【Mindfulness of Death】- so how can you determine you will not die today?

Then later, we start to understand one thing: why did Buddha asked us to practice at the Shi Tuo Lin cemetery? Looking at the cemetery besides us is of great help to us. When we were in Los Angeles, we frequently need to go to the cemetery to redeem lost souls (by making offerings and saying prayers). Once when we were at the cemetery redeeming the lost souls, I noticed the cemetery records show: “who this person was, the year and month he died, and when he was born.” Most of them had lived for a couple of decades. Then we moved on to another place. Upon looking, it caused me to have the jitters and until now it still left a deep impression. Most of them buried here were a few months old or few years old, very few of them over the age of three. Once I saw this, from then onwards, my concept of life and death totally changed. Today I am fifty plus years old how can I ensure I will live? Even those two or three years old have died. Then I specially took a closer look at the tombstones. There were many people who died below five years old, many from five to ten years old, many from ten years to twenty years old, and many others. All had photographs and looked lively and adorable. So, how can you determine you will not die today?

SOURCE 来源 :

39B 03’08’’ Vol 5 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P223 L1
English Lamrim Vol 1 P154

日常师父法语📡39B 03’08’’ 手抄稿第5册P223 L1

念死无常 : 你怎能保证今天不死？

佛为什么修行要叫我们在尸陀林里面；我们现在旁边那个尸陀林，这对我们有大帮助。那时候我们在洛杉矶的时候，经常要到尸陀林去超度这个幽魂。有一次我们在尸陀林里面超度幽魂的时候，我就注意了这个，它那个尸陀林都记载说：什么人，他从某年到某月他死，记载他的生死这个时间，大部分人，是，的确比较……这个总是活个几十岁。结果跑到一个地方，一看！唉呀！使得我心惊肉跳，我到现在还印象很深，都是几个月、几岁，很少超过三岁的，都葬在这个地方。我一看到这个以后，我从此以后对这个生死的概念是大大地改变。我今天已经五十多岁了，怎么保得住？他那两三岁都死掉了。以后我专门去看，然后去看的话，因为太多地方，有很多都是五岁以内的，很多五岁到十岁的，有很多十岁到二十岁的，好多、好多，还有照片，看起来活泼可爱。你怎么能保证说你今天不死？