Death and the Afterlife

• Aik TC

  10 Jan 11, 16:41

   

  Death and the Afterlife

  The Times of India 2011-01-06

   

  Everyday in your sleep, nature provides you a tiny glimpse of death. Death is akin to sleep. Sleep provides you deep rest. Sleep heals you, comforts you, and makes you fresh for the next day. Similarly, death provides rest to your soul. What is death? It means dropping the past. You drop one body and get into another body. Everything in this universe is changing; everything is dying.

   

  Death creates a void. When someone dies a vacuum is created suddenly, and being totally with that vacuum you know that you also are that vacuum. What are you? What is your life? It's a total void. Not only is death a void, but life too is a void. This realisation is Nirvana.

   

  Buddha said that life is a void and void is truth and that forms are illusive and they have no existence. The formless is the only existence and it governs the form. The mind is formless, and is it not the mind that is ruling your body? For example, is the body or the mind moving a car? It is the mind. If the mind is not in the body, the body alone cannot do anything… There is a greater formlessness overseeing entire Creation. You are the centre of that greater formlessness; whatever you call it.

   

  In ancient days people were asked to meditate in burial grounds. This gave a sense of dispassion, a feeling of void so your mind did not wander. In meditation you realise that you are not just the body, but you are more than the body. This realisation annihilates the fear of death.

   

  Some are afraid to go to bed. They fear they may not wake up. Knowledge of death will improve the quality of your life. It makes you stable and strong and roots out fear. The Self is beyond death; the knowledge makes you immortal - rather, you become aware that you are immortal and that there is something in you which never dies. The first law of thermodynamics says that 'energy can neither be created nor destroyed'. Our mind is energy and thus it cannot be destroyed…

   

  Why are some people born in violent environments and others in comfortable environments? These come from previous impressions. It doesn't matter how your life has been, but the last thought is very important. You might have noticed the last thought in your mind before falling asleep will be the first thought when you wake up. Similarly, your last impression will be the first impression in your next life.

   

  At the last moment, all we did in life will come to us in a flash. If you always do things that are life-supporting, the same impressions will carry on. That is why all human values, like friendliness and compassion are given great importance; they are investments for the future. The human body is precious because in this body you can carry as well as erase all negative impressions.

   

  No one knows when their last moment is. When it comes, you cannot have a new impression; the last or strongest impression is what will pop up. In the Gita, Krishna says: Look Arjuna, you don't know, you never know when the last moment comes, so don't wait for the last moment. All the time, keep me in your mind, and meditate to make that as the strongest impression. So don't wait for the last moment to have a good impression.

   

  (Discourse: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar)

   

• 2009novice

  10 Jan 11, 23:15

  Thanks Aik...

• An Eternal Now

  10 Jan 11, 23:52

  My advice to everyone is, start contemplating on this question:

  Who is dragging this corpse along?

• Aik TC

  11 Jan 11, 19:07

  Originally posted by 2009novice:

  Thanks Aik...

  You are welcome. Any articles that can help individuals to deepen their understanding of Buddhism should be posted here for all to read. As the Buddhist saying goes; The gift of the Dharma excel all gifts.

   

• Amitayus48

  12 Jan 11, 15:57

  è�©è�¨é€�我返阳间  教念弥陀结净缘 - 86å²�的严德凤è€�人

   

  上周六在�场，�到一�今年已�86�的严德凤�人，�她亲述了自己死而�生并从此念佛的事情�过，大感惊奇。今如实记录，仅在文辞方�略作修饰。

  （以下为严德凤�人自述）

   

  è�©è�¨é€�我返阳间  教念弥陀结净缘

   

  我在六年�，也就是80�那年，曾�病身亡。

  家人将我全身�衣�鞋（�寿衣寿鞋）穿戴整�，�放在家里过七。�料，我�在第七天返阳�生。

  我自死�，迷迷茫茫�知在何处��地走�。

  也�知走了多久，终于��约约看�一座桥，也�知是什么桥，就迷迷糊糊地往那座桥走去。

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  我的女儿�生�有些钱，还特地以我的�义�了20万元建了一座�寺庙，请了一�女师父，让我在里�长�了几年。

  死而�生之�，我的身体一直很好。在庙里，我�天起早�功课�下地劳动，还照顾那�五���的女师父的起居，帮她洗衣�倒水，什么事都�。

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  æ—�å�¬çš„众莲å�‹å�‡ä¸ºä¸¥å¾·å‡¤è€�人庆幸：“幸äº�è�©è�¨æ…ˆæ‚²ï¼Œä¸�让你过奈何桥ã€�é‡�入轮回，教你返阳念佛，好让你离苦得ä¹�ã€�往生æž�ä¹�世界ï¼�”

  我问严德凤è€�人：“您知é�“é‚£ä½�拉您回æ�¥çš„è�©è�¨æ˜¯å“ªä¸€ä½�å�—？”

  è€�人摇头说：“ä¸�知é�“。以å‰�从æ�¥ä¹Ÿæ²¡æœ‰æŽ¥è§¦è¿‡ä½›æ•™ï¼Œè¿”阳å�Žä¹Ÿå�ªçŸ¥é�“念å�—无阿弥陀佛的，到现在也ä¸�知é�“é‚£ä½�è�©è�¨æ˜¯è°�。”

  这件事�常地离奇，但是当朴实的严德凤�人用质朴的语言�述她返阳�念佛的过程，��的莲��点头赞�，没有人会认为她所说虚�，唯觉佛力���议�

  å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�å�—无阿弥陀佛ï¼�……

   

  马éž�山市 佛莲记述               

  2009年6月8日

• Dawnfirstlight

  12 Jan 11, 16:45

  Thanks for sharing. Sometimes friends will say things like they envy things  that I own. I always tell them that there is nothing to envy. Today, they belong to me but who knows may be tomorrow they are not mine.

• Dawnfirstlight

  12 Jan 11, 16:48

  Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

  My advice to everyone is, start contemplating on this question:

  Who is dragging this corpse along?

  Still comtemplating. Pardon me for asking a stupid question. Is there an answer to this question ? No "I" and no "self", so.......?