Meditation on Death

Although we know we are going to die one day, most of us prefer to ignore this undeniable truth and live our life as if the only things that matter are the things that we will have to leave behind when we die.

But as Geshe Kelsang Gyatso says in Living Meaningfully Dying Joyfully:

“The fact of the matter is that this world is not our home. We are travellers, passing through. We came from our previous life, and in a few years, or a few days, we shall move on to our next life. We entered this world empty handed and alone, and we shall leave empty handed and alone. Everything we have accumulated in this life, including our body, will be left behind. All we can take with us into our next life are the imprints of the positive and negative actions we have created.”

We will explore the Buddhist understanding of what happens when we die, and how we can meet death with a calm and fearless mind. Having come to terms with our own mortality, we will be in a position to help and support others who are close to dying.