Last Things

“We have two lives, and the second one begins when we realize we have only one.” Confucius

Sometimes I wonder if the Dharma comes to us, not through the great masters, but from the natural process of aging. When we are closer to the end of our lives than the beginning, we change our perspective about a lot of things. Mortality feels more real, and we tend to revisit our priorities with a sense of eschatology, the science of last things. And last things become first things, or the only things, because the requests of our lives can no longer be ignored. We might feel like we are finally living the life to which we have been called.

It is strange to be a member of a species that takes so long to mature. Humans are able to stand and walk within a year or two while other species walk in the first day of life. When it comes to spiritual maturity, it may take the entire length of our existence. From a Buddhist perspective, it may take many lifetimes.

Fortunately, a few humans glimpse what is beyond our grasp and have the capability of mirroring to us the radiance of last things long before we recognize them. At the time of their deaths, they cut through to the distilled essence, like Longchenpa in his final testament, Now That I Come To Die:

The presence of this life is like a single day:
The presence of the bardo is like tonight’s dream.
The presence of rebirth will come as quickly as tomorrow—
Deal with life’s real meaning straight away.