What is true love? What is ultimate reality? What is the cycle of births and deaths?
When the causes and conditions are there, a form appears. When the causes and conditions are no longer there, the form disappears. Death is sudden, like a flash, but it occurs, calmly and silently, like a wave quietly merging with the ocean. If we are awakened to the reality of impermanence into which all phenomena flow, we can live reality without suffering.
This morning, after the usual ceremony of gratitude for all beings, there will be a funeral ceremony for someone who recently passed away. The essence of that ceremony is to give thanks to awakening. Awakening to reality as it is puts an end to all our suffering.
