Parinirvana Buddha. {Photograph} by Ankur Panchbuddhe.
Right now, February 15, is named Parinirnava Day in a lot of the Buddhist world. It commemorates the anniversary of the Buddha’s dying, or Parinirvana. It’s a time for allowing for the important fact of change, instability, and impermanence (anicca).
It’s conventional on Parinirvana Day to learn the scriptures regarding the Buddha’s dying: particularly the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. It’s additionally conventional to go to temples to meditate, and to do not forget that our personal lives right here on earth are restricted. Parinirvana Day can also be a time for remembering family and friends who’ve handed, and infrequently we’ll place their photos on the foot of an altar.
For me, this weblog usually acts as a sort of memento mori, or reminder of dying. To the very best of my data 5 individuals who have shared articles right here have handed away: two of them I knew personally, whereas others I’d solely exchanged emails with. I needed to take the chance of Parinirvana Day to convey them to thoughts, to say somewhat about them, and to encourage you to learn their articles.
Suvarnaprabha
The primary is Suvarnaprabha, whose title means “Golden Radiance.” That was an incredible title for her, since she had a vibrant character, filled with humor, though she most popular to go by “Suvanna,” discovering her Sanskrit title a bit combersome. She may very well be deeply critical, however she usually laughed and impressed laughter in others. I vividly keep in mind going together with her to see Robin Williams carry out in San Francisco, the place she lived, and us spending the night with tears operating down our faces.
On Wildmind’s weblog she wrote an recommendation column referred to as “Ask Auntie Suvanna.” The unique intent was for this to be a humour endeavor, however as time glided by the requests for assist turned sadder and sadder. Suvanna’s responses had been at all times form and smart, although, and had been usually hilarious. I’d counsel beginning together with her items on the Buddhist method to extra physique hair, and On consuming vegetarian monkey brains.
She additionally wrote a bit about educating meditation in jail, which was very near my coronary heart as I used to be doing the identical factor on the identical time.
Suvanna documented her expertise with most cancers in two blogs, the primary of which detailed her preliminary prognosis and therapy, and the second of which, Crap, I’ve Obtained Most cancers, took up the story of the most cancers’s return.
Saddhamala
Saddhamala (“She who’s garlanded with religion”) was another person I knew personally. We first emailed one another round 1998, once I was on the Rocky Mountain Buddhist Heart in Missoula, Montana, and she or he was at Aryaloka Buddhist Heart in Newmarket, though at the moment she wasn’t but ordained and glided by her beginning title, Nancy Nicolazzo. A number of years later I moved to Newmarket myself, and I noticed her a good quantity.
She was generally known as Nancy in her work as a chaplain and volunteer coordinator at a hospice, and it was in a hospice that she handed away. She’d had most cancers that had metastasized. Realizing that dying was inevitable she’d determined to not search therapy. She was a gifted girl who’d additionally labored as a advisor. In actual fact I as soon as employed her to assist me make my workplace area extra pleasing and environment friendly, and the outcomes had been fantastic.
Saddhamala wrote many articles for Wildmind. She had carried out a variety of educating and tended to distill her options into lists of ideas for observe. Generally, although, she wrote extra personally, for instance when she mentioned her household background.
Marcus Hartsfield
Marcus wasn’t somebody I knew personally, and I will need to have met Marcus on social media. He was a therapist in California, and practiced on the San Francisco Zen Heart. One of many hanging issues about Marcus was the variety of tattoos he had — a lot of them Buddhist themed. I requested him to jot down an account of his journey on Wildmind’s weblog, and so he wrote, Bodhi artwork: reclaiming the physique with Buddhist tattoos, illustrated with plenty of pictures.
Marcus handed away in 2013, I believe. Not being a buddy of his, I by no means did learn the way Marcus died. Somebody who knew him stated he’d been unwell, however she didn’t know something past that.
Hazel Colditz
Hazel Colditz was one other Wildmind contributor I by no means had the nice fortune to fulfill in individual. I’m certain I’d have favored her. Hazel was a gifted photographer, documentary maker, and sculptor of rock and metallic. She lived within the Arizona desert. We met on social media when she supplied to evaluate a e-book for me. She ended up writing three opinions in complete, for “Taneesha By no means Disparaging” by M. LaVora Perry, “Sitting Follow” by Caroline Adderson, and “Jake Fades” by David Man. I at all times loved her views, and she or he was a pleasure to work with. She handed away in January, 2012, having battled an aggressive type of most cancers for a number of months, and having endured a number of main surgical procedures.
Navachitta
Navachitta was a part of the Auckland, New Zealand sangha of the Triratna Buddhist Neighborhood. She was ordained into the Order in the summertime of 1990 in Taraloka, in Shropshire, England. I by no means new her personally, though we corresponded periodically by e-mail for a few years, and I at all times appreciated her assist and encouragement.
Navachitta was a therapist who labored in personal observe and was very energetic within the restoration group. You possibly can learn extra about this side of her work in an interview she did with a consultant of North West Buddhist Restoration.
One fantastic anecdote: Whereas residing in Britain, Navachitta as soon as went to a builder’s service provider, saying she was in search of sacks. However listening to her New Zealand accent, the lads she was speaking to sadly thought she was in search of “intercourse.” Hilarity (though to the very best of my data no sexual activity) ensued.
Earlier than her premature dying she solely had time to jot down three articles and opinions for Wildmind’s weblog. One, entitled From drama to Dharma, was on dependancy to drama. Her second piece, In search of the silver lining of our dysfunction, is concerning the connection between dependancy and the possibly helpful trait of novelty-seeking. Her ultimate piece was a evaluate of a e-book of poems by a fellow Order member, Satyadevi. The poems had been impressed by pure and industrial disasters that had taken place in New Zealand.
Navachitta handed away in London on the age of 62 from a extreme bacterial and viral an infection.
***
I hope these tales have inspired you to discover the work of the 5 people I’ve drawn consideration to.
However on a deeper degree, all 5 of their deaths had been sudden. I do know I make assumptions about how lengthy I’ll dwell (late eighties to early nineties?) and the way I’ll die (both in my sleep or in a hospital mattress?), however none of us ever is aware of when our time will come. It may very well be right now.
And so the Buddha inspired us to be aware that dying can come at any time, not in order that we turn into afraid or depressed, however in order that we be impressed to profit from this valuable alternative to observe.
Life is swept alongside,
next-to-nothing its span.
For one swept to outdated age
no shelters exist.
Perceiving this hazard in dying,
one in search of peace
ought to drop the world’s bait.
We’re additionally requested to remember, much more pithily, the remembrance, anicca vata sankhara : “Impermanent, certainly, are all created issues.” Let’s mourn our losses, whereas tempering them with an consciousness of their inevitability. And above all, let’s take them as an inspiration to dwell the very best lives we will create.