50: Value Life
Introduction
Once we’re born, we start dying. So we might as well have a good time. At least, according to Cake in the song Sheep Go to Heaven.
The question is, “What constitutes a good time?” This verse takes up that question. Sort of?
Translation
Once we’re born,
we start dying.
3 out of 10 follow life.
3 out of 10 follow death.
3 out of 10 of those alive rush to their deaths.
Why? Because their life is so important to them.
It’s known that the Wise, in cultivating life,
don’t encounter rhinos or tigers while traveling,
or face danger when in the military.
The rhino has nowhere to stick his horn,
The tiger has nowhere to scrape his claws,
The enemy has nowhere to put his blade.
Why is this?
Because the Wise have no grave.
Commentary
Once we’re born,
we start dying.
It is an obvious statement, though one most choose to ignore. How much different would your life be if you kept this at the forefront of your mind?
This verse describes the various ways people handle this truth.
3 out of 10 follow life.
3 out of 10 follow death.
3 out of 10 of those alive rush to their deaths.
Why? Because their life is so important to them.
“Three out of 10 following life” feels like those anxious about their health, constantly working out and/or jumping on the next superfood. Perhaps they grind day in and day out to make ends meet or fit into the system. All the while, they miss out on life’s beauty as they refuse indulgence or resent stopping to smell the roses.
“3 out of 10 following death”, I imagine, refers to the moribund nihilist who just passively sits around or settles, giving up their dreams and “checking out.” Maybe numbing out with sex, drugs, alcohol, or social media.
3 out of 10 being alive and rushing to their deaths likely refers to the hedonistic, YOLO, FOMO crowd. The adrenaline junkies and the wild and crazy partiers. Those who court death, doom, and decay by trying to live life to the fullest and refusing to temper their behaviors.
I’m speaking in extremes and recognize that each category has a broad spectrum. I wager that most of us can relate to these different categories and have recognized such tendencies in ourselves.
Most of you have likely also noticed that the math only comes to 9 out of 10. So, what does the verse say about the one who doesn’t fit into these categories?
It’s known that the Wise, in cultivating life,
don’t encounter rhinos or tigers while traveling,
or face danger when in the military.
The rhino has nowhere to stick his horn,
The tiger has nowhere to scrape his claws,
The enemy has nowhere to put his blade.Why is this?
Because the Wise have no grave.
At first glance, not much.
When examined through the lens of practice, the broader context of Chinese spirituality, and analogous teachings from human wisdom traditions around the globe, we see a pointer to the “die while you are still alive” message. It is undoubtedly central to Ch’an/Zen, anyway!
This teaching also tracks with the trajectory of the text as it relates to internal alchemy practice (after “bathing,” we pop into emptiness and “die on our cushion”) and the ongoing meme of surrendering one’s desires in favor of the bigger, broader flow of the Dao.
Developing a profoundly religious attitude, such that one no longer fears death – or having a hard enough life where death is welcome – isn’t quite what practice teaches us. A radical transformation happens when, through direct experience via deep meditation, we experience actual ego death and union with the sublime. The mystical realization and embodiment of this truth doesn’t just resolve all fear of death; it enables us to face our lives fully and fearlessly. We know that we are immortal and manifest temporarily by the convenience of circumstance and the function of the Dao.
To the everyday mind, it seems paradoxical to believe that giving up one’s “self” is how to live life to the fullest. Perhaps it’s because it’s perceived as difficult, though it’s effortless. Or maybe because there are concerns that one will no longer care for themselves if one succeeds, which only happens if one stops halfway along the path.
In any case, it’s fascinating that even though the sages everyone admires have suggested that such an ego death is the answer to “What constitutes a good time?” for millennia, more people don’t do it.