Every moment is precious

They eat, drink, have sex, indulge in rank and title, pursue wealth and authority, neglect facts and morality, and take possession of everything as if it could be taken with them into their next life. 

They do not understand that all they possess is simply borrowed, and has to be returned when their lives end. Not even one possession can be taken with them into the next life. 

All elements are utilities – nothing is yours. This is a fact, but how many acknowledge it?

We are insatiably greedy, wanting to possess everything, as if life were going to last 84,000 years, while in fact it lasts less than 100.

Even as life is so short,

Time is so limited, 

Death can catch up at any moment.

But how many comprehend these facts? 

Because life is conducted with such negligence, when death looms, most people are distressed, unable to prepare for the next life, with no time to train the mind to be awakened and able to attain the permanent deathless state known as nibbana.

Humans these days have only life-insurance policies while they accumulate wealth, but they neglect insurance policies for the next life – the accumulation of merit, or wisdom, that keeps them afloat over birth and death. 

When brushing up to death, they are frightened, not knowing what to do. Some leave this earthly body undeveloped, born a common sentient being and dead a common being, with defilement. “Coming dark, going dark” – damo damaprayano.

But those who always develop moranasati have a different attitude when the voice of death is heard or the signs of death are seen. A serious illness befalling them or a loved one, or an unexpected accident, or even news of mass deaths or destruction – these are understood as the ever-approaching hand of the King of Death. People who recognise these facts become their own teachers and warn themselves to be on the path of non-negligence.

For them, the immediate outcome is not fear of death but the fruitful use of every minute of life. Not a single second is wasted or without benefit. They deem it a sin to kill time with non-essential matters. As the Lord Buddha remarked, “Khano vo ma upaccakha” – “Never let even one moment pass fruitlessly.” 

They take the best care of themselves and their loved ones without waiting for illnesses to take hold. They seek out precious time. 

If death interferes and takes a loved one before the due time, they have nothing to regret, because they have spent quality time together, at their best. In daily behaviour they select only pure, valuable actions to perform, not wasting their time satiating senseless wants endlessly. 

 

>>>This is the second in a three-part series on the contemplation of death. See Part 3 next month.

>>> This column by prominent Buddhist preacher Phramaha Vudhijaya Vajiramedhi, better known by his pen name V Vajiramedhi, appears on the first Sunday of every month.