I. The Moment of Death
and the State of Death
Though we all have
lived and died through countless rebirths, none of us can recall the experience
of death. We do not know what death is really like. According to the sutras,
when we die, we are still fully cognizant of all that are going on around us.
We may hear the calm voice of the doctor announcing our death or the sound of
our family grieving. We may still be able to see people gathering around our
body, trying to move our body that is now empty of heartbeats and breathing. We
may still worry about the many things that still need to be completed. We may
feel ourselves moving among our family and friends, wanting to tell them what
they should do. However, everybody is overcome with grief, and no one is able
to see or hear us.
In the Reader's
Digest, there was once an article about one man's near-death experience. One
day while he was driving, he had a severe accident; the car was totally
demolished, and he was killed on the spot. When the ambulance, paramedics, the
police, and his family arrived on the scene, his consciousness had already left
the body, and he felt himself floating in the air. He could hear over the din a
group of people arguing about how the accident happened. So, he went over to
the police officer and tried to tell him what actually happened. But the
officer could neither hear nor see him. None of the others took notice of his
presence nor could they see him. At this time, he only had his consciousness
and was no longer in possession of his body. He finally became aware that he
was floating outside his body, looking at his own body like an onlooker. He
then found himself passing, at an incredible speed, through a long, dark, and
narrow tunnel.
Another person spoke
of his near-death experience when he suffered a severe head injury and was
brought back from the brink of death. He said, "I remember my head went
‘boom,' and I lost consciousness. Afterward, I just felt warm, comfortable, and
peaceful." This is because once one's consciousness leaves the body, the
consciousness is no longer constrained and can therefore feel a level of
comfort and serenity that it has never before experienced. Another person also
has this to say of his near-death experience: "When I was dying, I had an
extremely good, wonderful, and peaceful sensation." Another man described
his experience this way: "I felt I was as light as a feather. I was flying
freely toward a world of brightness!" Death is not as chilling and ghastly
as we may have imagined.
In the sutras, it is
written that our life in this world is cumbersome and clumsy, not unlike a
tortoise that is weighted down by its heavy shell. When we die, we are able to
get rid of this burden and transform an existence that has been confined by the
limits of the physical body. However, when we are faced with death, most of us
still try to hold on to the seven worldly emotions and the six sensual desires.
We still cannot let go of our sons, daughters, grandchildren, or our wealth. We
do not want to die and cannot accept death gracefully. We think of dying as a
painful experience, like tearing the shell off of a living tortoise. Buddhism
does not share this view of dying. Buddhism teaches us that when we die, we are
liberated from this body, and we feel extremely free and easy. It is like the
relief of putting down a heavy piece of baggage. How light and free it is!
Whether we are smart
or slow, good or bad, we all have to face death. Death is not a question of if,
but a question of when and how. Even a powerful emperor like Emperor Chin-shih,
who united the whole of China and became its first emperor, could not find any
means to prolong his life. The mythical Peng Tsu might have lived to eight
hundred years, but cosmologically, his life span was as short as that of an insect
which lives only from morn till night. All beings that live must, without
exception, also die. The difference lies only in the circumstances of death.
The sutras divide the circumstances of death into four categories.
1. Death upon
exhaustion of one's life span
This is what is called
dying of old age. It is like a flickering flame that dies out naturally when
its supply of oil is exhausted. We all like to live a nice long life, but a
human life span has its limits. Life continues only with every breath we take,
but as soon as we stop breathing, we die and are returned to the soil. There is
a saying which goes like this: "Some only live from dawn till dusk. Others
are born in spring or summer and die in autumn or winter. Some live for ten
years, or a hundred, or even a thousand. Though we may live for a short or long
time, is there really much difference?" What this says is that our life
span has a limit, and no one can escape this reality.
2. Death upon
exhaustion of one's merits
It is said in the sutras,
"Humans do not understand life and death; human eyes do not discern
[karmic] merits and demerits." Life is like an air bubble on the surface
of water; when the air inside the bubble dissipates, the bubble no longer
exists. After a rich man has squandered his wealth, he becomes poor. Similarly,
when we have exhausted our merits, death will soon be knocking on our doors.
3. Death caused by
accidents
This is what we call
"premature death," which means that one dies when one is not supposed
to. One may be killed in a car accident, ambushed in a war, murdered by an
enemy, or attacked by a wild beast. Such deaths are sudden and unexpected.
There is a Chinese proverb that is a fitting description of this kind of sudden
death. It goes like this: "As long as one continues to breathe,
possibilities abound. When death comes, everything comes to a standstill."
