LIFE IS UNCERTAIN - DEATH IS CERTAIN
This is a well known saying in Buddhism. Knowing very well that
death is certain and it is a natural phenomenon that everyone has
to face, we should not be afraid of death. Yet, instinctively, all
of us fear death because we do not know how to think of its
inevitability. We like to cling to our life and body and so develop
too much craving and attachment.
A child comes into this world bringing joy and happiness unto
all near and dear ones. Even the mother who had to bear extreme
labor pains is pleased and delighted to behold her new-born child.
She feels that all the trouble and pain borne by her were well
worth it. However, by crying, the child seems to suggest it too has
its share of suffering for coming into this world. The child grows
into an adolescent and later into an adult, performing all sorts of
good and bad deeds. He eventually grows old and finally bids
farewell to this world leaving his kith and kin in deep sorrow.
Such is the nature of existence of a human being. People try to
evade and escape from the clutches of death but no one is able to
do so. At the moment of death, they have their minds hovering over
their hoard of acquired wealth, unduly worrying about their dear
children surrounding them. Last but not least, they deep evincing
much concern over their own precious bodies, which, despite the
tender care and attention, lavished by them are now worn out,
decaying and exhausted. It grieves one's heart to separate oneself
from the body. It is unbearable though unavoidable. This is the way
most people take leave of this world - with moans and groans. The
pangs of death are considered dreadful, an attitude fed by
ignorance.
FEAR OF DEATH
Men are disturbed not by external things, but by beliefs and
imaginations they conjure up in their minds with regard to the form
of their future lives. Death, for example, is not by itself
dreadful: the dread or terror exists only in our minds. It is not
often that we are brave enough to come face to face with the
thought of our own mortality. Insistence upon the truth of
suffering may seem horrible and unacceptable to the mind which is
unable to face realities, but it certainly helps to reduce or
eliminate the dread of fear by knowing how to face death. Once life
is launched, like a bullet it rushes to it destination - death.
Realizing thus, we must bravely face that natural occurrence. To be
considered free in life, we must also be free from the fear of
death. Fear only comes to those who are not able to comprehend the
laws of Nature. "Wherever fear arises, it arises in the fool, not
in the wise man," says the Buddha in the Anguttara Nikaya. Fears
are nothing more than states of mind. Remember what science teaches
us about the process of dying? It is only a physiological erosion
of the human body. We needlessly frighten ourselves with imagined
or anticipated horrors which never come to pass. As a famous
physician, Sir William Osler puts it: "In my wide clinical
experience, most human beings die really without pain or fear."
A veteran nurse once said: "It has always seemed to me a major
tragedy that so many people go through life haunted by the fear of
death - only to find when it comes that it's as natural as life
itself. For few are afraid to die when they get to the very end. In
all my experience only one seemed to feel any terror a woman who
had done her sister a wicked thing which it was too late to put
right."
"Something strange and beautiful happens to men and women when
they come to the end of the road. A fear, all horror disappears. I
have often watched a look of happy wonder dawn in their eyes when
they realize this is true. It is all part of the goodness of
Nature."
Attachment to life on earth creates the unnatural fear of death.
it creates strong anxiety on life; the man who will never take
risks even for what is right. He lives in fear worrying that some
illness or accident might snuff out the precious little life he
cherishes. Realizing that death is inevitable, the one who loves
life on earth will go into a devout prayer expressing the hope that
his soul will survive in heaven. No man can be happy in such a
tempest of fear and hope. Yet it is hard to despise or ignore these
manifestations of the instinct for self-preservation. There is
however a method of overcoming this fear. Forget the concept of
self; turn one's love of the inward outwards, i.e. provide
humanitarian service and to shower love on others. Whoever
constantly keeps in mind the fact that he would someday be
subjected to death and that death is inevitable, would be eager to
fulfill his duties to his fellow human beings before death, and
this would certainly make him heedful in respect of this world and
the next. Being engrossed in service to others, you will soon
release yourself from the heavy selfish attachments, hopes, vanity,
pride and self-righteousness.
