THANK YOU
Excerpt from an article by Rev. Russell Hamada, Mountain View
Buddhist Temple, January 1996 Newsletter
...Recently, I have been reminded of a common occurrence. It is
remarkable how many dying persons want to say thank you to their loved
ones. In many cases, this is not possible, however, when circumstances
allow, it is incredible that those confronted with their own death
manage to say thank you to those around them.
No matter how depressed, hopeless or in pain they are, they manage to
say a simple thank you. When words no longer come out of their mouths,
they use their eyes. And when their eyes no longer open, they say thank
you with their hands.
A big mistake we all make is that when such an experience touches our
hearts, we tend to say that its a nice way to die. On the contrary! What
a nice way to live! We should really think about this. If anyone has a
right to feel sorry for themselves and wallow in self-pity, it is the
dying. But, in most cases, given the opportunity, the dying wishes to
express their gratitude to all of us.
How many times do we feel sorry for ourselves and see
only our own suffering? How many times do we feel so sorry for ourselves
that we ignore the efforts and feelings of others? To exist solely for
ones own happiness is to live the life of gaki or hungry ghost.
What would our life be....what would our outlook be like if we could
just learn this one simple lesson from the dying?
