Whilst I was in the outside toilet (I do a lot of thinking in there!) I was wondering how a Buddhist would “comfort” or “prepare” themselves in the face of death. Not a nice thing to think about I know but supposing you were told you had 15 minutes to live say. Christians, Jews, Muslims etc would prey to god but in Buddhism there are no gods. So would a Buddhist be prepared 100% through meditation that’s been done in the past to face it? Would mantras or whatever be recited? or would they just say “it’s my karma, not to worry”? Many thanks.
Facing death.
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Vajradhara
One of Many
Namaste Penguin,
thank you for the post.
i think that is a good question that will elicit a variety of responses as we have several different Buddhist schools represented on this forum.
the subject of death is actually something that we speak about fairly often in our tradition seeing as how we have the idea of rebirth and all
i would like to answer this query in two different manners, so we'll see how it goes.
death, in our view, is not something terrible or something to be feared. it is the natural analog to life. by and large the specific practices that a being would engage upon during their last moments would be fairly specific to their school of practice however, nearly all of them would include meditation as part of the final practice of this arising.
here's the other thing...
generally speaking, terms like "birth" and "death" are not all that applicable to us since we do not really hold that beings are born and die. beings, like all phenomena, arise from the combination of the proper causes and conditions and, when those change, the being will cease to arise. Buddhist thought does not endorse the idea of a permanent self or soul which is born and then dies. a human being is composed of, what we call, the 5 Aggregates (which we can go into in more depth if you'd like) and these aggregates are in a constant state of flux.
in my particular tradition, there are several distinct things which we engage in, namely the recitation of the text "Liberation Through Understanding In The Between" (Bardo Thodol) and the Powha (transferrance of consciousness) which are performed by the beings teacher or, if not possible, a close dharma partner of the being. generally speaking, Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism teaches that beings spend roughly 49 days in the Bardos and it is during this time that the Bardo Thodol is recited for the benefit of the being currently in the Bardos. the Bardo Thodol contains several different things, including mantra recitation.
many, if not most, Buddhists will engage in the practice of meditation as the ceaseing of the aggregates approaches. in terms of mantra recitation, the most oft used one in the Mahayana Vehicle is the Heart Sutra.
metta,
~v
thank you for the post.
i think that is a good question that will elicit a variety of responses as we have several different Buddhist schools represented on this forum.
the subject of death is actually something that we speak about fairly often in our tradition seeing as how we have the idea of rebirth and all
i would like to answer this query in two different manners, so we'll see how it goes.
death, in our view, is not something terrible or something to be feared. it is the natural analog to life. by and large the specific practices that a being would engage upon during their last moments would be fairly specific to their school of practice however, nearly all of them would include meditation as part of the final practice of this arising.
here's the other thing...
generally speaking, terms like "birth" and "death" are not all that applicable to us since we do not really hold that beings are born and die. beings, like all phenomena, arise from the combination of the proper causes and conditions and, when those change, the being will cease to arise. Buddhist thought does not endorse the idea of a permanent self or soul which is born and then dies. a human being is composed of, what we call, the 5 Aggregates (which we can go into in more depth if you'd like) and these aggregates are in a constant state of flux.
in my particular tradition, there are several distinct things which we engage in, namely the recitation of the text "Liberation Through Understanding In The Between" (Bardo Thodol) and the Powha (transferrance of consciousness) which are performed by the beings teacher or, if not possible, a close dharma partner of the being. generally speaking, Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism teaches that beings spend roughly 49 days in the Bardos and it is during this time that the Bardo Thodol is recited for the benefit of the being currently in the Bardos. the Bardo Thodol contains several different things, including mantra recitation.
many, if not most, Buddhists will engage in the practice of meditation as the ceaseing of the aggregates approaches. in terms of mantra recitation, the most oft used one in the Mahayana Vehicle is the Heart Sutra.
