The afterlife and how we live
Jeroen
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlands Veteran
I came across a great quote today in an interview with Pim van Lommel in the Volkskrant, which was this:
“What we think about death determines how we live.”
— Dag Hämmerskjold
I think to a large extent it is true. The Christian belief of one life and then heaven or hell has shaped Western living to a large extent, people live with more urgency than in a Hindu country such as India, where the vast majority of people believe in reincarnation. Even Buddhism, which also has this belief in endless lives, is at its core driven by the idea of wanting release from endless Samsara.
So what are we to believe about death? The only source which I believe is credible about this are the people who have had a near-death experience (NDE). I read a book which was a collection of NDE’er interviews and statements not just about their experience, but how it left them feeling, how they processed it in their lives (In Harmony with the Light, Robert Coppes). For many of them this took years, and it was a life-changing event, many of them still have extraordinary intuitions.
Most NDEers talk about tunnels, beautiful landscapes, an overwhelming feeling of love, life reviews, seeing deceased loved ones again, and finally being sent back to complete their task on Earth. Often they feel loss and sadness, that they had to leave the beauty of that place. But what they return to do is not free themselves from Samsara, their goals are seemingly more ordinary, and they are not afraid of death anymore.
It just strikes me, that we need to consider again, in the light of near-death experiences, what we want from our life path… maybe in the spirit of the New Year, we might want to look at our motivations again.
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“What we think about death determines how we live.”
— Dag Hämmerskjold
How we think about death also determines how we live!
The Blessed One said, "Mindfulness of death, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit & great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as its final end. Therefore you should develop mindfulness of death."
"And how do you develop mindfulness of death?"
"I think, 'O, that I might live for a day & night, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal.' This is how I develop mindfulness of death."
Then another monk addressed the Blessed One, "I, too, already develop mindfulness of death."
"And how do you develop mindfulness of death?"
"I think, 'O, that I might live for a day, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal.' This is how I develop mindfulness of death."
Then another monk addressed the Blessed One, "I, too, develop mindfulness of death." ... "I think, 'O, that I might live for the interval that it takes to eat a meal, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal.' ..."
Then another monk addressed the Blessed One, "I, too, develop mindfulness of death." ... "I think, 'O, that I might live for the interval that it takes to swallow having chewed up four morsels of food, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal.' ..."
Then another monk addressed the Blessed One, "I, too, develop mindfulness of death." ... "I think, 'O, that I might live for the interval that it takes to swallow having chewed up one morsel of food, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal.' ..."
Then another monk addressed the Blessed One, "I, too, develop mindfulness of death." ... "I think, 'O, that I might live for the interval that it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal.' This is how I develop mindfulness of death."
When this was said, the Blessed One addressed the monks. "Whoever develops mindfulness of death, thinking, 'O, that I might live for a day & night... for a day... for the interval that it takes to eat a meal... for the interval that it takes to swallow having chewed up four morsels of food, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal' — they are said to dwell heedlessly. They develop mindfulness of death slowly for the sake of ending the effluents.
"But whoever develops mindfulness of death, thinking, 'O, that** I might live for the interval that it takes to swallow having chewed up one morsel of food... for the interval that it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal' — they are said to dwell heedfully. They develop mindfulness of death acutely for the sake of ending the effluents.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.019.than.html
Hmm what I want from my life's path ?
To live life with no regrets .... or at least try (make a serious attempt) to live life with no regrets...
And I guess by understanding the 4NTs & practicing the 8FP eg, right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi.... will (thus have I heard) help to achieve this...
In my experience, having no regrets has a lot to do with forgiveness for others, and with seeing clearly your own circumstances at different times in your life.
The various elements of buddhism do more to bring your mind and life into balance and focus overall than anything else. It goes quite deep, one’s experience with buddhism. You could also say that buddhism helps you realise those areas of your life where you are not already in accord with the Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
There are theories out there that suggest the entire universe is a vast neural network. I prefer not having beliefs but I have a feeling it is all mind and so what we think happens at death, what we hope happens at death and/or what we fear about death could come to pass.
I try not to let any merit I may or may not accumulate influence my actions and I do donate the merit as part of my practice but it's hard to help others without getting any on you.