Since death alone is certain ...

General discussion, particularly exploring the Dharma in the modern world.
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paganbuddha
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Since death alone is certain ...

Post by paganbuddha »

Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncertain, what should I do?

no I'm not dying anymore than most of you, it's a philosophical question, something that is given as a meditation exercise in most Buddhist traditions, I'm just curious of people's opinion of all walks of life on this question

you can even ask this question from yourself

and you can post even what YOU should do

edit: fixed title
Last edited by paganbuddha on Sun Mar 17, 2013 6:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Grigoris
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Re: Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncer

Post by Grigoris »

And what is the question exactly? I mean, I don't see any question marks anywhere in your title or post.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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paganbuddha
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Re: Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncer

Post by paganbuddha »

Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncertain, what should I do?
dude
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by dude »

study death
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randomseb
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by randomseb »

Don't waste time worrying about death? If you intend to one day practice and gain awakening, don't wait until "one day", start now?

:shrug:
Disclaimer: If I have posted about something, then I obviously have no idea what I am talking about!
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Grigoris
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Re: Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncer

Post by Grigoris »

paganbuddha wrote:Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncertain, what should I do?
Depends on who you ask. :smile: What do you reckon you should do?
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
Jesse
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by Jesse »

Facing death can put thing's in perspective, for me it makes me want to understand life better, to understand myself. I would personally like to face death with no fear.
Image
Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world:
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream;
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.
Knotty Veneer
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Re: Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncer

Post by Knotty Veneer »

paganbuddha wrote:Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncertain, what should I do?
Appreciate the life you have now and don't waste it on meaningless things.
This is not the wrong life.
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Start at the end and work backwards.
Start with something ideal,
even though this may not be what happens.

You are on your deathbed.
It is your last day.
People ask you,
"Do you want some food? Do you want something to drink?
Do you want me to pop a movie into the DVD player for you?
Would you like to wear a fancy hat?"

And you think,
"No, no, there is nothing more that I need.
I am fine just lying here.
And you are finally at peace.
There is nothing more that you need to do.
It's like the end of the workday and
Your shift has ended,
and you are taking a ride home,
so now you can just relax.

No more craving. You are finally free
and everything that people are doing seems
ridiculous somehow
because you are at the last stop on the line
looking backwards at them
at everybody on the train of life,
all running around like crazy
still trying to find a good seat.

So, that final state,
where you don't need anything,
I would try to cultivate that now
while you still have a few breaths left.
.
.
.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
Sherab Rigdrol
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by Sherab Rigdrol »

Oh I've been asking this question ever since I was a child. At this point in my life I started to work with the dying. Trying now to make a career helping people die as consciously and compassionate as possible. Very lucky to have come across Anyen Rinpoche the past year as he has created a structured way to do that through his Dying With Confidence training. September I'll hopefully be starting Level 1.

Death has always been the pink elephant in the room for the West. I'm doing my best to make friends with him and feed him some peanuts.


Oh and knowing the fact of death--learn and practice as much Dzogchen teachings as humanly possible. Practice Phowa as much as possible too. These are my two goals for the rest of this incarnation.
odysseus
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Re: Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncer

Post by odysseus »

paganbuddha wrote:Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncertain, what should I do?
Train on realising the deathless.
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kirtu
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by kirtu »

paganbuddha wrote:Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncertain, what should I do?
Well death is certain and the time of death is uncertain. However death alone in not certain. Read as death, with no continuation of mind, is the nihilist view. Read as all beings must themselves face death without help from others (i.e. one's own mind must face death) then that is true.

Death is certain. The time of death is uncertain. And one will face the karma that one has accrued by oneself - that is certain.

So the response would be to practice now at least for a better rebirth (the minimum motivation of any Buddhist practitioner). And it would be better to practice for liberation and best to practice to attain Buddhahood and free all sentient beings from their sufferings. Which sounds like a party line but thems the facts.

Ironic that the end of March is the death anniversary of one of my beloved cats. But in truth, if we could see the discarded bodies of ourselves and other beings all of the earth would be covered in bodies to the height of Mt. Meru.

We must die. Our friends must die. Our "enemies" must die. Our beloved family and pets must die. We are helpless to keep them from death.

Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
_username_
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by _username_ »

"When close approaching death you should forgive your neighbor and ask for mercy."
Punya
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by Punya »

Stop wasting time on Dhama Wheel and go do some practice (note to self :smile: ).
We abide nowhere. We possess nothing.
~Chatral Rinpoche
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Quiet Heart
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by Quiet Heart »

paganbuddha wrote:Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncertain, what should I do?

no I'm not dying anymore than most of you, it's a philosophical question, something that is given as a meditation exercise in most Buddhist traditions, I'm just curious of people's opinion of all walks of life on this question

you can even ask this question from yourself

and you can post even what YOU should do

edit: fixed title
-----------------
:smile:
As I am 67 years old, I am probably closer to that certainty than other younger members of this forum.
From my personal view death is a non-event .... merely a stage on the path from birth to rebirth and (hopefully) realisation.
There is no Self .... but only a temporary self (note no capital letters on the word self).
Life is like a tree... new leaves grow on it in the spring, and each year they die and fall off with the coming of winter.
Otherwise, without this season's leaves falling off that tree ... how would next year's leaves ever be reborn and bloom again in the next spring?
Personal opinon .... both death and birth/life are illusions of one's Ego Self. Pay no attention.
Just live the Now mindfully.
I'm trying to make that my Practice.
:smile:
Shame on you Shakyamuni for setting the precedent of leaving home.
Did you think it was not there--
in your wife's lovely face
in your baby's laughter?
Did you think you had to go elsewhere (simply) to find it?
from - Judyth Collin
The Layman's Lament
From What Book, 1998, p. 52
Edited by Gary Gach
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LastLegend
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by LastLegend »

Quiet Heart wrote: :smile:
As I am 67 years old, I am probably closer to that certainty than other younger members of this forum.
From my personal view death is a non-event .... merely a stage on the path from birth to rebirth and (hopefully) realisation.
There is no Self .... but only a temporary self (note no capital letters on the word self).
Life is like a tree... new leaves grow on it in the spring, and each year they die and fall off with the coming of winter.
Otherwise, without this season's leaves falling off that tree ... how would next year's leaves ever be reborn and bloom again in the next spring?
Personal opinon .... both death and birth/life are illusions of one's Ego Self. Pay no attention.
Just live the Now mindfully.
I'm trying to make that my Practice.
:smile:
I want to be like you one day. It's true then that at the age of 60 or after, people are supposed to be liberated given that they have been living according to the laws of nature.
It’s eye blinking.
Andrew108
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by Andrew108 »

PadmaVonSamba wrote:Start at the end and work backwards.
Start with something ideal,
even though this may not be what happens.

You are on your deathbed.
It is your last day.
People ask you,
"Do you want some food? Do you want something to drink?
Do you want me to pop a movie into the DVD player for you?
Would you like to wear a fancy hat?"

And you think,
"No, no, there is nothing more that I need.
I am fine just lying here.
And you are finally at peace.
There is nothing more that you need to do.
It's like the end of the workday and
Your shift has ended,
and you are taking a ride home,
so now you can just relax.

No more craving. You are finally free
and everything that people are doing seems
ridiculous somehow
because you are at the last stop on the line
looking backwards at them
at everybody on the train of life,
all running around like crazy
still trying to find a good seat.

So, that final state,
where you don't need anything,
I would try to cultivate that now
while you still have a few breaths left.
.
.
.
This is well said. People should take his to heart.
The Blessed One said:

"What is the All? Simply the eye & forms, ear & sounds, nose & aromas, tongue & flavors, body & tactile sensations, intellect & ideas. This, monks, is called the All. Anyone who would say, 'Repudiating this All, I will describe another,' if questioned on what exactly might be the grounds for his statement, would be unable to explain, and furthermore, would be put to grief. Why? Because it lies beyond range." Sabba Sutta.
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kirtu
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by kirtu »

PadmaVonSamba wrote: And you are finally at peace.
You weren't at peace much/most of your life already? That would be a problem.

Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Since death alone is certain ...

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

kirtu wrote:
PadmaVonSamba wrote: And you are finally at peace.
You weren't at peace much/most of your life already? That would be a problem.

Kirt
Yes, if ou weren't at peace much/most of your life already, that would be a problem.
That's why it is good to get started asap.
.
.
.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
Namgyal
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Re: Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncer

Post by Namgyal »

paganbuddha wrote:Since death alone is certain and the time of death uncertain, what should I do?
Milarepa, 'The Dharma of Milarepa, my way, is to live and die without regrets.'
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