Dizzy Days

 I arrived home later than usual after the group meditation practice, opting to head to the local supermarket to buy food for a late supper.  I would have to say that today felt a bit disorienting, and it was nice to settle down at 11 pm to eat. I would have to say that life can be a rush, especially when there are so many hours in the day.
   Life is full of surprises, and there is no way of knowing where one will be from one day to the next. After the group meditation practice today, there was a Dharma video by Master Sheng Yen on the topic of birth and death. Master Sheng Yen pointed out how the Buddhist view of life does not entail an immortal being or the promise of eternal life. I reflected that, in a sense, a mini death is happening at every moment of life, and one can sometimes never tell when something will come up that simply changes the course of life altogether. I am almost inclined to think that perhaps the best attitude is always be prepared for when one has to go to a different station in life, but I think this might be a bit pessimistic. More to the point: the more sensitive one can be to the impermanence of moments, the more one can appreciate this present with all that one has, even when there is so much changing all the time.
  I believe that what is so radical about Buddhist philosophy (and what distinguishes it from other religions, perhaps) is how, rather than trying to immortalize the beautiful or true, it sees the beautiful and true in the everyday passing moments.