Mortal Life

 Face Mortality – Reap More Joy

April 24, 2020 by Will_Handy

Nothing like a deadly pandemic to remind us that “death comes for all” actually applies to us, too!

Buddhists get a bad rap about death – lots of people think we’re morbid or depressed because we think about it a lot.  But it’s really the opposite – we bring our minds back to mortality so that we can defuse our fear and thus open to life more.  

Many in the West run in terror from death, as if it were some kind of monster that’s out to get us.  We’re so busy fleeing that we can’t stop and get to know what we’re running away from.  The meditative reaction to any fear is to slow down, “invite it over for tea,” and get friendly.  Make it familiar – and our reactions to it, too.  

Think – without death, there’d be about 100 billion people on the planet today – with over 141 million more each year!  Big trouble.  And animals – would they also be “free” from death?  I wonder how many feet deep we’d be in writhing critters by now.

But from a less ludicrous point of view, I think we’d have difficulty making sense of life it had no expiration date.  If we’re good at procrastinating now, what would we be like if we knew that we could put off until tomorrow forever?  Who cares if I’m in a car wreck? So what if my house burns down with me and my family in it?  If I don’t have the resources for food – big deal!  I think I’ll stay drunk for a hundred years – what’s the worst that could happen?  Nah, I haven’t talked to my sister in 30 years – we got time.

Many spiritual traditions – including Buddhism – encourage us to see death as a friendly presence that’s with us all the time.  It reminds us to appreciate our lives, which will not last forever.  Personally, I still haven’t seen an erupting volcano.  That’s been an unwavering life goal since I was a child.  Since I’m 70 freakin’ years old, I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.  I’m acutely aware that if I don’t turn that fantasy into a real adventure, I will miss it.  If I’m alive in a year – and if travel again becomes possible – I intend to make a Major Trip.  And I suspect I will gather great joy and awe.

But closer to home:  Is a meal just a refueling stop?  Or can I wake up a little and savor the tastes and aromas and textures?  Someday I’ll be dead, and the smoothness of an avocado will be gone.  One of these days, my partner or I will die, and the other will be left.  That fact of life need not be frightening – but it does remind me that I won’t be able to hold him forever.  So each hug is part of a dwindling supply.  That awareness can remind me to pay attention when I touch him – to enjoy him and remember that he’s precious. 

Scarcity is part of value in the human calculation:  if something’s rare, it’s more precious to us.  Mortality reminds us that our experiences are scarce.  Even a crappy day is filled with treasures – for most of us, each day has hearing, vision, physical mobility, thought processes, emotion.  Even if I’m depressed or angry, I can feel something!  That will not be true for all that long.  I’d best enjoy these things now.

We Buddhists have a saying:  One day, this body will be a corpse.  With the right mindset, it’s not an invitation to fear.  It’s a friendly goad to mindfulness:  I won’t always be here.  The joys and terrors of living will end.  None of this is disposable!  Wake up!  Savor!  Enjoy this precious life while you can!

People who work with the dying report that those who fear death often struggle terribly and die with pain and terror.  Those who accept that death is natural and not to be hated often die with peace and even joy.  In this pandemic, it’s worth our time to invite death in for tea – to befriend this inevitable companion.  We can still mourn the passing of those we love; we will miss them, and there will be a painful hole in our lives.  But a death can remind us that we are still here.  We retain this body that can experience such joys – both extraordinary, like my longed-for volcano, and mundane, like an avocado.

It seems like a silly admonition, but remember that you’re alive!  Look for the shower of delight and joy in each day – because those things are inherent in being alive.  The fact that we only occasionally notice doesn’t mean that the shower isn’t there.  But when we go through the day in a dulled-out trance, the joy may as well be absent, for all we know.

