【Mindfulness of Death】- Currently, what are we busy with?

What happens after death? You can take with you not a single thing. Thus, if we do not make use of this available opportunity where we can engage in cultivation, we do not do so, do not seize the present opportunity to cultivate, but rather, spend time indulging in the non-relevant things, and what do these non-relevant things refer to? They are the temporary happiness, hence, here it says that “If instead you seek only to find happiness and to avoid suffering up until your death”, this particular point is as a matter of fact, an illustration of our present predicament.

At this juncture, let us pause and think: What are we preoccupied with? Certainly, without an exception for anyone, it is to seek temporary happiness. Ah! over the matter of food, clothing, accommodation, we cannot live without this, we cannot live without that and interpersonal relations, it’s little wonder how many people’s lives have been harmed by that! People in the mundane world have all along been preoccupied with such matters. This is why they are considered pitiful and ignorant people. Those of us who are learning Dharma, if you are still busy with these, can I ask what are you cultivating?

SOURCE 来源 :

40B 05’05” Vol 5 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P259 L4
English Lamrim Vol 1 P159

日常师父法语📡40B 05’05”手抄稿第5册P259 L4

念死无常 : 我们现在在忙什么？

那么死了以后呢，是一样东西都带不走。所以，假定不趁这个有机会修行的时候，不努力修行，不趁现在来修行，而只忙这些不相干的事情—所谓不相干的事情指什么？就是啊，就眼前的安乐，只就眼前的安乐，所以说“仅于命存引乐除苦者”，这一点实际上就是我们眼前的状态。

我们在这地方不妨停下来想一想：我们现在忙的是什么？的的确确没有一个人例外的，无非都是为忙眼前的快乐。唉呀，这个吃啊、穿啊、住啊，这个也少不了，那个也少不了啊，人情世故啊，这不晓得害了多少人！世间的人，他本来就忙这些，所以这个叫可怜的人、愚痴的人；我们现在修学佛法的人，还忙这个，这请问你修些什么啊？