Tuesday, October 2, 2018

At the time of death, our dwelling place is of no use to us. Even if it is a measureless palace in the god realms, we will have to leave it behind and depart. We might hide somewhere impregnable, but there is nowhere that can help us, as we read in the Vinaya scriptures:
Wherever one is, there is nowhere
That is not struck by death:
Neither in the air, nor yet in the ocean,
Neither in the gods’ abodes, nor even in a hidden valley.
The wealth we have accumulated will not help. The gods’ precious attributes and possessions, the universal monarch’s dominion, and the treasuries of the rich will all have to be left behind, as the Vinaya scriptures explain:
When a tree falls down,
What use are the twigs and leaves?
Likewise, when a person dies,
What use are possessions?
Food, clothes, and the other things we enjoy will not help. The gods’ sweet nectar, their finest clothes of five-colored silk, the most delicious human foods “with a hundred tastes,” the finest satin and cotton — in short, the whole variety of beautiful forms, pleasant sounds, sweet scents, delicious tastes, and stuff that is soft to touch—none of these will help us when we die. As we find in the Sutra of Extensive Play, Constantly these beings are caught and snared By lovely forms and beautiful sounds, sweet smells, The most delicious tastes, delightful sensations, and death.
Like a monkey caught in a hunter’s net, To those who delight in the senses much harm will come, With fear, with constant enmity and afflictive emotions, Like a sword’s sharp edge and the leaves of a poisonous plant. And in The Way of the Bodhisattva we read:
Though we be rich in worldly goods,
Delighting in our wealth for many years,
Despoiled and stripped as though by thieves,
We must go naked and with empty hands.
- Dudjom Rinpoche - A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom - Shambhala Publications

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