Good morning,
We have a serene sunny Sunday in sesshin. Sesshin (接心、摂心) is embracing and touching the heart/mind – the Buddha heart/mind in wholly wholesome harmony and happiness. Yesterday I watched an NHK special program titled “You, too, can enjoy health and longevity.” There are now some sixty-six thousand centenarians in Japan and about six times more in our world. They have common characteristics in their life attitudes and styles.
The relationship between heredity and longevity is 25%, and 75% is due to other factors, thus no one is bound by genes. Other factors influencing health and longevity introduced were diet (changing health in some countries, but not other countries), gut bacteria biome, exercise, fine capillaries (not only supplying oxygen to cells, but removing refuse), chronic inflammation (causing diabetes, etc.), and metal attitudes (positive, altruistic, unattached, etc.).
There are two (bad and good) kinds of satisfaction, gained from selfish desires (gluttony, greed, etc.) and altruistic aspiration (coming from human history, that is, surviving by cooperation). There is a phenomenon called “age (or rather “maturity” from wider experience and wiser choices) transcendence” (from negatives – worries, prejudices, etc.). Dr. Hino, 105 years old, said he had suffering before the age of 100, but no more after it.
Maturity transcendence reminds me of the transcendence by nirvana through cultivation, practice of zazen, sitting meditation (stilling karma, seeing dharma, serving & saving all). The first of the Eightfold Awakenings of a Great Person is little desire and satisfaction. Desire, divisiveness, and delusion come from karma, leading to strife and suffering. Prognosis in (ageless, deathless) nirvana endows us with wholly wholesome harmony, health, and happiness.
10/30/16
(This last picture is borrowed from the MABA website.)