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The Vow of the Mountains and Rivers
Every morning, practice remembering that you will die in order to live more mindfully, contemplating the four inescapable truths of human existence:
- aging
- sickness
- death
-
letting go of things and people we cherish
Through this, we recognize impermanence, put an end to unnecessary suffering, and cherish each present moment. Ask questions such as “Who are you? Who am I? Why have you come into my life?” as a deep meditation koan—the question mark (the snail) must be a persistent pain that stirs up insight, while the exclamation mark (the nail) is the echo of finite truth closing a life.
Practice looking with the eyes of signlessness at the forms that are constantly changing: seeing the cloud in the rain, in the cup of tea, the green sun in the vegetable leaf, the smoke and fragrance of incense still spreading even though the form has disappeared—this is to recognize the unborn, undying continuation of reality. The contemplation of the nine stages of bodily decomposition is only to give rise to insight into impermanence, non-self, and loving-kindness. The history of Tu Hieu Temple, with Zen Master Nhat Dinh giving up fame and gain, living simply with his mother and two disciples in a small hut on Duong Xuan hill, is also evidence of a simple yet profound path of practice, continuing the unborn, undying aspiration of the Patriarch.