Is
there any validity to the statement that a majority of us do not know
how to live a full and productive life and therefore are afraid to die?
Can this be the reason why we do not know how to die well? It is very
crucial to reflect on these aspects of life. According to the Buddhist
insight teachings, in order to die well we must also live well and only
then can dying well be accomplished. That is essentially the Buddhist
approach which is to conduct oneself with utmost proper and ethical
mannerism. In Buddhist terminology, the intermediate stages are referred
to as the Bardo stages. It begins with the first intermediate stage
called the Bardo of this life, which emphasizes the importance of living
well. By living well in one’s life can the intermediate state of death
become meaningful and beneficial. To transform or end the fear of death,
one must come into contact with death directly as opposed to denying
it. One must connect through genuine reflection with a calm and clear
mind and not just with images of death that our thoughts have created on
the mere basis of hearsay and pre-conceived notions. One must actually
see or feel that state on a profound and visceral level. The basic fear
surrounding death stems from our thoughts that create projections,
ideas, or conclusions about death and the process of dying. However,
most of these thoughts, projections, and ideas are not truly based on
valid reasoning or a logical and calm mind. Rather, they are basically
derived from rumors and popular anecdotal accounts.
The Buddhist perspective concerning death is that it does not translate to total annihilation or coming to an end, but rather it is the start of a new beginning. It is a process of transition, which incorporates an aspect of an ending of one’s life and the start of another. Change cannot transpire without something expiring. Ending something is not necessarily negative. It is simply a change in which it is neither positive nor negative but a mere reality and inherent part of life. Birth essentially comes into contact with death. Every moment naturally comes to an end. This is an indisputable fact that we all experience. It is not just a theory nor is it based on a religious principle, but rather a fact that we all experience in our everyday lives. When the time comes, we will all encounter death. At that stage, it is critical to just allow it to occur naturally without consciously attempting to impede the process. It is a futile effort in our endeavor to prolong a life that is destined to progress from one stage to the next. We should accept the fact that death is basically just a part of life. Every moment has a beginning and an end and the latter merely leads to a new beginning. In other words, an end translates to a new beginning akin to the end of a seed resulting in a sprout, the transformation of a sprout to a flower, and the metamorphosis of a flower into a fruit. In essence, this is a pattern that perpetuates in a continuous cycle. To fully experience the concept of death in its truest form, a transitional phase must occur in every aspects of your life including your everyday thoughts, ideas, emotions, relationships, and even your joy. Simply stated, one cannot experience death without acknowledging its presence and natural occurrence in your everyday life. As such, the Buddhist point of perspective in regards to death is not an arcane and enigmatic subject that is associated with the arrival of the end, but rather that death is a transition that occurs in our everyday life.
The
ending to a moment can be considered as a renewal and only in death can
new things come into existence. Therefore, dying every day leads to
renewal signifying the onset of a new beginning and hence a rebirth.
Without the two, the world would be stagnant similar to observing a
standing and lifeless artwork for a lengthy period of time. It would be
just like that but much longer relatively speaking. It doesn’t change at
all. To reside in such a world can be a very dreadful
existence. In that sense, it is wonderful and a blessing in life to have
refreshing momentary changes or what Buddhism refers to as the concept
of impermanence. It is refreshing and not stagnant; it has a sense of
fresh air that we breathe in every moment. Every moment brings new life
and new changes. In essence, this perpetual continuity of moments is what we refer to as life.
Death
in general occurs on an everyday basis and at every moment according to
the Buddhist point of view. When your mind becomes more open, relaxed,
free, and willing to explore the nature of this momentary world with a
more profound and unbiased outlook plus a lack of any pre-conceived
notion, then you are mentally prepared to end your fear of death. You
are no longer afraid of death as a result of your acknowledgement that
every minute is an ending and therefore a renewal. As
such, your mind is readily opened to change. You can expand your
capacious mind and be opened to the truth. The Buddhist point of view
enables one to know how to die well which is linked intimately with how
to live well. Just as important, how to live well is
connected with the notion of understanding the momentary nature of the
world. When one is able to see the momentary reality in this life, then
one has the ability to transform one’s perception of the fear of death.
The fear of death is basically a fear of change. The main and most
essential question here involves the process of living well. As
mentioned earlier, the Buddhist principle that living is a process of
continuity consists of a facet of identification. We conceptually
identify a multitude of everyday mundane and personal objects including
me, you and others. Furthermore, there is an inherent process of
labeling, imputing, and vast conceptualization. If you look closely at
the notion of continuity, then one can see that continuity is simply a
memory. What is really there is only a brief moment in time that
proceeds to the next moment, which in turn propagates to another moment
and so on. What we contemplate being there is merely
something perpetuating from one moment to another. In essence, that
continuity of thought is just simply a memory.
In
summary, we have ascertained that the process of dying well is
completely interconnected to the act of living well. Following are some
questions and contemplations which will help us to dwell on the concept
of living well. First contemplation is the definition of living or
simply what the definition of life is or your perception of this life.
Second contemplation is what your biggest challenges are for living
well. Final contemplation is what you would like to change
or stop and what you would like to continue in order to live and die
well. It is paramount that we all seek the principles and right
livelihoods to attain the goals of both living and dying well.
