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Someone asked Master Cheng Yen, “Buddhism teaches that all our afflictions lead to suffering. Since life grows with age, it will gradually come to an end. Is the nature of life closely linked to suffering?"
The Master answered:
Birth and death (are like the two sides of the same coin); they are inextricably connected. What is most painful is not death itself, because the deceased no longer feels any pain or suffering. Instead, those who are alive (will have to live with the mental agony of losing a loved one). It involves more than just the death of a physical body, but also the pain of having to be torn apart from a loved one. In life, we cannot bear to part with all those we love, but we have to part with each other (when the time comes). Hence, the greatest mental torture in life (is to be forced to part with the people we love).
Where there is birth, there will be death. The suffering that we usually talk about is the suffering that we experience during our lifetime, between birth and death. (The rights and wrongs in life often appear ambiguous). Although we know that they are just like fleeting clouds and mist, we cannot help but be troubled by the afflictions caused by disputes and conflicts. We need to realise that since we are born as human beings, (we should bless and cherish our lives).
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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