I don’t expect to be posting tomorrow. If I can control my cough I will finally have the procedure to find out how much damage my heart has experienced. Hopefully we will get a schedule for when my heart surgery will be.
This whole situation reminds me of a Buddhist story that I believe applies to us all. About 500 years before Jesus, a prince named Siddhartha was born in India. Most people know him now as the Buddha.
The young prince was born into unimaginable wealth and power. Siddhartha’s father wanted to protect him from the harsh realities of life, so the young prince was surrounded by every comfort and luxury imaginable. He was also protected from any glimpse of the uglier side of life.
As Siddhartha neared his thirtieth birthday, he began to grow restless. The young prince resolved to leave his palace to see the outside world. On his field trip he ran across four splices of life that have since been called “the four heavenly messengers.”
The first “heavenly messenger” was a wrinkled old man bent over from age. Siddhartha realized that he, too, would get old. He realized his youthful body was temporary and so was not truly who he was.
The second “heavenly messenger” was a man who was sick and covered in sores. Siddhartha’s father had not permitted sick people into the palace. Realizing that sickness could and would eventually happen to him, and to everyone else, filled Siddhartha’s heart with compassion.
The third “heavenly messenger” was a funeral possession. Siddhartha saw a corpse being cremated and realized that he, too, was also was going to die. He realized the foolishness of clutching onto life and fearing that which is inevitable for us all. Siddhartha deeply realized that life is change.
The final “heavenly messenger” was a humble priest with only a simple robe and a bowl for food. The monk had few possessions but was radiant with joy. Siddhartha was moved to renounce his old life with all of its wealth and comfort. Instead of clutching onto his life, he decided to give himself away as a gift of compassion to every other being.
Like you, I will spend tomorrow with the four “heavenly messengers.” They will be reminding us both that we do not belong to ourselves. Life is change, but this is not a cause for fear or sadness. In fact, our sense of a separate self sadly observing our plight from the shoreline is an illusion. In fact, we are life itself manifested as ephemeral but invaluable gifts to each other.
Impermanence need not be a cause for fear or sadness for any of us. We are not the isolated observers sadly and fearfully standing on the banks of the river watching. No matter what happens to any of us individually, deep within, we are the river of life gurgling peacefully and joyfully to and from our common source.