Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Eight sufferings Part 3(八苦三)
We have said there are Eight Sufferings between the moments of birth and death. First were birth, then aging and illness. Now we will speak of death.
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.
The Sufferings of Death. Is death truly that painful? If we are entangled by karma, it is. It is very painful when our body’s Four Elements separate, when our organs disintegrate, and when our consciousness departs from the body. The Sutras compare it to being skinned alive, so it will be very painful.
But it does not have to be. In life, we do not know if we will reach old age, so we must take advantage of our human from to learn the Dharma and make the most of it. It is rare to be human and to hear the Buddha-Dharma. So we must seize this moment. Is it good enough to just listen? No, we must also put it into practice. Is chanting the Buddha’s name, praying, and reading the Sutra enough? It is not enough. We chant the Buddha’s name to calm our minds. Just chanting is useless we must chant mindfully. This is being mindful of the Buddha.
Chanting the Buddha’s name calms the mind. However just chanting is useless. One should chant the Buddha’s name mindfully and have the Buddha’s mind as one’s own. this is being mindful of the Buddha.
After being mindful of Buddha, we think “Yes, a Buddha-mind is full of Great Compassion. Now my mind is filled with love and because I listen to Sutra, I know boundless love and all-embracing compassion.” We know it, but are we living it? Life is full of pain and suffering. Will we work with suffering sentient beings so we can help them? We must truly work to benefit sentient beings and lead them onto this great and broad path so that everyone can learn the Buddha-Dharma, put teachings into practice on the Bodhi-path, and set the Buddha in their hearts. Let everyone know that they need not be petty, and should benefit others through giving. We have opened the Bodhisattva-path, but will we walk it with them? Simply listening, knowing, or speaking without acting on it is useless. Although we may develop a good mindset, we will not attain our goals without good actions. We have not truly internalized the Truth.
If we do not internalize the Dharma, we will be very scared when we fall ill. Besides the physical pain, we will have fear. Think about the struggle between life and death. How can that not be painful? It is painful. When the body and the mind part, it will be painful.
If one only listens to Buddha-Dharma and talks about the teachings without putting them into practice, then the teachings are useless. If the teachings are not internalized, one will be unable to face life and death with peace and ease.
If we can normally see through things clearly, we see life and death as part of the laws of nature. Regardless of age or class, life and death are natural. We know it, we feel it. Everything happens according to our affinities. When our affinities end, we must part, and nothing can keep us here. If our affinities are unfinished, no matter what torment, pain, or life-threatening illness we endure, we will recover. If we open our minds, we know those who are meant to return will return. If we can let go, we will not feel so torn apart.
Many years ago, there were a couple of dedicated volunteers, Mr. Lin and his wife. They recruited members every day. One day when Mr. Lin was driving, he felt a tightness in his chest, like he could not inhale. He went to Cathay General Hospital where he lost consciousness. The doctor said he was in critical condition, but the Intensive Care Unit was full, so he was transferred to the National Taiwan University Hospital. This happened while I was traveling around Taiwan. A few days later, he was still in a coma and still in critical condition.
When I arrived in Taipei, I went to the Intensive Care Unit. His wife and children waited anxiously outside. They knew I was coming and they told me, “It doesn’t look good. The doctor said he is still in critical condition.” So I went in with the doctor to see him. At his bedside I asked the doctor, “How does it look now?” “It doesn’t look good.” So I whispered into Mr. Lin’s ear, “Mr. Lin, I am here to see you I believe you are at peace now. But remember, there are so many things I need to do, and I can’t do it without you. You have to return quickly. You have to be at peace whether you are coming or going. Come back as soon as you can.”
As I said this to him, I gently patted his shoulder, and his eyes suddenly opened. The doctor asked, “Are you awake?” The doctor bent down to ask him again. I said to him, “Mr. Lin, did you hear me call you? He blinked and then nodded. I said, “You’re awake. It is good that you’re back. I feel reassured.” So I left I visit him again before leaving Taipei, and he was already in a normal hospital room. I said lightly, “Were you trying to scare us?” He sat up quickly and said, “Master, I’m very grateful you called me back.”
I said, “You heard my call?”
He said, “Yes.” But he also said, “There is something I must share with you.”
