Irreplaceable Life

Many of our attitudes are self-centered: we do not like summer because it is hot, we like spring because many flowers are in bloom. When we look at something or think about something, if it suits us we consider it good, but if it does not suit us, then it is bad, and so we are always going on about what is good or bad and what we like or dislike.
However, the fact is that spring has distinct characteristics of spring and summer has those of summer; each season offers its own special qualities. These are all equally natural phenomena, so whether we find that they suit our likes or dislikes can be said to be a barometer of human personality.
All living beings in essence have their origin in the same one life-force. At the same time, each and every life has its own unique individuality. No life is exactly the same as any other, each is independent and irreplaceable.
When we realize that our lives are unique and irreplaceable, we will also realize how foolish it is to concern ourselves about little things and to hold on to grudges and frustrations. We will be overwhelmed with a desire to live with gratitude for the life we are given only once.
We can then be thankful for both happiness and sadness, for matters of living and dying, even for the person with whom we may be having a dispute.
All of this arises from the awareness of impermanence.
When we awaken to the truth that no one is given two lifetimes, we can be grateful for being sustained in our irreplaceable life here and now, and we can lead our lives with a positive, firm attitude no matter what may occur.

A Bonus Lifetime

In one of his books, the biologist Tatsuo Motokawa writes, “After its heart has beat 1.5 billion times, an elephant, a mouse, or a human being is nearing its death. The total number of heartbeats in any of their lifetimes is almost the same. In the case of a human being, this occurs around the age of 40. Japan’s average life expectancy before World War II was about 50 years. So the time after the age of 50, during which we grow older, was not ours from the beginning, it was man-made, through medical science. In other words, it is a ‘bonus lifetime.’”
Because the number of heartbeats in every lifetime is limited, people who do not easily become nervous or agitated but who live with gratitude for the life they have been granted can pass their lives at ease and with peace of mind.
The “Thanks Movement” is now under way at Korean Rissho Kosei-kai and at many Rissho Kosei-kai churches in Japan. There is nothing more wonderful in this world than the spirit of putting the hands together reverently before all people and being grateful for the life with which we are endowed.
In a postscript to “A Record in Lament of Divergences,” a 13th-century summary of the basic thoughts of Shinran (1173?1263), this sentence appears: “Others and I discuss only good and evil, leaving Amida’s benevolence out of consideration.”
What this means is that while almost no one ever talk about the profound blessings of the Buddha, a lot of us spend much time talking about what we think is good and what we think is bad.
Let us try to always remember to be grateful for everything that can help us as we lead our lives together walking along the Buddha Way.