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46 EASTERN HORIZON | FACE TO FACE

battle: one is Evil, representing anger, jealousy, greed, Land. With news of some recent deaths, grief returned
resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other is Good, to me. I realized that I had not let go because the
depicting joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, void was too big. There is in me a wish to be loved
empathy, and truth. And the winner of the battle is the unconditionally. My parents fulfilled my need for over
wolf we feed. 50 years. With their departure, they left behind a huge
void. The problem lies within me and not them. When
Hence, we can transform our planet into a Pure Land of I realized that this hole could never be filled again, I
peace and bliss by feeding the good wolf inside each of decided that it was now time for me to love others the
us. And if every one of our good wolves wins the battles way my parents had loved me. That is the secret of a
inside us, then we will have a pack of good wolves regenerative power source: to be able to give to others
to build the Pure Land. We all have the Buddha nature; unconditionally, knowing that everyone else, like me,
it is up to us whether we want to access it. also has that wish to be loved unconditionally. So,
peace and happiness can be found amidst our
It is said that we can find peace and happiness by family, work, and worldly commitments. Peace and
letting go of our attachments. How do we do that if happiness can also be found when we transition from
we have family, work, and worldly commitments? one commitment to another.

The story of the life of the Buddha contains an The image of a solitary monastic
important message carried by three messengers meditating peacefully in the forest or cave is often
who represent old age, sickness, and death. These perceived as representing real Buddhism. Is that a
messengers tell us that because we live, we will age, true reflection of Buddhism?
fall ill, and die. When these messengers arrive at
our doorstep, there will be no room or time for us to Yes, people can be imaginative and romantic: creating
carry our family, work, money or even mobile phone an image of our Utopia. I don’t know what percentage
with us. There are times when it makes sense for of the world’s population of 7.9 billion people are
us to pick up the tasks of building a family, a career meditating peacefully in a forest or cave. Perhaps
and service to the community. But there are also times under lockdown, we hope that more people are
when we have to let go. The trick is in HOW we go meditating while sheltering in place. Our inner peace
about picking up and letting go. is the best starting place. The Dhammapada begins with

Last November, with the death of my father, I became “Mind precedes all knowables,
an orphan. I thought I had let go of my parents since mind’s their chief, mind-made are they.”
I was convinced that they are in Amitabha’s Pure