I said, “What did you experience?”
He said, “I heard some beautiful, melodious music. That heavenly music is indescribable, just very pleasant music. So I follow the music, and felt like I was floating along. I saw my parents, my older relatives, and my aunts and uncles. They were in a large crowd, waving at me. So I went toward them.” When he was in front of them, his parents said, “You can come with us now.” But then he heard me call him “Mr. Lin, if you are returning, return quickly.” So he felt, “Yes, Tzu Chi is doing many things, and the Master needs me.” Once that thought arose, he opened his eyes and saw me.
I heard him describe his experience. It was pleasant, as if floating, but there was an element of danger. Emperor Liang’s Repentance mentioned something similar to this experience. As the spirit is leaving the body, karmic forces exist on the border of life and death. Sometimes karmic conditions manifest. And when that happens, it sometimes appears as a beautiful environment, as something appealing. Whatever you love appears in this state and tempts you. Sometimes people you love will appear, so you will naturally be enticed.
Fortunately, he had a thought of kindness, and an affinity to respond to my call. The spirit is immaterial, so it lightly drifts around. A person who does not regularly do good and create blessings would not be able to respond this way. Some people struggle a lot as they die. They look pained as they sweat and fight. If you ask them what is happening, they cannot respond because they are seeing something terrible. They refuse to go but they are being pulled away.
In the Earth Treasury Sutra, the Bright-eyed Girl, also called the Brahman Girl, tried to rescue her deceased mother from Hell. The manifestation of Hell comes from the tug and pull of passions in the human realm. One may fall into evil realms where the hungry ghosts and yakshas come and pull on them. This is very painful. So when some people are at the border of life and death, they suffer because they are frightened and confused.
The pain from illness is already terrible, but where does pain exist? It really existed in our minds. We are afraid to die and reluctant to leave. At that moment, our consciousness affects our nervous system, which in turn affects our organs and those feelings become bodily pain. So of course we suffer when are reluctant to let go, suffering from fright, and facing the conditions before us. So the Suffering of Death is the pain of being torn between life and death.
Physical illness in the body, the reluctance to let go, the pain caused by fright, and the pain of conditions manifesting are sufferings that result from being pulled between life and death. This is the Suffering of Death.
We also see commissioners who smile as the die. They say goodbye peacefully. Life and death are part of the laws of nature. When we are old, or when our affinities have ended, if we see it as natural, we will be happy and peaceful. If we regularly walk the Bodhisattva-path and have not created enmity with others or if we can dissolve enmity and anger, then the entanglements of karma will unravel. Naturally, we believe we will return in another body.
The Bodhisattva-world and the track of life are circular. So we will return to the Human Realm. The Five Destinies intermingle in the Human Realm. The Five Destinies are Heaven, Human, Hell, Hungry Ghost, and Animal. They are mixed together. Taking about Heaven, we can see Heaven on Earth. We can see Human life on Earth and also witness the Hungry Ghost Realm in this world people suffer from hunger. Some people in hospital rooms are hungry but cannot eat. So they are Hungry Ghosts on Earth. Some people feel tortured mentally and physically, as if they are in Hell. We see many people born in impure places, etc. Earthly hells, or natural and human disasters, aren’t these manifestations of Hell on Earth? And the state of Animals is everywhere. The Five Destinies intermingle in the Human Realm.
So how we act and how we practice here is very important. If we are at peace, established in character, and made a deep Bodhisattvas-vow, we will return. So do not struggle, do not worry. What is most important is how we regularly practice and perceive things. If we can be at ease in life and death, then we will not feel much suffering or pain.
Use your time to earnestly practice, and use your life to internalize the Buddha-Dharma. When one is established in character and makes a deep Bodhisattvas-vow, one will be peaceful and at ease, and transcend the Suffering of Death.
In conclusion, we do not have much time each day. So do not engage in pettiness. We need to make good use of time. We need to mindfully chant the Buddha’s name and sincerely treat and respect everyone as a Buddha. We must live our lives in gratitude, respect, and love. Then, at the end, we can be peaceful and at ease. With this peace and ease, we will not be influenced by suffering. There are no other ways to practice, no tricks. The most important just be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)