All who wish to have a calm and tranquil mind must develop it through the discipline of meditation. All who wish to enjoy a strong and healthy body must likewise look after it through the disciplines of exercises and proper intake of food. But all will be quite alarmed when the word “discipline” is mentioned. It is as if they must be subject to all kinds of pains and rigidities which will be beyond their ability to bear. This is the kind of notion that most will have, but they are completely wrong. The practice of disciplines can be a very happy experience right from the start, when noble aspirations are present. The pains that arise or follow, during and after, the practice are always bearable and meaningful. They are also the causes of self-purification and aids to realisation. With patience and perseverance, happy results will be felt and one will reap the benefit of the simple practices so that life will be filled with energies of every kind. With a healthy mind and body, who can feel sour towards life? Life is short. The ending of one’s life cannot be predicted.
Each person has his own duty to ensure that during his life time, he has accumulated sufficient merits to ensure a happy future life. The acts of accumulating merits can be practised at every moment of the day and night. While doing so, one is able to see sufferings clearer and will then be caused to become more generous and compassionate to others. Those who are on the meritorious path are scarce and it is their duty to transfer their merits to others with the wish that they too will see the meaninglessness of life if they continue to live an indisciplined life. Those who are lacking in virtues and bankrupt in merits are always fearful and unhappy. Their states of mind change from moment to moment, or at best, from day to day. Directions are lacking, and noble intentions are unknown. They will cling to their ‘me’ and become selfish, caring only for their own happiness and not giving a thought to the well-being of others. With this attitude, they will not stop to think, even for moment, how others will feel as long as they have what they wanted.
This practice of ‘self-cherishing’ will cause them to perform acts which are more stupid and ferocious than those of any savage animals. For that, they are planting painful seeds for the future. Ignorance about the reality of death will catch them rather unprepared when the time comes and they are faced with it. How sorrowful and fearful will such beings be. But then it will be too late to regret.
Summer has gone too swiftly and winter is suddenly felt. All that they have accumulated, what can they do with such tangible things? Then there is the wish for a peaceful mind to think things over; then there is the wish that they had healthier bodies which could give them a longer life; then there is the great suffering which they have never expected, and then the truth will dawn in their minds, “I should have done this and that. I should have lived a more disciplined life, I should have....” It is too late to repent and life’s energies are fast disappearing. How frightful to be caught in such a stage, and who would wish to be so? But then who has been the cause of such a happening. It is always one’s own self that is the cause of all unhappiness and happiness. That is why religions are there for all kinds of people to practise. They have been founded by great compassionate Ones who have seen the ‘truth of life’ and they, with great concern, hope that all will live a life of kindliness towards themselves and others, which will require certain disciplines of body and mind.
It will mean that the one great act in life is to cultivate the virtues and avoid non-virtues. If this has been done, where is the fear for death? When one has lived his life as a true cultivator, the body is no more that important to him, what is more important will be his mind consciousness which will take new forms in the future. One will then care for the spiritual while living in the material world and then the meaning of ‘form is emptiness’ will be discovered.
Death then will be an opportunity for him to enter into higher realms or to take up an even more beautiful and suitable body, and to take rebirth into much more better conditions where he is able to continue self-perfecting and to bring happiness to others. When at the point of death, remember to hold the mind clear and calm, remember to make noble wish to take rebirth again for the sake of helping the very many indisciplined ones!
Tuesday, 13th August 1985 (6th Moon 27th Day)