2. The time of death is uncertain.
If you think every day, “I will die today,” or
at least “I will probably die today,” you will act for the benefit of whatever
next life you will go to, and you will not make preparations to remain in this
life. If you do not have this thought, you will see yourself as staying in this
life, and you will make provisions for this life rather than act for the
benefit of your next life. For example, when you plan to stay someplace for a
long time, you make preparations to stay there. If you think that you are not
going to stay there, but are going elsewhere, you make preparations for
leaving. Hence, every day you must develop an awareness of the imminence of
your death in the following way.
a- The life span in this world is uncertain.
Bear in mind the
cases you have seen or heard concerning the gurus and friends who reached the
end of their life span but died without fulfilling their intentions, suddenly
dying because of external and internal causes. Be aware of death, thinking over
and over, “I too am subject to such a death.”
b- The causes of death are very many and the causes of
life few.
Furthermore, there
are no causes of staying alive that no not become causes of death. In other
words, you seek such things as food and drink, shelter, and friends in order
not to die, but even these can become causes of death. For instance, you may
consume the wrong food and drink, or consume too much or too little. Your
shelter could crumble, or your friends could deceive you. Thus, it is clear
that there are no causes of staying alive that cannot become causes of death.
Since life itself is headed toward death, the conditions for life would offer
no security even if they were numerous. (156)
c- The body is very fragile.
The contemplation
of the uncertainty of the time of death is the most important of the three
roots. This is the very thing that will redirect your mind, so work hard at it.
(158)
3. The contemplation that at
the time of death nothing helps except spiritual practice
a- Friends will not help.
When you see that you must go to your next life, no matter how many loving and very worried relatives and friends surround you at that time, you cannot take even one with you. (158)
b- Resources will not help.
No matter how many piles of beautiful jewels you have, you cannot take
even the slightest particle with you.
c- Your body will not help.
If instead you seek only to find happiness and to avoid suffering up
until your death, then you are going to need a course of conduct which
surpasses animal behaviour, since animals are better than humans at temporal
happiness. (159)
Therefore, although it is quite hard to produce this mindfulness of
death, you must work at it because it is the foundation of the path. (159)
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