What is death?
Eventhough the number one worldly power can not to end the yama of death, a powerful that universal emperor also will die certainly, eventhough it is protecting you by millions solders with nuclear weapons and guns, it can not to save and free you from the lord of death, your terrible death certainly will come and catch you on one day.
The second reason is here; why not we will not to die, because of our life is always approach to the death year to year and day to day, it is getting shorter to shorter and no addition on that life. Therefore your terrible death certainly will come and catch you on one day. Generally we don’t think about death, because, every people already know that we will die within hundred years definitely, but most people are thinking like this; I will not to die at now because, I am young and not sick, my heal is ok, I can live for long time, but these are not a right reason. The order in which death strikes is not according to the age, children frequently die at younger time and their parent has to bury them.
Also many younger people than you have died already. Some babies of all kind of creature die unfortunately after the just born. We are not sick at this time, but patients might be confined to their beds and even they haven’t died yet, we can see that many healthy people suddenly die by sudden condition of death; earth quick, bomb blast, war and so on. With eyewitness you can see that some people had died during their meal without any special condition of death. So most of people are hopping to be long life and good health, but they don’t have freedom from the karma and impermanent issue, the death and terrible suffering are nothing in their hands and depending on the cause and condition.
As you know, how many people died by sudden cause and condition such as terrorism, infection disease: H.I.V. cancels and so on. How to can you decide that you will not to die in this evening and at tomorrow? Actually most people don’t make a preparation for the death, and they make the preparation for living in long time, that is really wrong perception in their life.
At the big festival like New Year, we say like that, lets we have a good party, dance, and sing a song, musical play and so on. Young girls and boys are giving love to each other and they say, “Will you marry me?” Let’s visit in around world with joyful. These are silly idea, full empty, just passing thing and time waste of human life. Because, human being is very very pressures than other beings and human life is very short and useful for benefiting to other and one self according to the great intelligence and clear mind.
But the terrible obstruction death is coming soon on our pressures life, so we don’t much time for wondering in busy world. We should do some thing essential point and preparation of bear an ultimate happiness for other and one self from today as much as we can, I always think like that really, so I have written down about that again and again. After the death we need more Dharma impression and imputation of collected virtues in our mind for gaining a good way of rebirth and happiness. Until up to now we didn’t collect the merits, good actions and Dharma practice.
Our hands and mind are empty and every thing, which we have, in our mind and hand is worldly thing. These will not be able to use for us after the death. Je Gungthang Rinpoche says, “in customary saying like this; already passed twenty years of remembering that one should do a Dharma practice, then after that time, already passed twenty years of being forever about to do a Dharma practice. At the final, already passed twenty years of saying that, I never did a Dharma practice.
That is the story of on empty and wasted human life.” Our lives do not last long. We are mere flashes of lighting. They undergo cessation from moment to moment, are not stationary. The great play sutra says, “The three realms are as impermanent as autumn clouds, beings die and born, it is watching a play. Beings lives are brief as lighting flashes in the sky.”
We will surely die, but it is not certain when. Dalai Lama kalsang Gyaltso says, “Who was born in this samsara by the karma and delusions, and they don’t have the freedom to rest a moment in the race they run towards king of death.” We cannot even be sure that, we will still be alive next year in our preset human body, still wearing our traditional cloths. By this next time, we might have already been born as a cow or fox covered in shaggy fur, with on our head. Or we have been born as a hungry ghost such as having a drop of water. Hungry ghost eat only phlegm, which people who was throw out. Or we may have been born in the hell, having to experience the miseries of heat, cold, being boiled, or being on fire. Do you afraid when you think like this? When you know that you are going to die, you will do any sufficient Dharma practice for using after the death. Actually we are not to afraid at this time, but at the time of death we will be beating our breasts, I think, it is too late, we must be afraid to death and impermanence from now, then we needn’t be afraid when we die. But we have over turned our concerning of the death.
In other words, we have to think about the uncertainty of when we will die. We would first carry out our worldly work subduing our enemies, protecting our dear ones, and so forth.
