Like Smoke or Water
Recently one of my students died, I went to his funeral at a church. The minister talked about God. He said that anytime you have a problem, if you just depend on God, the problem disappears. But sometimes this doesn't seem to be enough. Our life is impermanent, like smoke or water, like grass or flowers. Our life appears, then disappears. We worry about many things: money, family, our job, and also about the next life. Human life means worry. But human life also means, don't worry. If you understand impermanence, everything is okay. Problems appear because human beings always want more.
How do we control our desire for more, and our anger and ignorance? This is a very important point. In elementary school the students learn to study and play. They learn about their country and its boundaries. They learn, "This is my country and it starts here, ends here." After school when the students go home to their mothers, the idea of "my country" disappears. You are born into this world. When you are about to leave it, you think "This is my house, my family, my country." Your "I-my-me" appears. But when you die, this I-my-me disappears.
In childhood, you are your mother's child. When you grow up, you are the student of the universe. So this is your home. When you are born, where do you come from? When you die, where do you go? Everyone has a true home. Buddhism means becoming completely independent: not dependent on God or Buddha or your understanding. If you completely become your true self, there is no life or death, no coming or going.