Essays on death

Ven. Xin-Xing
Abbot, Dharma Seal Monastery, Walden, NY

Here is what I think of life and death:

As there is spring, so there is winter.
Likewise, as there is birth, so there is death.
As there is head of a coin, so there is tail of of it.
Birth and death are the two sides of life.

Do you remember the moment when you were born?
Isn't that moment you are so brave like a hero embarking on an unknown journey?
Although it seems it happened just like yesterday, very few of us can remember what we experienced.
Have you ever thought that we can prepare ourselves to be ready to embark on our death journey?

There are many ways to train oneself to face the moment of death:

1. Live a life with love, with meaning. How one lives one's life, so how one passes away.
2. Train oneself to be mindful of the breath. Imagine this is the last breath you are going to breathing in and exhale out. Experience that moment.
3. Cherish the persons around you. Who knows when and where we may meet our death? And who knows we will ever have an opportunity to meet them again?
4. Do you know that you are walking NOT ALONE in the journey of death? Amitabha buddha, Medicine Buddha, Guan-yin, Earth store Bodhisattvas are always there to guide you along the way. What you have to do is to calm down the mind and recollect in your mind the Buddha's and Bodhisattva's name. You may also tell your firends to help you to recollect the names of the Buddhas and the Bodhisattas. Train your mind and heart to familiarize the names and the looks of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. THEY WILL GUIDE YOU ALONG THE PATH.