RESPONSE TO THE TSUNAMI IN JAPAN
By Gelek Rimpoche
It is so sad indeed. It reminds me of the tsunami that took place in 2004 when a number of people lost their lives. The image of people struggling at their last chance of survival by grabbing a tree trunk that is being carried out exemplifies the reality within samsara. We grab everything we can and we try to grasp everything solidly, trusting that it will hold. However, the reality is reality and that is the truth.
Fortunately, so far the loss of life is not as extremely high as it was in 2004. Let’s hope the losses do not increase. This is also the true nature – the true reality of life. It is here: perfect, faultless in one second and in the next second everything goes wrong, no matter whatever you do. You may have very high scientific development, a very advanced technological state, rich in wealth as well as information, yet these things cannot be prevented from occurring. When it is society’s problem, the world’s attention is drawn. The TVs and radios are busy talking, but the individuals are facing that type of problem every minute. Death, illness, economic meltdown – whether it comes on the international scene as a news item or not, still the individuals suffer. That is the reality, so Buddha called that dukha, or suffering in samsara. When we don’t want such drastic consequences, we should avoid the cause of those various negativities.
As spiritual practitioners, we see this, we acknowledge this, and we generate compassion for those who suffer, directly or indirectly. We use this opportunity to pray and dedicate our virtues for the well-being of those who are suffering and remind ourselves to create more positive karma so that such consequences will not occur.
