Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Eight Sufferings Part 4(八苦四)
The fourth of the Eight Sufferings is Death.
Natural End: Death from illness or old age.
External Conditions: Death from evil conditions or disasters like floods, fires, etc.
Life is truly impermanent, and full of suffering. In the end, there is nothing but emptiness. After birth, aging and illness, there is the Suffering of Death. Death is suffering not only because the Four Elements disintegrate, but also because we are frightened or reluctant to let go. So we are torn and we struggle, which is very painful.
We must understand the laws of nature. Death is inevitable for all living creatures. The human body is an example. All things that are born must die; where there is formation, there is destruction. This is an immutable law, an absolute Truth. If we see that clearly, we will not fight death or struggle against decay and destruction. If we open our minds, we can truly accomplish many things in this lifetime. We must make use of these things, cherish them and bring out their highest potential.
Take a knife, for example. When that knife was made, it was very sharp. But over time, its edges dull, and one day it will break or be destroyed. In the meantime, how will we use it? For material objects, there is a cycle of formation and destruction. For humans, there is birth, growth, and aging, so there is illness and death. The most important time is between birth and death. No matter how long it lasts, we must fully and mindfully use that time. We must use this body because “The body is a vehicle for cultivation.” With this body, we have a place for spiritual cultivation, where we can experience all conditions in this world. Through the Buddha-Dharma, we can see how Truth mirrors those conditions. We can then apply and practice the Truth in our hearts and our daily lives. We use our body to experience external conditions, and with the Buddha’s teaching, it is an opportunity for spiritual cultivation. So we must fully use our bodies. If we do so, then in accordance with the laws of nature, death will not be scary, we will not struggle. We will be peaceful and at ease.
For everything in the universe, where there is birth, there is death; where there is formation, there is destruction. This is the law of nature. If we make good use of this physical body and realize the Truth in our dual lives, we can face life and death with peace and ease.
At the hospital we see some people we do not know, and some we do. We even see people from our monastery. Take Master En, for example. Master En was not very old, and we have our own hospital. But what could we do? When the laws of nature came into effect, Master En peacefully went to stay at the hospital. It seemed Master En easily let go of everything, up to the very end. See, that is submitting to the laws of nature.
As for our commissioners, we have already lost quite a few. Although they left, we should talk about how many have returned. Their will to attain enlightenment is very strong. They remained at ease even in illness. Look at Jing-rong. She was in a coma. When I saw her I could not wake her up. The doctor said she might never wake up. I sat by her side and called to her, but she continued sleeping peacefully. A few days later, I visited her at the hospital, and she was awake and waiting for me. She smiled when she saw me and joyfully said, “Master, you’re so busy. Why are you here?”
I cheerfully patted her and said, “Today isn’t the only day I’ve been here. You ignored me when I came in a few days ago. You just kept sleeping.”
In jest she said, “Master, since you’re so busy, you don’t have time to sleep, so I slept for you.”
I said, “You should know…”
“Yes, I know if I go I should return quickly.”
“Yes, I’ll be waiting for you.”
It did not feel like talking about life and death.
Over the next day or two, all the volunteers from Hualien visited her. She saw each of them “Thank you all for being here.” After a while, she waved her hand and said goodbye, and then she died peacefully. So is death very painful? If you can be open-minded and let go, you will naturally be at peace. Although she was sick and her body was in pain, she knew how to adjust her mindset. So whenever someone visited her, they were comforted. Visiting her was like listening to Dharma. The manifestation of her illness let others know that with a body comes illness. Although she appeared ill, she was not suffering. She taught Dharma to others through her illness. She was peaceful and at ease. When her affinity ended, she simply waved goodbye. Her affinity here had ended. This means her affinity with another place has come to fruition. She left this place for another, and thus she will return. If we can understand these principles, death will not be painful.
Death is not painful. If we know to adjust our state of mind, be open-minded and let go, we will be at peace.
