Death is certainly eventual.
Dying is not certainly gradual
[as it can be sudden].
When you are only mindful of life,
you might not be mindful of death.
When you are also mindful of death,
you will be more mindful of life.
- Stonepeace
In the Maranassati (Mindfulness of Death) Sutta, the Buddha reminded the monks that they should reflect at dusk, of how there are many possible abrupt causes of death, such as by being bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion… which thus obstructs spiritual practice. Or one might die from a fall, food-poisoning or other ailments. One should therefore investigate if there are any defilements in the mind, that will impede one if one dies in the night, so that one can exert additional aspiration, mindfulness and effort in abandoning them, with urgency as if one's head is on fire. If there are no defilements in the mind, one should dwell blissfully, and further one's skilful qualities instead. Likewise, one should reflect so at dawn, on the possibility of death in the day, and practise accordingly. This is how mindfulness of death when developed is of great benefit, even leading to the deathless (Nirvana; liberation).
In another discourse with the same name, the Buddha remarked similarly to the monks that mindfulness of death is of great benefit, to which a monk says that he had already developed mindfulness of death. When asked how he did so, he replied that he reflects that if he might live for but a day and night, to practise what the Buddha teaches, he would have accomplished much. A second monk says he reflects in the same way, but in terms of a day. A third monk says that he reflects in the same way, but in terms of the interval it takes to eat a meal. A fourth monk says he reflects in the same way, but in terms of the interval that it takes to swallow after chewing four morsels of food. A fifth monk says he reflects in the same way, but in terms of the interval it takes to exhale after inhaling, or to inhale after exhaling.
The Buddha then remarked that whoever develops mindfulness of death, as according to the first four monks, are said to be dwelling heedlessly, as mindfulness of death is developed too slowly to end the effluents (mental fermentations of sensuality, views, becoming and ignorance, that 'flow out' from the mind to sustain the 'flood' of rebirth). Whoever, however, develops mindfulness of death with reflection that one might live for but for the interval it takes to chew one morsel of food, or as according to the fifth monk, for the interval it takes to exhale after inhaling, or the inhale after exhaling, to practise what the Buddha teaches, one would have accomplished much, by dwelling heedfully, as mindfulness of death is developed acutely to end the effluents.
In Section 38 of 'The Sutra in 42 Sections', a similar dialogue was recorded. 'The Buddha asked a Shramana [monastic], "How long is the human life span?" He replied, "A few days." The Buddha said, "You have not yet understood the way." He asked another Shramana, "How long is the human life span?" The reply was, "The space of a meal." The Buddha said, "You have not yet understood the way." He asked another Shramana, "How long is the human life span?" He replied, "The length of a single breath." The Buddha said, "Excellent. You have understood the way." This is the most immediate mindfulness of death, about the fragile and fleeting nature of life, and the importance of living moment to moment with Dharma practice as much as we can. Although we do not always have a morsel of food in our mouths, we are always breathing, and with each breath, life shortens; the next breath might not come. As in the first Sutta above, death can be sudden too, with or without illness.
是日已过 命亦��
如少水鱼 斯有何� 大众
当勤精进 如救头燃
ä½†å¿µæ— å¸¸ 慎勿放逸
- 普贤è�©è�¨è¦ä¼—å�ˆ
This day has just passed, and life has shortened accordingly.
Like fish with lesser water, what joy is there?
All! Endeavour with diligence now, as if extinguishing fire on your head!
Be mindful of impermanence, and be careful to guard against laxity.
- Samantabadra Bodhisattva's Admonition for the Masses
The word "sankhara" refers to this body and mind. Sankharas are impermanent and unstable. having come into being they disappear, having arisen they pass away, and yet everyone wants them to be permanent. This is foolishness. Look at the breath. Once it's gone in, it goes out, that's its nature, that's how it has to be. The inhalations and exhalations have to alternate, there must be change. Conditions exist through change, you can't prevent it. Just think, could you exhale without inhaling? Would it feel good? Or could you just inhale? We want things to be permanent but they can't be, it's impossible. Once the breath has come in, it must go out. When it's gone out it comes back in again, and that's natural, isn't it? Having been born we get old and then die, and that's totally natural and normal. It's because conditions have done their job, because the in breaths and out breaths have alternated in this way, that the human race is still here today.
As soon as we are born we are dead. Our birth and our death are just one thing. It's like a tree: when there's a root there must be branches, when there are branches there must be a root. You can't have one without the other. It's a little funny to see how at death people are so grief stricken and distracted and at birth how happy and delighted. It's delusion, nobody has ever looked at this clearly. I think if you really want to cry it would be better to do so when someone's born. Birth is death, death is birth; the branch is the root, the root is the branch. If you must cry, cry at the root, cry at the birth. Look closely: if there was no birth there would be no death. Can you understand this?
Don't worry about things too much, just think "this is the way things are." This is your work, your duty. Right now nobody can help you, there's nothing that your family and possessions can do for you. all that can help you now is clear awareness.
So don't waver. Let go. Throw it all away.
Ajahn Chah: Our Real Home
"For Buddhism, the dualism between life and death is only one instance of a more general problem, dualistic thinking. Why is dualistic thinking a problem? We differentiate between good and evil, success and failure, life and death, and so forth because we want to keep the one and reject the other. But we cannot have one without the other because they are interdependent: affirming one half also maintains the other. Living a "pure" life thus requires a preoccupation with impurity, and our hope for success will be proportional to our fear of failure. We discriminate between life and death in order to affirm one and deny the other, and, as we have seen, our tragedy lies in the paradox that these two opposites are so interdependent: there is no life without death and--what we are more likely to overlook--there is no death without life. This means our problem is not death but life-and-death."
Master Dogen