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"This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at
the movements of a dance. A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky, rushing by like a torrent down a
steep mountain."
~ Words of the Buddha as quoted by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Meditating on Death
The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind to Dharma are
of Impermanence, Suffering, Death and Karma.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, in
The Joy
of Living and Dying in Peace:
It is helpful to learn about the advantages of doing death meditation
and
the disadvantages of ignoring it.
First, it is meditation on impermanence and death that inspires you
to engage in spiritual practices. It is an eye-opener. When you become aware
that sooner or later you have to leave this world, you are bound to be concerned
about the affairs of the next life. This awareness automatically helps you to
turn to spiritual pursuits.
Second, death meditation is a powerful technique that helps you
to prolong and continue your spiritual practice. In any endeavor of
substance, be it spiritual or temporal, difficulties and problems are bound to
occur. The power of death meditation helps you to face whatever hardships
may come your way.
Finally, this meditation acts as a stimulus, helping you to
successfully complete your practice. Therefore, awareness of death is
essential at every stage of your spiritual life. As a practitioner, you
will be more concerned about the affairs of the life after death. And by
eliminating deluded thoughts and actions, you will be able to make this life
meaningful.
There are many disadvantages in not remembering
death.
When you forget death, there is very little chance of your being inclined
toward practice. Without awareness of death, your practice will become
slack and ineffective. You will be predominantly occupied with the affairs
of this life. There are people who receive vows and recite their prayers
daily. But because their awareness of death is weak, they behave like ordinary
people in times of crisis, becoming excessively angry, attached, or
jealous.
There is a saying in Tibetan: "When you are well fed and enjoying
the sunshine, you look like a practitioner. But when faced with a crisis
you reveal your true nature." Everyday experience tells us that most
of us are like this.
Without awareness of death, you have the affairs of this life at the center
of your heart. And because you are obsessed with wealth, status, and fame, you
barely flinch when committing negative actions.
A person who is not concerned about death naturally has no interest in the
lives beyond it. Such an individual has no great regard for spiritual
values and readily cultivates deluded thoughts and actions. Consequently,
such a person is a source of harm to himself and others.
If you forget that you will die, you will think mainly about how to lead a
prosperous life. Your most important concern will be to get a good place to
stay, good clothes to wear, and good food to eat. You will not hesitate to
deceive and threaten others if you get the chance. What is more, you might
judge such negative activities as the marks of an efficient and capable
person. This is a clear indication that you are not farsighted enough to
think about the long future ahead.
We all have many lives to come, which are completely dark to us and about
which we have no idea. When you forget these circumstances, you will be
inclined to pursue destructive activities.
~ extract of HH Dalai Lama's The Joy of Living and Dying
in Peace courtesy E. Judd at nbnbooks.com
To purchase a 4-dvd set: HH Dalai Lama.
Advice on Dying and Living a Better Life.  HE
Tai Situ on Overcoming the Fear of Dying.
About the Bardo
(Intermediate State)
There are many aspects
of death and dying that Hindu and Buddhist views have in common. The
main difference lies in the Hindu belief in an eternal soul that can
eventually reunite with God after the series of rebirths. This
contrasts with the view of followers of the Buddha who argue convincingly that there is no Ultimate Being -- no
exception to the fact that all beings arise from, and return to,
Emptiness.
To purchase
The
Tibetan Book of the Dead (2-dvd set) narr. Leonard Cohen.
Part 2 is an animation of liberation of consciousness from
body.
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