Then, when we are feeling happiness, we could practice Dharma, but we cannot be so certain, so, it is vital to think about the uncertainty of when we will die.
Long life is depending on our past cause and condition, our long life, happiness, health, wealth, and power are controlled only by our previous actions, merits and karma. Medical treatment, Buddha’s compassion power or his blessing and anyone can’t to guaranty to make sure that our beings are not died by king of death. Otherwise it may all Buddhas already make sure that any living being not be died by the bad cause and condition.
In tantra says; “eighty thousand different types of hindering spirits surround us while we are alive, and they will be contributory factors towards our death, look’s like flies buzzing around rotten meat. These hindering spirits want to eat us and take our breath from us; they are greedy for our lives. The four hundred us like a mist.
Nagarjuna’s message teaching also says: universal suns will burn. The earth, mountains, the oceans, and all samsaric beings will turn into ashes and nothing will remain in this space at that time. So, why we will not be die? You do not think about contributory factors of losing our life. It is not only external contributory factors. There are many internal contributory factors of losing our life. For example, if you put four snakes into a container, the strongest snake will eat the rest, if the humors, similarly wind, bile and phlegm, or the four element, get a little out of balance, this can be contributory factor toward you losing your life. So, all Tibetan high lamas said: “many factors contribute our death. Very few contribute to our life and even few contributions may contribute to our death.
There for always dharma practice is very important.” We no need to think only are there any internal and external contributory factors to death, but many of factors are contributing to life may also contribute to death. For example, actually house, boats, bus, car, train, airplane, foods, and friends are contributory factors to our life. but these facilities might be damage us such like that house collapse, boats break up or over turn, bus, car and train accident, airplane fall down, foods disagree by our bodies, our friends can trick us and so on. Therefore, our life is not a stronger than butter lamb in the air. Nagarjuna says: “the lord of death resides within circumstances like the red-hot in the flame of a butter lamb. Most people think that, if my works will finish, then I will do some practice, but the works will never finish up to die, their time of death will surely coming soon.
At the moment of our death, what we will happen? As I have already said: we will be feel very afraid and will say with tears like this; now I am die, I can not live for long time, what shall I do after the death? You keep my things and relatives. At that time if any people heartily would like to do some thing for you, but it is doing nothing in that case. High condition of king and low condition of beggar are same situation of forth coming death time.
Some of Lama Say, “so many people fear death when it comes knocking on one’s door. Just the thought of what unknown dread lies ahead is enough to give anyone the shivers let alone someone old, sick and perhaps lying in the half coma. Many people fined it hard to die and to overcome the dread that seizes their heart. So if you can, help someone die, be there for them, full of reassurances and prayers.
Keep them from feeling sad or afraid. Amuse them and if necessary humour them, but most of all, share Dharma mantras with them. Chant mantras into their ears so that the last thing they hear before their consciousness leaves them are holy syllables, some of which have the power to ease their journey through the after life”.
In this case, my point of view, at the time of death, if which holy persons come to there and chant mantras thousand and thousand they con not help him, because they can not share Dharma mantra with the died person, eventough Buddhas bodhisattvas Arhats all of them will come there, they can not share their own power with died persons, why? Because, all sentient beings are running in the cyclic existence through the birth and death according to the karmic force, the karmic force is extremely powerful. The karmic force of sentient beings, law of origination and the power of Buddhas are equal strength one, so they can not to effect to each other, otherwise if it is a truth as mentioned by some of Lamas, then there are no only single beings in hell realm and samsara, because the countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas already known that beings have been dieing from beginningless to endless and they have much love and compassions , therefore they can share their powerful wisdom and Bodhicita with died people. I think it is impossible, Buddha Shakyamuni Says, “Bhddhas will not be able to wash the sins by water, the sufferings of sentient beings are can not solved by Buddha’s hands, Buddha and Boddhisattva can not share their own high knowledges with other beings, it may to be liberate by the teachings of suchness truth”.