..续本文上一页lly, so they committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. There were many cases like this. Here, however, what I have seen is unexpected and completely different. Many of the victims here have a settled and calm mind; even though their families have all died, they are still able to smile and turn a prayer wheel while reciting the Chenrezig mantra. I asked one of them, “Are you sad

　　” He replied, “No, I am happy. We shall all inevitably die; no one can avoid the impermanent nature of things. However, this time, there are so many monks and nuns who have come here to recite Buddhist prayers for the dead. So those who died were very lucky, and I feel happy for them!” He was also badly wounded, but he felt this was due to his bad karma from his past life. The only way to purify it was via confession, and there was nothing to complain about; nothing insurmountable.”

　　Listening to the above story, I appreciate deeply the importance of having faith. With faith, even if you are facing a natural disaster, the sadness of being separated from a loved one, and other various problems, you will not be helpless. Some time ago in my home town, a group of sixth grade primary school students graduated. Before they left their school, I took them and their teachers for a picnic in a grassy area. At that time, many of the children were sad about the fact that they had to leave their school, and were crying. I said, “That is nothing to cry about. I will tell you about a Buddhist idea. Although it seems extremely simple, in fact, its meaning is very profound. It is the four kinds of impermanence in the Sutra of the Wise and the Fool: What has been gathered will be dispersed; what has been accumulated will be exhausted; what is born will die; and what has been high will be brought low.

　　“What has been gathered will be dispersed. Today we are all gathered here together, but later we will separate to go our own ways. Everything that gathers together will separate one day. For example, a couple initially may have a very good relationship, but a few years later they get porced. A family when it gathers together enjoys a good time, but soon the family members separate and follow their own paths again. If you become accustomed to this, then when it happens, you will not suffer from it.

　　“What has been accumulated will be exhausted. Another law of nature is that whatever wealth we have collected so meticulously, in the end will be stolen by our enemies or lost by other means. Whoever understands the Buddhist law of impermanence will not complain that it is unfair when this happens.

　　“What is born will die. When we are born, we carry the seed of our own death. By understanding that we shall all inevitably die, our mental perspective will drastically change in such a way that we can face our own death or the death of our family without discomfort and fear. We will never feel that humans are immortal.

　　“What has been high will be brought low. Any high-ranking person, no matter how mighty he or she is, will eventually fall, just like some magnificent high-rise buildings eventually will become a pile of rubble. This is the law of impermanence.

　　“These teachings seem very simple, but when you encounter these phenomena later in your life, if you can recall these teachings, they will certainly be of great help. If your memory is not good and you cannot remember these principles, then it is best to have them written in your diary.” Those were the words I spoke to them.

　　Buddhism is indeed very profound. We are not boasting and fooling ourselves. As mentioned in In Praise of the Buddha, we investigate and evaluate which religion has truth and is supported by grounded reason from a fair and objective position. We can take refuge in that religion. In fact, Buddhist ideas are of…

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