How do you prepare to die?

[Gotchaman]

Many great teachers say the same thing about death. You must understand the meaning of death to understand the meaning of life. Everyone knows that they are going to die one day but most people do not really believe it. If you really can feel that your time is limited you would not take anything for granted. If you are prepared to die today, it means you are living to the fullest. That is the level I am trying to get to.

My question is, how can I really “feel” my own death as reality in my normal life without risking my life? It is so easy to say “life is short.” But I’m finding it difficult to actually feel it. You hear about stories of people who almost got killed in accidents and they tell you how their lives changed ever since. Is there any way that I can achieve the same level of awareness of death without risking my life? I use my imagination during meditations but I can’t seem to get to the same level, not even close. As I imagined myself dying I got scared briefly during a deep meditation but I could not go deeper than that.

[kingabubakr]

www.islambase.co.uk - Death Series: Lectures 01-04

try this link

it should help.


let me know how you found it.

dont mind the begining.

[Gotchaman]

Originally Posted by kingabubakr

www.islambase.co.uk - Death Series: Lectures 01-04

try this link

it should help.


let me know how you found it.

dont mind the begining.

no thanks. he scares me... and what's up with the picture of skeletons?

Has anyone read the book "Tuesdays with Morrie"? It is one of my all time favorite books... Morrie says: "Learn how to die and you will learn how to live." That's what I'm trying to follow here...

[Jarrod]

I was talking to a old Japanese martial arts sensei over lunch yesterday and he was telling me in broken english (which I'll translate somewhat ).

"All martial arts have one goal, to learn how to die. This very hard to understand. The next goal is to learn how to live."

I'm not saying you have to do martial arts, nor am I saying I fully understand the concept but I think I have an idea.

There is a saying, 'one encounter, one chance'. In a battle of japanese swords this is very true.

If you were to not give your all, or not show your ability, you would die.
In everyday encounters, if you don't give it your all, show all of yourself, you might not die, but you are certainly not living.

I don't think about the fact that I might die at any moment (actually I do walk into rooms cautiously ).

Could I die in the next moment? Maybe
Could I not die in the next moment? Maybe

Pointless question.

In a battle, such thoughts get you killed.

In a battle there is only one thing to do. If you can understand what that one thing is then you probably know how to live.

I should write a blog post on the topic

I hope this different perspective might help you.

[Rhythman]

Another way to go about this is to contemplate what you were before conception.

nisagardatta maharaj taught this approach. That which we were before conception is the same that we are now and the same that we will be after death of the body.

Rhythman

[Mato Kinze]

To understand and comtemplate one's death is to make a determination of your beliefs. Do you believe in a linear existance or do you believe in a cyclical existance?

If the former, then your life is determined by what you did. Your past is inviolable and your future is somewhat determined by what you've done to get you to this starting point.

If the latter, your life is simply a cycle of birth, life, death and your life is determined by what you do, not what you did. In this state, you constantly revisit your actions, emotions, encounters, etc. until you make all the right choices.

Deciding which is true for you will determine your fundamental approach to life - who you are, and how you make decisions.

[Dannyboy1]

Realizing that right now is life. Not before. Not in the future. But now. Live now.

[Gotchaman]

Originally Posted by Jarrod

I was talking to a old Japanese martial arts sensei over lunch yesterday and he was telling me in broken english (which I'll translate somewhat ).

"All martial arts have one goal, to learn how to die. This very hard to understand. The next goal is to learn how to live."

I'm not saying you have to do martial arts, nor am I saying I fully understand the concept but I think I have an idea.

There is a saying, 'one encounter, one chance'. In a battle of japanese swords this is very true.

If you were to not give your all, or not show your ability, you would die.
In everyday encounters, if you don't give it your all, show all of yourself, you might not die, but you are certainly not living.

I don't think about the fact that I might die at any moment (actually I do walk into rooms cautiously ).

Could I die in the next moment? Maybe
Could I not die in the next moment? Maybe

Pointless question.

In a battle, such thoughts get you killed.

In a battle there is only one thing to do. If you can understand what that one thing is then you probably know how to live.

