There's this book, called No Death, No Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh.
It's a good book that I would recommend. But strangely I can't find
it in my room now.. wonder where is it.
Anyway, here's an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh:
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/113/story_11309_1.html
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen monk, teacher, poet, peace
activist, and the author of more than 100 books, including "Anger,"
"The Miracle of Mindfulness," and "Living Buddha, Living Christ."
In his latest book, "No Death, No Fear," he invites both Buddhists
and non-Buddhists alike to look deeply into the nature of life and
death.
For someone who is dealing with a painful loss or a
personal fear of death but knows nothing about Buddhism or
meditative technique, what do you recommend as way to begin to let
go of fear and grief?
I think there's a way of training ourselves in order not to become
the victim of fear and grief -- that is to look deeply into
ourselves and to see that we are made of non-self elements. And
when we look around ourselves, we can recognize ourselves in the
non-self elements, like a father looking at his children can see
himself in his children, can see his continuation in his children.
So he is not attached to the idea that his body is the only thing
that is him. He's more than his body. He is inside of his body but
he is also at the same [time] outside of his body in many elements.
And if we have the habit of looking like that, we will not be the
victim of our attachment to one form of manifestation, and we will
be free. And that freedom makes happiness and peace possible.
Other than meditation, is there any specific practice
that can help you come to this understanding?
Yes. The Buddha advised us to bear in mind that everything is
impermanent, that nothing has an absolute entity that remains the
same. And when we keep that insight in mind, we can see more deeply
into the nature of reality, and we will not be locked in the notion
that we are only this body, this life span is the only life span we
have. In fact, because nothing can be by itself alone, no one can
be by himself or herself alone, everyone has to inter-be with every
one else. That is why, when you look outside, around you, you can
see yourself. And when you look into yourself, you can see the
world outside. So that is a training.
I wonder if you'd answer the question you say you like
to pose to your Christian friends: "Where was Jesus before he was
born?"
In the Christian tradition, people speak of the living Christ, the
living Jesus. It means Jesus is not affected by birth and death. So
the question can be rephrased, "Where was Jesus after he was born?"
Because if you look at that manifestation of his body and you think
that Jesus is only that body, you are misled -- Jesus must be much
more than that body, that manifestation. So if you can answer that
question, you can answer the other question.
It's like when you look at a sheet of paper and look deeply, you
can see that the paper is made of trees and sunshine and earth and
clouds, and even before the manifestation of the sheet of paper in
this present form, you can only see the sheet of paper in the
non-paper elements that existed before.
So we should be able to see Jesus Christ even with that
manifestation. And before that manifestation, we cannot say that
Jesus did not exist because the nature of Jesus is the nature of no
birth and no death. And birth and death cannot affect Jesus. If we
look like that we have a much deeper understanding of the person,
of the nature of the Lord.
Can you explain what you mean by that manifestation?
What is being manifested?
Manifestation is showing a presence -- when conditions are
sufficient, something manifests itself. And that is not a
beginning, that is a continuation also. It's like a beautiful cloud
in the sky -- that is a manifestation: before being a cloud, the
cloud has been other things like water, vapor, heat and so on. So
looking deeply, you can only recognize the presence of the cloud in
the non-cloud elements that have been there before that
manifestation of the cloud.
You say that without awareness or mindfulness we live
like dead people. Can you talk about what you mean by the practice
of resurrection?
Usually people have a tendency to be caught in the worries
concerning the future or in the regret concerning the past. There
is some kind of energy that is pushing them to run and they are not
able to establish themselves in the present moment. And that
prevents them from getting in touch [with] what is there in the
present moment. And life is available only in the present
moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the
moments of your daily life deeply. That is why those who are not
capable of being there in the present moment, they don't really
live their life -- they live like dead people, like the French
writer Camus used to say.
That is why if you know the techniques of mindful breathing,
mindful walking, mindful smiling, you can bring your mind back to
your body and you become truly alive at every moment and that can
be described as the practice of resurrection. Resurrection can be
at every moment for life to be truly possible.
Is that what you're talking about when you say "When you
come back to mindfulness and awareness the energy of the Holy
Spirit is present in you"?
Yes, when mindfulness is there you are attentive to yourself, you
are attentive to other people around you and understanding becomes
possible, compassion becomes possible. And that improves the
quality of your life and the lives of those around you.
You say that we should not only accept but welcome the
notion of impermanence. How is it that impermanence "makes
everything possible"?
If things were not impermanent, life would not be possible. Suppose
you sow a seed of corn. If the seed of corn is not impermanent, it
cannot sprout and become a young plant of corn and you would have
no corn to eat. That is why impermanence is very important, crucial
for life. That is why instead of complaining about impermanence you
have to say "Long live impermanence!"
What would you say to someone, for example, whose child
has just died? How should they understand what's
happened?
I would say that when conditions are not sufficient, something
cannot manifest itself fully. It may be waiting for a few other
conditions in order to manifest. And if we keep that in mind and if
we are capable of seeing that manifestation in other forms then we
don't have to be the victim of despair and fear.
Suppose you are impressed with a particular cloud in the sky.
When it is time for that cloud to become the rain you won't see
that cloud anymore and you will cry. But if you know that the cloud
has been transformed into the rain and the rain is calling you,
"Darling, I am here, I'm here," if you have that kind of capacity
of recognizing the continuation of that manifestation, you don't
have to live in despair and grief. That is why for those who have
lost someone who is close to him or to her I advise that they look
deeply within and see that the one who was close is still there,
somehow, and with the practice of deep looking they can recognize
his or her presence very close to him or to her.
Do you ever have doubts about these truths? How do you
deal with your own doubts?
Doubt in my tradition is something that is very helpful. Because of
doubt you can thirst more and you will get a higher kind of
proof.
If our true nature is one of no birth and no death, what
are our present lives for? How can we find meaning in the actions
that we take?
Our life is a manifestation, and we can very well make that
manifestation beautiful and meaningful and have a good influence on
other manifestations in the now and in the future. If we know how
to create the energy of love, understanding, compassion, and
beauty, then we can contribute a lot to the world, influencing
positively other manifestations. Because if the manifestations that
happen in the present moment are beautiful and good, their
continuation in the future will be also good and beautiful.
You say that people of any faith can use these
teachings.
Yes.
But most Christians and others profess a faith in an
embodied life after death. How can your teaching of
no-death/no-self be useful to them?
There is an interesting story I would like to tell you. There is a
lady who believed very strongly that if she died she would go to
heaven and she would meet her husband, who died at the age of 30.
And she said that when she was 70, and I asked her, "When you go to
heaven, how old do you expect your husband to be -- 30 or 70? If
he's 30 and then you are 70, then that's no match at all!"
So because we are attached to a specific form of manifestation,
that is why we suffer. If we are free from that kind of attachment,
we can easily recognize ourselves in other people, in different
forms of manifestation, and then we don't have to suffer.
Is there anything more you want to add?
I think concerning the question about the presence of Jesus. In the
Bible there's a story telling us that there was a disciple of Jesus
walking with him but not recognizing him at all -- that is after
the crucifixion. And then only when Jesus begins to break the bread
do they recognize that the person that had been walking with him is
their teacher.
My suggestion is that Jesus is very close, if you have the kind
of eyes that is free from attachment and you can recognize him at
anytime and anywhere. So the same thing is true with the person who
is dear to you. You may have thought that he's no longer there,
she's no longer there and you are looking for him or for her
elsewhere and in the future. But if you have that kind of eye that
we call a "signlessness" you'll be able to recognize him or her
right in the here and the now and you will no longer be a victim of
fear and grief and despair.
