Pic: Dharma Drum Singapore
During the Dharma discussion portion after the screening of Groundhog Day at Dharma Drum, Kee Yew brought up an interesting point… There was a scene where Phil (played by Bill Murray) attempts to get a lesson to learn how to play the piano. Because he relives the same Groundhog Day, he decided he should simply pay more to get a solid good lesson. He paid $1,000 – because he literally had no tomorrow. Kee Yew remarked that it taught him not to procrastinate on doing what he wants to.
Though we might not relive Groundhog Day, it is likewise true that we might have no tomorrow… as in we might die today. I added that the willingness to pay $1,000 for what is deemed worthy reminded me of how we should stretch our limits of generosity by being willing to donate more and more for worthy causes. As long as we die with a penny in our pocket, we are a penny too rich when we die!
Likewise, we need to remember that tomorrow might not come – for us to donate later. As the Buddhist saying goes, ‘万般带不去，唯有业随身’ [The ten thousand (material) things cannot be brought over to the next life, while only one's karma follows]. If we cannot bring our wealth along, we might as well put it into good use by using it to benefit others now – which also happens to benefit us as sincere generosity creates good karma – that can be brought over to the next life!
Related Article:
Dharma@Cinema : Groundhog Day
http://moonpointer.com/new/2009/03/another-day-to-relive-groundhog-day
The scene where Phil tried to revive the old man in the alley also serves to remind us to promptly extend our help in whatever ways we can to those who need it, because they may not be there to receive our aid if it comes too late :straight:
Phil also realises later that death for the unenlightened is inevitable, when his repeated attempts to prevent the old man from dying of old age fails. Unenlightened, he realised that he had no power to prevent another’s karmic death. The suffering of ageing and death is part of the First Noble Truth!
But at least, Phil does his best time and again to bring some final joy into his life by offering him a hearty dinner. What can we do, in this life, but our best, to hope for the best, and to let whatever outcome be thereafter…? Amituofo xD
What we can do, we do it and I think there is also need also to let go of what we can’t complete in this life at that point in time …
For terminally ill person, they went through few different stages before they can come to term that they have so much time left, some of them can then plan and do what they want and so on.
For a normal person, when we are going expire, we just don’t how. It can be any moment, at that moment will our subconscious go thru the same stages as those who diagnosed with terminal illness (anger, denial stage etc)?
Lee Kong Chian a philanthropist who did so much for Singapore died of cancer at age 74. Ghandi who had so much good, was killed …
Maybe, there is something to think about – under the above circumstances (maybe accidents etc), how can one go peacefully? Are we able to achieve that even being killed that we can die with a smile and forgive the killer? Or are we able to accept that we done some good already, yet we didn’t have a so called natural death in a peaceful way like (died in the sleep)?
To prepare for an ‘easy’ departure at that point in time, what need to be done?
In the Pureland class I teach, it advocates the simplest yet safest way to deal with death – even if it happens to oneself personally. However, the Pureland teachings require foundational teachings for those who need to enquire a lot before accepting them. There are also many who are able to accept the Pureland teachings readily due to their strong affinity with Amituofo. (I came to accept the teachings the long hard way, which I do appreciate!)
In short, one has to realise that nothing material, and not even relationships can be brought over to the next life, that the best place to be reborn in is Pureland, where one will be able to learn how to be a Buddha from Amitabha Buddha, so as to better help others be free of suffering. Everything else becomes inconsequential, and a peaceful death is ensured with sincere mindfulness of Amituofo.
The good that is done is never lost, even if it doesn’t result in a good death (due to other aspects of karma ripening.) So, one should still be glad of the good done, and be content and forgiving when dying. (It’s not always true that those who die in their sleep have peaceful deaths. It depends on the nature of their last thoughts.) Amituofo ^_^
I think, the beauty of Pureland practice is the ability to point at something REAL IMPORTANT – ‘Death’. From the word ‘Dying’, ‘Death’, if we can work backward (Reverse Engineering), we will be able to discover lots of stuff, I guess.
The ability to be able to forgive and be content at dying times, will not be so easy for ALL (maybe some can) to achieve at the point, if in this life we never practice it before (because it is ‘habitual’). This is the difficult part.
I told myself if someone kill me and I died, I will just let go and leave this world peaceful. Yesterday, I ask myself, if I wanted that and think I can do that, then right now, so for those who had been means to me, why am I still not able to let the things go fully and am I able to do it 100% what I wanted during dying process, if I can’t even do it now?
I think Ghandi able to do that, because he practices what he always believe, something on ‘I can think of 1000 reasons to give up my life but not 1000 reasons to take another life’.
If we believe in Karma, that whatever goods we done, it will not just disappear just like … so is bad deeds. To ensure a good departure, there is also many other stuff that might worth looking into besides just doing goods etc …