P:<\/strong> Embedded in the desire for longevity is the yearning to not part with the people in our lives. As the old Korean proverb, \u201cA life in a heap of dung is still better than no life at all,\u201d implies, we are emotionally attached to life despite the suffering we experience in life for various reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People tell themselves they only want to live until their children get married, until they have grandchildren, or just until the grandchildren go to college. Better yet, they say they want to live just long enough to see their grandchildren get married, all in an attempt to postpone the separation from their loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how hard we try to avoid thinking about death, when we see people close to us die, we can\u2019t help but confront the futility of life and the fear of death. There was a person who wondered, \u201cDoes the spirit vanish when the body dies? If everything vanishes into nothingness, what is the point of holding onto life so dearly?\u2019 as he witnessed a family member, emaciated after years of illness, failing to swallow even a drop of water. Gradually losing weight when someone is at the very end of his life is a natural process, and it is not a bad thing. Like an oil lamp that quietly fades away, consuming every bit of your own energy as you pass away could be considered a good death. Additionally, if you can remain lucid until your last breath, that would be even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Heart Sutra, there is the phrase, \u201cdoes neither appear nor disappear.\u201d This does not mean the things continue to exist for eternity without changing. Rather it means even though we believe there are life and death, in truth, life and death are not two separate entities. When we go to the beach, we can see waves. The waves are formed and then they break once they reach the shore, and this process is repeated continuously. However, if you take a step back and view the sea as a whole, you will realize it\u2019s not that the waves are formed and then vanish, but rather the sea is just being turbulent. When you view life the way you view the sea as a whole, you will see that there is no life and death. When you observe individual waves, each wave is formed and then broken just as life seems to appear and disappear on the surface. However, this is not the actuality; it is simply a matter of our perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say a four-year-old boy filled a bowl with ice cubes and went outside to play. When he returned a couple of hours later, he saw the bowl filled with water instead of ice. What do you think the boy said?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMom, the ice cubes are gone, and there is water in the bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, the mother, knowing what has happened, is able to explain to the boy that the ice has simply melted and turned into water and that the ice cubes did not disappear into thin air or the water suddenly appeared from nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are like this child. We perceive the world with the perspective of what we can see in front of us. We are happy when we see things appear and we despair when we see things disappear from our eyes. However, when you are able to see the big picture, you will realize that things simply change. That is what the phrase \u201cdoes neither appear nor disappear.\u201d means. In other words, things do not appear or disappear from this world; rather, things only change their forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decomposition of a dead body and the daily regeneration of cells in a living body can be regarded the same in that they are both changes. In the same vein, the regeneration of cells in our bodies can be compared to the replacement of the old pine needles by the new ones, which makes the evergreen trees appear green all the time. Also, the rapid process of decomposition of the dead body is analogous to decaying of the fallen leaves, which makes the trees look dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the fact that change is the only constant phenomenon in this world, we believe something is alive when we can see it and something is dead when we can no longer see it. Furthermore, when something appears in front of our eyes, we think it is born. Thoughts also suddenly enter into our heads and just as suddenly they disappear. Even if we promise, \u201cI will love you until death do us part,\u201d love will diminish over time. Believing that love will last forever or hope that it won\u2019t change is wishful thinking. Suffering is caused by your desire for things to stay the same, not by the change of heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you fully accept that everything in this world changes, you will not feel so tormented when you see things change. Like the appearance and disappearance of waves, everything that comes into existence must come to an end. Once you fully grasp this truth, you won\u2019t have fears or regrets. However, since you only perceive fragments of the big picture, you miss the things you believe are gone and are afraid that things will disappear. After you realize that aging and death are simple changes, you will no longer be afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"Life And Death Are Nothing More Than Change In Form","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"life-and-death-are-nothing-more-than-change-in-form","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-07-22 14:43:47","post_modified_gmt":"2023-07-22 19:43:47","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16269","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14332,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2023-01-03 14:12:34","post_date_gmt":"2023-01-03 19:12:34","post_content":"\n

