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Death - how wonderful!
lobster
Crusty Veteran
Wow. Death is such an interesting topic. I'm tempted to start another thread about it. But...there's probably one or more of them around, although I don't know how recent they are. Hmm.
Tee Hee!
Thought I better start it for @silver.
Death and its ultimate form known as life IS interesting and for us Buddhist related weirdos (speaking for myself) a recurring theme.
My shrine has two skulls on it. Which is kind of why a flower is so precious, it wilts.
Do you stare at a skull everyday and put make up on it or perhaps you stare Yama in the face and say ...
eh ma ho (Tibetan)
Is life wonderful? Will the six paramitas be your pallbearers?
http://www.ymba.org/books/practice-bodhisattva-dharma/six-paramitas
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I'm not much for idolizing skeletal remains. Kinda turns me off. I had enough of the broken and bruised body and blood stuff within Christianity, both the Roman Catholic and Evangelical/Fundamental forms. Some of the adherents thereof were obsessed with such matters. They gave me the creeps.
Better to focus on the Deathless.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn47/sn47.041.than.html
Good point @Walker the Christian symbol is a man tortured in a gruesome way. Which might seem particularly weird. To see a skull in the same creepy way might be weird too.
I feel it comes down to the degree of association. @Jayantha talked about his recent death centered meditation as a trainee Theravadin monk. Sounded healthy, if bizarre to me.
The question is perhaps the difference between the traditional spooky tantrikas who sometimes used a skull as a pillow to aid their sleep and those reminding themselves to wake ...
The stations of the cross in Christianity, which I was recently told I was doing all wrong incidentally, is a very profound practice ...
Personally, I don't think it's that big of a deal.
“Death is the only wise advisor that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you're about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you that you're wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch. Your death will tell you, 'I haven't touched you yet.”
"The thing to do when you’re impatient is to turn to your left and ask advice from your death. An immense amount of pettiness is dropped if your death makes a gesture to you, or if you catch a glimpse of it, or if you just have the feeling that your companion is there watching you."
“In a world where death is the hunter, my friend, there is no time for regrets or doubts. There is only time for decisions.”
Don Juan Matus
Yes...people are dying to find out what it's all about
Im around death all the time.
"Who died today?"
"I think it was Martha. Her funeral is next week. Are you going?"
"I might. She was such a good woman" they turn to me "carlita. Do you know when Martha?s funeral is" (I work there) I cant say, I tell them.
The next night an ambulance
The following someone talking about the smell that used to be in apt 393 and no one knew the guy was deceased two days or so before they checked on him
-
I live where I work
I work at a senior/disability complex.
Death should be a natual subject that many dont want to talk about. We talk about rebirth, heaven, to whatever else people believe. But what about the actual dying and passing.
I know The Buddha talks about it. Then he also talks about life. Two sides of the coin.
Which is better to focus on: life or death?
Sound the same after awhile.
Everybody loves to live.
No one want to die.
Even those wants to go heaven
Are afraid of dying.
Not necessarily.
Again, not true.
This doesn't apply to me in the slightest.
Oh wow, I dropped the ball on this - thanks @lobster, for picking it up!
The perfect subject for me today - This is my first day home since going to the ER yet again with my misbehavin' heart - I had to complain yet again about doofus docs.
Just like the Buddha said, nobody wants to die - maybe - especially me. That's the way it is for me - As a kid, I had a phobia - two, actually: skulls and spiders! Now it's not nearly as bad. My hospital bag is a Betsy Johnson number with girly skulls on it, sort of like this one:
The nurses all loved it!
If death was wonderful, life too must be wonderful but because death is not wonderful, life too cannot be wonderful for life ends in death.
@SpinyNorman
The solution is to turn towards the deathless.
Yep, that's what I said!
I hope they're aren't any spiders in there!
Just thought of death in some minutes makes all this true. Suddenly person starts wishing if he/she had time then this or that.
Heaven does not assure the permanent
Happiness. It is temporality.
You can insist all you like. In my case, you're wrong.
Bodhi Nasrudin was ill and suffering greatly. His friends from the coffee house came gushing with prayers of well being and long life, trying to cheer the patient Nasrudin.
'Are you feeling better?' one of his friends asked, 'Are our prayers for your long life helpful?'
'My suffering is worse than you can imagine,' said Nasrudin. 'It is only the thought of dying that is keeping me alive ... '
As far as I'm concerned, the thing about Death I find hard to accept is the fact that it separates us from the people we love.
And since speculating all day about it and squandering precious living time on it will make absolutely no difference on the end result, I'd rather dedicate that precious wit energy and intellectual zest to studying the Dharma and living as hedonistically as I always do.
Death, to me, is just a post-it reminder that I have to enjoy this life to the most.
Nothing else.
Beautifully said, @DhammaDragon, beautifully said.
I love that bag!? Do they do it in body bag?
I consider myself a walking body bag. Roses and skulls and an empty space.
It has been said that to understand life we must first understand death. For those who fear death are afraid of life and thus can not live.
Cheers!
As an aside, what ever it is we call "life" can also be, at times, quite delightful...
What we truly are was never born and can never die.
The Sufis have a saying, 'die before you die'. In other words they talk of death as if resurrection is a symbolic rebirth or new life, as do mystical Christians. It really is how these symbols are related to ...
Dharma practices for monks may require some intense involvement with themes around death. In tantra some instruments are traditionally made from human bones. Creepy? Maybe just our associations ...
Well, there is that element of symbolic death of the old man, and rebirth of a new man within Orthodox Christianity as well. But, the belief that the physical spilling of innocent blood for atonement of sin seemed to take precedence over any symbolic meaning in my experience. That's the part that creeped me out.
Death and resurrection. A chocolate egg empty at is core. Easter has died and now we are back on the path to death.
In another thread, I notice we concern ourselves with murder and mayhem, the traditional dance of the deeply disturbing and troubled.
Death is not just symbolic but surrounds us, alienates us, perhaps frightens us but inevitably beckons us. We are involved with her dance by our inevitable humanity.
During our moment in the sun, through dharma, through practice, grace, baraka, inspiration we can make a better life in some small way. Just as the Buddha suggested.
The enlightened accept death, understand life and its potential. Even the dream weavers know the words that matter are about life:
Do your best. Be kind. Make gentler, healing ripples ... Have a great day ...
Death is not wonderful at all but release from the illusion of death is.
I overcame fear of death with the aid of "emptiness" and "egolessness"