If you are dead, what do you imagine I am talking too?
THE THREEFOLD PRIDE (MEMORIES OF YOUTH)(ANGUTTARA-NIKAYA, Vol. I, p. 145.)" I was tenderly cared for, monks, supremely so, infinitely so. At my father's home lotus-pools were made for me ; in one place for the blue lotus-flowers, in one place for white lotus-flowers and in one place for red lotus-flowers ; blossoming for my sake. And, monks, I used only unguents '"from Benares. Of Benares fabric were my three robes. Day and night a white umbrella was held over me, so that I might not be troubled by cold, heat, dust, chaff, or dew. I dwelt in three palaces, monks ; in one for the cold, in one for the summer, and in one for the rainy season."" When in the palace for the rainy season, surrounded during the four months by female musicians, I did not go down from the palace."" And, monks, while in another's dwelling only a dish of red rice and rice soup would be offered to the servants and slaves, in my father's house not only rice but a dish withrice and meat was given to the servants and slaves."" Endowed, monks, with such wealth, being nurtured with such delicacy, there came this thought : " Verily the unenlightened worldling himself subject to old age, withoutescape from old age, when he sees another grown old, is oppressed, beset and sickened. I too am subject to old age and cannot escape it. If I, who am subject to old age and without escape from it, should see another one who is grown old, and should be oppressed, beset, and sickened, it would not be well with me. While I thought thus, monks, all pride of youth left me."" Verily the unenlightened worldling himself subject to sickness without escape from sickness, when he sees another sick, is oppressed, beset, and sickened. I too am subject to sickness and cannot escape it. If I, who am subject to sickness without escape from it, should see another one who is sick, and should be oppressed, beset, and sickened, it would not be well with me."" While I thought thus, monks, all pride in health left me."" Verily the unenlightened worldling himself subject to death without escape from it, when he sees another dead, is oppressed, beset, and sickened. I too am subject to death, and cannot escape it. If I, who am subject to death without escape from it, should see another one who is dead and should be oppressed, beset, sickened, it would not be well with me."" While I thought thus, monks, all pride in life left me."
To the average man death is by no means a pleasant subject or talk for discussion. It is something dismal and oppressive — a veritable kill-joy, a fit topic for a funeral house only. The average man immersed as he is in the self, ever seeking after the pleasurable, ever pursuing that which excites and gratifies the senses, refuses to pause and ponder seriously that these very objects of pleasure and gratification will some day reach their end.If wise counsel does not prevail and urge the unthinking pleasure-seeking man to consider seriously that death can knock at his door also, it is only the shock of a bereavement under his own roof, the sudden and untimely death of a parent, wife or child that will rouse him up from his delirious round of sense-gratification and rudely awaken him to the hard facts of life. Then only will his eyes open, then only will he begin to ask himself why there is such a phenomenon as death. Why is it inevitable? Why are there these painful partings which rob life of its joys? ...read more Buddhist Reflections on Death by V.F. Gunaratna
For oneself, for others"Of two people who practice the Dhamma in line with the Dhamma, having a sense of Dhamma, having a sense of meaning — one who practices for both his own benefit and that of others, and one who practices for his own benefit but not that of others — the one who practices for his own benefit but not that of others is to be criticized for that reason, the one who practices for both his own benefit and that of others is, for that reason, to be praised."— AN 7.64
A further consideration in the contemplation of death is how it trivializes and invalidates much of what we normally consider important about our lives. After we are dead it will not matter in the slightest if our spouse, house, possessions, status, etc., is as we would like. Everyone we know will someday be gone, and no memory or even discussion will be made of their lives.
What is not invalidated by death? Our actions. The condition of our minds as we go forward. So that gives us an opportunity to live and act in such a way as has lasting and intrinsic importance, and cannot be trivialized by death.
Life then is seen as having meaning and importance beyond the scope of our mundane lives. If we can see even just that, we have started on the path to real happiness.
If, on the other hand, we still see life as basically meaningless, and the only "Truth" as being something we arbitrarily assign to life, and have to try to make things "right" on our own ego-centric terms, we then trivialize our practice of Dharma, and have to work against large obstacles because of our view.
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Topic: Mindfulness of death (Read 414 times)