Death is not suffering. However, the Buddha still spoke about death to let us know that death is suffering, because most of us are ordinary people. The ancient said, "You should learn about everything except death." But I say, "You have to learn about everything, even death. Even if you do not learn anything else, you must learn about dying." We need to learn how to use the moments between life and death, and learn to face our last moment. This is a major life event so we must learn about it mindfully.
For an ordinary person, how many types of Suffering of Death are there? Two. One is dying from illness. When our body is sick and our life is at its end, it is time to die. The ancients said, "Death is destined even before birth." When we come to this world, how long do we live? When the time comes, it is the end of our life. So we should be peaceful. So we should be peaceful. When the time comes, we should remain at ease. We cannot estimate how long we will live.
I recently received a letter from a long-time hospital volunteer. She said, "Mrs. Chang, who is 105, wishes to go through training, here is her information." She is 105 years old. She took refuge and wanted to become my disciple which meant, she wanted to become a commissioner, and join Tzu Chi in benefiting others. The old woman had recently fallen and broken her leg. She was brought to our hospital and our highly skilled surgeons operated in time to reset her bones. After a few days, she was able to get up and walk. They told her she could leave, but she said no "I want to wait until Master Cheng Yen sees me."
She often thought about visiting me, but she never had the chance. This broken leg was her opportunity. Although she was in Hualien and close by, I was traveling at the time. She knew I would be back soon, so she said, "I have to wait until the Master gets back. I'll leave the hospital after I've seen him." So I visited her upon my return. She felt a thirty-year-long wish had been fulfilled. She said, "If you don't mind, I want to be your disciple."
"That's good!" I said.
In her hospital room I told her, "Write down your information and I will help you take refuge and give you a Dharma-name. Then you will be one of my disciples."
Those near me said, "To be her disciple, you have to be a commissioner, too."
She said, "Can I? Yes!"
It was settled with a word. Her daughter-in-law said, "I will join with my mother-in-law." So one commissioner turned into two. One day, someone actually brought me her application to undergo training. See, a 105-old is undergoing training. So age is not an issue. If her time is not up, and she makes a vow, she still has time to practice on the Bodhisattva-path.
The body is a vehicle for cultivation. Her life is long and she still has time. She is still smart and clear-headed. She can still use her body. The values of a life come from making the most of time. We die when our time is up; until then, we live. This is the first type of death; it is the laws of nature. Regardless of how long our life is, it comes to an end, which was determined before we arrived in the world.
The other type of death is “external conditions.” Earlier we talked about illness, now we will speak of external conditions. They are events like floods, fires, deadly falls, homicides, wars, etc. These deaths are not from illness, but because of accidents. We often ask, “will death arrive first, or will tomorrow?” Life is impermanent and sudden events can maim our bodies or and our lives.
Everyone should remember that on December 26, 2004, a tsunami centered in Indonesia hit 12 countries. These different countries shared the same disaster. Many people lost their lives to that tsunami. They were far away from one another, but died on the same day. After the tsunami, we mobilized volunteers from around the world. We hoped everyone would be vigilant. We wanted everyone to expand their view. No matter in which nation they lived, we wanted them to see how one event caused tremendous devastation in any different countries. I hope everyone would take the opportunity to become aware and attain a deep realization, then exhibit his or her pure enlightened Great Love.
We have seen the innate goodness in people. As long as someone can encourage and motivate them, Tzu Chi volunteers all over the world will assemble to raise funds. No matter how hot the sun, or how cold the snow they hold the donation boxes for fundraising. Fundraising with a donation box is a means of cultivation. We often speak of gratitude and impermanence. We must share the knowledge of this impermanent state with everyone. If people can share their love by donating a bit of money, we will bow in gratitude. This is a place where we cultivate gratitude. This is a live training ground where we can speak Dharma and touch others.
When these disasters occur, we can seize the moment as an opportunity for practice and teaching others. Life is impermanent. There is so much truth to learn just from the body. So when we are alive we must clearly recognize the Buddha’s teachings in how we see the world, our external environments and internal mindsets. We have to earnestly accept the teachings that are validated by our surroundings. We must cherish Buddha’s teachings and use them in our daily lives. Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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