A Buddhist meditation called the five remembrances can help us practice Right Action. Fair warning, this list of five hard truths can feel a little depressing, but the purpose is to help us get clarity around how best to spend our days. This version comes from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Chanting Book:
THE FIVE REMEMBRANCES
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 upon which I stand.
The Five Remembrances ground us in the Four Noble Truths. Life is unsatisfactory, we cling to a sense of endless satisfactoriness that life can’t offer us, and that clinging causes us to suffer more. If we really want to let go of all that spinning and stewing, we wake up each day and embrace impermanence. We realize there is so much in this world we don’t control, but so much beauty that we can see, honor, and live into. Instead of running away from the present, these truths remind us to embrace the preciousness of every moment.
In other words, life doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth living.
Most importantly for our practice of Right Action, our actions are our only true belongings. When we die, the impact of our actions remain. This likely both frightens and encourages us, depending on which actions come to mind! But again, the intention in these phrases is to clarify for us why what we do matters.
Of course, every religious tradition has this sense of responsibility for actions. The Gospels tell us we will reap what we sow. The prophets in every tradition consistently warn us that our actions have real consequences. And they tell us in the hopes that the reminder will change our actions before they do harm! And, while there is grace and compassion that cover over our mistakes, we never want it to be cheap grace. We don’t want to live as if we can always bail out of consequences. If we live long enough, we realize things catch up to us. “The truth will out”, as Shakespeare said.
As we finish out this year and this decade, what can you do today to make your actions count? What small act of kindness or generosity or grace can you extend? Where can you offer healing or compassion? And, perhaps most importantly, how can you stay present to the very moment you’re in, right now, as unsatisfactory as it might be?
If you think it may be helpful, post the five remembrances somewhere you can see them for a few days. See if it helps you move toward gratitude and presence.
This post belongs to a series on the Eightfold Path, and you can read all my posts on Right Action here.
