Human life is short. Compared to ants or termites, our lifespan may seem long — yet in truth, it is not long at all. At most, it does not exceed one hundred years, and most do not even reach that. And even should one surpass a hundred years, death remains inevitable regardless. There are, therefore, many matters that must be reflected upon — matters one cannot afford to leave unexamined.
What I wish to leave with you for contemplation is this: given that the human lifespan is short, the more time one spends toiling for one’s livelihood, and the more time one expends in pursuit of surplus and excess beyond what one truly needs, the fewer opportunities one will have to train and cultivate oneself.
The opportunity to observe oneself, to examine oneself, and to correct oneself will gradually slip away — while unwholesome habits and the defilements that flood the heart will only continue to expand, until they take complete hold of the mind and render one utterly unable to call goodness to mind. That, indeed, is one of the most sobering things to be feared.
April 30th, 2014