ILLNESS AND DEATH
Both illness and death are natural happenings in our lives and
must be accepted as such with understanding. According to modern
psychological theory, undue mental stress is caused by our refusal
to face and accept life's realities. This undue stress, unless
overcome or subdued, actually causes grave physical illness.
Maintaining a sense of undue worry and despair over an illness will
certainly make it worse. As for death, it must never be feared by
those who are pure in heart and action. We are all a combination of
mind and matter and as such there is actually no individual self to
die. The kammic reactions arising from past evil deeds may linger
with us on our rebirth thus causing us to shoulder the kammic
sufferings in a new life. Such an eventuality can be obviated if we
make every effort to acquire merit by leading a virtuous life and
by doing meritorious deeds wherever and whenever possible. By doing
so we can face death bravely and realistically since in accordance
with the teachings of Buddhism there is no 'savior' upon whom we
could entrust our burdens in order to relieve ourselves from the
consequences of our wrong actions. We should constantly remind
ourselves of the Buddha's advice: "Be ye refuges and islands unto
yourselves; labor on with diligence." Buddhists should not go into
grief and deep mourning over the deaths of relatives and friends.
There can be no halting of the wheel of circumstance. When a man
dies, the karmic sequence of his conduct passes on into a new
being. Kith and kin, friends and relatives can accompany the dead
body up to the grave, but not further. Only a man's deeds, good or
bad, go forth with him. Those left behind should bear their
bereavement with calmness and understanding. Death is an inevitable
process of this world. That is the one thing which is certain in
this universe. Forests may be turned into cities and cities into
sand dunes. Were mountains exist, a lake may be formed. Uncertainty
exists everywhere but death is certain. All else is momentary. We
had our forefathers, and they in their turn had their own, but
where are they all now? They have all passed away.
Let not the sophisticated assume that a pessimistic view of life
is being presented here. This is the most realistic view of all
realism’s. Why should we be unrealistic and blind our eyes to real
facts? For does not death consume everything? It certainly does.
Let this not be forgotten. The role of death is to make every man
aware of his destiny; that however high he may be placed, whatever
advanced aid in technology or medical science he may have, his end
is all the same, either in a coffin or merely reduced to a handful
of ashes. The sequence of birth and death is a continuing process
until we become perfect.
MAN’S INFLUENCE PERSISTS
The Buddha said: "Man’s body turns to dust, but his name or
influence persists." The influence of a past life is sometimes more
far-reaching, more potent than that held by the living body with
certain limitations. We occasionally act on thoughts inspired by
personalities whose mortal remains have turned to dust. In our
accomplishments, such thoughts also play an important role. Every
living person is deemed a composite of all his ancestors who have
gone before him. In this sense, we may assume that the past heroes,
great philosophers, sages, poets and musicians of every race are
still with us. As we link our selves to the past martyrs and
thinkers, we are able to share their wise thoughts, their noble
ideals and even the imperishable music of the ages. Even though
their bodies are dead, their influence lives on. The body is
nothing but an abstract generalization for a constantly changing
combination of chemical constituents. Man must realize that his
life is but a drop in an overflowing river and must be happy to
contribute his part to the great stream which is called life.
Not knowing the nature of his life, man is sunk in the mud of
ignorance of this world. He weeps and wails. But when he realizes
what his true nature is, he renounces all transient things and
seeks the Eternal State. Prior to achieving the Eternal state he
will have to face death again and again. Since death itself is
meaningless, man should not try to overcome the continuous repeated
births and deaths.
According to Buddhism, this not the first and last life we have
in this world. If you do good with confidence, you can have a
better future life. On the other hand, if you feel that you do not
want to be reborn again and again, you should work towards this end
by making every effort to develop the mind by eradicating all
craving and other mental impurities.
BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY
The Noble Saint who has attained the stage of highest perfection
does not weep at the passing away of those dear and near to his as
he has completely eradicated his emotional feelings. Ven.
Anuruddha, who was an Arahant, did not weep at the passing away of
the Buddha. However, Ven. Ananda, who was at that time only a
Sotapanna, having attained only the first stage of sainthood, could
not but express his deep sorrow. The weeping bhikkhu had to be
reminded of the Buddha's view on situations of this nature, as
follows:-
"Has not the Buddha told us, Ananda, that what is born, what
comes to being, and what is put together, is subject to
dissolution? That is the nature of all conditioned formations; to
arise and pass away - Having once arisen they must pass away - And
when such formations cease completely, then comes Peace Supreme."
These words describe the foundation on which the structure of
Buddhist philosophy is built.
CAUSE OF SORROW
The cause of our grief and sorrow is Attachment in all its
various forms. If we want to overcome sorrow, we have to give up
attachment - attachment not only to persons but also to
possessions. This is the ultimate truth; this is the lesson that
death signifies. Attachment provides us many things to satisfy our
emotion and to lead a worldly life. But the same attachment becomes
in the end the cause of all our sorrows. Unless we learn this
lesson, death can strike us and fill us with terror. The fact is
beautifully illustrated by the Buddha, who said: "Death will take
away a man though he is attached to his children and his
possessions, just as a great flood takes away a sleeping
village."
This saying implies that if the village had not been asleep but
remained awake and alert, the havoc created by the flood could have
been avoided.
DEATH IS UNIVERSAL
Let us now examine how the Buddha solved this problem for two
persons who, through attachment, were both deeply grieved by death.
One person was Kisagotami. Her only child had died after being
attacked by a serpent. She went to the Buddha carrying the dead
child in her arms to ask for help. The Buddha asked her to bring a
few mustard seeds from a family where no one had died. But she
could not find such a family. Every house she visited was either in
mourning or had mourned over a death at one time or another. Then
she realized the bitter truth: that death is universal. Death
strikes all and spares none. Sorrow is the heritage of
everyone.
The other person whom the Buddha advised was Patacara. Her case
was sadder. Within a short period she lost her two children,
husband, brother, parents, and all her possessions. Losing her
senses, she ran naked and wild in the streets until she met the
Buddha. The Buddha brought her back to sanity by explaining that
death is to be expected as a natural phenomenon in all living
beings.
"You have suffered from similar situations, not once, Patacara,
but many times during your previous existences. For a long time you
suffered due to the deaths of a father, a mother, children or
relatives. While you were thus suffering, you indeed shed more
tears than there is water in the ocean."
At the end of the talk, Patacara realized the uncertainty of
life. Both Patacara and Kisagotami comprehended suffering an death
learned through their tragic experiences. By deeply understanding
the First Noble Truth of "suffering", the other three Noble Truths
were also understood. "Whoso monks, comprehends suffering," said
the Buddha, "also comprehends the arising of suffering, the
cessation of suffering, and the path leading to the cessation of
suffering."
THE FIVE AGGREGATES
Death is the dissolution of Khandhas. The Khandhas are the five
aggregates of perception, sensation, mental formations,
consciousness and corporeality or matter. The first four are mental
aggregates or nama, forming the unit of consciousness. The fifth,
rupa is the material or physical aggregate. This psycho-physical
combination is conventionally named an individual, person or ego.
Therefore what entities that exist are not individuals as such, but
the two primary constituents of mind and matter, which are rare
phenomena. We do not see the five aggregates as phenomena but as an
entity because of our deluded minds, and our innate desire to treat
these as a self in order to pander to our self-importance.
