Pages

Search This Blog

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Benefits of meditation about death

We know, everybody will die. There is nothing and nobody in this world that will remain here forever. There were many persons that did all they could to reach the point of eternal life -pharaons, Chingis Chan, Chinese Emperors and many-many others, but the death came to all of them. Today we know about them from those their trials to win the death.

Nothing to do, one day we will leave this world too. ONE DAY.

This is an other very important preparative practice in Buddhismus, that says: remember the death.

Some persons think: it's too brutal usage, to pretend that I think about my death. But it's not true. Because those persons don't know WHAT it means. I want to write here about this moment today.
My sourse is "Lam-Rim" by Lama Tzong Khapa, but the same explanations you will find in any other "related" Teaching. Different schools of Buddhism, Bon ecc.



So, as said, we are conscious, that we are mortal. One day I'll die. ONE DAY. But not today, surely. Next day we think too: Yes, I'm mortal, but I'll die maybe later, not today.

All our life we plan this and that, think about what we have to do today and tomorrow. We create sufferings to other beings, we go forward without thinking about beings we meet on the way. If we understand that we've made something bad we think: well, I'll ask him excuses tomorrow. But tomorrow we have not time, we are angry or what else...
In this way we create mostly bad, negative actions in our life.

Some of us wants to dedicate ourselves to Dharma (read: positive living). Yes, I'll practice the paramitas, I'll study texts, I'll take the votes. No, today not. Today I have to do many things, but from tomorrow I'll begin with the Teaching. Ah, no, tomorrow I have a party, we have to go to my mother-in-low, we have to buy gifts. Well, after these holidays.

But if we think about it, we can understand: the life of an human being is very fragile. There are incredible things and situations that can kill us in every moment. One slips on the wet stone-floor, other falls from the stairs or ledder, the driver in the other car was too distracted -continue the list, it's infinite.

The main idea is:
we can die in every next moment. There is nobody and nothing that can assure us, that we will be alive till tomorrow. We can't extend our life and it becomes shorter and shorter.
If we remember that it is possible, we will not wait till tomorrow to caress our child, to kiss the wife, to make excuses to those we have offended.

If we remember about our death, maybe we will not kill that spider or butterfly because it's life is more short as ours. Very-very short life. Maybe only some hours. And I don't give it even these some poor hours of life, I kill it!

This thought about the possibility to die in the next moment wants to explain us that we have not time to do good things later. We have to do them now.

And in the moment of our death nobody and nothing can help us. We can't take money with us, we can't take things. We can't take our friends or relatives.
We will be alown there, only with our mind, our consciousness about good or bad things we've done.

And maybe the good memory of our existance will help us, the memory about lives we have saved, the memory about good, positive emotions we gave to our relatives, to completely fremd persons or animals or plants (I'm sure they have souls too).

So, this is the meaning of the meditation on the death.

-it's the only thing that is true in this world
-nobody and nothing can give you an insurance that you will not die in the next moment
-in the moment of the death only Drahma can be useful for you

And now you have to make your decision.



There are many conditions for death
but those that alow us to survive are not numerous
and even those (conditions), that alow the life, become (conditions of) death.
Hence, make treasure from Dharma

5 comments:

  1. Yes life is like a water bubble but positive use of time is most important.However it is human tendency is to live longer. One of the practice in Indian yogic philosophy is AVINIVESH means not to desire to live permanently. However when we will render our final account GOD will only ask
    "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR MY CREATION"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello. I found your article through Reddit and I wanted to thank you for writing and sharing it with all of us. I, like most people, think a lot about death and while I realize it is inevitable and can happen at any moment it is very hard for me to put in perspective what that means. What you have written here makes so much sense. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's only you as ego that dies, a system of conditioning, memories, etc, which is not real in the first place. Find out what is unconditioned; your true nature, which is deathless.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Liudmila, I did not mean to criticize anyone, and I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression. In my (humble) opinion those interested in finding the truth of their being can indeed benefit greatly from this kind of meditation, particularly because it's a powerful doorway to self-inquiry.

    I'd just like to add this: The truth is not an acquisition; it is not gained or achieved and it's simply available to anyone in any moment. You are all living Buddhas! Find out what you are. Ask yourself who is living this life; what is looking through your eyes right now; What is prior to all your concepts and beliefs; What is awake.
    Namaste.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What will each say when death do arrive. http://atotalblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/total-happiness_02.html

    ReplyDelete