Being Bound by Worldly Afflictions Is Not as Good as Awakening and Cultivating the Path

Due to karma, when someone dies suddenly in an accident, the mind is unprepared, and generally it is not easy for them to take rebirth again. If they cannot take rebirth, they become lonely wandering spirits; especially those whose corpses were mutilated or entirely destroyed at the time of death are even less able to take rebirth. Such beings feel deeply that they have no place to belong, are fearful and anxious, and suffer greatly. Those who die in accidents find it hard to take rebirth, and they often wait at the place where they died for an opportunity, or try to create accidental incidents, using the soul of a newly deceased person to take rebirth again — in common parlance, this is called "seizing a substitute." Those who commit suicide are the same; only by seizing a substitute can they take rebirth. Therefore, at places where accidents occur, accidents will happen again after a period of time, even repeatedly, again and again — and this applies not only on the ground but also to accidents in the air and in the water. Many accidents are caused by the obsessive attachments of sentient beings.

In order to save and deliver those who died unnatural deaths in accidents, so that they can take rebirth as soon as possible, we should recite the Buddha's name and recite sutras for them, dedicating the merit (pariṇāma) to them, helping them understand the principles, removing their attachments and obsessive fixations, and increasing their merit, so that they have the opportunity and conditions to take rebirth whenever they wish to, instead of lingering endlessly at the place of their death. We should generate a compassionate mind and take some time to recite the Buddha's name and recite sutras, dedicating the merit to the victims of this air disaster. If they can take rebirth within one month, then no more accidents will occur at the same location in the future.

Everyone will die sooner or later, but try not to die an unnatural death or an accidental death; it is best to have a good end, a natural death, and at the very least to leave behind an intact corpse, so that things will go more smoothly in future lives. Dying well and having a good end is also the result of merit and is drawn by wholesome karma. Therefore, in our daily lives, we should as much as possible do good and accumulate virtue in accordance with conditions, and not do evil deeds. We must absolutely not do things that harm others. Especially toward the Three Jewels: if we can protect and support them, we should do so as much as possible; if we cannot protect and support them, we should still not slander them or play a destructive role. We should ensure that our words and actions are without fault, so as to avoid receiving major evil retribution in this life and in future lives.

Among the victims of this air disaster, quite a few people's lives were fairly complete and happy, weren't they? Their work, careers, and families were all quite good, enviable, right? But what was the outcome? A few decades of so-called completeness, happiness, and joy, yet in future lives there will be tens of millions of years or even longer of suffering, displacement, and unrest of body and mind — it may even be difficult for them to obtain a material body. Therefore, a person of wisdom must take the long view, must have a broad vision, must have a wide perspective, must stand high and see far, using the strength of this lifetime to strive for the security of eternal life. Be a clever and wise person; do not be short-sighted, narrow-minded, and petty, caring only about trivial immediate gains while ignoring the suffering of birth and death over countless kalpas to come.

How many people make excuses, saying, "I cannot leave home to become a monastic yet, I cannot devote myself fully to practice yet, because I still have responsibilities and obligations in the world." But if your family members and relatives and friends suddenly disappeared, how would your responsibilities and obligations be reckoned? If you yourself suddenly disappeared, what responsibilities and obligations would there even be to speak of? Therefore, while we are still alive and still have energy, we should do more things that are truly meaningful, do more things that benefit the longer term. Do not care only about the next few decades — a few decades is indeed very, very short, while the coming long kalpas are very, very long, too long to calculate. Should you care more about the pleasures of these few decades of life, or should you give more consideration to the security of the long kalpas of future lives? Regarding worldly affairs, one's mind should long ago have been as clear as a mirror — what affairs could still confuse one's eyes and mind? The wise should reflect well on this.