Time

K. Ken Fujimoto

The end of another year is quickly approaching. This is the time of year we all seem to be running around trying to get things done and never having enough time. We hear people asking themselves and each other, “Where did all the time go?” This has always seemed to me as an extremely strange thing to say. Does time really go anywhere?

Time is a flowing item that does not seem to have a beginning or an end. People often like it to a river or stream, but unlike the water in a river or a stream going out into the ocean, into a lake or underground, is there a place where time can go? When we look at a river or a stream, I imagine that there must be a way to keep track of a particular section of the water in it so one can prove that it goes from point A to point B, but could we do this with time?

We talk as if we could store and accumulate time, but since it is a constant flow, can anyone truly stop time? We cannot dam up time and put it into a bottle, reservoir or tank for later use, even for a brief instant. We cannot really save time, no matter how many shortcuts we take or how efficiently we may do a task. We cannot put it away in a bank or store it away or otherwise hold it for use later or for a more convenient time.

We cannot stop time or kill time. It could be said that time may stop for a particular person, at a particular point when they die, but time, itself, continues to flow. The way we talk about time often draws us into the delusion that we can do these things and otherwise control time, when we really cannot. This delusion makes us feel we can do something about the flow and leads to further confusion, frustration and suffering.

This flow of time is filled with uncertainty and unknowns. No matter how well we plan or utilize our time, we cannot know what will happen next. This is why we are constantly reminded of the value of each and every instant of life. We cannot let our language and delusions lead us to overlook the wonder and joy of things coming together in the way that it did to enable us to have this particular instant.

This is true with all aspects of our lives. We use language that clouds and confuses the issue. We may become deluded and think that we can control things in our lives that are beyond our control. Our use of language may prevent us from seeing what is actually there or allow us to only see certain facets rather than the complete situation. This is an illustration of the first noble truth of suffering. Things do not go as we want so we bring suffering upon ourselves.

This is what the Sakyamuni Buddha came to see with his enlightenment that we celebrate at our Bodhi Day service. This also illustrates the importance of Right View and Right Speech in the Eightfold Noble Path. We need to actually see what is there and use terms to clearly convey reality. It is also the reason that the proper use and selection of language in communicating the teaching is so crucial. It is also the reason we should be sensitive to the language we use in daily life.

Shinran Shonin was very careful in his selection of words and expressions. Every word, tense, and even voice, active or passive, was selected to communicate, not only the meaning, but also to avoid possible pitfalls of ego and delusion that he had experienced and could see us encountering as well. This leads to confusing language at times, but he wanted to make it as difficult as possible for us to delude our selves with our self centered thinking. He did not want to mislead us, but, even more importantly, he did not want us create a world of delusion in the name of seeking the truth. He wanted to make sure that we remain open to hear the call of Amida Buddha and to be illuminated by the compassionate light of wisdom.

We all need to look at what we say and how we say it to make sure that we are not creating a world of delusion for ourselves with the words that we are using. It may not be bad if we are only deluding ourselves, but are we leading others into a world of confusion and delusion as well?