When we are open and engaged, we experience the greater self. When we are closed off, we are exhibiting our lesser self.
The lesser self is a deluded condition, whilst our greater self is synonymous with our Buddha nature.
To live for the greater self means to recognise the universal principle behind all things and, being awaked in this way, rise above the suffering caused by the awareness of impermanence. A belief in something eternal is needed to enhance our quality of life.
By believing that this world is the be-all and end-all of existence, we will miss out, we will not live a truly profound life. When our viewpoint expands beyond the boundaries of our present existence to include the entire, eternal universe, we can finally live deeply fulfilling lives, unconstrained by our own limited experience.
The sudden and tragic passing of a local chap, due to a motoring accident, led me to think about how fragile life is, and how we often take it for granted.
The passing of my pet rat Mouse led me to think about a Buddhist poem about death, from the Buddhist viewpoint.
Our actions in previous lives are all engraved upon, and contained within, this lifetime. The causes for our present suffering, our joy, happiness or misery, all lie with our own past actions. But Nichiren Buddhism enables us to fundamentally transform our destiny.
When we are open and engaged, we experience the greater self. When we are closed off, we are exhibiting our lesser self. 
Bumble called me tonight on my way home to tell me that she had just visited her Auntie Pat in hospital.
I have been writing the piece to be read at Ivor’s funeral today, and just thinking about the Buddhist view of death has lightened my mood enormously. As you may know, death does not represent the end of life, as it does in many other religions, but rather another stage in the eternal Wheel of Life.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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