metta,
~v
toujour_333
a simple buddhist
i am a young buddhist, so i hope that it doesnt matter that im posting. it hasnt in the past, so im assuming that it doesnt. however, the way i see death is that it is the basic teaching of the buddha, that all things are impermanent. i think that death is an enlightening experience both as the person passing away or just a friend or loved one of that person that is passing. death isnt something that should be feared. im dealing with deal right now b/c my grandmother is about to have major brain surgery in a few weeks and there is a strong chance that she wont make it through. so, i have prepared myself for that and have been meditating on the teachings of the buddha about impermanence. now granted, that doesnt mean that i want my grandmother to die, but i am prepared for that prospect b/c i know that one day she will pass on. thats just a part of life. one shouldnt fear death b/c if we do, we will spend our entire life in nothing but fear. instead, enjoy every moment that u have with that person as if it were your last moment b/c u never know when it might be. enjoy every moment in life and live it to the fullest.
i have a friend who has studied a bit about buddhism and he see it as a depressing religion. i had to argue that point with him b/c to me its actually one of the happiest ive studied. but he constantly brought up the fact that we focus on how everything is going to die and decay and that that was depressing. i, personally, dont see it that way. instead of focusing on how things are going to pass away and how we cant control that, we should be focused on how we can better that person and make them happier while they are with us. or at least thats my prespective.
i hope that i have answered ur question penguin. of course that is my prespective as a practicing buddhist. i hope that it has helped.
be well in peace
i have a friend who has studied a bit about buddhism and he see it as a depressing religion. i had to argue that point with him b/c to me its actually one of the happiest ive studied. but he constantly brought up the fact that we focus on how everything is going to die and decay and that that was depressing. i, personally, dont see it that way. instead of focusing on how things are going to pass away and how we cant control that, we should be focused on how we can better that person and make them happier while they are with us. or at least thats my prespective.
i hope that i have answered ur question penguin. of course that is my prespective as a practicing buddhist. i hope that it has helped.
be well in peace
This is the stick. There is also the carrot, which I think is an equally important object of contemplation. If no alternative is acknowledged, then it will, of course, become depressing.
"Middle way". Just keep thinking "middle way".
Thanks for your responses gentleman,
Some very good points there but to be honest I feel my question hasn't quite been answered exactly. I appreciate your responses on the "mechanism" of death itself and how it relates to buddhism. Furthermore, if your state of mind at death determines your next life or realm then how would it work if somebody was in hospital dying from a terminal desease and was pumped full of morphine and heavy drugs. Since they would be in a sort of hallucigenic state, due to the drugs, they wouldn't be in a "real" or "present" state of mind prior to death so how would that work?
I spent 3 years studying buddhism (theravada) when I was in my early twenties, I stayed at a monastery for awhile and whilst there learnt alot and healed myself. I remember lots of conversations I had with monks and one statement they made sticks in my mind:-
"you worry too much, even happiness is suffering because it never lasts. Life can tease you and lead you along, everything is suffering, we are here to suffer, remember that my friend. Enlightenment is, the end of all this"
This response got me down and the early stages of buddhism was great and I remember feeling the good effects but as I went on it got me totally depressed and I felt I was going backwards with it. I literally felt it was nihilistic, especially the meditations on death, corpses etc and anything good that happened in my life I felt I couldn't enjoy it properly. I thought "it's not nice really as it will come to an end" and that sort of thing. Needless to say I lost interest and stopped practising but I still read bits and pieces now which I enjoy. Perhaps the absorbtion of the teachings of buddha depends alot on one's persona and how it sinks into that person? who knows! Many thanks.
P.S. Toulour_33 my sympathy and best wishes for your grandmother.
Some very good points there but to be honest I feel my question hasn't quite been answered exactly. I appreciate your responses on the "mechanism" of death itself and how it relates to buddhism. Furthermore, if your state of mind at death determines your next life or realm then how would it work if somebody was in hospital dying from a terminal desease and was pumped full of morphine and heavy drugs. Since they would be in a sort of hallucigenic state, due to the drugs, they wouldn't be in a "real" or "present" state of mind prior to death so how would that work?
