..续本文上一页screaming and coughing horribly. The woman said, “Oh, Venerable Sumedho, why does he have to suffer like this

　　 He”s never hurt anybody, he”s never done anything wrong. Why

　　 In some previous life, what did he do to have to suffer like this

　　”

　　He was suffering because he was born! If he hadn”t been born, he wouldn”t have to suffer. When we”re born we have to expect these things. Having a human body means that we have to experience sickness, pain, old age and death. This is an important reflection. We can speculate that maybe in a previous life he liked to choke cats and dogs or something like that, and he has to pay for it in this life, but that”s mere speculation and it doesn”t really help. What we can know is that it”s the kammic result of being born. Each one of us must inevitably experience sickness and pain, hunger, thirst, the ageing process of our bodies and death it”s the law of kamma. What begins must end, what is born must die, what comes together must separate.

　　We”re not being pessimistic about the way things are, but we”re observing, so we don”t expect life to be other than it is. Then we can cope with life and endure it when it”s difficult, and delight when it”s delightful. If we understand it, we can enjoy life without being its helpless victims. How much mis-ery there is in human existence because we expect life to be other than what it is! We have these romantic ideas that we”ll meet the right person, fall in love and live happily ever after, that we”ll never fight, have a wonderful relationship. But what about death!

　　 So you think, “Well, maybe we”ll die at the same time.” That”s hope, isn”t it

　　 There”s hope, and then despair when your loved one dies before you do, or runs away with the dustman or the travelling salesman.

　　You can learn a lot from small children, because they don”t disguise their feelings, they just express what they feel in the moment; when they”re miserable they start crying, and when they”re happy they laugh. Some time ago I went to a layman”s home. When we arrived, his young daughter was very happy to see him. Then he said to her, “I have to take Venerable Sumedho to Sussex University to give a talk.” As we walked out of the door, the little girl fumed red in the face and began screaming in anguish, so that her father said, “It”s all right, I”ll be back in an hour., But she wasn”t developed to that level where she could understand “I”ll be back in an hour.” The immediacy of separation from the loved was immediate anguish.

　　Notice how often in our life there is that sorrow at having to separate from something we like or someone we love, from having to leave a place we really like to be in. When you are really mindful you can see the not-wanting to separate, the sorrow. As adults, we can let go of it immediately if we know we can come back again, but it”s still there. From last November to March, I travelled around the world, always arriving at airports with somebody meeting me with a “Hello!” — and then a few days later it was “Goodbye!” And there was always this sense of “Come back”, and I”d say “Yes, I”ll come back”... and so I”ve committed myself to do the same thing next year. We can”t say, “Goodbye forever” to someone we like, can we

　　 We say, “I”ll see you again,” “I”ll phone you up,” “I”ll write you a letters or “until next time we meet”. We have all these phrases to cover over the sense of sorrow and separation.

　　In meditation we”re noting, just observing what sorrow really is. We”re not saying that we shouldn”t feel sorrow when we separate from someone we love; it”s natural to feel that way, isn”t it

　　 But, now, as meditators, we”re beginning to witness sorrow so that we understand it, rather than trying to suppress it, pretend it”s something more than it is, or just neglect it.

　　…

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