Meditation and dying

 

Remember, friends, as you pass by,

As you are now so once was I.

As I am now, so you must be.

Prepare yourself to follow me.

An old epitaph by Anon.

Meditation can be a wonderful practice when someone is getting close to the end of their life. If this is you, it can help make your transition more conscious, easier and more peaceful. It can also help face up to the reality of death and prepare to die with acceptance and equanimity. I certainly intend to enjoy more meditation if I have time to prepare when my time comes.

If it’s someone else who’s dying, and meditation is not their thing, you can bring a peaceful presence just by sitting quietly nearby. And, of course, you would also be helping busy medical staff, as well as family and friends, by creating a calmer atmosphere.

A quick internet search will uncover many meditations on the subject of death itself, intended as preparation. I have always valued simplicity though, so the following is more my sort of thing...

A simple meditation

This meditation is as good for enders as it is for beginners:

• Sit comfortably, close your eyes and give yourself a couple of minutes to settle.

• Then take a normal breath and observe it.

• What do you experience and where do you experience it:

  • As you breathe in?

  • At the end of the in-breath?

  • As you breathe out?

  • At the end of the out-breath?

• Stop now or repeat as many times as you like.

As you breathe you’ll probably be aware of sounds and other sensations. Same with thoughts and feelings, which will also come and go. None of that matters. When you notice that you are experiencing something other than breathing, come back to experiencing breathing. No worries, no hurries...

When you feel as though you have done enough breath-experiencing, take a couple of minutes to open your eyes and look around before moving on to other aspects of your day.

For me, nothing is better than the simplicity of a meditation like this for connecting with the still, spacious presence within. As I mentioned above, this is a meditation that can be as effective at taking you deeper, whether you have been meditating for decades or if this is your first time.

My experience of consciousness, much of which has come about through meditation, is that it is timeless, spacious, unlimited and so I see death as another awakening, although I don’t know what’s on the other side of the door yet...

“Living is a joy. Dying in order to begin again is also a joy. Starting over is a wonderful thing, and we are starting over constantly. beginning anew is one of our main practices at Plum Village, and we must die every day in order to renew ourselves, in order to make a fresh start. Learning to die is a very profound practice.” Thich Nhat Hanh – Vietnamese Buddhist monk who died on 22/1/22

 

P.S. Whether you are the person dying or it is someone that you love, may I also suggest that you tell the people you are close to that you love them. It just makes everything a bit better.

Bibliography

Thich Nhat Hanh (n.d.). Thich Nhat Hanh on Dying...and Living. Accessed 18 October, 2023. https://www.shambhala.com/thich-nhat-hanh-on-dying/

Key words

meditation, death, dying, acceptance, equanimity, peace, love,

Link

https://herethewaking.blogspot.com/2023/10/meditation-and-dying.html