I spent 3 years studying buddhism (theravada) when I was in my early twenties, I stayed at a monastery for awhile and whilst there learnt alot and healed myself. I remember lots of conversations I had with monks and one statement they made sticks in my mind:-
"you worry too much, even happiness is suffering because it never lasts. Life can tease you and lead you along, everything is suffering, we are here to suffer, remember that my friend. Enlightenment is, the end of all this"
This response got me down and the early stages of buddhism was great and I remember feeling the good effects but as I went on it got me totally depressed and I felt I was going backwards with it. I literally felt it was nihilistic, especially the meditations on death, corpses etc and anything good that happened in my life I felt I couldn't enjoy it properly. I thought "it's not nice really as it will come to an end" and that sort of thing. Needless to say I lost interest and stopped practising but I still read bits and pieces now which I enjoy. Perhaps the absorbtion of the teachings of buddha depends alot on one's persona and how it sinks into that person? who knows! Many thanks.
P.S. Toulour_33 my sympathy and best wishes for your grandmother.
The hallucinogenic state of mind would dissolve into the dharmadhatu just as any and every mind does at death. I don't think the dissociation typical of hallucinogenic states has a strong effect on where you go after death, since it is not a karmically strong event. Kill someone before you die, that's going to have an effect; not tripping, it's just confusion that will be swept away by the sublimation of the supporting structures of the mind anyway.
When Buddha attained enlightenment, he lamented at the situation of sentient beings and their inability to see the truth. He wasn't going to teach until the god Brahma entreated him to expound his realisation. This shows how subtle the teachings are and how difficult it is to gain realisation. As Rob Nairn says, attaining enlightenment is quite easily the most difficult thing to do. Receiving a doctorate, becoming a billionaire - piss-ant stuff.
I've just been reading the Jataka tales from http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j1/index.htm. The first story, the Apannaka-Jataka is about truth and how it is the only salvation, that you will be utterly destroyed following a falsehood.
The second story is about diligence on the path. The metaphor given is of digging a well in a desert. It seems like he's wasting his time, but with diligence, the boy in the story eventually reaches water.
Untiring, deep they dug that sandy track
Till, in the trodden way, they water found.
So let the sage, in perseverance strong,
Flag not nor tire, until his heart find Peace.
The reason I'm quoting all this is that I've seen your situation over and over again. Those that are put off by some aspect of the teachings and then pretty much give up.
I'm going to be honest, I think the Theravadins are, not lost, but, lets just say, they're learning the hard way. Their logic is founded on the Vaibhasika or Sautrantika schools of thought, and the methods follow suit. This leads to nihilistic thinking, which is not the way of the Buddha.
They have all the texts of the Buddha, but the Buddha's teachings are much more subtle than what can be written down on paper. It takes asamkalpas of lifetimes following sutra to gain any realisation. Please don't give up. There are traditions that have the most remarkable methods for achieving complete Buddhahood in this very lifetime. They might seem strange and unrelated to Gautama Buddha, but they really are the real thing (if there was ever such a thing in Buddhism.)
samabudhi
17th Angel
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One who is Samurai must, before all things, keep constantly in mind by the day and by the night. That he HAS to die. - Daidoji Yuzan.
"I have neither life nor death; I make a Um my life and death."
Not sure if all face death this way.... But that I know was the view of the Samurai.
