The Last Stage of My Life is the Happiest Time
Message From a Member
I have heard that when elderly people go to a hospital or some institution, they donʼt need to prepare meal nor put aside the dishes anymore, leading a life of watching TV and nothing else. Then they grow senile.
However surprisingly, Shinran followers are living strongly. At the age of 90, Toshiko Sakae is living in a nursing home, however, she doesnʼt miss the morning and evening chants. She studies the Buddhist doctrine and she reads Petals of Shinran enthusiastically every day, with joyful feelings as if she were listening to Takamori Senseiʼs lecture. “I didnʼt expect such a happy time would be waiting for me at the last stage of my life. I feel a great sense of gratitude toward Amida Buddha because he gave me the time to focus on Buddhism alone,” she said. “People who live at hospitals or institutions and donʼt know Buddhism usually lead a lonely or sad life. However, I realized that people who live their lives as Shinran followers can take pride in their life and know they are happy people who can go towards the light.”
Missionary, Yutaka Tokaichi
Source: The Buddhist Village Times #17 | 2013, The Last Stage of My Life is the Happiest Time
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