Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh paraphrased the Five Remembrances (found in the Upajjhatthana Sutta) like this:
- I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
- I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.
- I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
- All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
- My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.
On a first reading, the Five Remembrances can seem very bleak statements that describe unavoidable human suffering. They certainly challenge our tendency to live in denial of ageing and death. We don’t feel very comfortable facing our own mortality, and we often react with anxiety, fear and aversion.
There is a striking contrast between the first four Remembrances and the final one. The first four Remembrances are visceral reminders of impermanence (anicca) and suffering (dukkha). We all experience ageing, illness, death and separation. But the fifth Remembrance shifts the ground, for while we cannot truly ‘own’ our health or our relationships, we do possess our intentions (cetanā). We have the power to choose how we act from moment to moment. We have agency, and we are reminded of our ethical responsibility. The first four are about what happens; the fifth is about what we do.
Buddhists are called upon to reflect on these existential facts about the human condition. But how do we hold these truths without being crushed by them? Thich Nhat Hanh (again) suggests reciting these Remembrances, not as a morbid fascination, but as a way to cherish the present. If I know that my loved ones and my relationship with them are of the nature to change, how does that alter the way I speak to them tonight?
Modern culture insulates us from reality. We treat ageing as a clinical failure and largely ignore death altogether. This collective denial creates a subtle, underlying anxiety. By bringing the Five Remembrances into the light, we aren’t being morbid; we are being honest. There can be a profound relief in finally admitting what we already know to be true. When we stop pretending that the ‘nature to change’ doesn’t apply to us, we begin to stop fighting the universe and start living within it. It isn’t a ‘system error’, it is the system.
As we contemplate these Remembrances, we see with growing clarity how our lives are, rather than how we might wish them to be. The bleakness can begin to soften into acceptance and even gratitude, for it is impermanence that gives us the space to change and grow. A flower bud can bloom in all its perfection, but it must still wither and die. So it is with us. If we become accepting of what lies ahead, we can loosen the bonds that create in us much of our suffering, and we discover a new freedom to act: the ground has truly shifted. The first four Remembrances pull the rug out from under us; the fifth is the only solid ground left. While we cannot control our fading health or the time of our end, the fifth Remembrance offers us a radical form of ownership. Our possessions, career, and even our bodies are all borrowed. But our intention is truly ours. This is karma.
When we begin to see that everything is impermanent, each specific moment becomes infinitely precious. This is more than intellectual assent; reflecting on the Remembrances is an embodied practice. Acceptance doesn’t lead to apathy; it leads to a more vibrant, ethical engagement with the world as it actually is. We stop running away from the inevitable. When the energy spent on denial is reclaimed, it can be better used.
Our actions are our only true possession. We are who and what we are because we live in a stream of consequences that predate us and which will outlive us.
Three – Orientation
- Five Remembrances (20 May)
- Karma (3 Jun)
- Ethical Responsibility (17 Jun)
Leave a comment