Lord Buddha said, “Dreams, dew drops, water bubbles, snow flakes, and lightning. View all conditioned things like that. “
Among the myriad types of impermanence, the impermanence of death is something that we need to deeply and seriously consider because it profoundly affects our lives. What does death really mean?
Life is short, fragile, delicate, and full of karmic malaise. There is a powerful potential to die at any moment. It is beyond ones control or wish. Life is vulnerable to decay. It is subject to all forms of depredations that destroy the basis of the life force.
Life is always subject to being hijacked by death. Death is sure and certain, but the time of death is uncertain. It is inevitable, unpreventable, and beyond anyone’s control. Because of these indisputable reasons, the end of birth is death, and it is a part of life’s natural process.
Birth has the purpose and potential to die, and death has the purpose and potential for rebirth. Life goes through the cycles of excitement of birth and sorrow of death. Our life is full of strange and mysterious things, but without a purpose.
Birth and death are closely related and neither one is random. The birth that we celebrate with joy, laughter, and delicious birthday cake is just a beginning of death that we grieve with a deep sense of loss.
The death that we grieve is just a beginning of birth that once again we celebrate with joy and an uplifted mood. It is a natural cycle of life until the potential of life is fully realized and no longer subject to uncontrollable birth and death.
It is a great mistake to view death as a tragedy. It is surely not a tragedy and not a random incident. It is a natural process of life moving from freshness to decay, youth to age, health to illness. And eventually life comes to an end with a death. This is nothing to be denied or defied. The only correct view is to accept it without dwelling on feelings of self pity, anger, fear, and confusion.
The birth of someone is dependent on the death of another, and the death of someone leads to the birth of another. In order for someone to be born today, someone has to die in some other time. Similarly, in order for someone to be born here, someone has to die somewhere else.
There is nothing that we can do to stop death from happening once birth has taken place. What one really can and must do is to make sure that our death is a peaceful transition with a virtuous state of mind free from clinging, grasping, and attachment to whatever is going to be left behind, such as family members, friends, loved ones, wealth, and social status, etc.
A peaceful death under the influence of a virtuous state of mind is crucial for obtaining a higher and fortunate rebirth with a pleasant living environment. A virtuous state of mind at the time of death activates a seed of positive karma. This activated karmic seed will become the sole determining factor in regards to the nature of our future rebirth, its environment, and the unique characteristics of that life.
Because of the fact of the certainty of death, we must consider the real value of devoting our time and energy to the great accumulation of material wealth that is more than what we need for our survival. We can’t take it with us and it will not provide us a sense of inner comfort and security at the time of death. Our material wealth and any other property may be left behind neither as an act of generosity that bears merits nor as selfless an act of sharing that others may deeply appreciate of it. Our wealth that is going to left behind can be left in the middle of hungry and aggressive vultures who simply want to eat it without appreciation and positive merit arising from our own good intention.
Our high social status will remain in the graveyard. At best our name will be carved on piece of good looking marble stone. What is the real point of accumulation of wealth and seeking high social status in this short life which is like a lightning bolt?
What should one do about our death?
We need to make full preparation and gain familiarity with the natural process of death. This is extremely important and highly beneficial. Not considering death in our everyday life is an ignorant mistake. This will be the cause for a painful death accompanied by anger, fear, rejection, confusion, and depressing feeling of self pity.
Under these influences one can not make healthy decisions about one’s wealth and property. One will be unable to pass them over to family members, loved ones, or charity with moral dignity. This leads to conflict and fighting among the family members over your undecided or wrong decision about the wealth and property.
What we will learn from this retreat:
In this retreat we will discuss various ethical issues related to our death such as:
- Mind set during the process of death.
- What to do with ones body.
- How one should make decisions about wealth and property.
- When to stop receiving harsh medical treatment if there is no hope of recovery.
- How to move from this life to the next without clinging.
Note: This discussion can be disturbing and depressing but very beneficial in many ways, not only during the event of death but also in this life.
Benefits of preparation:
- To simplify ones life
- To be more devoted to Dharma practice
- To be more prepared for death without fear and anxiety.
- To be happier with merely meeting basic needs without an inner urge to want more and better with no end.
- To be more motivated in the practice of ethics.
- To be less selfish and more caring of others.
- To be more motivated to create merit and good karma for your future happiness.
Prayers are good and highly beneficial. But creation of merit and good karma through your own effort is far better and more effective than prayers and Pujas.
Geshe Dakpa Topgyal
