A Buddhist Perspective Of Death

06 Oct 2014 3 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

A Buddhist Perspective Of DeathThe 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.

It also prompted me to find this well known poem about death, from the Buddhist perspective.

Though we may relinquish our body in this lifetime, we are not gone, nor will we ever be.

For me, it holds a number of consoling thoughts …

This body is not me.
I am not limited by this body.
I am life without boundaries.
I have never been born, and I have never died.
Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars, manifestations from my wondrous true mind.
Since before time, I have been free.
Birth and death are only doors through which we pass, sacred thresholds on our journey.
Birth and death are a game of hide-and seek.
So laugh with me, hold my hand, let us say good-bye, say good-bye, to meet again soon.
We meet today.
We will meet again tomorrow.
We will meet at the source every moment.
We meet each other in all forms of life.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

It’s About Time We Gave A Frack

28 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , ,

No Fracking - Caroline Lucas ProtestsThe Buddhist teaching of the Oneness of Life and it’s Environment tells us that humanity, the World and the Universe are one.

That is why, if we wish to protect the environment, we must transform and purify the Three Poisons of Greed, Anger and Foolishness.

The principle of Human Revolution focuses on precisely this, inner transformation at the most fundamental level through our practice.

With the Government today announcing that it  will be allowing licences for fracking, in exceptional circumstances, even in the most beautiful parts of the Britain, to release huge quantities of hitherto untapped reserves of fossil fuel in the form of gas, there has never been a more pressing time to promote responsibility in all.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

The Fragility Of Life

27 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , ,

Thoughts For The VictimsReading reports of the tragic fire in Brazil my thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims. Initial investigations are reporting that over two hundred clubbers have been killed following a fire that was started by fireworks set off by a band.

Apart from the obvious thoughts of it being a needless loss of life, two other things crossed my mind. The first being that although we live in a world typically cossetted in reams of health and safety measures, life is still very fragile and should never be taken for granted.

The second though is for the person, or people, who set off the fireworks. I cannot imagine, in my wildest dreams, that there was any intent to cause a fire, but regardless of that, the responsibility for two hundred deaths lies squarely at the foot of the instigators.

I wonder how many times we make a poor decision, nip out into traffic, run that amber light, take an un-necessary risk, and get away with it? Imagine, if you can, how we might feel, if as a result of that risk, we caused an incident in which someone, maybe a child, was killed.

So as we think of the victims and those mourning the loss of their loved ones, killed in the most harrowing of ways, let us also take a moment to put ourselves in the place of the people who, albeit inadvertently, caused the deaths, for they will have to live with the responsibility of their actions until the end of time.