The Buddha’s Thoughts on Death and Dying
(Some are just partial sutras – there are no sutra reference numbers)
#1 Of all ploughing, ploughing in the autumn is supreme.
Of all footprints, the elephant’s is supreme.
Of all perceptions, remembering death and impermanence
is supreme.
#2 What is born will die
What has been gathered will be dispersed,
What has been accumulated will be exhausted,
What has been built up will collapse,
And what has been high will be brought low.
#3 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.
#4 Staying at Savatthi. “Monks, suppose there were four strong archers — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — standing in the four directions, and a man were to come along saying, ‘I will catch & bring down the arrows let fly by these four strong archers — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — before they have fallen to the ground.’ What do you think? Would that be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed?”
“Even if he were to catch & bring down the arrows let fly by one archer — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — before they fell to the ground, lord, that would be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed, to say nothing of four such archers.”
“Faster than the speed of that man, monks, is the speed of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, is the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, faster than the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon, the force of one’s life span comes to an end. Thus you should train yourselves: ‘We will live heedfully.’ That’s how you should train yourselves.”
#5 Attacked by death
is the world,
& encircled by aging,
constantly beaten, with no shelter,
like a thief sentenced to punishment.
They encroach like masses of flame,
these three: death, aging, & illness.
There’s no strength to confront them,
no speed to run away.
Take the day not-in-vain, a little or a lot.
However much the day passes,
that’s how much less is life.
Your last day approaches.
This isn’t your time to be heedless.
#6
After flowing-on for a hundred thousand ages,
she evolved in this Buddha-era among gods and men
in a poor family in Savatthi.
Her name was Gotami-kisa,
but because her body was very skinny
she was called ‘Skinny Gotami.’
When she went to her husband’s family,
she was scorned [and called] ‘daughter of a poor family.’
Then she gave birth to a son,
and with the arrival of the son she was treated with respect.
But that son, running back and forth
and running all around, while playing met his end.
Because of this, sorrow-to-the-point-of-madness arose in her.
She thought: “Before I was one who received only scorn,
but starting from the time of the birth of my son I gained honor.
These [relatives] will now try to take my son,
in order to expose him outside [in the charnel ground].”
Under the influence of her sorrow-to-the-point-of-madness,
she took the dead corpse on her hip and
wandered in the city from the door of one house to another
[pleading]: “Give medicine to me for my son!”
People reviled her, [saying] “What good is medicine?”
She did not grasp what they were saying.
And then a certain wise man, thinking
“This woman has had her mind deranged by sorrow for her son;
the ten-powered [Buddha] will know the medicine for her,”
said: “Mother, having approached the fully awakened one,
ask about medicine for your son.”
She went to the vihara
at the time of the teaching of dhamma and said,
“Blessed One, give medicine to me for my son!”
The master, seeing her situation, said,
“Go, having entered the city,
into whatever house has never before experienced any death,
and take from them a mustard seed.”
“Very well, Sir.” [she replied],
and glad of mind she entered the city and came to the first house:
“The master has called for a mustard seed
in order to make medicine for my son.
If this house has never before experienced any death,
give me a mustard seed.”
“Who is able to count how many have died here?”
“Then keep it. What use is that mustard seed to me?”
And going to a second and a third house,
her madness left her and her right mind was established
— thanks to the power of the Buddha.
She thought, “This is the way it will be in the entire city.
By means of the Blessed One’s compassion for my welfare,
this will be what is seen.”
And having gained a sense of spiritual urgency from that,
she went out and covered her son in the charnel ground.
She uttered this verse:
It’s not just a truth for one village or town,
Nor is it a truth for a single family.
But for every world settled by gods [and men]
This indeed is what is true — impermanence.
And so saying, she went into the presence of the master.
Then the master said to her,
“Have you obtained, Gotami, the mustard seed?”
“Finished, sir, is the matter of the mustard seed” she said.
“You have indeed restored me.”
And the master then uttered this verse:
A person with a mind that clings,
Deranged, to sons or possessions,
Is swept away by death that comes
— Like mighty flood to sleeping town.
At the conclusion of this verse, confirmed in the fruit of stream-entry,
she asked the master [for permission] to go forth [into the homeless life].
