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How close have you come to dying?
Xrayman
Veteran
This last weekend was a real eyeopener.
my 4 year-old son was playing with a collection of "Magnetix" (a series of magnets and steel balls that you build stuff with). We had them in a Pringles container.
Well he was playing ok with them for a while, then right in front of me he puts a handful of the balls into the container and "drinks" them!
I jumped up and stuck my finger into his throat and picked out two of them. I was just about to turn him upside down and the heimlich manouvre him, but I asked if he was okay, then he just coughed up one last one!
My wife and I nearly had a heart attack! My daughter who was horrified-just said "You just saved his life". That was 8 o'clock Saturday morning-the weekend gradually improved.
My question to you is, How close have you come to dying?
my 4 year-old son was playing with a collection of "Magnetix" (a series of magnets and steel balls that you build stuff with). We had them in a Pringles container.
Well he was playing ok with them for a while, then right in front of me he puts a handful of the balls into the container and "drinks" them!
I jumped up and stuck my finger into his throat and picked out two of them. I was just about to turn him upside down and the heimlich manouvre him, but I asked if he was okay, then he just coughed up one last one!
My wife and I nearly had a heart attack! My daughter who was horrified-just said "You just saved his life". That was 8 o'clock Saturday morning-the weekend gradually improved.
My question to you is, How close have you come to dying?
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Comments
I've never come close to dying that I know of. I've od'd on meds. a couple of times (by accident) and had bad reactions to meds. so I may have come close in my sleep but nothing at all like you're describing.
Jerry has, though. I'm so glad he didn't.
That's all I have to say on the topic. Sorry.
Sooooo glad your son is safe and sound!!!!
Brigid
First of all, let me say how relieved I am that your little on is ok.... and that your relief is palpable too....
Secondly, I would add that this is a wonderful lesson in reality:
Most of us come near to death every day. We just don't realise it...
Every time we cross a road, or drive a car, we are endeavouring to remain Mindful - but we are counting on all others around us to be mindful too.....
With every passing second, we get a little closer to our moment of transition....
A terminally ill woman, looking for comfort and solace from an eminent Lama, once she found herself face to face with him, could only blurt out emotionally, "Oh, Rinpoche, I am dying!"
To which, embracing her and holding her hands, he replied, smiling broadly -
"What a coincidence - so am I-!"
She realised that she had the most wonderful opportunity to be able to "set her house in order" and to focus then, and concentrate on the Marvellous wonder of her own immortality.
But most of us do not accord ourselves the priviledge, and we forget, we forget it coulsd all in reality, end right now....
We are all of us dying.
It is a recommended meditation to remember that constantly. and in doing so, we are not focussing on the morbid, sad impermanent and definite Truth it is, but rather we are celebrating every single moment of this precious, wonderful instant we represent, and rejoicing in the Happiness, Love and Example that we are, and that we can therefore bring, to others.
As TNH says:
"Long live Impermanence!"
Cheers everyone! Here's to Life!
-at least twice as a child I almost drowned, and was pulled out of the water
-various car accidents
-various falls down stairs, one drop off of a 10 ft lighting platform
-been hit by a car
-surviving an armed assault in my home
-choking (complete obstruction) and passing out alone (falling dislodged the item)
-operation where the anathesiologist used too much.
The last one was kinda funny. I'm laying on this table, in a watched recovery area, and all of a sudden everything goes black (my eyes are still open), and some alarm goes off near my head. I hear the nurses running over, talking about how my blood pressure is like 70 over 50, and they discover that the anathesiologist has already left for the day. The nurse runs out to the parking lot to drag the guy out of his car.
Lucky me.
Shitty car accidents (x2)....cracked skull and fluid on the brain. Missed the brain stem by 2 cm. Also have been run over twice.....once by friend--did it for a joke!!!!!!:rockon:
Cellular death every day....i'm screwed!!!!!!!!:nonono:
Only served to make me a bit careless about it - going to happen, nothing I can do about it, not worried about it, make the most of this moment.
And you know what?
I'm so thick-headed and stupid that I don't let it play the importance that I should in my life.
We're only here for a short while - and while it may be taught that there isn't much to do except for "gaining Enlightenment" I do feel that sometimes I have a number of things to do before I go.
-bf
That's some pretty intense stuff you people have written there. I have never come anywhere like that close to dying! I've been in two car accidents, but never bad enough to be life threatening.
My wife and I nearly died on our "13 days of Adventure-Filled excitement" Honeymoon. It's a long, funny (although not at the time), story.
Years ago I with a couple of friends were beaten up by a gang. I didn't think any of them were going to make it considering what I witnessed happening to them. Luckily we were all okay.
peace.
regards
Xrayman
I can relate to all who have posted for the most part. I was a Senior in high school (when the dinosaurs still roamed the Earth! LOL!) when I was involved in car accident that left me with a fractured skull, two broken arms, all of my ribs broken---when I would take a breath, the middle of my chest (sternum? SP?) would sink, a broken pelvis and left leg. For added fun, I had what was called at the time a cerebral brain contusion (I think it means bleeding in the brain? I am not sure). I guess from where my head hit---it was the part of the brain that controls motor senses---got badly bruised and my speech was really slurred as a result. I could not speak correctly and I had to be under the care of a neurosurgeon because of it for some time after getting out of the hospital. I did eventually regain proper speech. Even today, I have to think about what I say or I will mispronounce a word or slur a word occasionally. What I am relating is what my parents and brothers have told me. I woke up out of a coma after two weeks with no recollection of anything at all and that was really scary to me! I considered myself lucky though; the driver of the car died and the girl sitting in the middle went through the windshield and died as well. We were all drunk as skunks! It was New Year's Eve and we were partying. Anyway, I survived and I am lucky to have done so.
