Aging with Wisdom & Joy
“… when I was still in my twenties. I had come to a small Buddhist temple on a busy San Francisco street to hear a lecture by Shunryu Suzuki. At the time, Suzuki was in his sixties, and most of the people in the room were in their twenties and thirties.
During the question-and-answer period, someone asked, ‘Why do we meditate?’
Suzuki answered with a laugh, ‘So you can enjoy your old age.’
We laughed at him. We thought he was joking. Now (in my mid sixties) I realize that he was being honest. He had been ill the whole previous winter and was still coughing and wheezing months later. Physically he hadn’t been feeling well, and yet his whole demeanor radiated contentment. He was clearly enjoying his old age.
I now think that Suzuki was actually letting us in on a great secret, one that the young cannot truly understand: It is possible to find enjoyment in the gift of each moment and each breath, even in the midst of difficulty.
Suzuki died not long after that. It was only then, as details of his life came out, that we discovered how full of tragedy that life had been. And yet he did not show it or let it defeat him. He met what life handed him with kindness and a ready smile. His example has been a lifelong inspiration for me …
Not surprisingly, physical exercise and diet are key to healthy aging; the research proves that beyond any doubt. But serving others, maintaining healthy relationships, being in nature, and having an active spiritual life – topics central to this book – are equally important. Inner and outer aging are close partners. Until we can find the inner enjoyment of which Suzuki spoke, exercise and diet alone will not suffice to make us content.”
Lewis Richmond. “Aging as a Spiritual Practice. A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser.” Avery, NY, 2012.
