what if one day im drowning/buried alive then i cant meditate
via breathing
am i supposed to die without being in a meditative state?
If you have mastery of jhana, you can enter at will.
However, entering jhana is not the goal of Buddhism. Liberation is
the goal of Buddhism. Surely you don't want to be reborn in a
jhanic realm for millions of years and yet still fall back into the
lower realms after that.
So in addition to shamatha jhanas, you still need to do vipassana,
realize ur true nature, get enlightened and liberated.
When you are liberated, you are liberated at each moment in life
and do not need to depend on meditation and you do not need to
enter any jhana. Even if you get hit by a bus and died on the spot
you will still be liberated. The distinction between meditation and
post-meditation dissolves and every moment is a 'meditative'
authentication of the luminous and empty nature of mind.
Personally I am more of a direct path practitioner and don't
exactly follow the gradual shamatha/vipassana practices:
http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.sg/2010/12/my-e-booke-journal.html