These were the last words of Buddha, in the Theravada tradition and in Buddhism, the Buddha refers to Siddhattha Gautama, born in Lumbini in modern Napal. According to most traditions, he lived many lives before coming to our present understanding of Buddha in this era.
Born a prince, at the age of 13 Buddha was escorted out of a palace and came across "four sights." A old crippled man, a diseased man, a decaying corpse and finally an ascetic. He realized that age, disease, death and pain were inescapable and that the poor would always outnumber the rich. However, even if one was wealthy, everyone shared age, disease, death and pain. Neither money nor peace can relieve people from fear, anxiety, or lead them to ultimate happiness.
Departing from the palace, Gautama studied meditation, becoming very disciplined in his search for enlightenment. He found that the true liberation from worry could only be obtained by reaching a state of complete tranquility and enlightenment.
In his last sermom, he encouraged his disciples to diligently "doubt everything" and seek the truth, not holding on to that which is impermanent.
Back to modern day and city life, I know we are all (or we all should be, anyway) searching for ways to avoid fear and pain, an impoverished life and live peacefully and happily in our hearts.
I have come to learn that I am never happy (on a day to day basis) unless I am proud of the way I spent my time and energy. This means reaching out to my friends, and also those I do not know. Sometimes it means donating a simple dollar to the schoolchildren selling candy for fundraise, ensuring that I took care of my responsibilities in order to eat and live and also remaining positive in my search for a career or project to take on.
Regardless of what is on your mind, make sure that you are proud of the decisions you made and person you were/are EVERYDAY! Not just tomorrow, but everyday. You can never take back wasted time or poor behavior, so live consciously, live with a purpose, and remember that we all go through the same struggles so let's help one another out...EVERYDAY.
I love this world, I love MY world, and I love you all. May peace be with you and fear in your past. Let's make tomorrow even more beautiful than today.
What can you do to ensure you are contributing to this world? Contemplate that and live with it in mind.
reference to Buddha taken from book Immortal Words: History's Most Memorable Quotations and the Stories Behind Them by Terry Breverton
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