It May Be Our Last

~ By Ajahn Jayasāro ~

Yesterday, I was sitting with a fellow monk in the grass-roofed pavilion at my hermitage. A gentle rain was falling and the temperature was pleasantly cool. Looking southwards past the large stone Buddha ringed by its pool of lotuses, and serene under its sheltering tree, the peaks of Khao Yai formed a silhouette against the cloud-filled sky.

Suddenly, an unusual movement in front of the Buddha caught my eye. Standing up, I walked towards it. As I got closer to the lotus pool I realized that the object of my gaze was a king cobra with a large frog clamped between its jaws. The frog was in shock. It struggled a little, but with what seemed a rather resigned, half-hearted effort. It knew that it was too late; its time was up. Soon, the snake, prize in mouth, returned to its home at the base of the tree. We two monks resumed our conversation.

There is a kind of peace to be found in closing our eyes to the vulnerability and insecurity of our lives. But there is a superior peace found in opening our eyes to the nature of things. We don’t fight against the truth; we acknowledge that we are frogs and there are cobras, and its alright. Each moment has meaning because it may be our last.

- - ❖ - -

"Food for the Heart", a series of Dhamma teachings handwritten weekly is posted on the Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives page with Ajahn's kind permission.

- - ❖ - -

For other teachings by Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro, please visit the Panyaprateep Foundation website.