Are We Living While Believing We Are Dead?

**Summary:** This dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang, based on Dhammapada Verse 72, reminds us to maintain right view, not to be deceived by illusion, and to understand that all religions are merely means toward the ultimate truth.

Have you ever asked yourself: “Am I truly alive, or am I already dead?” It may sound absurd, but consider the story Venerable Thích Chân Quang shared in his teaching on Dhammapada Verse 72—a story that shakes us with how easily human wisdom can be deceived.

**Living While Believing One Is Dead**

An online video tells the story of a man in Indonesia. While sleeping soundly, he heard noise nearby. Opening his eyes, he saw a religious leader praying over him, while his family members wept and called his name mournfully. He shook them and shouted, “I’m still alive!” But no one listened or paid attention. For fifteen minutes, he threw pillows and pushed people, yet still no one reacted. Finally, he sat down, held his head, and wondered, “Maybe I really am dead?”—Just then, the whole family burst into laughter. It had all been a prank.

Venerable Chân Quang said, “He himself was alive, yet because his surroundings deceived him, he immediately began to doubt himself, and in that moment he started to believe he truly was dead.”

**Do Not Hastily Believe: “All Paths Teach Love”?**

This story is just the surface, but it reflects a deeper issue: we easily believe what we hear and see without verification. In the dharma talk, Venerable Chân Quang pointed to another trap—religious division. Many say, “All religions teach kindness and good living.” The Venerable emphasized, “Don’t believe those words. That’s the first sentence people say to you, and you might just laugh at me for this. All religions say the same thing. Don’t believe it yet. Walk further in first, then you will know the real story.”

In reality, when entering a religion, people are often taught that their path is right, others are wrong, and they must defend their own. From this, humans become divided, even to the point of conflict. He said, “Devotees are like oil fields. People very much like to compete for devotees.” The danger is that leaders and teachers can be deceived by the very illusion of glory.

**Religion Is Only a Means, Not the Ultimate Truth**

Venerable taught that on the journey seeking truth, one must never equate religion with absolute truth. The Buddha once said, “The Tathagata is a finger pointing at the moon. Rely on the Tathagata’s finger to see the moon; the Tathagata’s finger is not the moon.” Venerable Chân Quang explained, “Religious teachings are merely a means, a path leading us to the ultimate truth; that religion itself is not yet the ultimate truth.”

If we understand this, we will not become trapped in dogmatism, nor will we slander other religions because of our own. The essential point is whether we have attained love and morality.

**Balancing Spirituality and Worldly Responsibility**

He also warned against the tendency to devote entirely to spiritual life while neglecting duties to family and society. “Every religion suffers from this ailment,” he said, “wanting devotees to know only their own path.” But if devotees do not work, have no money, how can they make offerings? He advised us to live a balanced, harmonious life: studying Buddhist scriptures while also equipping ourselves with scientific knowledge, and fulfilling our duties to family and country.

**The Role of a Good Friend**

In the story of Dhammapada Verse 72, it was precisely the kind-hearted neighbors who persuaded and helped the families calm down and understand correctly. Venerable Chân Quang said, “Whoever has such a mouth, such a heart, who knows how to guide friends and neighbors to understand the truth rightly—such a person earns immense blessings from merit.” Therefore, let us train our speech to speak words of love and truth, and not sow hatred.

**Today’s lesson is simple:** Be vigilant; do not let illusion deceive you. Do not cling to external forms; do not allow any religion or authority to “box in” your wisdom. Verify through your own life, for right view is the foundation upon which we walk toward realms of goodness. And when we find our mind at peace, we know we are not “dead”—we are living in the light of truth.