Death

I learned just this morning that my daughter's grandmother-in-law may have a terminal disease. My daughter and son-in-law are quite upset about it. This woman means a lot to them. It made me think about the finality of life.

We are all born and so, by default, we all will die. It is something that we tend to ignore or pretend doesn't exist, especially when we are young. As we get older, there comes a time when we begin to face the reality of our own death. Once we have confronted this inevitable event, it holds much less sway over our lives.

In meditation, we are sometimes encouraged to face our own death. Some would say we should go so far as to imagine our body decaying, rotting in the grave. Whether we go that far or not, I think it is a good idea to come to grips with the fact of death. I don't say this to be morbid, but to encourage along the Path of freedom and enlightenment.

Buddha said that the cause of all suffering is attachment. Yoga teaches the same thing. Jesus said it as well. The Bhagavad Gita 2.57 tells us that the one who is unattached does not suffer from negative events.

When we come to the point where we can let go of everything in this life, including our own lives, then life holds little threat over us. This does not mean that we no longer wish to live, wish to prosper, but that we are willing to live in the enjoyment of the moment, whatever that is.