Q. Lately, whenever we hear about what will happen in the future, it is often bad news. For example, we hear about global warming, rising sea levels, a growing income gap between the rich and the poor, war, starvation, and diseases.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel that any news we hear about future trends is always negative, so I cannot help but feel pessimistic in my outlook about the future. This is not stopping me from trying to live a happy life, but I cannot help feeling bad for future generations. I am not talking about only the next generation, but those down the line as well. I feel like we are leaving them a world that is no better than the one that we inherited. So,\u00a0 my question for you is how do you keep a positive outlook toward the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

VPS:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, what you say is true. There are a lot of negative predictions about the future. So is this a singular phenomenon that is happening only in the present? I am sure it was the same way in the past. The people of the current generation always worry about the future of their children. When those children grow up, they will be pessimistic about the future and worry about the future of their own children. This has always been true throughout history, from generation to generation, but humankind has continued to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of human civilization is about 10,000 years old. Throughout history, various civilizations held power at different points of time. Thousands of years ago, the Egyptian civilization, the Aegean civilization, the Greek civilization, and the Roman civilization all rose and fell. It is the same with our modern civilization. It will eventually fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why you see a lot of negativity about the future. The biggest problems we see are environmental issues. As you mentioned, there are a lot of problems, such as nuclear arms, diseases, viruses, and food shortages. Any civilization will ultimately fall, but then we also see the start of a new civilization. Therefore, when human beings become extinct, a new species will arise.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you look back in history, even among human beings there have been many different types of humans over the millennia. We are\u00a0Homo sapiens<\/em>.\u00a0Homo sapiens<\/em>\u00a0are only about 150,000 years old. We have been the main drivers of civilization for about 40,000 years. If you look at it from the Earth\u2019s point of view, it\u2019s a very short time. So you should not look at the world with a short-term view.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you want this world, this civilization in which we live, to last a little longer, we do have to change our lifestyles\u2014the way we live. First, we need to re-examine our concept of a \u201cgood\u201d life as defined by mass production and consumption. Unless we overcome this consumption-driven paradigm, we will soon run out of resources. Then there will be competition for those diminishing resources, and nations will end up going to war. Also, if we keep consuming at this rate, the resulting trash and waste will cause more environmental problems and change the climate. That\u2019s why we need to overcome this consumption-driven paradigm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A \u201cgood\u201d life is defined by increased consumption in advanced economies, and people in less-developed countries will follow this lead. Currently, there are about 1.2 billion people whose per-capita GDP US$20,000 or more. Note that our environment is already in dire straits even with this relatively small number of people with high consumption. About 5.8 billion of the world\u2019s population are below this level of income and consumption, and are following behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China is coming in fast on our heels: that accounts for 1.4 billion people. China has a larger population than all of the OECD countries combined. Then, you have India; that\u2019s 1.2 billion people. India is following fast on our heels as well. You don\u2019t have to be an expert to see this. If we go on the way we are going now, the Earth\u2019s environment cannot be sustained.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can already see the end of the current civilization, but we can\u2019t stop this. We are all worried about where this train is heading, but we don\u2019t change the way we live. So we have a choice: we can keep on living as we do now and destroy ourselves in the process, or we can change direction. It\u2019s not somebody else\u2019s problem; it\u2019s our problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of being pessimistic, we need to start changing the values that drive our lives. We must be fully confident in believing that simply earning more and spending more is not a good life. For example, smokers look for better cigarettes. Drinkers look for better spirits. But no matter how good the quality of the cigarette you smoke or the spirit you drink, it\u2019s better not to smoke or drink at all. You have to firmly believe that, so no matter how much Mr. Jones or Mrs. Smith consume, if it\u2019s not a good thing, you shouldn\u2019t follow suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first question to ask yourself is: can you exercise such self-discipline? Try it for yourself. If you are able to do so, your neighbour might be able to do so as well. Then you can start expanding this movement. You have to take action because just worrying doesn\u2019t change anything. Instead of wasting your time worrying, use that time to make the effort to change the way you live, and then share your positive experiences with others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, perhaps, you may be able to help transform this civilization a little bit and extend its life, albeit by a little. All we can do is try our best. That\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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