Written by : Living Buddha Liang-sheng,
Sheng-yen, Lu
Translated by Cheng Yew Chung. Edited by
TBN
Leaf Lake, the location of my retreat, is a spacious area with
only a few neighbours living in the vicinity. Among them are some
old folks who live alone, by themselves.
There is an old man who passes by my house every morning, staggering
with the aid of a walking stick. He has graying white hair and a
hunchback, and appears to be gasping for breath as he inches forward.
Walking is his form of exercise.
A loner, he hardly greets anyone. Shabbily dressed and appearing
doddered, he seems to be tormented by poverty and illness. Aging
with white hair, his face projects an air of aloofness and arrogance.
I waved to him from my window, yet he took only a glance at me
and did not even bother to nod his head in acknowledgement. I felt
dejected!
I am well aware that anyone who enters into the twilight years
faces a degeneration of his or her physical health. This means that
the body is unable to regenerate itself, while it deteriorates further.
Such is the truth of an aging body.
I am well aware that this old man was once a baby, a child, a teenager,
a young man, a middle-aged man--a testimony to time's unsparing
hand in the aging process. As a person passes his prime, his body
gets out of shape. As age catches up with him, his body loses its
healthy glow and his internal organs deteriorate in their functions.
Judging from the situation, I would say that the old man is simply
waiting for his life to finish.
I think of myself in his shoes! My thoughts also extend to the
aging monks, nuns, and lay Buddhists in the True Buddha School!
The process of aging happens to everyone, not exclusive to the
old man mentioned here. This is part of life itself, and no one
can escape it. Not even the physical body of the enlightened Buddha
is exempt from aging!
Old age and sickness come hand in hand. An elderly person experiences
aches all over his body and suffers a loss of strength. His appetite
for food diminishes, and he experiences sleeping disorders. The
suffering can be excruciating.
I feel a sense of urgency to address this aging issue. I had voiced
my concern prior to my retreat, to build a home for the aged. We
must show our care and concern for the elderly. We must build a
hospice to care for the dying and build a True Buddha cemetery.
