How to live your life, if you just don’t die? This is a
question you might want to ask yourself, if you are in your senior years.
Life might not have been fair to you with happenings that
might have been beyond your control. No matter what, life is not meant to be a
punishment for you. If you just don’t die, you will have the wisdom to live it
through.
“Life begets death; one is inseparable from the other.
One is form; the
other is formless.
Each gives way to
the other.
One third of people
focus on life, ignoring death.
One third of people
focus on death, ignoring life.
One third of people
think of neither, just drifting along.
They all suffer in
the end.
Trusting the
Creator, we have no illusion about life and death.
Holding nothing
back from life, we are ready for death,
just as a man ready
for sleep after a good day’s work.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao
Te Ching, chapter 50)
“Abiding in the
Creator, we do not fear death.
Following the
conditioned mind, we fear everything.
Fear is a futile
attempt to control things and people.
Death is a natural
destination of the Way.
Unnatural fear of
death does more harm than good.
It is like trying
to use intricate tools of a master craftsman:
we end up hurting
ourselves.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao
Te Ching, chapter 74)
If you just don’t die, the wisdom in living the rest of your
life is no more than . . . , just like
eating a meal!
Yes, living the rest of your life is just like eating a meal:
Before your start your meal, say your grace. Just like being
grateful and thankful that you just don’t die, and that you can still have this
meal. Always begin the day with gratitude and thankfulness.
Before you pick up your food, take a minute or two to still
your mind. There is no need to hurry; you’ve all the time in the world to
finish this meal. Just like being conscious of living in the now. Be mindful of
what is happening around you.
There is no right or wrong about eating the food in front of
you—eating is just a process, a way of living and surviving, just like
breathing in and out. Just like knowing that now you don't need to eat to
socialize, to relieve stress, to
satisfy your food cravings, or to make yourself feel better—you eat simply because you just don’t die. Don’t life
too seriously; jus enjoy the day.
Look at the food in front of you. Notice
the color, the smell, and the texture of the food. Just like being conscious of
the people and the happenings around you.
Now, begin eating. No matter
how small the bite of food you have, take at least two bites. Take your first
bite. Chew it very slowly but thoroughly,
noticing and enjoying your actual sensory experience of chewing and tasting.
Chew every morsel of food to explore the differences in taste, texture, and
smell. Just like enjoying whatever that is still available to you that you
still find enjoyable.
Continue to eat in silence
without any distraction. Just like you continue to live without being distracted
by what might happen tomorrow.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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