Death and Devastation

Good morning!

After successive harsh tornados and heavy rain, we now have a clear, bright daybreak
with the thin moon high in the sky, the morning star having disappeared.

When we step into our garden, we can see big, beautiful peonies, irises, and a lot of lilies
of the valley.

Only when we get into the actual scenes and sights, do we find changes in the moon, the
morning star, flowers, and other things.

The tornados swept through the southern U.S. from Texas to Georgia, claiming casualties
of almost 200, causing human facilities to collapse into rubble, blackouts, devastation.

The Buddha said, “We have the arrogance of health, while prone to sickness; the
arrogance of youth, while destined to aging; the arrogance of life, while doomed to
death.”

We humans have human hubris, all kinds of arrogance – fame and fortune, position and
possession, etc. – in essence, the arrogance of self.

Because we ourselves are change itself, we seldom notice it. Only when we see changes
in other people and things, do we find impermanence and suffering.

All of our arrogance is discolored by death and devastation. We must know our own
death and the destiny of our life system itself.

We must find out a bright day beyond impermanence and suffering, and find out peace
and harmony beyond our own death and demise.

4/28/11

Death toll went over 300.