Imagine a young, struggling person buys a fixer-upper house.  They make it a home, however sparse their limited means allow.  For decades, they live a modest life there.  After a few decades, the wooden floors are shot – and the owner at last has enough resources to pull them up and replace them.  The owner finds, between the joists beneath the floorboards, rank upon rank of gold bricks, left there by the previous, miserly owner.  How odd that our no-longer-young homeowner has been fabulously wealthy since the day they moved in, but they lived a life of not-quite-poverty.  They’ve lived with riches but didn’t know it.  With the help of contemplating our mortality, we can “rip up the floorboards” right away.  The wealth is ours for the noticing.

So make friends with death – an ever-present reminder of what we each possess.

https://theinnozablog.blogspot.com/2022/01/garlic-dasuan.html?m=0

面对死亡——收获更多快乐

Miàn duì sǐwáng——shōuhuò gèng duō kuàilè

 2020 年 4 月 24 日，作者 Will_Handy

 没有什么比一场致命的流行病更能提醒我们“人人死亡”实际上也适用于我们！méiyǒu shé me bǐ yī chǎng zhìmìng de liúxíng bìng gèng néng tíxǐng wǒmen “rén rén sǐwáng” shíjì shang yě shìyòng yú wǒmen!

 佛教徒对死亡的评价很差——很多人认为我们病态或抑郁是因为我们想了很多。 但事实恰恰相反——我们让我们的思想回到尘世，这样我们就可以化解我们的恐惧，从而对生命更加开放。Fójiào tú duì sǐwáng de píngjià hěn chà——hěnduō rén rènwéi wǒmen bìngtài huò yìyù shì yīnwèi wǒmen xiǎngle hěnduō. Dànshìshí qiàqià xiāngfǎn——wǒmen ràng wǒmen de sīxiǎng huí dào chénshì, zhèyàng wǒmen jiù kěyǐ huàjiě wǒmen de kǒngjù, cóng'ér duì shēngmìng gèngjiā kāifàng.

 西方的许多人都害怕死亡，好像它是某种怪物要来抓我们一样。 我们忙着逃跑，以至于我们无法停下来了解我们在逃避什么。 对任何恐惧的冥想反应是放慢速度，“请它过来喝茶”，并变得友好。 让它熟悉——以及我们对它的反应。Xīfāng de xǔduō rén dōu hàipà sǐwáng, hǎoxiàng tā shì mǒu zhǒng guàiwù yào lái zhuā wǒmen yīyàng. Wǒmen mángzhe táopǎo, yǐ zhìyú wǒmen wúfǎ tíng xiàlái liǎojiě wǒmen zài táobì shénme. Duì rènhé kǒngjù de míngxiǎng fǎnyìng shì fàng màn sùdù,“qǐng tā guòlái hē chá”, bìng biàn dé yǒuhǎo. Ràng tā shúxī——yǐjí wǒmen duì tā de fǎnyìng.

 想想看——如果没有死亡，今天地球上将有大约 1000 亿人——每年增加超过 1.41 亿人！ 大麻烦。 还有动物——它们也会“免于”死亡吗？ 我想知道现在我们在扭动的小动物身上会有多少英尺深。Xiǎng xiǎng kàn——rúguǒ méiyǒu sǐwáng, jīntiān dìqiú shàng jiàng yǒu dàyuē 1000 yì rén——měinián zēngjiā chāoguò 1.41 Yì rén! Dà máfan. Hái yǒu dòngwù——tāmen yě huì “miǎn yú” sǐwáng ma? Wǒ xiǎng zhīdào xiànzài wǒmen zài niǔ dòng de xiǎo dòngwù shēnshang huì yǒu duōshǎo yīngchǐ shēn.

