The Nature of Earthly Existence - The Five Remembrances
The nature of earthly existence is to experience anger, hate, irritation, frustration, despair, depression, loss, and a myriad of other hurtful and harmful feelings. It is sometimes compared to the love affair of a frog and a fly.
It does not seem clear at first glance. If we think of the frog we know it waits patiently for its prey and then suddenly strikes. The fly does just what it names tells us - it makes an effort to escape the predator in flight. The frog’s tongue is a powerful weapon - it is strong, long and hits the mark again and again. The tongue is launched with great speed leaving the fly helpless and unaware of the danger.
This an example of the nature of earthly existence which has been said to be a dog-eat-dog world, but perhaps we need to change it to a frog-eat-fly one. Or a lover-eat-beloved one. No love there.
Our tongue and all the mental formations that launch the tongue is often as deadly as the frog is to the fly.
All the fear, hate, misery, anger, attacks are launched outward towards those we seemingly love. It is like that very old song, “You always hurt the one you love.” Mainly because they are in shooting distance.
We jump the tongue before we speak.
We have forgotten the five remembrances. We have forgotten the nature of earthly existence. We grow old. We get sick. We die. We lose everyone dear to us. We are the benficiaries of all the deeds of a lifetime. Our deeds are the ground we stand on which includes the hurt we caused.
It sounds bleak.
Desire drives us to want it to be different. We get restless and jumpy like a frog - looking for the fly to nourish us - save us - help us- make us feel good. We are hungry and when we are not nourished we launch the tongue and strike out.
There is another Way.
It requires generosity and patience. An awareness of what is happening and the ability to restrain the tongue. This is practice. And fortunately, nothing is hidden from practice. Our opportunity to find the other Way is ever-present.
The nature of earthly existence is to know it and not to wish it to be different. To wish to go off to dusty lands thinking paradise is somewhere else.
If we pick up a handful of sand, the sand soon runs out through our fingers - some of it may remain appearing to be stuck on our skin - but it too is brushed off letting the sand return to the ground. We don’t throw the sand at someone else. We purify our tongue.
Our anger, hate, worry, fear, thoughts, wishes, ideas, memories are like this sand that gets stuck to our mind - some of it runs off, but the rest must be brushed off until it all returns to the ground.
We grow old. We get sick. We die. All that is dear to me, changes. My deeds are the ground I stand on.
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