During our recent half-day outdoor meditation session, we walked in the park across from the meditation center. As we strolled along a small creek, I noticed two very peculiar trees with tall trunks. They appeared to be redwoods, I think. Their main trunks were quite thick, but two of them had been toppled by strong winds. When I walked past them, my initial thought was, “What a pity! These two trees have grown for so long to become such giant redwoods.” Redwoods can grow for two or three thousand years, so my initial reaction was a sense of regret that these long-standing, massive trees had been knocked down. Then, my second thought immediately emerged: Perhaps after they fell, some young saplings would sprout, and this fertile land could nurture them. Moreover, the sunlight on this piece of land would benefit other young saplings, enabling them to grow better. With this perspective, I no longer felt that there was anything particularly regrettable. The phenomenon of life in the universe is a continuous cycle of birth and death, and this is a natural process.
In The Sutra on the Eight Realizations of the Great Beings, it says, “the world is impermanent, and the lands are fragile.” The environment in which we exist is constantly changing, and human life in this natural environment is quite small and can lose their lives very easily. “The lands are fragile” as seen in the earthquakes and fallen trees. This makes us realize that all sentient beings in the world are not eternally strong and enduring. At such times, we can reflect on the concept of impermanence. I’ve shared with some fellow practitioners that when we see so many beings passing away in disasters, whether they are friends and family or fellow Dharma brothers and sisters we recently spoke with, it resonates with what is described in the Buddhist scriptures.
We can contemplate what we can learn from these events. First, we can practice gratitude because the manifestations of these great bodhisattvas allow us to personally experience the impermanence of phenomena. We can slowly transform this knowledge into life experiences. This is about integrating what we have learned theoretically with what we have experienced, and once internalized, we can implement and practice it in the future. When we encounter impermanent situations again, we won’t be as troubled or emotionally reactive to these abrupt events. So the first point is to practice gratitude and be thankful for the manifestations of the bodhisattvas, which are in line with the Buddhist teachings of “the impermanence of the world.”
The second point is that some bodhisattvas with whom we had close relationships suddenly pass away, and this can impact us. This is normal because we are sentient beings. Sentient beings have memories, and we may think back on the past interactions we had with this bodhisattva. When we realize that such experiences won’t be repeated in the future, it’s natural to feel a sense of sadness or emotional turmoil. Instead of frequently falling into these more sorrowful or negative emotions, we can slowly transform these emotions into blessings. We can dedicate our emotions by reciting scriptures, chanting Buddha’s name, or other practices to benefit the deceased. With a heart full of blessings, we can wish for their peace and success in the next stage, or wish them to reach the Pure Land. Both are very good.
The third point is that we can contemplate the impermanence of everything around us, whether it’s the people in our lives or the environment we live in. When our own impermanence arrives, how should we face it? Shouldn’t we cherish our current, very brief life and engage in more positive activities, such as helping others? This year’s theme at Dharma Drum Mountain is “Fu Hui Zi Zai,” (Blessings and Wisdom – The Way to Freedom) which prompts us to think about how we can utilize our limited life to cultivate blessings and wisdom. Cultivating blessings involves doing things that benefit others, while cultivating wisdom means practicing methods to stabilize our body and mind, making them less susceptible to external influences. When we encounter social phenomena or incidents involving our friends and family, they are opportunities to practice, contemplate, and reflect.
To summarize what has been discussed earlier, when facing impermanence: First, we should have a heart filled with gratitude. Next, we should nurture a heart filled with blessings. Finally, we should reflect and understand that “impermanence” is something that each of us will inevitably encounter. So, how can we engage in activities that benefit sentient beings and our own practice in our limited lives. The answer is to cultivate blessings and wisdom.
