One of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism can be witnessed in this statue of the Buddha.
This statue has been in my life since I was a child, in my grandfather's house which was full of Buddhas. There were even Buddhas in the trees. When he died, it was passed down to me.
After spending a wet and cold winter outdoors, the statue began to crack and is now slowly crumbling. I was sad at first but then remembered that impermanence is the nature of things, for flesh, for plants and for stones alike. This is something my grandfather help to teach me, and also to love and appreciate nature.
He was a fighter pilot in the Vietnam war and flew the F-100 Super Sabre, the first supersonic jet of the USAF. After the war, he was deeply troubled by the killing he had participated in and felt remorseful for his actions. Like many other fighters in the war, he had believed he was opposing a real threat. Only after the war did he change his mind about that belief. He didn't speak much of the war to me but this I knew. I think that practicing Buddhism help him find some peace and healed his mind in a sense.
It is sometimes hard to remember that death can find any one of us at any moment. Knowing this fact deeply changes the way people spend their time and energy. There is no longer any time for procrastination, for empty activities or petty dramas. There is no longer time to spend being angry at a loved one, or for not writing that letter to your parents... or for not saying sorry when you feel the need to.
How many people die with their last thoughts as regrets?
