Buddhist Thoughts is the SLC Buddhist Temple newsletter which is mailed to Temple members each month. Here we provide excerpts from archival Buddhist Thoughts.

2001 April

One Hundred Years or Just One Day
by J.K. Hirano

In attentively contemplating the fleeting nature of life, nothing is more fleeting than our journey through this world.  It is as an all too short dream.  Has anyone lived for 10,000 years?  Life swiftly passes, and how many have lived for even a hundred years?

Letter on White Ashes,  Rennyo Shonin

This past month, we have held the funeral services for two of our senior temple members, Mr. Tadao Ushio and Mr. Takataro Shiba.  Mr Ushio was 98 and Mr. Shiba was 100.  It's hard for me to think in terms of living that long.  Yet, my thoughts and daily activities seem to be at odds.  I am not even half the age of either of these men, yet I act as though I will live forever. 

Then there are days when I find myself feeling very old.  I think in terms of, “I’ll be almost 60 years old when Taylor graduates from High School.  I wonder if I’ll make it to see her graduate.  I better try to get in shape.  I have to quit smoking, eat right and exercise.  I psyche myself up to do these things and then I look outside.  It’s cloudy and it looks like it might rain, so I’ll start exercising tomorrow.   A chile verde burrito would sure be good for lunch.”  These thoughts occur to me on a weekly basis and I still haven’t started on a diet, exercise program or quit smoking.  I’ve probably eaten a couple of pig’s worth of chile verde and smoked how many packs of cigarettes, while thinking of dieting and quitting smoking.  Procrastination about large, important matters, is very easy.  I always have tomorrow to take care of them.  At least that is what I assume. 

However, what would I do if at my next physical my doctor tells me, “Jerry I have some bad news for you.  You were right, you have lung cancer and your weight has basically worn your body out.  I’m sorry, but you’ll probably be dead within the week.”  After staring at the doctor in disbelief and he and the nurses have helped me off the floor.  I would probably go home and lay around in shock for a few more hours.  After that, I would start to clean my room and office, tell my family how much I love them and appreciate all they have done for me.  Next would be to call some friends and talk with them about what they have meant to me, since many of my friends are fellow ministers, I would arrange my funeral.  If I had some time, I would probably write a bunch of letters to Kacie and Taylor to read as they reached certain milestones in their life.  There are a lot of things I would do, if I knew I only have so many days to live.  This seems logical, but what is so illogical is that none of us really know that we will live for that much longer.  Yet what are we doing about it?

Shinran writes, “What a joy it is that I place my mind in the soil of the Buddha’s Universal Vow and I let my thoughts flow into the sea of the Inconceivable Dharma.  I deeply acknowledge the Tathagata’s Compassion and sincerely appreciate the master’s benevolence in instructing me.  As my joy increase, my feeling of indebtedness grow deeper.”  I love this sentiment of letting go and giving up to Amida’s compassion.   As a foolish being, I must strive to do what is right.  I must try to realize the impermanence of life.  I should look to the world as a field to play out my life in gratitude.  Ahh but that wonderful burrito.  Knowing that we only have one day or 100 hundred years, doesn’t really seem to change our life.  Lucky for me, Rennyo, Shinran and all my teachers, constantly encourage me through the teachings and never seem to give up.  What is of utmost importance for a foolish person such as myself, is to realize that all I can really depend upon is Namo Amida Butsu.  What about you?