I should write a blog post on the topic

I hope this different perspective might help you.

Thanks for your input. Budo teaches you good things. I'm Japanese myself, so I'm very familiar with the philosophy of budo/bushido.

Thing is, we don't live in the same environment as those samurai did. If you live in the world where your life could end in the blink of an eye - just one move in a sword battle, you'd probably develop a better understanding in death.

Mountain biking and rock climbing(indoor!) are the most adventurous things I do, so it is quite difficult to relate myself to death in my peaceful life.

I guess I must do something dangerous, something that scare the **** out of me to get the feel of it...?

[Gotchaman]

Originally Posted by Dannyboy1

Realizing that right now is life. Not before. Not in the future. But now. Live now.

I know but It is easier said than done. How did you realize it and how did it impact your life? Do you have your own way of constantly remind yourself of living the present moment? Meditation perhaps?

[amixa]

hmmm
i don't know what to tell you really.. i learned about death when my best friend died. that made me realize how short life is and to live in the now.

perhaps meditation could help. i have no idea. have you watched the movie 'the fountain'? it plays with those philosophies actually..

[Billy]

Originally Posted by Jarrod

I was talking to a old Japanese martial arts sensei over lunch yesterday and he was telling me in broken english (which I'll translate somewhat ).

"All martial arts have one goal, to learn how to die. This very hard to understand. The next goal is to learn how to live."

I'm not saying you have to do martial arts, nor am I saying I fully understand the concept but I think I have an idea.

There is a saying, 'one encounter, one chance'. In a battle of japanese swords this is very true.

If you were to not give your all, or not show your ability, you would die.
In everyday encounters, if you don't give it your all, show all of yourself, you might not die, but you are certainly not living.

I don't think about the fact that I might die at any moment (actually I do walk into rooms cautiously ).

Could I die in the next moment? Maybe
Could I not die in the next moment? Maybe

Pointless question.

In a battle, such thoughts get you killed.

In a battle there is only one thing to do. If you can understand what that one thing is then you probably know how to live.

I should write a blog post on the topic

I hope this different perspective might help you.

Thats is so true that it surprises me to hear somebody else say it. As a practitioner of of batto jutsu and kenjutsu I understand this concept and believe that it could help many people learn how to truly live. The swordsman knows that in battle he must give up on life so that he can live because so many thoughts are concentrated on self preservation that as we are thinking about reacting to the situation the situation has already passed and we are probably dead. This is a life lesson that all peoples must learn, that in order to live we must die. A truly learned martial artist knows of the VOID, which is a state of total absence of thought or non mind and the japanese have a name for this which is "mushin no shin" meaning a state of "mind no mind". When someone meditates for a long period which is actually what martial artists are doing when they practice kata they realise that the chatter of their minds is like a big brass band that never shuts up, and the worst part about it is that
the ego is actually a moronic child with absolutely no idea of how to function in the real world, without knowing it people are letting their subconcious rule them and in the end probably destroy them. Through my own experiences of meditation and martial arts practice I have learned that the only true state of being is that of the void or oneness and as the most famous martial artist Bruce Lee said " We find that inside the void their is only love".

[torilink]

You must understand the meaning of death to understand the meaning of life.

There is no death - what you truly are cannot die. This is the meaning to death, there is none.

Death only has the meaning you attach to it.

same with life - just as much an illusion as death and the only meaning to be found is what you project into it.

[Jarrod]

Originally Posted by Gotchaman

Thanks for your input. Budo teaches you good things. I'm Japanese myself, so I'm very familiar with the philosophy of budo/bushido.

You probably know it better than me. I've only been practicing traditional japanese martial arts for 18 months.

Originally Posted by Gotchaman

Thing is, we don't live in the same environment as those samurai did. If you live in the world where your life could end in the blink of an eye - just one move in a sword battle, you'd probably develop a better understanding in death.

True we don't live in the same environment. Atleast maybe not in our respective countries.

Originally Posted by Gotchaman

Mountain biking and rock climbing(indoor!) are the most adventurous things I do, so it is quite difficult to relate myself to death in my peaceful life.

