FillMash

Consider your life; don’t you think it’s too short? Don’t you have trouble believing the speed with which things pass? One moment you are in high school worrying about which college to attend, and almost the next thing you know you’re a full-fledged adult with adult concerns, belief systems, responsibilities, and travails. How does this happen? Is it really true that each of us will grow up, mature, grow old and die? Sometimes it seems so inconceivable that we choose not to think about it, but we become wiser when we accept the tenuous, short-lived nature of life.

This kind of consideration helps us turn our hearts and minds to Dharma – truth and reality – and away from worldliness, confusion, and ordinary habits; it sharpens our spiritual intelligence by raising our consciousness and heightening our awareness about life.

The Buddha told his disciples and followers to think about death and the remembrance of mortality/impermanence. He said that death was his greatest teacher. He told people that remembering how little time we have in this lifetime would help us spend our days on earth more wisely. Reflecting upon death is not meant to be a morbid practice. In fact, it can have the opposite affect; it can help ground us in the here and now and make us appreciate the wonderful miracle of life each moment as it’s given to us now. The Buddha said:

“The universe and its inhabitants are as ephemeral as the
Clouds in the sky;
Beings being born and dying are like a spectacular dance
Or drama show.
The duration of our lives is like a flash of lightning
Or a firefly’s brief twinkle;
Everything passes like the flowing waters of a steep waterfall.”

Thus, life is short but full of amazing opportunity filled with freedoms and choices too wondrous to describe. So it would be pity to waste this life by engaging in useless and meaningless activities. So try to be more true to yourself and think about ways that can deepen your commitment to those values you hold most dear.