Suzuki Roshi once remarked, “Why do we practice meditation? So we can experience a pleasant old age.”

Aging comes with a constellation of indignities and challenges, often resulting in a feeling of vulnerability. Our ability to accept that life is unreliable, the very definition of dukkha, is essential to maintaining peace of mind.

In this talk, David speaks about The Heavenly Messengers of old age, illness and death, as important reminders to practice, so that we can prepare our mind for the worst things that might happen to us. Whether it might be these, or injustice, climate change, or political instability, we can still experience equanimity.
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David Lewis has been following the dharma path for 50 years and has a degree in comparative religious studies. He teaches at several Buddhist sanghas around the Bay Area and offers a weekly meditation group for seniors (currently on Zoom) at OpenHouse, a nonprofit serving LGBTQI+ seniors. He’s always happy to return to the Gay Buddhist Fellowship, where he gave his first dharma talk in 2008.