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Lionduck
Veteran
in Philosophy
Source unknown:
Once a man of wisdom was asked, "Should we fear death"
His reply: "No. But how can one die who has never lived?"
"We must fear not death, but having not lived."
3
Comments
Damn!
I was hoping to be unborn.
Not a nihilist thing you understand but a dissolving into eternal blissery.
One day I will get this dharma thing right ...
Thanks @Lionduck 💗 Live On! 💗
So if we must fear not having lived, what should we do in order to live? Parties, loud music and illicit substances? Or should we take the road of culture, art exhibitions, theater and dinner get-togethers? Neither seems quite the way of the dharma.
Avoid distractions, whatever they are.
We all practice with fear as best as we can but I think .....
Where
the avoidance of distractions as a policy can simply become a deferment for one fears,
a facing of distractions with mindfulness as a practice leaves fear with little to marshal.
Don't forget extreme sports. I must agree with this sentiment - the 'not having lived' thing is catchy and sounds clever and wise, but the meaning is obscure at best. I would, I guess, take it as an exhortation to mindfulness, and 'not having lived' as a reference to some kind of morbid passivity.
Or, one could also take this old chestnut as being, not advice, but a koan for the non-Buddhist. It points directly to oneself. The first time I encountered it, 50 or maybe even 60 years ago, my immediate and reflexive response was - Whoa! Am I myself among the living? Or am I not?
Theoretically, at least, one could chew upon and worry this rag doll for years and years until, exhausted, one gives it up, the mind relaxes, and- Hallelujah! Enlightenment! I'm alive after all!
Tee hee @Fosdick
There I was doing extreme floor cleaning, essential breakfast preparation and mindful pissing. It was extreme ... meanwhile ...
https://unbornmind.com/2017/03/12/the-first-thing-ever-expressed-by-an-enlightened-sage/
https://ericplatt.com/who-becomes-enlightened/
Zen proherb:
When an ordinary man gains knowledge, he is a sage; when a sage gains understanding, he is an ordinary onion.
http://www.1000advices.com/guru/cultures_zen_proverbs.html
This mirrors a conversation I was having with my uncle, who is (slowly) dying of cancer. In that he was talking about old people’s habits of reminiscing, and I was asking him whether the recall of his life was making it easier for him to let go.
Having lived in his case also includes a measure of regret and difficulties surrounding his father, my grandfather, who wasn’t always a nice man and who did him some damage when he was younger. The point is, having lived also comes with a measure of scars and memories that tug at you.
He still gets emotional in conversation when talking about my grandfather, and other things. So there are things there which are a little bit unfinished.
I think people dedicate themselves to all kinds of things, from free climbing to extreme marathon running. But is it to have lived when you have exerted, striven, achieved, competed? All these things are linked to goals and chasing goals.
Mindfully doing the things of every day life is a key point in finding peace and harmony. But life also contains continual change, and will throw little challenges and the need to adapt at you.
Mainly me. I have been trying to avoid me without any success.
Woe is me! Existence sucks!
Luckily I have a cunning plan:
from John 'He must increase, but I must decrease.'
John 3:30
... or in Buddhist parlance?
If we are to advance in our lives, we must not let fear of failure or fear the "What if" keep us from taking that step into the unknown, climbing that hill, taking that trail. when we overcome our fear and take the action to advance, we become free to be ourselves, to "fly", to celebrate life.
Peace to all
Yes, actually, I think that is the best and wisest way to take it. As an admonishment to examine our own lives and to choose our own path.