I guess I must do something dangerous, something that scare the **** out of me to get the feel of it...?

You don't need to go out and do something dangerous.

Do you cross the street?
Do you drive?
Do you walk through crowds of people?

One moment of inattention when you step onto the road could be the end.
One mistake while driving, or simply someone else making a mistake could end your trip.
One crazy person in the crowd with a concealed weapon could take you without warning.

There is no need to be paranoid though .

I don't really think the important thing is to always remember that you could die.

I think the first step is to realise you could die (pick any situation that works for you). Pick any moment when you could die and freeze that moment.

The second step is then to ask yourself questions about that moment. What would be correct to thinking at that moment. What would be correct to be feeling at that moment.

Once you know how you should think and feel when you die. Then you try to think and feel like that when you live.

Then you don't remember that you could die, you focus on how you should live. If you forgot, you go back to your moment and refind how to die.

Hope this helps

[Billy]

Originally Posted by Jarrod

Then you don't remember that you could die, you focus on how you should live. If you forgot, you go back to your moment and refind how to die.

Hope this helps

If you have accepted death then there is only life to be lived at its upmost. How could a person "refind how to die?" I think you need to break a few more boards.

[Jarrod]

Originally Posted by Billy

If you have accepted death then there is only life to be lived at its upmost. How could a person "refind how to die?" I think you need to break a few more boards.

I definately need more practice, always.

I was referring more to people who aren't usually considering death due to their martial arts practice. So they would probably not experience it deep enough in their first attempts to imagine.

Once they 'accepted death' I agree with you. then they wouldn't need to go back, but to really accept death I don't think it is easy to get deep enough. Lacking a shinken with intent...

[Billy]

Originally Posted by Jarrod

I definately need more practice, always.

I was referring more to people who aren't usually considering death due to their martial arts practice. So they would probably not experience it deep enough in their first attempts to imagine.

Once they 'accepted death' I agree with you. then they wouldn't need to go back, but to really accept death I don't think it is easy to get deep enough. Lacking a shinken with intent...

Yes I see your point, I must admit it is a difficult area philosophically, no offense intended.

[Jarrod]

No offense taken, it's excellent to hear other martial artists talking about personal development.

[Groundless]

Originally Posted by Rhythman

Another way to go about this is to contemplate what you were before conception.
nisagardatta maharaj taught this approach. That which we were before conception is the same that we are now and the same that we will be after death of the body.
Rhythman

Exactly right.

We are the self experiencing the self in this thing we refer to as "life"

Ask yourself "who am I" over and over. Meditate upon this. You may find out for yourself who you really are.

We are dividuals not individuals.

Birth and death are illusions and thus, so is life.

It is an unusual place to be to not fear death. I tend to keep it to myself since many people are quite bothered by it. No need to make others feel fear.

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Gotchaman

I know but It is easier said than done. How did you realize it and how did it impact your life? Do you have your own way of constantly remind yourself of living the present moment? Meditation perhaps?

I think the more you do it, the more you remember to do it. It's just a matter of catching yourself as much as you can and re-enforcing it into a habit.

[Jarrod]

Like DannyBoy1 said,

To stay in the moment, keep coming back to it. In everything you do try to be aware of all the sounds and sights of the external world as well as the thoughts and emotions of the internal world.

Just practice all the time.

It helps to set aside times to focus on practicing this, while going for a walk or doing certain tasks.

You can choose certain triggers to remind yourself to practice. Like whenever you walk through a doorway, or on the hour when your watch beeps etc.

[NightSpirit]

I had a car accident once where a car made a left turn in front of me while I was going 55 miles an hour. The cliche is true and my life really did flash before me. The major thought was, I'll never do those things that I always thought I was born to do.

I wasn't hurt in the accident and developed a little PTSD when I thought later about what could have happened. I didn't come away with a drive to accomplish anything though. I think what happened is, because of this, I started not sweat the small stuff or even some of the big stuff that followed because no matter what happened, I'm still alive, have food and shelter and people who love me. I think that knowing I could have died made passing on my values and experiences, especially to my kids, move up a few notches on my list of things to get done.

