Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Ven Robina Courtin begins with a story: a father whose child had leukemia, suddenly aware his son would die, quit his job and lived differently. His child, facing mortality, gave his bike away freely. She teaches the practical point directly—when we truly realize we could die today, attachment loosens and life becomes precious. The instruction: meditate on “today could be the day,” not as morbid thought but as real preparation for genuine practice. A reference to Kirk Douglas shows how mortality awareness sweetens life. The teaching closes with reflections on collective karma ripening and aspirations for all beings. For practitioners ready to meet death as a path to letting go.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 1998 10 31 StB.mp3
Teacher: Ven Robina Courtin
Collection: y Steadying the Boat (Ven Robina Courtin)
Date: 1998-10-31
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~355
There’s some father, when I read in the local paper where I’m living, where his kid had leukaemia. Even the father got off his job because he suddenly realised, my God, my kid’s going to die.’ The kid, the brother wanted his bike, the kid thought, oh, I’m going to die. Yeah, please have it.’ I mean, very practical. It’s amazing, you know, to wake up and then to make everything, as Tirk Douglas said, made life that much sweeter for him. Because suddenly, it was more real and more and he made most of every day.
Because suddenly, he realised how precious. So that would mean you’d give up attachment, you’d let go more easily if you really did realise you’re gonna die today. And at some point, will be today that we’ll die. At some point, might as well practise now, think it’s today, because it’s gonna be today at some point. How practical, you know?
Makes so much sense. So before today’s over, we should finish, four to five. So, I don’t know, whatever this day was useful. I hope it’s useful. I had nothing to do with me.
You people just got what you I don’t know what happened, but that’s how it always works. Really, it’s very interesting. Every group is unbelievably different. I can’t even believe it. It’s the most astonishing.
So some collective karma ripened. We all came together. Maybe come together again in the future. Maybe benefit countless beings. Maybe we happy.
May we find our own paths. Whatever we’re looking for, we find may we never give up, may we have confidence. Thank you very much.