Our Capacity for Suffering

It's difficult to necessarily look at it oneself so much, but look at somebody else, a little child. Amazing energy, doing this and that, all kinds of things without even worrying about something they do something quite dangerous actually end up putting their hand near a fire. But exploring everything, a lot of energy never seem to get tired as far as I can see, particularly kids about three or three and a half years old. And then, of course, you and I were also kids. And then to see that gradually that this is completely an organic law moving from certain level of quality of or even the size of the body and the mind and certain kind of energy, how it shifts. And more I can actually become aware of that this is actually lawful. And in fact, Shakespeare even describes this six stages of one's life.

You probably have read that somewhere. And speaks about as a young baby, then as a schoolboy, then as a soldier, then as a teacher, then sour taste, There's no taste, no eyes, no hearing. I can more or less experience that closer and closer to that. But then to realize that this is completely lawful. Which is why earlier I mentioned that the the lord of law or dharma in India is also the lord of death, Yama, that being born growing up, and degenerating and dying is all completely lawful.

To recognize this about oneself can also then assist one the way one speaks to the others. For example, to look at my own older brother or sister, getting old, gradually dying. But there is a very strong tendency in us all. Somehow, to forget death. In fact, maybe you probably already know that in the Mahabharata, which is the greatest epic in India, one of the celestial spirit in Sanskrit, we call Yaksha.

He asked this question, what is the greatest mystery in the world? And the only acceptable answer from his point of view is that everybody sees people around him dying But nobody believes that he too will die. Forgetting death is almost as if it's a requirement for us to engage with our own life activities. On the other hand, the very strong call in spiritual teachings particularly used to be very strongly practiced in Christian and Buddhist monasteries whenever a monk met another monk, there's a Momentumuri, remember death. Very common expression used to use. And in fact, it used to be quite common in the middle ages, even in Europe, that just outside the church or something, they'll put dead bodies there so people would aware Now we have had a tendency to avoid becoming aware of death, very strong tendency.

So I think to realize that being born and dying is really part of universal law, can free one more and more from this. On the other hand, it's very strong habit, maybe strong, even a requirement. To engage with life as if I need to forget death. My older brother who was also in Canada at that time unexpectedly died at the age of 56. And so naturally his wife asked me to come and be there.

And it is a common practice in the Hindu tradition that the closest male relative will light the fire of cremation. So I was the closest male relative, and I lit the fire of his cremation. And I remember being so struck by it that I was completely sure that I will never forget death. But honestly, I have to confess that two days later, it was no longer in my mind. Now, what does that mean? It basically means that something very strong in us was to engage with life activities and doesn't want to remember that this body will die.

On the other hand, again and again the call, because all spiritual practice really is one thing that's probably obvious to everybody. Actually, all spiritual practice is contrary to our usual habits. So if our usual habit is to forget death as the Mahaarta says spiritual practice requires to remember death, which is what they try in the monasteries.