My died died suddenly at age 50, dead before he hit the floor of his first heart attack. I was really sad, and remember the feeling of standing over his casket and thinking, God I wish I had just 5 more minutes, to tell Him I love Him and say goodbye.

Then after the funeral, although I knew the last time I saw Him was at His
50th birthday party, I was trying to recall the last words he said to me. And it was when he came over and put his arms around me and my sister and hugged us both and said, "I love you both and come back anytime". I will be forever grateful for those last 5 minutes.

In contrast, my step sister and he had an argument a few days before he died and the last words she said to him were "I'll never set foot in your house again."

Our experiences changed both of us in the same way. Let the people you love know that you love them often and avoid unkind words at all cost. It's not just knowing that we could die and getting ready for our own death but realizing anyone we know could be gone in a second. I'm not talking about letting that take you over in fear and guilt, but overall making an effort to let people you love know it.

You would be surprised by the number of people who ignore their fathers on Father's Day and the number of fathers who won't leave the house for fear of missing a call that never comes. And of the number of people who go to the cemetery on Father's Day, to talk to their fathers.

Thanks for making me remember my dad, I had forgotten that it was Father's Day until now.

[Gotchaman]

Originally Posted by NightSpirit

I had a car accident once where a car made a left turn in front of me while I was going 55 miles an hour. The cliche is true and my life really did flash before me. The major thought was, I'll never do those things that I always thought I was born to do.

I wasn't hurt in the accident and developed a little PTSD when I thought later about what could have happened. I didn't come away with a drive to accomplish anything though. I think what happened is, because of this, I started not sweat the small stuff or even some of the big stuff that followed because no matter what happened, I'm still alive, have food and shelter and people who love me. I think that knowing I could have died made passing on my values and experiences, especially to my kids, move up a few notches on my list of things to get done.

My died died suddenly at age 50, dead before he hit the floor of his first heart attack. I was really sad, and remember the feeling of standing over his casket and thinking, God I wish I had just 5 more minutes, to tell Him I love Him and say goodbye.

Then after the funeral, although I knew the last time I saw Him was at His
50th birthday party, I was trying to recall the last words he said to me. And it was when he came over and put his arms around me and my sister and hugged us both and said, "I love you both and come back anytime". I will be forever grateful for those last 5 minutes.

In contrast, my step sister and he had an argument a few days before he died and the last words she said to him were "I'll never set foot in your house again."

Our experiences changed both of us in the same way. Let the people you love know that you love them often and avoid unkind words at all cost. It's not just knowing that we could die and getting ready for our own death but realizing anyone we know could be gone in a second. I'm not talking about letting that take you over in fear and guilt, but overall making an effort to let people you love know it.

You would be surprised by the number of people who ignore their fathers on Father's Day and the number of fathers who won't leave the house for fear of missing a call that never comes. And of the number of people who go to the cemetery on Father's Day, to talk to their fathers.

Thanks for making me remember my dad, I had forgotten that it was Father's Day until now.

Thank you for taking your time to post this. I was touched by your story. Obviously you have been through a lot more than I have...so you have better understanding in life than I have. Everyone is a teacher to me and I am grateful. I didn't even contact my father... You are right. I should let him know that he is important to me.

[NightSpirit]

Originally Posted by Gotchaman

Thank you for taking your time to post this. I was touched by your story. Obviously you have been through a lot more than I have...so you have better understanding in life than I have. Everyone is a teacher to me and I am grateful. I didn't even contact my father... You are right. I should let him know that he is important to me.

Please do that. Parents need to be reminded of what they did right, because sometimes what they think they did wrong will haunt them.

As much as it hurt to lose my dad suddenly like that, it's was whole different more saddening experience when my mom died. We were closer, but I don't know if that intense grief was because of our closeness, or that she suffered so or because she was the last parent between me and death. Although it's fading now, at first I was overwhelmed by the notion, whether it be 5 years or 50 years, I'm the next one in line in my chain of life. I lost that feeling of "As long as my mom is alive and there for me, all is right with my world" that I didn't even know that I had until she was gone.