We will be able to see things as they truly are if we only have
patience and the will to do so. If we turn inwards to the recesses
of our own minds and note with just that bare attention, note
objectively without projecting an ego in the process, and then
cultivate this practice for a sufficient length of time, as laid
down by the Buddha in the Sati Patthana Sutta, then we will see
these five aggregates, not as an entity, but as a series of
physical and mental processes. Then we will not mistake the
superficial for the real. We will then see that these aggregates
arise and disappear in rapid succession, never being the same for
two consecutive moments, never static but always in a state of
flux, never being but always becoming.
REBIRTH
The four mental aggregates, viz, consciousness and the three
other groups of mental factors forming Nama or the unit of
consciousness, go on uninterruptedly, arising and disappearing as
before, but not in the same setting, because that setting is no
more. They have to find immediately a fresh physical base as it
were, with which to function - a fresh material layer appropriate
and suitable for all the aggregates to function in harmony. Kamma
acts as a law and this law operates to re-set the aggregates after
death. The result is "re-birth".
A BUNDLE OF ELEMENTS AND ENERGIES
In brief, the combination of the five aggregates is called
birth. Existence of these aggregates as a bundle is called life.
dissolution of these things is called death. And recombination of
these aggregates is called rebirth. However, it is not easy for an
ordinary man to understand how these so called aggregates could
recombine. A proper understanding of the nature of elements, mental
energies and the law of Kamma and co-operation of cosmic energies
is important in this respect. To some, this is a simple and natural
occurrence. To them death means the separation of the five elements
and thereafter nothing remains. To some, it means transmigration of
the soul from one body to another; and to others, it means
indefinite suspension of the soul; in other words, waiting for the
Day of Judgment. To Buddhists, however, death is nothing but a
temporary end of a temporary phenomenon. It is not the complete
annihilation of this so-called being.
CAUSES OF DEATH
According to Buddhism, Death can occur in any one of these four
ways.
I. It can be due to the exhaustion of the life span assigned to
beings of that particular species. This type of death is called
Ayukkhaya; II. It can be due to the exhaustion of the Kammic energy
that caused the birth of the deceased. This is called Kammakkhaya;
III. It can be due to the simultaneous exhaustion of the above
mentioned two causes - Ubhayakkhaya; and IV. Lastly, it can be due
to external circumstances, viz, accidents, untimely happenings -
working of natural phenomena or due to a Kamma of a previous
existence not referred to in (ii). This is called Upacchedake.
There is an excellent analogy to explain these four types of
death. It is the analogy of the oil lamp. The light in the oil lamp
can be extinguished due to any one of four causes:-
I. The wick in the lamp burns up. This is likened to death
through the exhaustion of the life span; II. The consummation of
the oil in the lamp is likened to death through exhaustion of the
Kammic energy; III. the consummation of the oil in the lamp and the
burning off of the wick at the same time - is likened to death
occurring through the combination of causes described in (I) and
(II) occurring simultaneously; and IV. The effect of external
factors such as the wind blowing out the light - is likened to
death caused through external factors.
Therefore, Kamma alone is not the cause of death. There are
external contributory causes also. The Buddha’s teaching
categorically states that Kamma does not explain all happenings in
our lives.
FACE FACTS
How should one best face this unavoidable occurrence? By being
forewarned --that is, by reflecting that death will, and must come
sooner or later. This does not mean that Buddhists should view life
with gloom. Death is real, and has to be faced --and Buddhism is a
religion of reason that trains its followers to face facts, however
unpleasant they may be. The Founder of the Sikh religion Guru Nanak
said "The world is afraid of death, to me it brings bliss." I
clearly shows that great and noble people are not afraid of death
but are prepared to accept it. Many great people have sacrificed
their lives for the welfare of others. Their names are recorded in
the history of the world in golden letters for posterity.
DEATH IS INEVITABLE
It is rather paradoxical that although we so often see death
taking its toll of lives, we seldom pause to reflect that we too
can similarly sooner or later be victims of death. With our strong
attachment to life, we are disinclined to carry with us the morbid
thought, although a reality, that death is an absolute certainty.
