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Uncertainty of life: Remembering three ‘Nangis-By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana Source:Island Some of us are fortunate enough to advance in years with all faculties intact and in reasonably good health, albeit with the help of medication. However, it comes at a price due to the ever-continuing process of losing friends and relations. As the Buddha pointed out, separation from the pleasant or the beloved is suffering (“Piyehi Vippayogo Dukko). The suffering becomes even worse when you lose younger relatives; worse still when it is sudden and dramatic. Having lost three Nangis–– two younger sisters and a sister-in-law––during the past five years, the only thing I can do to ease my sorrow is to pay a tribute to them by reflecting on their well-lived lives. I remember the phone call received from Sri Lanka, in the early hours of 23 March. Kusum Wijetilleke told me that he had just been informed that his mother ...