How to die
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Everybody has to face death one day; it is not a frightening thing;
being frightened won't help you overcome it. If you live properly,
you will be able to face death systematically. As the dying moment
only comes once, it is very important to be exact and perfect in
whatever one.

Just as you need to know how to live, it is important to learn how
to die. How to die is more
important than how to live. It determines your next life. The only
thing every being owns is their actions - karma.

Note : read on karma

Everybody whether he is a monk or a lay-man, educated or uneducated
regardless of what is his/her religion, whether you believe it to me
true or not, you will be affected. So why not take the chance to
believe this could be true. i does not affect you in any negative
way but only positively.

If someone may have done numerous meritorious deeds; however
numerous they are, if he inclines his mind towards unwholesome
objects when dying, he may reach to the lower abodes.
The thought moment at death determines his destination. If the
meritorious deeds he has done through his life are out of his
thoughts, they cannot come into his thought-process when dying.
Although for sure the meritorious actions which he performed through
his life will produce their good results in certain future, he has
however ended up in a less than desirable place, because maybe
because of ignorance, wrong view or lack of control of mind.

To explain how the last thought will have on your next life is to
look at the cattle example.

One who raises cattle opens the gate of his cow-pen to let cattle go
out every morning, drives them to pasture and watches them on the
grounds. When evening comes, he drives them back to their pen and
shut them in. On their return way, they jostle with one another at
the gate of the cow-pen. Of these, the stronger cattle enter ahead
and the weaker ones follow later. Thus the old ox moves aside to let
the stronger ones enter first and have to follow later. When the old
ox gets into the cow-pen, there are only soggy areas left because
the stronger and younger ones have already taken good places. So, it
has to take the place near the gate of the cow-pen where cow-dung
and rubbish are piled. It really had to enter later and stays at the
entrance of the cow-pen. But, when morning comes and the cow-herd
opens the gate for their pasture, who will come out first? The
stronger ones? or the old ones?

This example is vary notable. No matter how many stronger ones there
are, when coming out of the cow-pen, the oldest and weakest will be
first. In the similar way how many notable meritorious deeds through
the life, a little bit of merit or good thought-process done at the
gate of death will first effect the next existence. The last one in
is the first one out.

6 realms you could go to.
--------------------------
*realm of hell beings
*realm of hungry ghost
*realm of animals
*realm of human beings
*realm of demi gods
*realm of gods

In brief, perform meritorious deeds as routine and always remember
them. Such a bit is called regularly practised kamma. As the object
regularly practised many times becomes habitual action, it can never
be forgotten even at the time of dying when one is distracted by
pain or any forms of discomfort.

Break the Chains of Attachment
--------------------------------
Just like a drowning person grasps onto whatever he can reach so
also a dying person's mind may be inclined to whatever object he is
attached. He clings to it passionately. It is very important to
break these chains of attachment.

It is very hard for men to forsake the properties he has earned
through his life. Some have strong attachments to their homes. It is
most difficult to cut the attachment with parents, sons and
daughters, teachers and relatives who have lived together with one
through life. Think it over. Is it not difficult to break these
chains? These chains are the things which will make you descend to
lower abodes.

In fact, life is just a tiny moment of the samsaric circle. Sons and
daughters, husbands and wives, teachers and relatives temporarily
meet one another in this human world. You must be dutiful but should
not be attached to them. Everybody is on his own way through
countless samsaric journeys. Be pure in your mind!


3 Methods of Death
-----------------------
Since you are healthy, you have to consider how to face death. There
are 3 methods of death,
the one with charity and the other with morality and meditation.
Then so, let us draw a plan of how to die,Therefore, of charity
(Dana), morality (Sila) and meditation (Bhavana) - what shall we
depend on?


To die with charity
----------------------

To do this one have to recollect a list of charity that one has done
before, eventually finding
one that fully satisfy him, and constantly recollecting it, until it
has been habitual. As the object regularly practised many times
becomes habitual action, it can never be forgotten even at the time
of dying when one is distracted by pain. In brief, perform
meritorious deeds as routine and always remember them. Such a bit is
called regularly practised kamma.

Example 1 is preparing for Death by sitting on an Ox cart. An old
man would spread the rough mat on the cart and used to sit or lie on
it after his meal. In the past, he had constructed a big monastery
with seven spires and donated it to the presiding Sayadaw. While
laying or sitting on his cart, he would gaze at that great building
and was satisfied with his noble deeds. In fact, he was practising
Saganussati, the recollection of charitable deeds. It is sure that
he has reached higher abodes.

