Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche — A Meeting, a Passing
We were born alone and naked.
As our life unfolds we go through all manner of antics:
needing, having, losing, suffering, crying, trying …
but then we die,
and we die alone.
It does not make any difference whether we are rich or poor,
known or unknown.
Death is the great leveler.
Our relationships with one another
are like the chance meeting of two strangers in a parking lot.
They look at each other and smile.
That is all there is between them.
They leave and never see each other again.
That is what life is—
just a moment, a meeting, a passing,
and then it is gone.
If you understand this,
there is no time to fight.
There is no time to argue.
There is no time to hurt one another.
Whether you think about it in terms of humanity,
nations, communities, or individuals,
there is no time for anything less than truly appreciating
the brief interaction we have with one another.
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche
Life in Relation to Death