From those two experiences, I have lost all concern for any kind of possessions other that what I can use in the moment. My dad was a collector, but after he died all those things were just so much junk to the people left behind. It's just been impossible for me to attach any emotional importance to any object since his death. There is still stuff I need and I buy what I like but things just lost the power to add or subtract from who I think I am.

I've carried that to the extreme though and need more balance because I can tell you that living like it's your last day is not a good idea in your finances.

[Evan]

One way to prepare for death is to let go with each breath. You can practice this for a particular piece of time each day or just whenever you want throughout the day - you're probably breathing most of the time!

Then you can add to this saying goodbye to people and things. You may find it helpful to use a visualisation to do this if you are a visual person (eg put what it is in a boat and watch it disappear over the horizon).

Grieving with all the associated emotion may well be a part of this process. And grieving can be a very intense emotion - so don't be surprised if strong and scary emotions come up. Just do what you can as you can - forcing is usually counter-productive with these kinds of things.

[Erebos]

Originally Posted by Gotchaman

Many great teachers say the same thing about death. You must understand the meaning of death to understand the meaning of life. Everyone knows that they are going to die one day but most people do not really believe it. If you really can feel that your time is limited you would not take anything for granted. If you are prepared to die today, it means you are living to the fullest. That is the level I am trying to get to.

My question is, how can I really “feel” my own death as reality in my normal life without risking my life? It is so easy to say “life is short.” But I’m finding it difficult to actually feel it. You hear about stories of people who almost got killed in accidents and they tell you how their lives changed ever since. Is there any way that I can achieve the same level of awareness of death without risking my life? I use my imagination during meditations but I can’t seem to get to the same level, not even close. As I imagined myself dying I got scared briefly during a deep meditation but I could not go deeper than that.

I can't seem to shake this thought. Death is the reason people live. Because people are aware of mortality, this is why people choose to live and experience the world while they still can. Excuse my cup is half empty thought process, but this simply seems like we are nothing but slaves to death. We let our entire lives be run by this single notion and nothing else.

[dali]

Life has no opposite. Death is the opposite of birth. Next time you see a dead bee take a look. There are some meditations specific to death that I have seen noteably at the end of Anthony deMellos book Sadhanna. They might be of use. Great youre looking at it though.

[Remiel]

As a christian Death has meaning in the fact that it is the end of my being on earth and the begining of something eternal. I also believe in Hell and I do believe that the consequences of not choosing Christ is that Hell.

For me then what is the meaning of death? It is the end of my job here on this earth and the beginning of a new role in Heaven. How does this motivate me? It motivates me to be the best that I can be here on earth and to serve Christ with my entire life. By doing so I'll reap the greatest reward that I can in heaven. So my actions here in this life affect my rewards in heaven.

[Who am I]

My question is, how can I really “feel” my own death as reality in my normal life without risking my life?

How do you prepare to die?

Fascinating .... is it possible that what one is can't die? And that the belief-thought of death that we identify self with keeps us from the awareness of the life that constantly shines in the mind.

No preparation necessary just be willing to let go of all belief..... and, and of this I can not speak.

Perhaps the question is not a question, but a belief about what you think you are put in the form of a question.

I'm glad I know what you are

Thank you

[Who am I]

You say in part

Many great teachers say the same thing about death.

Would you name three or four of the many you are referring to? (your source material may be helpful).. i am interested in what they say, and or how folks translated or perceived what may have been said.... perhaps i'm mistaken about preparation.

Thank you

[Ponce]

I always told myself that the last thing that I think about when I was about to die would be that of my X wife.......that being said.

I had a dream that I was in a city torn by war, I was a civilian, I was walking in an alley right next to a three story red brick wall that was the back of a building, there was an explosion and I saw the wall coming down on me..... I new that I was going to die so I closed my eyes and started to think about my X wife right away.

How we got married in one month, our first house, first time we made love and so on.........but then I told myself......."This is taking to long and I should be dead by now" ......I open my eyes and I found myself looking at the ceiling of my room, and you know what I did??? I started cursing because I was still alive.

So, I am sure now that I am not scared to die