From Chapter 9 of Tsong Khapa's Stages on the Path of Enlightenment (aka The Nine-Point Death Meditation)
The faults of not cultivating mindfulness of death.
If you are thus
seduced by the hope that this body and life will last for a long time, you will
create a strong attachment to goods, services, and the like. As if swept away
by the current of a river, you will be immersed in strong hostility toward what
prevented you, or what you fear might prevent you, from having these objects of
attachment; in delusion that is ignorant of their faults; and, as a consequence
of these two, in afflictions such as pride and jealousy, as well as strong
secondary afflictions. (145)
The benefits of cultivating mindfulness of death
Therefore, the
thought that you will not die is the source of all deterioration, and the
remedy for this is mindfulness of death, the source of all that is excellent.
Consequently, you should not think that this is a practice for those who do not
have some other profound teaching to cultivate in meditation. Nor should you
think that although this is something worthy of meditation, you should
cultivate it just a little at the beginning of the meditation session because
it is not suitable for continuous practice. Rather, be certain from the depths
of you heart that it is necessary in the beginning, middle, and end, and then
cultivate it in meditation.(147)
The kind of mindfulness of death you should develop
Thus, when you
contemplate impermanence again and again, you think, “I will undoubtedly
separate from my body and resources soon,” and you stop craving that hopes not
to leave them. Consequently, you will not fear death out of the distress of
leaving. (148)
How to cultivate mindfulness of death
By way of the three
roots, nine reasons, and three decisions. The three roots are:
1. Death is certain
a- Death will definitely come and therefore cannot be
avoided
The wise know that
all
Who have come and
will come perish,
Leave this body,
and go to the next life.
Therefore, be sure
to engage in pure behaviour by abiding in the teaching. (The Collection of Indicative
Verses)(149)
b- Our lifetime cannot be extended and constantly
diminishes
At the end of this
life, the Lord of Death will destroy you and you will pass into the next world.
Until then, there will never be a time when your life span does not diminish,
whether you are going somewhere, walking around, or lying down. Thus, starting
from the moment that you enter the womb, you do not remain for even an instant,
but go headlong toward the next lifetime. Therefore, even your intervening life
is exclusively consumed in a procession toward death led by messengers,
sickness and aging. Consequently, do not rejoice in the thought that while you
are living you are stationary and not moving toward the next lifetime. For
example, when falling from the top of a high cliff, the time of falling to
earth through space is not enjoyable. (150)
c- The certainty of death is such that even while you
are alive, there is little time for spiritual practice
Even if you could
live for the longest period explained above, it would be wrong to think that
you have time. Much of your life has already been wasted. Half of what is left
will be spent in sleep, and many of your waking hours well be wasted with other
distractions. Further, as youth fades, the time of aging arrives. Your physical
and mental strength deteriorate such that even if you want to practice
religion, you lack the capacity to do so. Consequently, you have no more than a
few chances to practice the teachings. (152)
Part 2
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