Session 1 (9/28/26)
Home Practice – Aging with Compassion and Wisdom Session 1, September 28, 2026
Click here to download a PDF of this home practice.
Welcome to this five-session Practice Group. We will meet every Monday from 10:30 am-12:00, through November 2nd, except for the holiday on October 12th.
We will practice with both wings of the Buddhist path, Wisdom and Compassion. Facing aging is not easy! We will certainly need both wings.
Let’s start with Wisdom. What is Wisdom?
The first two parts of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path are considered the wisdom section of the path: Right View and Right Intention.
Right view is having an understanding
of the Four Noble Truths,
of kamma (karma in Sanskrit), or the natural law of conditionality, and an understanding
of the Three Characteristics of all things, which is that they are impermanent, (anicca), imperfect or stressful, (dukkha), and not-self,(anatta).
At first, our understanding of these truths is not very deep. It begins with intellectual understanding, but through practice it becomes a deeper experiential learning that, as CIMC founder Larry Rosenberg says, can go “bone deep”. Such is the penetrating power of wisdom. Alignment with these truths: with what is considered “Clear and liberating seeing”
Right Intention is described as being three-fold.
The intention of renunciation. Letting go of thoughts and actions based on greed.
The intention of goodwill or Metta. Extending goodwill to all.
The intention of non-violence or harmlessness
Even though this is called the wisdom section, we can see how right intention also describes the other “wing” in the ethical basis for compassion, goodwill, non-greed, and non-harming.
Source Books
Our practice group has three source books. You do not need to rush out and buy these. I will share any passages that we will use in our weekly sessions. Some copies are available for loan to members in the CIMC library or from public libraries.
Aging with Wisdom by Olivia Hoblitzelle. Olivia hosted the Elders’ affinity group here for many years. We owe her a debt of gratitude for living out her conviction that the special conditions of aging create the perfect conditions for growing in wisdom, ease and freedom.
Living in the Light of Death – On the Art of Being Truly Alive by CIMC founder Larry Rosenberg. Larry draws on his own practice and experience with many teachers, along with his years of teaching, to share how contemplating aging, vulnerability to illness, and death can lead to a more vibrant experience of life. The structure he uses in this book, based on The Divine Messengers and the Five Remembrances is the structure we will use for our five sessions together.
Older and Wiser -Classical Buddhist Teachings on Aging, Sickness, and Death by Mu Seong, Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia, and Andrew Olendski is a wonderful collection of wisdom writings drawn from the original Pali suttas and commentaries. The three authors, one a Korean Zen teacher, one a vipassana teacher, and one a scholar of early Buddhist teachings, each comment on each of the selected writings.
Practice
Sit every day if possible, for 20-45 minutes
At the beginning or end of your sitting practice, either recite the five remembrances in English or Pali, or read them over slowly.
Three versions are provided at the end of this document. One is from Thich Nhat Hanh, one is from the Dhammayut order of the Theravadan Sangha and includes the Pali, and the third is from Amaravati monastery in England and includes the Pali with intonation marks. It is also the most grammatically correct Pali version, including the variations for different genders. Take your pick!
Reflections for Practice
- In the story of the future Buddha, while still a prince, left the palace and saw the Divine Messengers: a very old person, a sick person, a corpse, and a wandering holy man (samana):
Reflect on the connection between this story and what became the Five Remembrances.
- In the other story that was told last session, Bhaddiya, who, like the Buddha, was also a former prince, rejoiced that as a monk, he no longer had to be guarded or fear for his safety, even though he lived out in the open, meditating in the forest. He was relieved and free from fear. As you have aged, is there something that stands out that you no longer need to be stressed or fearful about?
- We spoke of the four classical stages (Āśramas) of life in Hindu society, which developed about 400 years after the life of the Buddha. It was more of a theoretical structure designed to integrate asceticism into mainstream Hinduism. What would be the stages of your life as you have aged? Originally they were offered as separate choices, without ages assigned. Later they began to be presented as a life journey.
| Stage | Approximate Age | Core Focus & Purpose |
| Brahmacharya (Student) | 0–25 years | Celibacy, education, discipline, and studying under a guru. |
| Gṛhastha (Householder) | 25–50 years | Marriage, raising a family, accumulating wealth ethically, and community duty. |
| Vanaprastha (Forest Dweller) | 50–75 years | Gradual retirement, passing down wisdom, and practicing detachment. |
| Sannyasa (Renunciate) | 75–100 years | Total renunciation of worldly ties to focus exclusively on spiritual freedom. |
Five Remembrances (a version from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Chanting Book:
I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.