 但从不那么荒谬的角度来看，我认为我们很难理解没有到期日的生活。 如果我们现在擅长拖延，如果我们知道我们可以永远推迟到明天，我们会是什么样子？ 谁在乎我是否在车祸中？ 那么，如果我的房子连同我和我的家人一起被烧毁了怎么办？ 如果我没有食物资源——大不了！ 我想我会醉一百年——可能发生的最糟糕的事情是什么？ 不，我已经 30 年没有和我姐姐说过话了——我们有时间。Dàn cóng bù nàme huāngmiù de jiǎodù lái kàn, wǒ rènwéi wǒmen hěn nán lǐjiě méiyǒu dào qí rì de shēnghuó. Rúguǒ wǒmen xiànzài shàncháng tuōyán, rúguǒ wǒmen zhīdào wǒmen kěyǐ yǒngyuǎn tuīchí dào míngtiān, wǒmen huì shì shénme yàngzi? Shéi zàihū wǒ shìfǒu zài chēhuò zhōng? Nàme, rúguǒ wǒ de fángzi liántóng wǒ hé wǒ de jiārén yīqǐ bèi shāohuǐle zěnme bàn? Rúguǒ wǒ méiyǒu shíwù zīyuán——dàbùliǎo! Wǒ xiǎng wǒ huì zuì yībǎi nián——kěnéng fāshēng de zuì zāogāo de shìqíng shì shénme? Bù, wǒ yǐjīng 30 nián méiyǒu hé wǒ jiějiě shuō guòhuàle——wǒmen yǒu shíjiān.

 许多精神传统——包括佛教——鼓励我们将死亡视为始终与我们同在的友好存在。 它提醒我们珍惜我们的生活，这不会永远持续下去。 就个人而言，我还没有看到火山喷发。 这是我从小就坚定不移的人生目标。 由于我已经 70 岁了，我最近一直在想这件事。 我敏锐地意识到，如果我不把那个幻想变成真正的冒险，我会想念它的。 如果我一年后还活着——如果旅行再次成为可能——我打算进行一次重大旅行。 我怀疑我会聚集极大的喜悦和敬畏。Xǔduō jīngshén chuántǒng——bāokuò fójiào——gǔlì wǒmen jiàng sǐwáng shì wéi shǐzhōng yǔ wǒmen tóng zài de yǒuhǎo cúnzài. Tā tíxǐng wǒmen zhēnxī wǒmen de shēnghuó, zhè bù huì yǒngyuǎn chíxù xiàqù. Jiù gèrén ér yán, wǒ hái méiyǒu kàn dào huǒshān pēnfā. Zhè shì wǒ cóngxiǎo jiù jiāndìng bù yí de rénshēng mùbiāo. Yóuyú wǒ yǐjīng 70 suìle, wǒ zuìjìn yīzhí zài xiǎng zhè jiàn shì. Wǒ mǐnruì de yìshí dào, rúguǒ wǒ bù bǎ nàgè huànxiǎng biàn chéng zhēnzhèng de màoxiǎn, wǒ huì xiǎngniàn tā de. Rúguǒ wǒ yī nián hòu hái huózhe——rúguǒ lǚxíng zàicì chéngwéi kěnéng——wǒ dǎsuàn jìnxíng yīcì zhòngdà lǚxíng. Wǒ huáiyí wǒ huì jùjí jí dà de xǐyuè hé jìngwèi.

 但离家更近：一顿饭只是一个加油站吗？ 或者我可以稍微醒来，品尝一下味道、香气和质地吗？ 总有一天我会死去，鳄梨的光滑度也会消失。 在这些日子里，我的伴侣或我将死去，而另一天将被留下。 生活中的这一事实并不可怕——但它确实提醒我，我无法永远抱着他。 因此，每个拥抱都是供应减少的一部分。 这种意识可以提醒我在触摸他时要注意——享受他并记住他是宝贵的。Dàn lí jiā gèng jìn: Yī dùn fàn zhǐshì yīgè jiāyóu zhàn ma? Huòzhě wǒ kěyǐ shāowéi xǐng lái, pǐncháng yīxià wèidào, xiāngqì hé zhídì ma? Zǒng yǒu yītiān wǒ huì sǐqù, è lí de guānghuá dù yě huì xiāoshī. Zài zhèxiē rìzi lǐ, wǒ de bànlǚ huò wǒ jiàng sǐqù, ér lìng yītiān jiāng bèi liú xià. Shēnghuó zhōng de zhè yī shìshí bìng bùkěpà——dàn tā quèshí tíxǐng wǒ, wǒ wúfǎ yǒngyuǎn bàozhe tā. Yīncǐ, měi gè yǒngbào dōu shì gōngyìng jiǎnshǎo de yībùfèn. Zhè zhǒng yìshí kěyǐ tíxǐng wǒ zài chùmō tā shí yào zhùyì——xiǎngshòu tā bìng jì zhù tā shì bǎoguì de.

