Worldly matters come and go like lightning. The wheel of rebirth rolls forward like drifting clouds. We cannot predict today what will happen tomorrow, Where can we find the time to gossip and criticize? “Worldly matters come and go like lightning”. Wealth and power are impermanent. Worldly matters can change as quickly as a flash of lightning and last no longer than a dream. “The wheel of rebirth rolls forward like drifting clouds”. As we wander from life to life in rebirth in the six realms, we may find ourselves in heaven, we may find ourselves in hell, or among the hungry ghosts or animals. These continuous rounds of rebirth can be likened unto a running stream. Where are we heading next? When will we stop? “We cannot predict today what will happen tomorrow”. Matters of this world change so suddenly and are hard to grasp. Who can know what will happen tomorrow? If we take off our shoes and socks today to go to bed, we do not know whether we will be able to put them back on tomorrow. “Where can we find time to gossip and criticize”? Life is so unpredictable . and ever changing, unstable as a bubble. Truly understanding the impermanence of life, how can we waste time in gossip and criticism. One day when the famous Ch’an Master Lan Jung was busy sweeping the grounds. He stirred up so much dust that his nose was running and his eyes were tearing. A passer-by suggested that he should wipe away his tears and blow his nose. The Ch’an Master looked at him and told him he was too busy to find the time. Can you imagine the level of focus and concentration that he did not even have time to wipe his eyes or blow his nose? Life is short. We should not procrastinate. We should do what can be done today. More importantly, we should start our Dharma practice as soon as possible and embark on the path to enlightenment. ——星雲大師Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 22:21:46 +0000
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