Skip to main content

Reflections On Death

Love, Work & Give as if you'll die tonight.
Dream Like Children as if you're gonna live forever.

To gain an understanding of the shortness and preciousness of life and how to make it meaningful we need to reflect on the fact that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain. These points may seem obvious but we rarely stop to accept the truth of them.

When we consider that death is certain we can reflect on several points ::
  1. there is no possible way to escape death [nobody ever has],
  2. life has a definite, inflexible limit and each moment brings us closer to the end of this life, and
  3. death comes in a moment and it's time is unexpected [and even while alive we devote very little of our life to spiritual practice].
When reflecting on the fact that the time of death in uncertain we can analyse this further by recognising that ::
  1. the duration of our lifespan is uncertain
  2. young people can die before old people, the healthy before the sick, etc.
  3. there are many causes and circumstances that lead to death but few that favour the sustenance of life in fact even the things that sustain life and make it comfortable can kill us e.g. food, our house, our car.
  4. the weakness and fragility of our body contributes to life's uncertainty
  5. our body can be easily destroyed by disease or accident.
The Final Questions will be ::
  1. Have I Lived Wisely?
  2. Have I Loved Well?
  3. Have I Served Greatly?
How we would react if we were told, there are only a countable days more to live ::
  1. am I ready to die?
  2. what unfinished business do I have?
  3. what do I want to do or achieve in the time I have left?
  4. will my priorities change?
  5. what can help me at the time of death?
As somebody put it ::
Live each day as though it were your last and one day you'll be right!

[SOURCE :: A BUDDHIST PRECEPT]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

METAPHOR :: Mrs. Moon !

ENGLISH METAPHOR :: A metaphor is another kind of comparison. It is actually a condensed simile, for it omits "as" or "like." A metaphor establishes a relationship at once; it leaves more to the imagination than a simile. EXAMPLE POETRY :: Mrs. Moon sitting up in the sky Little Old Lady rock-a-bye with a ball of fading light and silvery needles knitting the night. ~Roger McGough [Mrs. Moon]
Post a Comment
Read more

The Neurotics In Us !

No good neurotic finds it difficult to be both opinionated and indecisive. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960 The neurotic has perfect vision in one eye, but he cannot remember which. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960 The real is very real to him, the unreal even more so. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960 As we are human, we can't do what we can't do; as we're neurotic, we can't do what we can. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960 The neurotic doesn't know how to cope with his emotional bills; some he keeps paying over and over, others he never pays at all. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960 I'm afraid to win, and afraid to lose; I hate a draw and can't stop competing; otherwise I'm fine. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960 Others settle for small rewards; the neurotic must always go for broke. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook,
Post a Comment
Read more

The Wolf Battle !

This is a story about an old man who explained to his young grandson, about a battle that was going on inside himself. The grandfather said, "My child, the battle inside me is between two wolves, one of whom is so evil, full of anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, hypocrisy, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is so good, full of remembrance of faith, joy, peace, love, compassion, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, and truthfulness." The grandson pondered for a minute and then asked: "Grandfather, which wolf will win the battle?" The grandfather replied simply, "The one I feed" EPILOGUE :: What the grandfather said is certainly FOOD for thought.
Post a Comment
Read more
Copyright © 2006-2018 Social World Wide