 稀缺性是人类计算价值的一部分：如果某样东西很稀有，那么它对我们来说就更珍贵。 死亡率提醒我们，我们的经验是稀缺的。 即使是糟糕的一天也充满了宝藏——对我们大多数人来说，每一天都有听力、视力、身体活动能力、思维过程和情感。 即使我很沮丧或生气，我也能感觉到一些东西！ 这不会持续那么久。 我现在最好享受这些东西。Xīquē xìng shì rénlèi jìsuàn jiàzhí de yībùfèn: Rúguǒ mǒu yàng dōngxī hěn xīyǒu, nàme tā duì wǒmen lái shuō jiù gèng zhēnguì. Sǐwáng lǜ tíxǐng wǒmen, wǒmen de jīngyàn shì xīquē de. Jíshǐ shì zāogāo de yītiān yě chōngmǎnle bǎozàng——duì wǒmen dà duōshù rén lái shuō, měi yītiān dū yǒu tīnglì, shìlì, shēntǐ huódòng nénglì, sīwéi guòchéng hé qínggǎn. Jíshǐ wǒ hěn jǔsàng huò shēngqì, wǒ yě néng gǎnjué dào yīxiē dōngxī! Zhè bù huì chíxù nàme jiǔ. Wǒ xiànzài zuì hǎo xiǎngshòu zhèxiē dōngxī.

 我们佛教徒有一句话：终有一天，这个身体会变成一具尸体。 有了正确的心态，这不是恐惧的邀请。 这是对正念的友好刺激：我不会一直在这里。 生活的欢乐和恐惧终将结束。 这些都不是一次性的！ 醒来！ 品尝！ 尽情享受这宝贵的生命吧！

Wǒmen fójiào tú yǒu yījù huà: Zhōng yǒu yītiān, zhège shēntǐ huì biàn chéng yī jù shītǐ. Yǒule zhèngquè de xīntài, zhè bùshì kǒngjù de yāoqǐng. Zhè shì duì zhèngniàn de yǒuhǎo cìjī: Wǒ bù huì yīzhí zài zhèlǐ. Shēnghuó de huānlè he kǒngjù zhōng jiāng jiéshù. Zhèxiē dōu bùshì yīcì xìng de! Xǐng lái! Pǐncháng! Jìnqíng xiǎngshòu zhè bǎoguì de shēngmìng ba!

 与临终者共事的人报告说，那些害怕死亡的人常常在痛苦和恐惧中挣扎并死去。 那些接受死亡是自然的、不被憎恨的人，往往会带着平静甚至快乐地死去。 在这种流行病中，值得我们花时间邀请死亡来喝茶——与这个不可避免的伴侣交朋友。 我们仍然可以哀悼我们所爱的人的逝去； 我们会想念他们，我们的生活中会出现一个痛苦的漏洞。 但是死亡可以提醒我们，我们还在这里。 我们保留了可以体验这种快乐的身体——既非凡，就像我渴望的火山，又平凡，像鳄梨。Yǔ línzhōng zhě gòngshì de rén bàogào shuō, nàxiē hàipà sǐwáng de rén chángcháng zài tòngkǔ hé kǒngjù zhōng zhēngzhá bìng sǐqù. Nàxiē jiēshòu sǐwáng shì zìrán de, bù bèi zēnghèn de rén, wǎngwǎng huì dàizhe píngjìng shènzhì kuàilè de sǐqù. Zài zhè zhǒng liúxíng bìng zhōng, zhídé wǒmen huā shíjiān yāoqǐng sǐwáng lái hē chá——yǔ zhège bù kě bìmiǎn de bànlǚ jiāo péngyǒu. Wǒmen réngrán kěyǐ āidào wǒmen suǒ ài de rén de shìqù; wǒmen huì xiǎngniàn tāmen, wǒmen de shēnghuó zhōng huì chūxiàn yīgè tòngkǔ de lòudòng. Dànshì sǐwáng kěyǐ tíxǐng wǒmen, wǒmen hái zài zhèlǐ. Wǒmen bǎoliúle kěyǐ tǐyàn zhè zhǒng kuàilè de shēntǐ——jì fēifán, jiù xiàng wǒ kěwàng de huǒshān, yòu píngfán, xiàng è lí.

