As Things Fall Apart

As Things Fall Apart February 8, 2016

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In the Way of the Elders family of Buddhism the Buddha’s death is folded together with his birth and awakening into a single holiday, Vesak or Wesak, usually observed in May. However, within the traditions of the Great Way family of Buddhism the Buddha’s death is marked as Parinirvana Day or sometimes Nirvana Day, in solar calculation most commonly on the 15th of February, but for many the 8th of February.

As he lay dying he continued what he had done for the forty years following his great awakening, he taught.

There are various versions of the Buddha’s last words.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu translates them as “All fabrications are subject to decay. Bring about completion by being heedful.”

Maurice Walsh gives them as “All conditioned things are of a nature to decay – strive on untiringly.”

Of course there are all sorts of meanings buried within the words and so numerous ways they can be translated. And as we don’t even have them in the language he spoke, we can only approach what it is he said to us as he was dying.

My best attempt at a composite paraphrase of the various translations I’ve seen goes along the lines of, “All things made of parts will come apart. Grasping after permanence is itself the profound hurt. Holding things lightly is itself liberation.”

Whatever the exact words, he said something like this, and then died. The relentless reality of impermanence showed the truth of his words, at least the part about how things fall apart.

The other part about a hurt that comes with the compounding of things, and our liberation in holding with open hands, that’s something we need to find out for ourselves.

So, as he told us, proceed with diligence.


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