Yes, You’re Going To Die

Excerpts from
To you
by Sawaki Kôdô Rôshi

Translated from Japanese by Jesse Haasch and Muhô

“When you’re dead and you look back at your life, you’ll see that none of this mattered in the least.

Suffering is nothing more than the suffering we create for ourselves. Some even take great pains to meticulously piece together their own suffering.

None of this matters at all. Stop blubbering! What a waste of tears.
Grow up a little and open your eyes: You’ll see that you’re making a great fuss over nothing.
All living beings are just like crybabies making a great fuss over nothing.

The whole world makes a big deal over nothing. What’s it all for? Is there really anything in the world that merits making such a weepy face?

Sometimes you hear actors in the theatre saying, “But what should I do? What should I do?” This question has never occurred to me, because I just say to myself, “None of this really matters at all!”

Fortune and misfortune, good and bad – not everything is how it looks to your eyes. It’s not how you think it is either. We’ve got to go beyond fortune and misfortune, good and bad.

You talk about your troubles and worries, but what do your troubles and worries really consist of? Isn’t it like someone who catches his own fart with his hand, smells it and bursts out saying, “Oh no, that really stinks!” The more time you have, the more time you spend with your farts. At some point, you should get to know real suffering. You want to hang or drown yourself in desperation? Come back down to earth and wake up to reality!

You suffer because you don’t want to accept what has to be accepted.

Quietly accepting what has to be is what’s meant by satori. Great satori means seeing necessity as necessity, for necessity is an integral part of the universe.

You’re worried about death? Don’t worry – you’ll die for sure.”