We prefer to put off this awful thought behind us as far away as
possible - deluding ourselves that death is a far-away phenomenon,
something not to be worried about. We should be courageous enough
to face facts. We must be prepared to face stark reality. Death is
a factual happening. If we appreciate such eventualities and equip
ourselves with the realization that death is inevitable; even that
has to be accepted as a normal occurrence and not as a dreaded
event which we should be able to face when it eventually comes,
with calmness, courage and confidence.
OUR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
With the certain knowledge that death will ultimately overtake
us one day, we should decide, with the same calmness, courage and
confidence, to discharge our duties and responsibilities towards
our immediate dependents. We should not procrastinate our
responsible duties. We should not leave things for tomorrow when
they can be done today. We should make good use of time and spend
our lives usefully. Our duties to our wives, husbands and children
deserves priority and should be performed in due time. We should
execute our last will and testament, without waiting for the last
moment, so that we may not cause undue distress, difficulties and
problems to our families due to our neglect. Death may call at any
time - it is no respect of person or time. We should be able to
face this ultimate event bravely with hope and confidence if we
prepare for the next existence.
CRAVING AND IGNORANCE
Can death be overcome? The answer is - Yes! Death exists because
of birth. This repetition of countless births is called samsara. If
this cycle of existence is to be stopped, it can be cut off only at
the stage of Avijja (Ignorance) and Tanha (Craving) - These are the
roots in this cycle of births and have to be exterminated.
Therefore, if we cut off Craving and Ignorance - birth is overcome,
death conquered, Samsara is transcended and Nibbana attained.
We should try to understand that everything in this universe is
uncertain. Existence is only a vision. When we analyze everything
either scientifically or philosophically, in the end we find
nothing but void.
"To be afraid of dying is like being afraid of discarding an old
worn-our garment". (Gandhi)
It is hard to bear the loss of people whom we live because of
our attachment to them. This happened to Visakha a well-known lady
devotee during the time of the Buddha. When she lost her beloved
grand-daughter she visited the Buddha to seek advice in her
sorrow.
- Visakha, would you like to have as many sons and grandsons as
there are children in this town?' asked the Buddha.
- 'Yes, Sir, I would indeed!'
- 'Then, Visakha, in such a case would you cry for all of them
when they die? Visakha, those who have a hundred things beloved,
they have a hundred sorrows. He who has nothing beloved, has no
sorrow. Such persons are free from sorrow."
When we develop attachment, we also must be prepared to pay the
price of sorrow when separation takes place.
The love of life can sometimes develop into a morbid fear of
death. We will no take any risks even for a rightful cause. We live
in fear that an illness or accident will put an end to our
seemingly precious life. Realizing that death is a certainty, we
hope and pray for the survival of the soul in heaven for our own
security and preservation. Such beliefs are based on strong craving
for continued existence.
Each and every individual should be aware of the role of death
in his or her destiny. Whether royalty or commoner, rich or poor,
strong or weak, a man's final resting place for his body is either
in a coffin lying buried six feet underground or in an urn or in
the water.
All human beings face and share the same fate. Due to ignorance
of the true nature of life, we often weep and wail. When once we
realize the true nature of life, we can face the impermanence of
all component things and seek liberation. Until and unless we
achieve our liberation from worldly conditions, we will have to
face death over and over again. And in this respect, too, the role
of death is very clear. If a person finds death to be unbearable,
then he should make every endeavor to over come this cycle of birth
and death.
CONTEMPLATION ON DEATH
Why should we think about death? Why should we contemplate it?
Not only did the Buddha encourage us to speak about death, he also
encouraged us to contemplate it and reflect on it regularly. That
which is born will die. The mind and body which arise at the time
of conception develop, grow and mature. In other words, they follow
the process of aging. We call it growing up at first, the growing
old, but it is just a single process of maturing, developing, and
evolving ultimately towards inevitable death.
Today, according to a world record, about 200,000 people die, on
the average, everyday. Apparently about 70 million people die every
year.
