“Zenfully Quool Quotes” – By Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
The shortest answer to the question
“What happens when I die?”
is that you don’t die.
And that is the truth,
because when you understand the nature
of the person who is dying,
and you understand the nature of the act of dying,
you will see there is no such thing as death anymore.
There is no “self” who dies.
There is only transformation.
Zenfully Quool Quotes Quommentary
by rog
The materialistic body is a continuation of elements
that have been ‘transcending and including’ by evolution
ever since the last ‘Big Bang’.
Nothing materialistic ever dies and goes away…
All those elements that most of ‘us’ call ‘ourselves’ in our bodies
will continue until the next ‘Big Bang’…
But don’t worry…
Not only is that a long way away..
‘We’ are not our bodies.
Nor are we our minds and the ego’s ‘we’ve’ developed
over the body’s whole lifetime.
What ‘we’ typically refer to as ‘our self’…
The imaginary ‘something’ anatomically built inside ‘us’…
That we assume is the ‘us’ that is control of everything ‘we’ do…
Does not exist.
This part of ‘us’ is just our story.
~
Our True Nature is Timeless…
Never born, nor will ever die.
As each ‘being’ goes through this materialistic life…
Challenges are faced and a struggle to overcome them
are part of our inherent physical nature.
Everyone will experience physical pain.
When we simply stub our toe…
There is physical pain.
However,
Most of the pain and suffering we endure comes in the form fo
‘wrong thinking’… Emotions…
Sometimes nice, more often…
Dreadful.
We agonize and ruminate over things that are simply beyond our control.
A lot of us soon identify with our mentally manufactured pain and suffering…
Psychologists refer to this as our ‘pain body’
We are so identified with our challenges,
they become more and more who we take our selves to be.
When asked:
Who are you?
The answer typically involves a form of ‘pain speech’…
“The victim”, “Poor old me”, the one god is punishing, worthless, hopeless…
This is the very same perspectives of ‘pain & suffering’
the Buddha devoted his whole life to finding a way to overcome.
Most people are rarely in such dire straits that warrants such agonizing…
Yet,
They bring upon themselves these heavy veils that continue to
build up walls that hide their True Nature…
This often leads to pre-mature death…
Or
They take their made-up miseries with them to their natural death.
What a pity.
Sure,
It is said that this life is an illusion… Maya… not our True Self…
Yet,
In this ‘here & now’… this is all most will ever know.
And,
Even to an Enlightened Master…
To not live this life to it’s fullest…
Would be … a big waste of time and energy.
Even knowing that ‘time’ is not real… it’s just a creation of our minds…
And
Energy can never be lost…
Only transformed.
So,
Know that this life… and our life is like a story…
Make it a good one.
And,
When it gets a wee bit too challenging…
Relax…
Step back and see the bigger picture…
And know…
It’s only a story.
~ ~
Within each of us is the boundless space that is big enough
to allow all beings and situations to be as they are
without affecting our well-being.
Abide there in that Boundless Space.
Our True Nature is….
Ineffable.
It feels like Love, Joy, Bliss, Equanimity…
All of which is like our True Nature in that it is all
‘Object-less’…
There is no materialistic aspect that can be affected by
the chaos all around our story.
