Reactions to the 8 Verses of Thought Transformation and 5 Remembrances

7. In short, I will offer directly and indirectly
Every benefit and happiness to all beings, my mothers.
I will practice in secret taking upon myself
All their harmful actions and sufferings.

My interpretation of the meaning: Coming from a Roman Catholic point of view, I interpret this verse as something somewhat similar to “turning the other cheek”. Whenever there is someone suffering and imposing their suffering onto myself or another, I should be able to “take a step back” and see that they don’t really mean to be so awful to myself or that other person; but instead they are hurting from an unknown source of suffering. I should be able to understand that and wish/pray that their unhappiness will turn into some aspect of joy and happiness. We all revere our mothers (I hope) and in turn if we offer the same reverence to one another, there is no reason why we shouldn’t receive kindness from one another (and achieve world peace!).

THE FIVE REMEMBRANCES
I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no escape being separated from them.
My deeds are my closest companions. I am the beneficiary of my deeds. My deeds are the ground on which I stand.

When Venerable Tenzin Kacho did a short meditation on the Five Remembrances, I remember becoming very sad and attached to the idea of Life. Personally, I am the type to attach onto things whether they are ideas or physical objects or people. By turning to Buddhism, I am trying to detach myself from my attachments – these were the thoughts that were running through my mind:

I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

In today’s society, there is a growing pattern of trying to hold on to staying as youthful as possible. The younger generation is featured more often on any type of advertisement possible. The fountain of youth in popular culture can be interpreted as going to a plastic surgeon and getting facelifts and injecting toxins such as Botox into the skin in an effort to “maintain a youthful appearance.” While one can fight the signs of aging as much as possible, there really is no way to escape from the reality forever. Forgetfulness will creep up sooner or later and Botox will eventually stop working.

I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.

The modern day’s response to this would be the physical appearance of a hospital. While hospitals are the place where the general population goes to “cure/treat” ill health, one can never escape this reality. Especially when one grows older, ill health is very much a part of life.

I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

When Venerable Tenzin Kacho said this, there was a red flag that went up in my mind. While I KNOW that death can happen at any time to anyone, I am still very much attached to the idea of living on past 80 (women in America are living past 80 now!) ß See what I mean?.. When Shakyamuni Buddha went out of his palace on his few trips, he saw these three “horrors” that plighted civilization: old age, ill health, and death. These are the reasons why he chose to become an ascetic in order overcome these “horrors”. This is why we (whether Buddhists or not) should be able to come to terms with these concepts and accept them.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no escape being separated from them.

“The only thing that remains constant is change” was a phrase that Venerable Tenzin Kacho told us. I very much agree with this statement. Due to a variety of reasons, people do come in and out of our lives, and as redundant and mundane we may think our lives are, there is always something different happening at any given time.

My deeds are my closest companions. I am the beneficiary of my deeds. My deeds are the ground on which I stand.

My mother has also told me when I was a child that the one thing that would define me later, were the friends that I held near and dear to my heart. As much as my parents and family can try to shape and form me to be a great person, it would be my friends and other people who I am going to be in more close contact with who will shape and define who I am as a person. With this in mind, I have tried very hard to surround myself with wonderful people who will influence my actions (hopefully great actions). I do sincerely believe that if I help others and if I am as kind as I can possibly be to everyone, that goodness and kindness will one day be offered to me.

- Activities Coordinator Vienna