She had managed to walk from the middle of the road to a dark space underneath a parked car. What struck me as I looked at her body, underneath the car, was the complete absence of life - and how deeply important it is to be really alive, when we are living.
Buddhists talk about being in the grip of Mara. Mara is the figure of death in Buddhism. Being in the grip of Mara does not mean that we are physically ill, or dying, but that we are neglecting life. We are running scared, away from what is right in front of us.
This is the default position for most of us. I have seen myself doing this so many times. Avoiding a difficult conversation, avoiding situations in which change will occur, in which I might change. I distract myself on Facebook, or in a bad science fiction novel, rather than meet the reality of my own life.
Pain, grief, loss, and ceaseless frustration of every kind are there for a very real and dramatic purpose: to wake us up, to enable, almost to force us to break out of the cycle of samsara and so release our imprisoned splendor. ~ Sogyal Rinpoche Glimpse of the DayIn Pureland what we wake up to is that we are all held by the immeasurable love & wisdom of the Buddhas. Even in our states of distraction, and running away - the blessings of the Buddhas still flows towards us.
Honen said "There is no hamlet where the moon does not shine. But it dwells only in those who gaze upon it with their hearts"
Sorry to hear about your loss. I think this is a great post. I feel that life is going backwards at the moment and it is especially hard today as it is the anniversary of my mother’s death. It is a good reminder that we need to be fully alive and not just waiting for something to happen.
ReplyDeleteThank you Peter.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Kaspa
Beautiful. And the perfect tribute for our beautiful cat x
ReplyDeleteSo very sorry about poor Silver. Your post is inspiring xx
ReplyDeleteThank you Ruth.
ReplyDelete