The Joy of Death

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Our thoughts on death can greatly determine our outlook on life. Do we want to stay bound to the transience of everything? Is it right to grieve for a long time over the loss of a loved one? As Kaushalya warns Dashrath in Ramayan: “Grief destroys courage. It destroys one’s learning and all noble attributes. There is no enemy greater than grief.” How then are we to look death courageously in the eyes?Krishn answers this question in Bhagwad Gita by pointing out how we may understand death in...

Mourning the dead is not part of ancient death rituals; they are meant to diffuse grief and encourage sharing of happy memories, writes NARAYANI GANESHWhen a dear one passes on and leaves her mortal coils behind, there is much grief and weeping; and a period of mourning is observed. This kind of sadness ritual is not truly traditional; it is more of a recent phenomenon that has grown with the focus shifting from the collective to the individual. The individual, who cries more for herself rather...

Water and wave, being and nonbeing, beginning and ending — liberation from all duality, teaches THICH NHAT HANH, is the key to enlightenment.   We come to the practice of meditation seeking relief from our suffering, and meditation can teach us how to transform our suffering and obtain basic relief. But the deepest kind of relief is the realization of nirvana. There are two dimensions to life, and we should be able to touch both. One is like a wave, and we call it the historical dimension....

Death is separation of the soul from the physical body. Death becomes the starting point of a new life. Death merely opens the door to a higher and fuller form of life. Birth and death are jugglery of maya. He who is born begins to die. He who dies begins to live. Life is death and death is life. No one comes, no one goes. Brahmn or the eternal alone exists.Just as you move from one house to another, the soul passes from one body to another to gain experience. Just as a man casting off worn-out...

There is no pain at the time of death. Ignorant people have created much horror and terror regarding death. In the Garuda Purana and the Atma Purana, it is described that the pangs of death are tantamount to the pain caused by the stings of 72,000 scorpions. This is mentioned only to induce fear in the hearers and readers, and force them to work for Moksha.In spiritualism, there is unanimous report from the enlightened spirits that there is not even a bit of pain during death. They clearly...

This is the wonder! When the yaksha asked Yudhishthira, “What is the biggest wonder in this world?” he replied, “People are dying every day and yet each one wants to be deathless.” When no one has become immortal yet, how can you be the first one? People are afraid of death because they think it is the termination of the chapter, the end of the book. They do not believe that they will continue to live even after death. They see a body being burnt to ashes and think that everything has...

Death brings you in touch with the reality of life. Death creates a vacuum, a void. Void is the fertile ground for the spirit to manifest. All talents, invention, creativity springs forth from the void, and creation has a tendency to return to the void.Bharat says, "All the problems come when you avoid the void." (Laughter)All the places of worship in all religions are connected with places of burial/cremation, as the awareness of death alone can bring dispassion and make you well grounded in...

Do you know you will die one day? We don’t know if you will get married or not, if you will get a job or not, if you will be successful or not, but death is one thing that is guaranteed in your life. One of the biggest follies is to engage with death in the third person, as though it is an abstract event that happens to other people, not us. About 1,60,000 people in the world, who were alive yesterday, are not here today. Each second, two people die in the world. And one day, it is going to...

Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died. Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable.Bhagwad Gita 2.27--The Mahabharata war, the war between Rama and Ravana, and the First and Second World Wars took place because they had to take place. What is so great about death? In fact, what is great about birth either? Insects, mosquitoes, dogs, cats and donkeys breed, and so do humans. Why do you try to avoid that death which is unavoidable? Why...