Recognizing Reality

Buddhist monk meditation“Breathing in and out, I am aware of the fact that I am of the nature to die; I cannot escape dying. I am of the nature to grow old; I cannot escape old age. I am of the nature to get sick. Because I have a body, I cannot avoid sickness. Everything I cherish, treasure and cling to today, I will have to abandon one day. The only thing I can carry with me is the fruit of my own action. I cannot bring along with me anything else except the fruit of my actions in terms of thought, speech and bodily acts.”

Thich Nhat Hahn, writing in No Death, No Fear, recounts this as a chant recited daily in Buddhist monasteries.

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