begin this practice now so when our time comes and we are dying, we will have the presence of mind to recall our own goodness, to recognize the value of our life, to realize our transition with clarity and non-fear. That is the best gift we can give ourselves, to wake up to loving our own life, fully immersed in this great mystery of birth and death.
May we all trust our light,
Celia