The master allowed her to go forth.
She gave homage to the master by bowing three times,
went to join the community of nuns,
and having gone forth, received her ordination.
ONE YEAR TRAINING PREPARATION ASSIGNMENT #40
DEATH AND DYING #5 THE DYING PROCESS-
Certainly, no two people die in the same way, nor does the course of events that lead up to death follow the same exact pattern. Nevertheless, it is helpful to know the common experiences that occur for many people. This particular model is gleaned from the experience of people who have had a spiritual practice before finding out that they were dying.
Please contemplate these stages deeply, and realize how consistent practice over the years can work to mitigate or even transform the initial stages into the final realization of our True Nature.
Chaos
A realization arises of how truly precarious and unstable are the illusions we have about life and how easily they can be destroyed
There is a deconstruction of the sense of order in our lives
There may be tumult, conflict, confusion, and emotional suffering
There may be denial, guilt, fear, depression, loneliness, apathy, and despair
As the ego structures crumble, there are few, if any, effective defense mechanisms to combat the loss of control
There is a lack of motivation for continuing the same patterns of behavior such as shopping, working, and entertainment
The present moment is the only time in which death can find us, so the mind tries to hide in the past or future
The dominant emotion at this stage is fear. There can be:
Fear of pain
Fear of Loss (the separation from loved ones and the loss of one’s faculties)
Fear of Meaninglessness (not being needed any more)
Fear of the Unknown (loss of the known)
Fear of nonbeing (disappearance of our identity)
Denial is one of the masks of fear, and is the ultimate pushing away of the present
When denial cannot be maintained any longer, anger, rage, envy and resentment may arise. These emotions provide the illusion that one is in control of the situation.
Bargaining may arise, which is still based upon fear. It may be directed towards God or a spiritual ideal. It can take the form of “If you let me live, I will …”
As bargaining begins to diminish, depression may arise. It is a deep feeling of sadness as one begins to acknowledge the truth of what is occurring.
Acceptance
The inevitability of our death is acknowledged
The outer struggle begins to cease as denial is no longer possible
Deep feelings of remorse, regret, and the recognition of helplessness may arise
There is an acknowledgement that one’s time is limited
Impending death has shattered all the ego’s previous beliefs regarding what is possible to happen
There is an ingathering of attention
There can be a sense of calm in the midst of the storm
There may be a wish to have the dying process done with
Surrender
The world and the sense of self slips away
With the stilling of the outer battle, the inner drama is revealed without distraction
Attention removed from the outside world brings clarity
What is revealed is our alienation from Ultimate Truth
Awareness is expanding but the sense of self can still feel alone in a frightening universe
Questions about “Who am I” and “What is my life all about?” may arise
The previously repressed shadow attributes begin to arise to consciousness. As the boundaries between the persona and shadow begin to dissolve, deeper insights about oneself come to the fore of the mind.
Old memories arise and a life review may take place. This experience can be quite humbling
A new capacity for compassion arises
As the clarity comes into greater focus, the ego begins to let go of previously held self-identities
The ego is filled with fear and trembling as it encounters clarity. The ego feels dread as it is at the mercy of the Absolute
The Witness perspective begins to arise. The stream of external and internal events are watched in a non-attached fashion
There may be an increase in intuition and creativity
Transcendence
A natural great peace and a sense of exalted being begins to arise
There is nothing to do and no one to be
There is recognition of one’s true identity.
The ego surrenders completely
There is calm abiding in the upwelling life force
This is a stage where no one can bear witness. It is beyond the constructs of the mind.
Transcendence is what occurs as individual consciousness coincides with the Ground of Being
Dread turns into awe and ecstasy
Many report that they have “never felt so truly alive”
There is the peace that “passeth all understanding”
The qualities of compassion, serenity, and spaciousness naturally radiate from the person
This Ground of Being is Love, which begins to pour forth through this transformed individual
Please open deeply to what has been described and rededicate your life to opening to the truth of your being right here and right now. After all, we are already dying as each moment of our life gives way to the next.
The Buddha’s last words before he died were as follows;
“All conditioned things are impermanent- work out your salvation with diligence!”
