A Question Of Life And Death

One night, after reading a story to my then 10-year-old daughter, she looked up at me and said, “Daddy, when we die, will all the answers to life be revealed to us; like when you play a game and the answer is at the back of the book?” The truth is, I don’t remember how I responded.

What I hope I said is that I think we don’t need to wait until we die in order for the answers to be revealed. Perhaps the answers are revealed in many moments, perhaps in every moment of our lives. We just need to be open enough, or still enough, or ready enough to receive them. We can even practice and cultivate this kind of readiness, by paying attention to and letting go of whatever gets in our way. And what, after all, do I or anyone really know about life and death?

One of the values that draws me to Zen practice is right in the midst of this “not-knowing” is the spirit of taking great care of everything; the feeling that each thing is special, even sacred, just for being what it is. This is expressed in the arts, such as tea ceremony, in gardening, or in the everyday aesthetics of keeping things uncluttered and in order. There is a beautiful relationship between valuing an uncluttered environment and the value of an uncluttered mind.

This taking care extends to caring deeply for our own life, and caring deeply for the lives of others.

I also wish I had said something about love; love as a force that breaks us open, that reveals, that connect and binds us.

What do you think? How would you answer my daughter’s question?

Read more: Inspiration, Self-Help, Spirit

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Nils Anders L.

10:25AM PDT on Oct 13, 2012

October 13
send a green star

Hartson D.

10:37AM PDT on Jul 21, 2012

Many of lives questions are answered here on this plain of existence. But, our lives will never have all the questions answered here. The questions will never end. The answers will provide more questions. Then when you pass the questions, you have in mind will be answered. But, answers to questions you had not even thought, of will also be found.

July 21
send a green star

Winn A.

12:06PM PDT on May 2, 2012

Thanks for the article. Great ideas to think about.

May 2
send a green star

Rosie L.

10:16AM PDT on May 1, 2012

Great answer & article thanks for sharing

May 1
send a green star

JL A.

9:19AM PDT on Mar 27, 2012

I love the child's view of the world--and ability to see the crux of the matter often hidden to adults by learned, cultural filters.

March 27
send a green star

Emma S.

4:23AM PDT on Oct 31, 2011

I may have been tempted to suggests that there aren't actually any answers - the fun is asking the questions and trying to work out the solutions for ourselves. I'm not sure how reassuring this would've been in terms of what happens after death, but it helps to know that life is an adventure.