Dharma In Popular Music, Buddha’s Last Words: “All Things Must Pass” At the age of 80, Siddhartha Gautama ate his last meal (either pork or truffles) which he had received as an offering from a blacksmith. Gautama Buddha realized that his end was fast approaching and indeed, he passed away the following day, during a full moon in May. The Buddha’s final words were, “All things must pass away. Strive for your own salvation with diligence.” The Buddha’s words warn us of impermanence. We must remember that all formations are impermanent and that whatever is subject to origination is subject to cessation. Though things seemed fixed and solid, they are actually in a constant state of change. Hence arises the illusory nature of appearances. You cannot step into the same river twice, as Heraclitus so famously observed. “All things must pass” also perfectly expresses the second law of thermodynamics. Known as entropy, it is an expression of the universal principle of decay observable in nature. Scientists esteem it to be one of the most infallible laws ever studied. artofdharma/buddhas-last-words-all-things-must-pass/ (Album link: https://youtube/watch?v=Mj4eR_2wYr0)
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 18:21:33 +0000
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