4. Death at will
The three
circumstances of death described above are unpredictable and uncontrollable. On
the contrary, death at will is without uncertainty and can be planned. In
Buddhism, this is often referred to as "living and dying at will,"
and there are many great masters and Buddhist sages who can be born and die at
will. They are not controlled by birth and death for they are totally in tune
with the coming together and the breaking away of causes and conditions. Master
Tao-an of the East Chin dynasty is a perfect example of such great masters. He
was in total control of the passing of his life. On February 8th of the
twentieth year of the Chien-yuan era, he assembled his disciples at the great
hall of the Wu-chung temple in Chang-an. After praying and paying respect to
the Buddha, he calmly told his disciples, "I am going to leave now! All of
you should continue to spread the words of the Dharma and wake the ignorant up
from their delusion."
Everyone was shocked
and pleaded with the master, "Teacher, you are so healthy and strong. You
should live for a long time to continue the work of the Buddha. How can you
stop and leave us now? It is time for lunch; please have lunch first."
Tao-an answered,
"Good, I'll have a little bit of lunch." Having said this, he ate his
lunch as usual. After lunch, he returned to his room to rest, and he passed
away while resting. Master Tao-an died at will, completely free of pain and
suffering. If we practice the Dharma diligently, we can become free of karma,
the force that binds us to death. We, too, can become enlightened and enter
nirvana.
Now that we have
discussed the circumstances of death, let us turn our focus into another aspect
of death. What are the sensations of death? The sutras tell us of three
sensations experienced in death. They are:
1. The imbalance of
the great earth element: When one dies of a disease of the body, one feels a
sinking sensation as the body feels like a big piece of land sinking into the
ocean. Slowly and gradually, the body is immersed and the person feels
suffocated. The sensation associated with this kind of death is described as
"the great earth element being taken over by the great water
element."
2. The imbalance of
the great water element: When one dies of circulatory diseases, one initially
has a sensation of being submerged in water, feeling wet and cold. Later, this
gives way to a burning sensation, and the person feels very, very hot. The
sensation associated with this kind of death is described as "the great
water element being engulfed by the great fire element."
3. The imbalance of
the great fire element: When one dies of pulmonary diseases, one feels a
burning sensation, like a wildfire burning at dusk. Then the body feels a
biting pain as if being blown into pieces by strong gusts and being scattered
about like ashes. The sensation associated with this kind of death is described
as "the great fire element being swallowed by the great wind
element."
We will next turn our
discussion to what it is like immediately after death and before our next
rebirth. The sutras tell us that because our body is transformed from a finite
and bounded form to a limitless and formless state when we die, the way we feel
immediately following death is not all bad. This may seem a bit surprising, but
there are three good reasons to explain this.
1. The limit of time
and space: When we are alive, we are limited by time and space. We cannot travel
simply by willing to be at a certain place, and we cannot revert the aging
process that the passage of time brings upon us. Upon death, [and before our
next rebirth,] we are liberated from the limits of the physical body, and our
true nature can move about freely through the three realms of existence.
2. The burden of the
body: It is said in the Dharmapada, "The physical body is the cause of all
the sufferings on earth. The sufferings of hunger and thirst, hot or cold,
anger and fear, lust, desires, hatred, and tragedy—all these stem from the
existence of the body." When we are alive, we spend a lot of time taking
care of our body. When we are hungry, we have to eat; when we are cold, we have
to put on more clothing. When we are sick, we have to endure the pain. If we
pause for a moment and take stock, we will notice that a lot of our concerns do
pertain to the body. After death, the consciousness is no longer constrained by
the confines of the body and all the problems associated with a physical body also
vanish with it. There is no more hunger or sickness; a huge burden is lifted
from our shoulders.
3. The supernatural
element: While we are alive, our faculties are limited by our body. After
death, we are no longer bound by the laws of physics. We will be able to see
things that cannot be detected by the human eye. We will be able to hear sounds
that cannot be heard by the human ear. We will be able to float freely in the
air, as the force of gravity does not apply to us anymore. In this state, walls
will not be able to stop us, and we will be able to travel simply by willing
it.
Death is not an end;
it is not a finality. On the contrary, it is the beginning of another new
existence. When we die, the physical body ceases to function, but the consciousness
lives on. During the time after death and before the next rebirth, the
consciousness is in a state referred to in Buddhism as the "intermediate
being" state. Depending on the cumulative karma from previous lives, an
intermediate being will be reborn into one of the six realms. Once reborn, all
memories of past lives will be lost. This is called the "confusion of
rebirth." Thus, we cannot recall any memories of our past lives, and when
we are reborn in our next life, we will not recall any of the memories of this
present life. A poem written by Emperor Shun Chin says it well, "Before I
was born, who was I? After my birth, who am I? If this grown man is me, then
who is the fellow after death?"
Actually, it is not
important for one to know one's past or future lives. From the Buddhist
teachings, we learn that one never dies. What dies is the physical body, a
combination of the four great elements. While the physical body dies, the
consciousness continues without interruption. When we learn that the physical
body is as lasting as a water bubble, then we begin to see the illusiveness of
the world around us. We can then accept death without reservation.