Adiana:type: :usflag:
It's good to hear from you again! I missed you.
That's a hell of a story. Thank goodness you survived. Recovery must have been absolutely brutal. I can't imagine the pain you went through, especially when you were told of the deaths of your friends. My heart breaks.
To all,
Wow! What incredible experiences. Blessings to all!
Brigid
Nowadays, here in Aus. you are considered a "Bloody Idiot" if you drink and drive, according to our governmental supported advertising campaigns. (emphasis on the "mental").
I'm glad you all made it through to be here, Hooray!
regards,
Xrayman
Oh I mean that in general, our government is mental-not the drink/drive campaign, I support that as well!
THen last year on a very rainy day I slipped and almost fell into a canal - which was flowing like really fast - I grabbed onto support just in time.
Actually other than physical death, I think everyone of us sometime or other had died a mental death or a "self"-death, when we recover from serious depressions.
You have such a way with the short, pithy story.
I don't think I'm ever going to forget "How stupid to end my holiday headless in Vienna."
Sorry, but I just can't stop laughing! What a brilliant line.
Brigid
At school I was working (or pretending to!) at my desk and I suddenly fainted after I'd stood up. I'd smacked my head on the only piece of concrete in the whole room! When I came to, I couldn't see out of my left eye and i felt lighter than a feather. So what did I do? The only sensible thing to do - I got changed and made my way to do sports realizing along the way that I could hardly walk! The nurse in the sanitorium reassured me by saying that if the symptoms persisted then I surely had brain damage! What do you do when you hear news like that? Go and smoke a cig of course! Baka! (stupid)
Another time during a black out period I came close to dying through my own volition - though, of course, I have no recollection of this. That was the last time I drank and was, indeed, a huge wake up call.
I've enjoyed reading other people's posts in this thread and wondered how many of us embrace death as an aid to Dharma practise?
BSF,
I've just begun to investigate this. Just. Like...yesterday. I'm looking forward to learning more about it. I'm a little intrigued and for some reason I feel it's going to become an important part of my practice.
Brigid
So, I can understand the practice of visiting charnel grounds as an aid.
See I was born premature and worse still, LEGS OUT FIRST.
The doctor in-charge of my delivery pushed me back into my mother's birth canal then transferred my mum immediately to another hospital... I got delivered (no caesarian birth... I wonder how my mum did it) and then the doctors found that one of my key arteries/veins(sorry I don't take biology) to the heart wasn't connected and I'd die any moment. They tol my family to prepare for the worst.
Then by such a lucky chance there was this doctor from London for some purpose... Then this another doctor rushed into the room where the Londoner was and asked him how to save me. The Londoner told the doctor that the only way to save me was to operate and link the stuff up. That operation done on me was a first of its kind in SIngapore then - I was like a guinea pig. LOL.
But then hey, I survived! Today a long long scar runs through the left of my body and a deep mark on my abdomen to remind me of this. Hey, I survived the whole thing, when actually one after another, when things seemed to get worse and worse. I ROCK!!!
And, yes, you definitely do rock. What a great story. Your mother deserves flowers on your birthday. You're a tough survivor. You should remember this story whenever you feel down because you and your mum fought so hard to bring you into this world.
I'm glad you're here.
Love,
Brigid
Harlan,
I didn't know they were poisonous either! I hope it wasn't too painful.
I dislike nutmeg intensely. I can detect it in tiny quantities and it turns my stomach. It ruins food. It's one of the few things on earth I truly dislike.
Brigid
Death is an ever-present reality between each breath as I settle onto my bench, BSF.
And yes, Brigid. My whole survival was a string of chanced "luck" - one doctor gone, one abortion (my mum was even informed that I had a high chance of being born with Down Syndrome early in her pregnancy), one shaky arm or anything, and that was it. This is the reason why even during my dammest moment I never take suicide into my list of possible next moves. :rockon:
My mum rocks. I always knew part of the story and only came to know it's entirety (the part about the London doctor's chance visit) and it's because of this that I started to ponder upon the miracles in my life in greater appreciation. Right now what I need to express my awe at my life is the evolutionist's term for "Thank God". :rockon:
My life is a miracle. I was born great, meant great, and will be great. As you may know, some time ago I was bothered by Creationist arguments that seemed exceptionally true for me. But then, if an old guy is watching me up there, then he shall be.
LIFE IS GREAT. I AM GREAT.
I agree, Harlan. I have been in close car accidents (sometimes just mine, sometimes with other drivers). It seems like I look around or up..whatever, it just the nick of time!!!
I feel like my grandmother, whom I was very close too) is protecting me...I like that warmth and take confort in it..but it doesn't go along with my study of Buddhism....: (
I am curious...what do Buddhists think of this? Of 'ghosts', of 'spirits' in places/things? From a Zen viewpoint, would this be considered nothing more than thoughtforms (forgive my lack of terminology)...illusion? Do the Tibetan traditions view this differently?
The interesting thing, from a Buddhist point of view, is that this all happened a couple of months after seeing Karmapa XVI perform the Black Hat ceremony and give a Chenrezig initiation. I'd have to say, knowing what I know now, that this whole thing was the ripening of some pretty negative karma accumulated over who knows how many lifetimes. After the surgery, I had the distinct impression that the Karmapa was with me and that everything was going to be OK. It felt like a golden rod of energy was running through me healing me. Interestingly, I had no side effects after the surgery (other than some minor biliary tree spasms which were easily dealt with), no adhesions, which they were convinced would happen. It was definitely a life changing event!
Palzang