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Closing talk of the Summer Retreat
Any authentic teaching of the Buddha must carry the three Dharma seals:
- Impermanence
- Non-self
-
Nirvāṇa
Impermanence is an instrument for emancipation, transformation, and healing. It reveals that nothing remains the same in two consecutive moments, yet things are neither same nor different. Viewed in the light of non-self and emptiness, it shows that a flower is made of non-flower elements like sunshine, clouds, and earth. To be is to interbe, meaning everything is empty of a separate existence. This is a positive reality: thanks to impermanence, a grain of corn can become a plant, a child can grow, and a dictatorial regime can end. As Nāgārjuna said: “Thanks to emptiness, everything is possible.”
Reality is experienced through the historical dimension and the ultimate dimension. In the historical dimension, we are concerned with birth, death, being, and non-being, much like waves on the surface of the ocean. In the ultimate dimension, we touch our true nature as water, which is free from these notions. Nirvāṇa is the extinction of all concepts, including coming and going or same and different. The teachings of impermanence and emptiness are like a finger pointing to the moon or a match that produces a flame; they are instruments to be used and then transcended to reach direct experience. This is illustrated by the interbeing nature of the three dimensions of a coin:
- Head
- Tail
- Metal
The practice of meditating on birth and death helps us touch our ultimate dimension, known as Buddha nature. When accompanying a dying person, we help them realize they are not caught in their body or mental consciousness but are life without boundaries. This involves letting go of the four elements:
- Earth
- Fire
- Water
-
Air
By watering seeds of happiness through the four recollections—the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha, and the mindfulness trainings—one can die peacefully. As shown in the teaching given to Anāthapiṇḍika, the insight of no coming and no going allows us to transcend the cycle of birth and death. The sutra reminds us: “This body is not me. I am not caught in this body. I am life without boundaries. I have never been born, and I will never die.” Every act and word in daily life should be an act of love, bringing relief to those who suffer.
