Life goes on

Japan is no stranger to earthquakes or terrible tsunamis. Consider the example of the Great Buddha statue in Kamakura, Japan (one of my favorite places to visit):

Great Buddha of Kamakura

The Great Buddha of Kamakura, taken by me in 2007.

This statue was actually once housed inside a temple. The grounds are still called kōtoku-in (高徳院), but the building around the statue was completely washed away in a tsunami in 1498. And yet the statue is still there, and centuries later, Kotoku-in is a peaceful place for visitors and people in the neighborhood. It’s ironic that the statue of the Buddha is still there in a way as a testimony to the fact that the Dharma, the Buddha’s teachings, persists regardless of the ups and downs of life.

But, the Buddha’s teaching of impermanence is not intended to be negative. After all, bad days can become good, and anger can change to compassion. It’s not intended to be positive either because we grow old, die and institutions corrupt and break-down. It’s like the laws of physics: it just works the way it does. The Buddha was simply a “doctor” who gave a diagnosis. Understanding and appreciating this point gives helps people gain a healthy perspective, and help them through life’s ups and downs.

Life changes. Sometimes it changes very dramatically (good or bad), but the important lesson is: life goes on. It will never be the same as it once was, but that’s always true.

Today’s Nihon Terebi episode shows a lot of footage of efforts in Japan to rebuild from the earthquake. The first article is on the explosion at the Fukushima power-plant, but even if you don’t understand Japanese, I recommend you watch the rest as people there are working very hard to help, rescue and rebuild. I really think these people deserve a lot of praise. Even with all the tragedy, it’s uplifting to see this, I think.

As stated in the previous post: here’s hoping that Japan can rebuild from this disaster soon.

Namu Shaka Nyorai


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2 Comments on “Life goes on”

  1. Liana in San Diego says:

    Thank you for all your postings. I will be holding a teleconference for sending prayers and healing to Japan on Sat March 19th, and wondered if perhaps the Shuni-e had still been held this year. Also, can you tell me what “Namu Shaka Nyorai” means?
    Thanks for all you do!
    Liana

  2. Doug 陀愚 says:

    Hello Liana and welcome to the JLR. The phrase “Namu Shaka Nyorai” means “praise Shakaymuni Buddha” and is among the various devotionals I like to end certain posts with. The Shuni-e rite was held this year as scheduled, as mentioned in a previous post (along with their translated condolences).


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