HH Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche
When I travelled abroad long ago, I came across many who died in their
twenties.
They had never even thought about the nature of death and impermanence and this
is so especially in Western countries where heads are spinning under the
influence of improved standards of living, with all the excitement that goes
with it.
Thus when young people suddenly fall sick and face death, many cannot accept it
and ask, ‘Why must I die’? Such young people do not know how to die and they
ask the question, why? I have met many who wail in great distress asking for
protection at the moment of death.
So it is really unfortunate if you have not reflected on this question and
suddenly find yourself in difficulties. Therefore, just take a look. There is
no order in death, whether you are young or old.
Some die in their mother’s womb. Others die as they are born. Some die one or
two days after birth, and today, because of machines of all kinds, many die in
accidents or from being wounded. Amongst yourselves and your young friends,
girls and boys, those of the same age or even younger, many will die.
Whether you see their suffering at the time of death or not, it is important to
keep in mind that talk on impermanence and death is not just empty words. This
is something that really happens.
For all those who do not consider death in their practice, or in a more general
way, when unbearable suffering arises, it is very difficult to help them, is
this not so?
Once, when travelling abroad I got to know a young man, around 25. He had a
serious illness and his tongue became swollen. At that time teachings were
going on so he came to receive them.
Afterwards when the teachings were finished and everyone had left he came and
lay down in front of me. I told him, ‘It is the same for everyone, whoever you
may be, once you are born you will die. There is no-one who remains alive and
does not die. If you are feeling great suffering you should meditate on
impermanence.’ He knew a little about Buddhism. So, nodding his head, he kind
of accepted it.
Being a Buddhist you can accept this, but if it is someone who knows nothing of
this religion, even if you try to explain it to them they will not accept it.
They will not listen. At that point, the only thing to do is to sit there
twitching. There is no other way.
Once we are born we must die. If you cannot reflect again and again on this,
then not only in the Dharma but in everyday life, you will be unable to do the
giving-and-taking practice (tonglen).
Accustom yourself to meditate repeatedly on impermanence —this is very
important.
When we say, ‘meditate on impermanence’, this does not simply mean thinking
about ordinary impermanence…Usually, during the preliminaries, it seems that we
are reciting prayers and performing a few accumulations, but these are of no
use to anyone, self or others, however impressive and correct they may look. No
benefit!
On the other hand, what I mean here is, if you read just one line of verse and
reflect on its meaning and as a result you get experience in the depths of your
mind, that will be beneficial.
Then when seeing others, if one gets a feeling or a mental experience of clear
lucid compassion, this will be beneficial.
But unless it becomes integrated into one’s mental continuum through meditation
on impermanence, and unless it has an effect on your habitual tendencies, if
you are just reading dry words, we cannot call this beneficial for others, or
meditating on impermanence.
So, each individual must give rise to experience again and again, in his or her
own mind. Later on, at the moment when
death and the fear of impermanence really arrive, this feeling will be
beneficial.
Otherwise, if you just process these words in your mind, ‘I’m going to die’, it
will be of no use. You must give rise to impermanence in your mental continuum.
For example, when someone who knows the Dharma is unable to give rise to this,
but is holding something precious in his or her hands and carelessly lets it
fall and break, then they will be able to meditate on impermanence. But another
person who does not comprehend impermanence and who is intensely attached to
wealth will suffer awful pain even to such an extent they may not be able to
sleep at night.
Lord Gampopa said this about this question, ‘If you meditate well on
impermanence without getting attached to it, your attachment will progressively
diminish.
When impermanence happens and when in the depths of your mind a good feeling of
understanding of impermanence arises, suffering will be there, but it will be
less. You will say: ‘This is nothing. Nothing more than the mere fact that I am
dying.’ So, meditating on impermanence is really important, isn’t it!
To integrate the meaning of impermanence and death is not only a question of
the Dharma. In general, it is indispensable in order to be able to bear
situations in daily life in this world.
For example, students who usually get top marks at school, but one day sit
exams and do not get the marks they are expecting. Quite a number of them will
commit suicide by jumping from a cliff, or into a river.
In the same way, when boys and girls grow up and suddenly find there is a
change in attitude on the part of their friend or lover, many will commit
suicide too. In the same way, if we take government officials as an example,
when those in a good position suddenly find all kinds of contradiction and
changes arising, often they will kill their whole family and, in the end, kill
themselves.
Why does this happen? Because they have not understood the nature of
impermanence. In a similar way, if we are unable to give rise to impermanence
in mind, we will be unable to face living in the world of samsara, and this is
a great paradox.
Not only are we Buddhists in this world, we are born in one of the six realms
of living beings and so we must die, for we are all of impermanent nature. At
the end of our lives we shall die, because we are all exactly the same in this
way.
Therefore, meditating on impermanence is an indispensable practice for
everyone, whatever religion you follow, and even if you follow none. Especially
amongst Buddhist practitioners, essentially when we meditate on this question
without having much attachment to this life, as it is said in the Mahamudra
Gangama.
‘Kyeho! Look well at the phenomena of
this world! If you can realise their impermanence, all becomes like an illusory
dream.’
So, if you meditate well in mind on this question, you will understand the
meaning of it being like an illusion or a dream. All these are different ways
in which the law of cause and effect appears before us, but the root depends
upon one’s own karma.
In the ‘four reminders’, whether it is cause and effect, death and
impermanence, the defects of samsara, or the difficulty of obtaining a
perfectly endowed human body, it is said that it does not matter which you
meditate upon. If devotion arises in mind, you should take that as your main
practice.
It does not matter which one of the four, they are not different from each
other. Each is linked to the other. If good practice arises from all of them,
then whatever happens you will not be attached to this world, you will feel
revulsion towards samsara, faith and diligence will follow and whatever
happens.
If there is sudden death or sometimes illness, etc., you will know the true
nature of impermanence and non-attachment. You will know the true nature of
existence. If this happens, your meditation on the nature of death and
impermanence will have served its purpose.