We are not used to contemplate death or come to terms with it.
What we usually do is to avoid it and live as if we were never
going to die. As long as there is fear of death, life itself is not
being lived to its fullest and at its best. So one of the very
fundamental reasons for contemplating death, for making this
reality fully conscious, is that not for making us depressed or
morbid; it is rather for the purpose of helping to free ourselves
from fear.
The second reason is that contemplation of death will change the
way we live and our attitudes towards life. The values that we have
in life will change quite drastically once we stop living as if we
are going to live forever, and we will start living in a quite
different way.
The third reason is to develop the ability to approach and face
death in the right and peaceful way.
The contemplation of death has three-fold benefits:
- relieving fear;
- bringing a new quality to our lives, enabling us to live our
lives with proper values; and
- enabling us to die in dignity.
It enables us to live a good life and die a good death. What do
we need?
The contemplation on the following factors are encouraged in
Buddhism:
When we contemplate this reality with a peaceful mind and bring
it into consciousness, it has a powerful effect in overcoming the
fear of old age, sickness, death and separation. It is not for
making us morbid, rather it is for freeing ourselves from fear.
That is why we contemplate death: it is not that we are eagerly
looking forward to dying, but that we want to live and die without
fear.
DEATH IS PART OF LIFE
Death comes to all and is part of our life cycle. Some die in
their prime, others in old age, but all must inevitably die.
Uninvited we came into this world and unbidden we leave it.
Inevitably I am going to die - so does everybody, every plant,
every form, every living being, which follows the same path. Soon
it will be autumn, the leaves will fall off the trees. We do not
cry, it is natural, that is what the leaves are supposed to do at
the end of the season. Human beings experience the same thing.
Religious people usually have less fear of death than very
materialistic people, because materialists are particularly
interested only in this life to satisfy their-fold senses.
But from the Buddhist perspective, death is not the end and each
birth too is not the beginning of a life. In face death is the
beginning of life and conversely birth is the ending of life. It is
just one part of a whole process, a whole cyclic process of birth,
death, rebirth and dying again. If one has some understanding of
this on-going process, death begins to lose its ability to create
morbid terror, because it is not so final after all. It is only the
end of a cycle; just one cycle along the way and then the way
continues ad infinitum with other cycles. The leaves fall off the
trees, but it is not the end. They go back to the soil and nourish
the roots; next year the tree has new leaves. The same can be said
of human life. Conditioned by the moment of death is rebirth. An
understanding of this basic principle helps to relieve ourselves of
the fear about death.
LIVING CONSCIOUSLY
We live our lives in many foolish ways without even considering
how much time we waste for nothing. How much time have we wasted
today worrying about next year, about the next twenty years,
thinking about the future, to the extent that we have not been
fully living even this very day?
And our values in life will change. What is important in life?
What is motivating us? What is the driving factor in our lives? If
we really contemplate death it may cause us to reconsider our
values. It does not matter how much money we have for we cannot
take any of it with us. Even our own body has to be left behind for
others to dispose of in one way or another; it is just a heap of
refuse left behind. We cannot take our precious body with us when
we leave this world.
The quality of life is more important than mere material
acquisitions. The quality of life is primarily the quality of our
minds. How we are living today may be more important to us than
many other external things. But the condition for rebirth, and that
of rebirth is conditioned by death and the quality of the mind this
is one thing we take with us. This is the one inheritance that we
do not leave behind for others:
All that which will follow us will be the qualities that we
develop within us, the qualities of mind, the spiritual qualities
and the good or bad qualities. These are all what we inherit. These
are the conditions which will determine our rebirth and shape the
future. These in turn will give rise to a new value in our lives.
We may enjoy the millions we have already gained but it is more
important that we live more peacefully and start to build up some
virtuous qualities. It can have a very good effect on the way we
live our lives and on the values we develop. It is not just a
matter of being successful; it is how we become successful.
