As we mourn and celebrate the passing of our Teacher, Nishijima Roshi ...

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showt...shi-has-Passed

... Bro. Brad uploaded this, Nishijima Roshi's very refreshing views (I feel) on death and life ...

"Even though people are usually thinking that ... when we have died it is very sad, but Buddhism thinks that life and death are just the state at this present moment. ... So, according to Buddhist theory, we do not love life to live too much, we do not fear to die so much ... Therefore, when we are living, we can enjoy living. When we die, we can enjoy dying."

"Fortunately, we have the end of life, that is the entering of goal. So ... existence of death is also a very well condition."

"Sometimes foam appears on the surface of the river, and flows for awhile ... And in such situation, foam comes back to the water of the river. So, water exists but the foam has vanished. That is human life I think. Thus the water exists forever, but the foam has disappeared and does not appear again.


Nine Bows,

J