Embracing life and death in the Buddhism tradition.

The concept of death is something that, we as human beings have always struggled to come to term with. In our western culture, we live in denial of the simple fact that we are all going to die one day. In this materialistic world where consumerism has become a religion, attempting to reach happiness thru the accumulation of worldly goods leaves us totally unprepared when the end is near.

When it does occur, our society constantly invents new words to distance us from the reality of this experience. For example, one is no longer called a mortician, or an undertaker, but a funeral director. The word coffin as been replaced by a casket, and a funeral has become a memorial service. Unfortunately, hiding behind weasel words does not make the problem disappear, by avoiding this painful subject throughout our life, when we reach the end of our journey we are unprepared, and terrified of steeping into the unknown. This also leaves us feeling hopelessly inadequate, and unable to cope when someone close to us is terminally ill.

In contrast, in Tibetan Buddhism, one is taught very early on, that every experience in life is only temporary, and that death is unavoidable. We learn that the time of our death is uncertain, that our life is fragile as a burning flame, and that the separation between this life and the next one only a few breaths away. Even with the support from our loved ones, we will have to face death alone knowing that no amount of money, wealth, or material possessions will affect the ultimate outcome. Nor will our dearest friends be able prevent it, or go along with us. It is considered that unless we accept these fundamental life principles, we will not reach a lasting happiness.

To remove that fear of the unknown, we need to practice dying on a regular basis, so that when the time will come, we will be prepared. Following the saying “Die before you die, and you shall never die”, in Tibetan culture, monks and nuns practice meditation towards dying every day. The eastern practitioners learn to pack their belonging every night as if it was their last one in their life. Every morning they wake up, to experience an additional day lived as a bonus which needs to be enjoyed to its full extent. While for a westerner, it might sound morbid to have such an obsession with death. It is on the opposite liberating to be able to remove that fear, and to accept dying as an integral part of the cycle of our existence, especially if we believe that we will be reborn into another life.

So what makes us so scared of dying?

Buddhism teaches us that our greatest cause of unhappiness is attachment. When we learn to let go, we become free. Everything in life is impermanent, so we must enjoy it while it last, and then move on. Instead we cling to temporary material, sensory, or emotional pleasures while pretending that these will last for ever, so we are bound to be disappointed when it doesn’t occur. Often people who have been close to dying come out of the experience more spiritual. They mention how they have learnt to treasure every single moment of their life. Buddhism considers that there are only two important considerations when we reach our last breath: whatever we have done in our lives, and the state of mind we are in at the time of our death. This is why it is so important to prepare for this transition. The aim of spiritual practice is to have no fear or regrets at the time of our death. It is believed that our mental attitude as we expire our last breath, will determine how our next life will be. With meditation, the moment of death can become an extraordinary spiritual experience, where a moment of great liberation often occurs.

This explains why suicide is considered such a tragic act in Buddhism. The act of killing one self doesn’t end human suffering. Those who die in a depressed and negative state will be reborn into a lower form of life where their misery will be extended. The physical atmosphere, and the spiritual attitude of those who are present of the time of someone’s death, are both regarded as very important in assisting the patient into their next journey. So, meditations sessions projecting feelings of comfort, peacefulness, love, and acceptance will be more helpful to the patient than tears, anguish, and emotional outbursts.

In Tibet, it is a tradition to read The Tibetan book of the Death, for several days at the bedside of someone who has died, to guide the person thru the six various transitional Bardo (in between) states between one existence to another. The first three stages are said to take place when one is still alive, while the last three stages occur between the time of the death, and the rebirth into another life.

In the bardo of death. ,the process of dying is regarded as a means of purification.According to this spiritual guide, at the moment of our death, a clear light will envelop our body for a short time. This is a unique period of enlightened wakefulness called Rigpa. If we can are able to experience that great luminosity we will attain liberation.

However ,only those who have prepared with spiritual practice will be able to take advantage of this unique occasion. the untrained mind, being still connected to old habits and behaviour patterns established in life, will be reluctant to make a leap of faith to embrace this period of change, and this unique opportunity will be missed.

Only those who have been liberated at the moment of their death, will be liberated in this lifetime and no in the Bardo stated later on. Each of the bardos has its unique set of instructions and meditation practice. By following these guidelines, we can experience these levels of consciousness while still alive.

The foundation of this practice lies in the practice of mindfulness. It teaches us how to live in the present at all times. ,and be fully attentive to every moment of our existence. All too often our emotional energy is spent worrying about what happened in the past, or might happen in the future.

We have to learn to learn wake ing up to the present moment, ,and the truth of what it is. The buddha described the four foundations of mindfulness as being aware of our bodies, being aware of our feelings and emotions, being aware of our thoughts, and being aware of events as they occur moment by moment.

.Living in the present allows us to observe the transient nature of the whole universe. By looking at the myriad transformations that occur in nature every day, one realises that everything is temporary. even if one doesn’t believe in afterlife , or reincarnation , this awareness of our role in the macrocosm creates an expansive and liberating attitude towards death.

We can begin to be more aware of single body activities ,as as walking our breathing. In the first instance, we break each step into multiple micro components such as lifting our foot, moving it forward, and putting it down, .In breathing meditation, we concentrate on the sensation and location of our breath as it enters our nostrils.

the author Lama Surya Das in his book “Awakening the Buddha Within” eloquently describes how, as we begin to be mindful, and learn to concentrate our full attention to the smallest fraction of the present moment, something extraordinary takes place. As we relinquish our fascination with both past and future, and learn to let go, we discover that all our past energy had been wasted in nurturing fantasy, bitter and regret.

For those of us who have spent entire lifetime fixating on what was, and what could have been , this brings an intense feeling of peacefulness and liberation which is well worth the training.

Olivier Lejus MHSc. (TCM), BHSc. (acup.) is a registered acupuncturist, and Chinese herbalist practising in Sydney.