EXample 2 in the life-time of the Buddha, a dying devotee who had
offered a set robes had vision of such objects of hell as flames,
waiters and cauldrons on account of his demeritorious deeds done
through his life. Fortunately, he remembered his donation of robes
when he saw the red hell-fires. At that moment, the hellish objects
disappeared from his thought-process and objects of heaven lined
lately appeared. Thus, he went up to the higher Deva Lokas due to
the immediate remembrance of the donation of robes at the dying
moment. Keep that fact in your mind.

To Die with Morality and Importance of Repeated Performance
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5 Percepts
*To undertake not to kill
*To undertake not to steal
*To undertake not to lie
*To undertake not to take intoxicants
*To undertake not to abstain from sexual misconduct

other right actions of good and positive intentions are also correct
moral behaviours. Refrain for any bad or negative actions are also
correct moral behaviours.

Here I will show you of how to die with morality. When near death,
the body is weak and only mental actions are prominent. Therefore,
we have to depend only on them.

Example of the time when the Buddha resided at the Jetavana
monastery of Savatthi. A crew of Seven hundred Sailors went out for
trade in their vessel which was as swift as an arrow. After seven
days, they unexpectedly ran into a strong storm and great waved
swamped over the deck and floundered the bilge of the vessel. The
water was rising and whole vessel was gradually sinking.

Those sailors who noticed a fellow sailor in a strange manner asked
him in surprise "My friend, aren't you afraid in such fearful
conditions? Why are you sitting here in such a fearless manner?" He
replied calmly, "My friends, let me explain: - it is useless and
fruitless to be afraid of facing danger; as for me, I prepared my
refuge, first; on the day I boarded the vessel, I offered a meal to
the Bhikkhu Samgha, undertaking the five precepts together with the
three refuges, tisaranas. My precepts are still maintained; at this
present moment, I am recollecting these precepts together with the
three refuges. Therefore, I'm not afraid of this dangerous situation.

Therefore, the sailors asked him for the method of how to live in
fearless state.After they all had undertaken the precepts, the
Buddhist devotee called out to them, My friends, stay calm with
recollection of your precepts. Not long after, all were drowned.Due
to the immediate observance of precepts, all the sailors reached the
the higher abodes of Tavatimsa , living in golden mansions
peacefully and happily.

Bear in your mind with firm confidence that even those who were not
genuine Buddhists can achieve such benefits due to the immediate
observance of five precepts when facing death. Especially, recollect
your regular practised precepts through your life at the time of
dying. Just like the devotee sailor in the story, you should firmly
observe your precepts to be happy to see your pure precepts.

When a dying person cannot open his eyes, nor raise up his head, and
his consciousness is blurred and can only grasp vague objects, at
that time he can do nothing - neither recollect the precepts and his
donations, nor even the development of meditation. What should he do
at this important moment? He should recite the words, " Buddhaim
saranam gacchami; Dhammam Saranam gacchami; Samgham Saranam
gacchami - I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dhamma,
and I take refuge in the samgha. Each should be recited three times.
He should practise it when he regains consciousness.


Transferring of Life with meditation
-------------------------------------
Let's continue to talk about the transferring of life with the help
of meditation. Some think that it may not be possible; it may be out
of their reach. Some also presume that meditation should be done
only in old age. Neither is true. It is not difficult to meditate.
Indeed, it is only too easy to perform it.

You need to repeatedly practise any sort of meditation you like in
preparation. For instance - when dying you most be able to practise
the meditation you have engaged in beforehand, breath-in and breath-
out meditation (Anapana), repeated recollection of the virtues of
Buddha (Buddhanussati), the meditation on Loving-Kindness or
whatever you like to practise.

You'd better perform meditation daily and if it is done so, you will
easily get control of yourself when the occasion arises

In truth, the instruction to die with the recollection of Dana or
Sila or Saranagamana is only for those who have never practised
meditation. In fact, the recollection of dana, etc. is a sort of
meditation but it will not be performed as proficient as an
experienced meditator, the less concentrative power of the
meditation, the less beneficial to the meditator.

Therefore, the meditators, if they die with the object of
meditation, they need not incline their mind' towards a wholesome
state, for it will automatically arise. Do not forget the word, "to
die with the object of meditation".