"...as I have discovered, passionate grief does not link us with the dead but cuts us off from them."
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)
(Enright, 114)
We all mourn those who have passed on in our own ways. While some choose to sulk in sorrow and despair, others celebrate the life the dead lived. Psychologists have pondered the fact that humans seem to have a vital need to find an outlet for their grief (Enright, 102). Different cultures have their own unique rituals to put the dead "to rest" and begin the mourning process. In America's past, wakes and funerals were typically very formal events, even to this day. In stark contrast to America's funeral, the author spoke of a ceremony he attended recently in China. The attendees, who normally are modest and dignified people, wailed during the service (Enright, 101). As the coffin of the widowed wife's husband was lowered beneath the Earth, she acted as though she was going to go in after it. The woman was clearly having difficulty mourning her late husband's passing. C. S. Lewis makes a good point about the way we grieve (see above quote). He means that he has come to the realization that intense disparity attached to grief is not the way to go about remembering one's life. It "cuts us off" from the deceased person's true self.
"The Purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Porras, Emery, Thompson, 69)
Chapter four of Success Built to Last strives to explain how successful people continue on the track of success. It begins with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. His words are eye-opening. He does not mean to say that being happy is not an important aspect of life, rather he describes a way of life we all should aspire to, and if we reach his goal, then surely we can be happy along the way. The most prominent people of today are not trying to be incredibly happy all the time, but they make a difference in the world that we live in and their legacies will carry on long after they're gone. I think most people would be content to live such a life, i know i would.
In order to gain success, one must remember that the money is not the main target; instead, aim to build something for its own sake (Porras, Emery, Thompson, 72). A few people may find that wealth is a worthy goal, but for most successful people this is not the case. A Person's passion should not be mistaken as a trivial pursuit (Porras, Emery, Thomson, 72). Be stubborn, and don't let anyone come between you and your dreams.
Following Buddha's death, a multitude of schools were established as a means of continuing on his dharma (teaching) (Kramer, 58). Countless teachers relayed to their students one of the key elements of Buddhism, Zen. Zen starts with the complete negation of everything (Kramer, 58). Zen consists of four distinct faces: the sect within Buddhism, the heart of all Buddhism, the true center of all the world's spirituality's, and the zen beyond zen (Kramer, 58). Zen "denies itself"; it is incredibly hard to describe. As Kramer puts it on page 58: "Zen is the sound of one hand clapping, the plop of a bullfrog into a quiet pond, and the direct transmission of heart/mind to heart/mind". There is a "quiet essence" to zen.
"While living, be a dead man, be thoroughly dead - and behave as you like, and all's well."
(Kramer, 62)
Kramer explains that the heart of zen is to commit spiritual suicide, it is one of minimal traditions whose major practice is to live as though you are actually dead. The term used to describe this experience is known as the "Great Death". One must lose all ideas of self in order to achieve this.
Photo Courtesy of Insidesocal.com
Works Cited
Enright, D.J. The Oxford Book of Death. Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford UP, 1983. Print.
Kramer, Kenneth Paul. The Sacred Art of Dying.: How World Religions Understand Death. NewYork, NY [u.a.: Paulist Pr., 1988. Print.
Porras, Jerry L. Stewart, Emery and Mark Thompson. Success Built to Last: Creating a LifeThat Matters. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Pub., 2007. Print.
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