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Francis king
Well-Known Member
yes, tibetan buddhists have the bardo to contend with the 49 days and three phases as described, and as described, some tibetan buddhists feel that the bardo state is real, and Shinje really does count out the pebbles, some tibetan buddhists feel that the bardo is the product of illusion within the mind, and can be overcome, with the consciousness unwavering, although this is difficult, apparently, but, if acheived, a person, or usually, great lama, will not only be reborn but will also decide upon their own incarnation, but not all buddhists see it like that, of course... Some buddhists (the pure land school) feel that by simply by chanting or even remembering the name of Amitabha upon death one will be reborn in a pure land, bit like heaven, even if a person knows no other buddhism, some buddhists would chant other mantras, or perform sadhanas (specific ritual prayers, kinda) to say, a peaceful goddess, such as Tara, or perform the medicine buddha puja...
however, other buddhists might say that all this is nonsense, and death, like everything else, is an illusion, and the buddha taught ppl about the nature of impermenance, not to depress them and instil futility within them, but to expose the idiocy of the notion that we are immortal, that there will always be tommorrow, we can put things off, et cetera, and also to create within ppl the desire to be seperate from their bodies, and their baser desires, and to become more mindful... most ppl do not sit and ponder about death until it is too late, when they are staring in its face, and fearing it, and ppl should contemplate their own impermanence and there being no them in the world as it just might inspire them to greatness..
yet, personally, as a human being, I would comfort the dying in this way...
I would be frank, and bring up the topic of death... it might be a relief to talk about it... if the person didnt want to discuss it, I wouldn't, but if they did, I would say that although buddhism suggests that death is an inevitable part of life, it need not be feared... I would ask them of their faith, and perhaps pray with them, if they were able... I would tell them that when our time comes we know it in our hearts, and if the person feels that it is time, then they should be reassured that their loved ones would be looked after, that there were no sins that would bar them from the bliss that lies beyond this life, and to remember that they lived, and touched many ppl, and as we lived we shall still live, in the hearts and minds of others, treasured, and I would encourage the person to discuss with me what they wanted to beyond that...
might not be what the Buddha said, but its the best I can do...
however, other buddhists might say that all this is nonsense, and death, like everything else, is an illusion, and the buddha taught ppl about the nature of impermenance, not to depress them and instil futility within them, but to expose the idiocy of the notion that we are immortal, that there will always be tommorrow, we can put things off, et cetera, and also to create within ppl the desire to be seperate from their bodies, and their baser desires, and to become more mindful... most ppl do not sit and ponder about death until it is too late, when they are staring in its face, and fearing it, and ppl should contemplate their own impermanence and there being no them in the world as it just might inspire them to greatness..
yet, personally, as a human being, I would comfort the dying in this way...
I would be frank, and bring up the topic of death... it might be a relief to talk about it... if the person didnt want to discuss it, I wouldn't, but if they did, I would say that although buddhism suggests that death is an inevitable part of life, it need not be feared... I would ask them of their faith, and perhaps pray with them, if they were able... I would tell them that when our time comes we know it in our hearts, and if the person feels that it is time, then they should be reassured that their loved ones would be looked after, that there were no sins that would bar them from the bliss that lies beyond this life, and to remember that they lived, and touched many ppl, and as we lived we shall still live, in the hearts and minds of others, treasured, and I would encourage the person to discuss with me what they wanted to beyond that...
might not be what the Buddha said, but its the best I can do...
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"Nothing lasts forever. In all the universe there are only two constants, and these are one. There will be change, and something that changes. The eternal things are natural, like the seasons, and the life and death of stars. And that consciousness in all myriad life forms will evolve towards knowing that everything is Buddha, and one. Nothing is lost; the total always stays the same. Though there are times which sometimes seem better or worse than others. If there is any plan in the universe, it can only be evolving consciousness. This is the difference between human and animal. People feel love and grief for others. The pilgrims still have as far to go as they have travelled. What end can there be to a journey as long as life? What end can there be to life? It is very hard to want nothing and to move on endlessly, and it is very easy. There is no end. There is one life, one pattern, and this is the pattern which is being followed."
I would tell you that your house burned down with all your belongings and relatives in it, this, because a candle turned over while they were having a prayer circle for your benefit. Because of the enormous benefit of this act, all your relatives have been reborn in Akanishta, where they are waiting for you to join them before they proceed, inexorably, toward perfect, highest bliss.