Life’s Too Short

He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me—in those who harbour such thoughts hatred will never cease.

Dhammapada, v. 3 & 6

In a recent Paris tragedy, people deemed to be Islamic terrorists shot and killed a number of defenseless people, and then were themselves killed. The issue was over some cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that had appeared in a satirical weekly, viewed by some as being typically irreverent, but by religious followers as being blasphemous and insulting. That the publication is an equal opportunity offender, poking fun at all kinds of religion, politics, society and culture is no consolation to many who are targets of its mockery.

In the last newsletter issue, I wrote about the giant centuries-old statues of the Buddha that were destroyed by the Taliban in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan a few years ago. Except for their value as ancient art treasures, you probably did not hear much of an outcry from the Buddhist community. Our dharma teaching reminds us that any kind of attachment and clinging—including to religious symbols—is a major cause of our dukkha suffering, struggle, disappointment, and sense of feeling out of kilter. The statues represented one who had awakened to Truth-Reality, but they were still just figures carved into stone walls by people. The truth of the dharma was not in the least erased by this destruction, and it would be unwholesome to allow ego-attachments to arise.

However, we must understand that it is natural that human beings feel offended, insulted, or hurt when others harm or mock something that they treasure deeply. In his latest book to appear in English, The Buddha’s Gift to the World: Tranquility for a Turbulent Planet, the former Head Abbot of the Hongwanji, Koshin Ohtani, suggests that “to avoid the onset of war, it is important that we treat with respect the things that our counterparts respect the most.” (p. 13) This does not apply only to religion. He goes on to point out, for example, how upset a person might become if his or her mother were badmouthed by someone else.

How can a person respond skilfully to such incidents? Often, our first reaction might be to lash out or to take revenge, as was sadly the case in Paris. Yet if we reflect on the words of the Dhammapada, cited above, we might realize that harbouring negative thoughts only causes us more harm, for hatred and aversion are corrosive to the one who bears these feelings. Only by transcending the intended harm by seeing it for what it simply is, can we truly come to terms with a more pressing issue—that nobody will find peace unless everyone finds peace.

The Eightfold Path begins with Right View—understanding that there is no separation between self and other. This is Buddhist Wisdom. Accordingly, Right Thought, Speech, and Action are also predicated upon the reality that to cause harm to others is ultimately to cause harm to oneself.

Life is too short to waste time quarrelling, and hatred will not cease with revenge and unskilful thoughts, words, and deeds. Sadly, people never seem to learn. A century ago, Takeko Kujo, the daughter of the then Head Abbot wrote the following in “A Moment in Eternity”:

Shadows from the seven hills of Rome creep up to the ruins of an ancient civilization. The ruins seem to symbolize the end of history on earth.
When compared with eternal nature, the briefness of man’s history and his impermanence becomes clear. Our existence is no more than a grain of millet.
Regardless of how momentary, however, there is no doubt that we exist. We must not let even a fraction of this time escape us—the sacredness of life thus becomes apparent.
Our grief is not that life is so short, but that we are unable to live our momentary life well.

Muyuge, Flower Without Sorrow, p. 23

Let us not waste even one moment viewing others with dislike or disdain, but understand that our happiness and well-being is interdependent. It is the only way to live life well. Like Shinran Shonin, we may see ourselves as foolish, ignorant beings when we discover how difficult it is to truly live in this reality. At the same time, mindful of the unconditional compassion we receive from life, on which our very existence depends, may gratitude arise in our humbled hearts.

Namo Amida Butsu.

Gassho,

Rev. Patricia Usuki