 这似乎是一个愚蠢的警告，但请记住你还活着！ 在每一天寻找快乐和快乐的阵雨——因为这些东西是活着的本质。 我们只是偶尔注意到的事实并不意味着淋浴不存在。 但是，当我们在沉闷的恍惚中度过这一天时，就我们所知，快乐也可能会消失。Zhè sìhū shì yīgè yúchǔn de jǐnggào, dàn qǐng jì zhù nǐ hái huózhe! Zài měi yītiān xúnzhǎo kuàilè he kuàilè de zhènyǔ——yīnwèi zhèxiē dōngxī shì huózhe de běnzhí. Wǒmen zhǐshì ǒu'ěr zhùyì dào de shìshí bìng bù yìwèizhe línyù bù cúnzài. Dàn shì, dāng wǒmen zài chénmèn de huǎnghū zhōng dùguò zhè yītiān shí, jiù wǒmen suǒ zhī, kuàilè yě kěnéng huì xiāoshī.

 想象一个年轻的、挣扎的人买了一套固定的上层房子。 他们把它变成了一个家，无论他们有限的手段允许多么稀疏。 几十年来，他们在那里过着简朴的生活。 几十年后，木地板被枪杀——业主终于有足够的资源将它们拉起并更换它们。 业主发现，在地板下的托梁之间，一层又一层的金砖是前任吝啬的业主留下的。 奇怪的是，我们不再年轻的房主从他们搬进来的那一天起就非常富有，但他们过着不太贫困的生活。 他们生活在财富中，但并不知道。 在考虑我们的死亡的帮助下，我们可以立即“撕掉地板”。 财富是我们的注意。

Xiǎngxiàng yīgè niánqīng de, zhēngzhá de rén mǎile yī tào gùdìng de shàngcéng fángzi. Tāmen bǎ tā biàn chéngle yīgè jiā, wúlùn tāmen yǒuxiàn de shǒuduàn yǔnxǔ duōme xīshū. Jǐ shí niánlái, tāmen zài nàlǐguòzhe jiǎnpú de shēnghuó. Jǐ shí nián hòu, mù dìbǎn bèi qiāngshā——yèzhǔ zhōngyú yǒu zúgòu de zīyuán jiāng tāmen lā qǐ bìng gēnghuàn tāmen. Yèzhǔ fāxiàn, zài dìbǎn xià de tuō liáng zhī jiān, yī céng yòu yī céng de jīn zhuān shì qiánrèn lìnsè de yèzhǔ liú xià de. Qíguài de shì, wǒmen bù zài niánqīng de fáng zhǔ cóng tāmen bān jìnlái dì nà yītiān qǐ jiù fēicháng fùyǒu, dàn tāmenguòzhe bù tài pínkùn de shēnghuó. Tāmen shēnghuó zài cáifù zhōng, dàn bìng bù zhīdào. Zài kǎolǜ wǒmen de sǐwáng de bāngzhù xià, wǒmen kěyǐ lìjí “sī diào dìbǎn”. Cáifù shì wǒmen de zhùyì.

 所以与死亡交朋友——这是我们每个人所拥有的永远存在的提醒。

Suǒyǐ yǔ sǐwáng jiāo péngyǒu——zhè shì wǒmen měi gèrén suǒ yǒngyǒu de yǒngyuǎn cúnzài de tíxǐng.