Go wash your shoes

The four bearers are earth, water, wind and fire, the elements that form our body and mind, which is then called life. 

The three in the procession mean that life is subject to three common rules: impermanence, suffering and unreality – anicca, dukkha and anatta – that anything that emerges and exists must fade away. 

The two on the bench, who take command, are good and bad deeds.

Finally, the one leading the way is the mind, citta, which accumulates all the forces of karma, and defines our fate in the next birth. This is our life.

The message is clear: you must put a stop to ignorance, end delusions and stop obsessing about objects that are just the outer layer of experience. Instead, devote your time to the essence of life!

We all have wasted our time in search of wealth, titles and power. Realising this, we can set about searching for the value of life, identifying its nature and path. 

Loved ones die suddenly, leaving us lamenting the fact we could do nothing for them. You yourself can suddenly fall ill and find yourself in hospital, without an opportunity to return home and tidy up your messy belongings.

Last year I lost a follower, a very good and broad-minded Christian. He regularly invited me to give sermons abroad. He fell sick and the doctors diagnosed a malignant tumour. He received treatment and was soon telling everyone he was cured. In fact, his disease had not been cured: it was just not spreading. The following year, as he was packing to fly home to Thailand, he experienced flu-like symptoms and decided to consult a doctor. Before driving to the hospital, he put his canvas shoes in the washbasin, intending to wash them when he returned home.

At the hospital, the doctor conducted tests and told him he must be readmitted. The cancer was back and it was attacking other organs. He was hospitalised for less than a week before the end came. His relatives called me on his behalf and when we tried to talk, I could sense he was no longer able to communicate. I therefore contented myself by saying a prayer and, after the call, sent him an e-mail to keep his mind linked with merit. He passed away before he had the chance to read it.

Later that day, his family members set out to collect his belongings and prepare to bring his remains back to Thailand. His elder sister went to his condo and on seeing his favourite canvas shoes in the washbasin was overcome by tears. It was a reminder that her brother did not think that he would be gone so soon. He thought he would be off to the hospital for just an hour and come back to wash the shoes. They would be ready for him to fly back to Thailand by midnight. 

The last fact of life is one that each and every one of us will face one day. Therefore, if you must wash your shoes, wash them now! Never believe that you will have enough time to come back and wash them. 

Remember this dharma riddle – go wash your shoes. Never tell yourself that tomorrow you will have time to do this task, for there is no guarantee that tomorrow will come. 

We all have so many pairs of shoes. Distribute those you do not need, share them with others. Throw away the damaged or worn out pairs, and keep only the most important and needed pair. You can wear them, wash them when they get dirty and dry them out.

We have only one life, and it suits only one pair of shoes. Find that special pair, and live with them, use them, wash them and take care of them, so that you can use that pair of shoes most effectively. 

When death does arrive, there will be no need for others to wash your shoes after you are gone. 

 

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.