Tomorrow

There is a story like this, “A Pho restaurant, for some reason, business was slow, so they came up with a very special way to attract customers. The owner of the restaurant wrote a sign noting “Tomorrow, eating is free” and hung it in front of the restaurant. Seeing this, people gathered together the next day to eat “free” pho. After people finished the meal, the owner still came to ask to pay the bill as usual. The customers were surprised and asked, “Why is that so strange? You said we don’t have to pay today?” The owner calmly pointed at the sign and replied, “What’s so strange about that? I wrote that you don’t have to pay tomorrow, but today is today, you still have to pay normally.” People didn’t know what to say, so they had to pay, and left.”

 

From the above story, what do we think about “tomorrow”. What is “tomorrow”? It is a vague day, unreal and only exists in the imagination. Tomorrow changes continuously according to the natural operation of time, it quickly becomes today, turns into yesterday and into past days,…

Time passes quietly without waiting for anyone. We know it is impermanent, yet we rely on the fact that we are young and have plenty of time to practice, and often make promises that we can never do or do unfinished and then leave them undone.

 

“I know the world is impermanent,

But why do I keep going astray?

Eating and sleeping,

Floating and rolling, never returning to my original mind.”

 

Even we, young monks, have promised many times, "Tomorrow I will worship Buddha, tomorrow I will wake up early to learn my lessons, or tomorrow I will do something great...". But we promise a lot but do not do much, we are still controlled by worldly pleasures, our minds still have many "faults". This is because our human nature is dominated by ignorance and love. Especially living in an increasingly developed, civilized society with modern digital technology, the internet, movies, communication, ... easily makes people more indulgent. I have been controlled by external factors, sometimes forgetting who I am? What is my ideal? Forgetting myself. Every day, I string beautiful water bubbles, forgetting the words that the Patriarch Quy Son once taught, “Impermanence, aging, and illness do not make an appointment with anyone. Morning remains, evening disappears, in a split second, another world. Like spring dew, clear dew, rushing and disappearing, life on the shore, vine, spring begins to last. Thought by thought, speed up, in a split second, change is the next life. Why is it still not over?” which means “Impermanence, aging, and illness do not make an appointment with anyone. Morning remains, evening disappears, in a split second, another life has passed.” Like the dew of spring, the dew of dawn, gone in a moment, like the trees on the edge of a cliff, like the climbing plants growing on the edge of a well, how can they last? Thought after thought quickly follows one another, in a split second, the next life is already here. How can one rest assured that one’s life will pass by in vain like that?”

 

Yet sometimes I find myself living too hastily, indifferent to myself. If that is the haste, enthusiasm towards the path of liberation and enlightenment, how precious it is. However, I have done the opposite, sometimes when I chant sutras, meditate, sit quietly... I fall asleep, feel tired, and relaxed; but when I talk to brothers about this and that, or watch the news on the computer from hour to hour, I never get bored. Is it so dangerous? It was me, I spent my time on useless things, understanding one thing but doing another. And I was startled when I realized that it was wrong, thanks to the energy of awareness, the idea of practicing still existed in me, I promptly warned myself. Because we tie the knot, we also untie the knot, no one can replace us, conquering ourselves is the most glorious victory. If someone lets himself forget the current reality, lets time pass uselessly and aimlessly towards the distant future, we should awaken together, as well as water our Bodhi mind to bloom and bear fruit day by day, don't let ourselves get lost in the song of "forgetfulness of chanting prayers.

 

Life is always changing at every moment, so we must understand and move forward. If not, we will easily fall behind, become outdated, and not progress far. In act, life always requires us to be eager to learn, diligent, cultivate knowledge, and always renew ourselves through cultivation and practice through what we have learned. If we are satisfied with what we have now and do not have the spirit of progressing forward, we will stop. We want to do something great but do not want to start from the basic foundation, then will we achieve our desire?

 

It is blindly practicing without learning

It is bookish learning without practicing.”

 

Every day when we open our eyes and know that we are still alive and breathing, we still have to learn, cultivate something, and benefit someone; always open the way of love so that the heart and mind can beat together, then a human life will not be wasted. Moving forward with our feet does not mean that we just walk without a purpose, without a clear cause, walking in confusion. As a result, every day we must be more diligent, more understanding, and change ourselves to be better than yesterday. In Buddhism, we must be even more diligent and industrious because this path has no place for laxity or indulgence. There is no path to glory that is paved with roses. If the path is easy, how can it leave a mark? It is only by wading through mud and wet soil that we can record what we have passed through. Do not think that rough and bumpy roads are difficult, life is like that. In fact, tall, big trees must endure many challenges from the environment. In life, do we have enough courage and bravery to endure them? There is no path to enlightenment without danger and hardship; there is no liberation without bitterness and thorns. Therefore, preparation, training in life through practice and study, experience of steadfast will, iron will… are always the luggage, provisions in the process of reaching enlightenment and liberation.

 

Therefore, on the path of seeking the truth, do not stop anywhere but must bravely overcome all dangers with unhindered steps in the midst of an unusually changing time frame. If you do not walk the long road, you will not advance. If you want to go high, you must leave the low place yourself. Tomorrow depends on today, we cannot wait for tomorrow to come but must step towards tomorrow. Only then can we have a beautiful tomorrow for ourselves.

 

“Listen to the Footsteps

Footsteps Through Time

Time Has No Place to Stay

Footsteps Are All Vast”

(Venerable Vien Minh) 

 

Tùng Lâm

 

Translated into English by Huynh Thi Khanh Phung