DYING A GOOD DEATH
Having considered all of these, if dying becomes no longer an
alarming event but an actual experience, we can with confidence
face it. Not only that we can also do a lot towards dying a good
death. If we have led a good life, dying is easier. But regardless
of how we have lived, we can still endeavor to die a good death. To
help in the dying process, we stress very much the development of
the same quality of fearlessness.
For many people, it's more the fear of pain and the fear of
separation from all their loved ones, more than anything else, that
is fearsome. At the time of dying, encouragement and reassurance
are most essential. For a start you need to reassure yourself. The
pain indeed will be excruciating and will be difficult to bear, but
we are fortunate in that advances in modern medicines make it
possible to reduce the amount of physical pain a human being has to
experience before death. Pain need not be such an overwhelming
object of fear.
I usually reassure a dying person, such as someone who is
terminally ill, for example with cancer, that the will not
needlessly be allowed to suffer and, that prompt treatment will be
given to alleviate his pain. An important result of this is that
the patient can relax and die more peacefully.
The other worry is the inevitable separation from one's
possessions. Of course, if we've contemplated this before, it's a
lot easier. We know that to come together implies separation. If a
dying person hasn't done this kind of contemplation, then you need
to gently encourage and reassure him or her that the children and
those left behind will be well taken care of. They need to be
reassured that it's all right, that there are friends to take care
of them; they need to be encouraged to relax and be peaceful, not
to worry about other things, that they'll all be taken care of.
The whole emphasis is on trying to encourage the dying person,
to become more peaceful. How can one die a good death? The Buddhist
way is to maintain an atmosphere of peace in the room where someone
is dying. It's not very conducive to have people shouting,
screaming and crying. What does that do to the poor person who has
this very important thing to do, to die? They make it very
difficult for the dying person to die peacefully. It's good if
friends and relatives who are present, show by their presence that
they care, that they love, that they are willing to contribute
something to support.
"Religious symbols are very useful and come in handy in such
situations. If the dying person is a Buddhist, then a small Buddha
statue, and possibly the presence of Buddhist monks with soothing
words of chanting will be very beneficial so as to allow the dying
person to pass away with the greatest peace and dignity. It's a
wonderful thing for them to move into their new life in the best
possible way." -- (Ajahn Jagaro)
PEACEFUL DEATH
Everyone hopes and desires to have a peaceful death after having
fulfilled his lifetime duties and obligations. But how many have
actually prepared themselves for such an eventuality? How many, for
instance, have taken the trouble to fulfill their obligations to
their families, loved ones, friends, country, religion and their
own destiny? It will be difficult for them to die peacefully if
they have not fulfilled any of these obligations.
We must learn to overcome the fear of death by realizing that
the gods are also subjected to it. Those who have allowed fleeting
time to pass away frivolously will have good cause to lament later
on when they themselves are nearing the end of their lives.
When people see their own lives as being only a drop in an
ever-flowing river, they will be moved to contribute even their
little part to the great stream of life. The wise know that to live
they have to work for their liberation by avoiding evil, doing good
and purifying their mind. People who understand life according to
the Teachings of the Buddha never worry about death. Death is no
cause for sorrow, but it would indeed be sorrowful if one dies with
out having done something for oneself and for the world.
I DIED TODAY
David Morris was a well know Western Buddhist scholar who died
at the age of 85. Soon after hisdeath the writer of this booklet
received a letter from him (obviously he had written it earlier
with instructions for it to be posted on his death.) It went like
this, 'You will be happy to know that I died today. There are
two reasons for this. Firstly, you will be relieved to know that my
suffering from the sickness has finally ended. And secondly, since
I became a Buddhist I have faithfully observed the five precepts.
As a result you know that my next life cannot be a miserable
one'. Life is like a dream. Death is a factual happening and
rebirth a natural occurrence. In preparing for that eventuality one
would either have to continue or to end the repeated cycle of
births and deaths so as to be free from suffering and this what
human intelligence is all about.