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Afraid of death?

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Actually when one has let go fully of the attachment to fear then there are no rection to those things that fear normally arise. atleast that how it happen to me in my practice.
Usually these things come around when practice is put to the test. It was an interesting experience when I had my heart attack thinking whether it would be my last day or not. It turns out I wasn't fearful as much as I thought I'd be, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't apprehensive to some extent.

That taught me a lot about what detachment is in a Buddhist context from which I garnered a good deal of insight from the whole experience.

That red hot ball O' iron .....
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Why are some people afraid of death?
Some people? I think aside from those who have faced death and overcome that fear, such as those who are enlightened, are in fact afraid of death and pretty much all of our projects in life are about denying it. I think that pretty much defines the human condition actually, a fear of non-existence.
 

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
If "suffering" is "life" as you say, it is a bit silly
to say life is full of suffering / suffering is full of
life.

Like "water is full of water"

I cannot agree with your definition of suffering.

I agree with you,. Audie.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
The reason i said life is suffering is that humans tend to cling to everything in the physical life. this suffering is visible when example something get broken or stolen from us. we get upset/angry because of something we can not control. That someone choose to take what is seen as ours is their choce not our.
Sickness is suffering but seen from a buddhist viewpoint, sickness is karma that we repay when we are sick. what we see as sickness is only in the physical realm but there are other realms where the karma actually are located.

When we stop clinging to life and accept that this is what we go thru then we do not feel suffering because we understand the cause and affect of being a human being
 

YmirGF

Bodhisattva in Recovery
Well as a Buddhist i working on letting go of the attachments and just be in the moment :)
It might sound a little weird, but for me, at least, mindfulness helps to rob death of its sting. Likewise, compassion also serves to mitigate death's embrace in that at least you made a goddamn difference while you were here.

That said, I was an ordinary person before my first out-of-body adventure, with average hopes and fears and yet that single experience literally dissolved any apprehensions I had about death.

I am far more worried about having a surgery that radically reduces my quality of life and makes me permanently miserable (like I have seen with a LOT of elderly people). I am far more worried about having a long and lingering illness. (That would just not be fun!) Death? I can wait, like with enlightenment, but I have no worries or fears about either.
 
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Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
It might sound a little weird, but for me, at least, mindfulness helps to rob death of its sting. Likewise, compassion also serves to mitigate death's embrace in that at least you made a goddamn difference while you were here.

That said, I was an ordinary person before my first out-of-body adventure, with average hopes and fears and yet that single experience literally dissolved any apprehensions I had about death.

I am far more worried about having a surgery that radical reduces my quality of life and makes me permanently miserable (like I have seen with a LOT of elderly people). I am far more worried about having a long and lingering illness. (That would just not be fun!) Death? I can wait, like with enlightenment, but I have no worries or fears about either.

Yes meditation like insight meditation, mindfulness does help to develop comassion for all beings.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
The reason i said life is suffering is that humans tend to cling to everything in the physical life. this suffering is visible when example something get broken or stolen from us. we get upset/angry because of something we can not control. That someone choose to take what is seen as ours is their choce not our.
Sickness is suffering but seen from a buddhist viewpoint, sickness is karma that we repay when we are sick. what we see as sickness is only in the physical realm but there are other realms where the karma actually are located.

When we stop clinging to life and accept that this is what we go thru then we do not feel suffering because we understand the cause and affect of being a human being

Sounds as if you want to smooth out the road,
no pain, no joy.

That is afraid of life, not afraid of death.

Now, personally, I suspect I am ahead of you
when it comes to understanding how to take
life as it comes, and not "sweat the little things."

And I dont cloak it in mystical mumbo jumbo
anbout some ineffable "spiritual life"

If you think you are ever going to get to where
you wont feel suffering, short of death that is forget it.

If it were possible, I still wont take it.
Bet you cannot begin to fathom why.
 

Kangaroo Feathers

Yea, it is written in the Book of Cyril...
You must be such a blast at parties! :D (Just kidding!):D
It's not like it's my go to party trick or anything. I used to take fireworks to parties as my party trick, then one time an 80 shot mortar fell over after the second shot and fired the remainder into the crowd, and therefore away from me. I was the safest person there, while everyone else was running and screaming in full formal wear. Best. Party. Ever!
 

YmirGF

Bodhisattva in Recovery
It's not like it's my go to party trick or anything. I used to take fireworks to parties as my party trick, then one time an 80 shot mortar fell over after the second shot and fired the remainder into the crowd, and therefore away from me. I was the safest person there, while everyone else was running and screaming in full formal wear. Best. Party. Ever!
Reminds me of my favorite T-shirt
61EJmntnHbL._UX522_.jpg
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Sounds as if you want to smooth out the road,
no pain, no joy.

That is afraid of life, not afraid of death.

Now, personally, I suspect I am ahead of you
when it comes to understanding how to take
life as it comes, and not "sweat the little things."

And I dont cloak it in mystical mumbo jumbo
anbout some ineffable "spiritual life"

If you think you are ever going to get to where
you wont feel suffering, short of death that is forget it.

If it were possible, I still wont take it.
Bet you cannot begin to fathom why.

I have no need to smooth out anything in life. i take life as it come both with good thing and bad things,

Mystical mumbo jumbo? Just because you do not believe you self ,does it make a spiritual path what you call it?

I dont mind your sceptic view of the Buddhist path i am on, But a little respect dont hurt
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Usually these things come around when practice is put to the test. It was an interesting experience when I had my heart attack thinking whether it would be my last day or not. It turns out I wasn't fearful as much as I thought I'd be, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't apprehensive to some extent.

That taught me a lot about what detachment is in a Buddhist context from which I garnered a good deal of insight from the whole experience.

That red hot ball O' iron .....

Hm. I never had a heart attack, thank gosh, but I had my share of medical issues. What got me to stop and say um, was actually a dream. I had a common dream where you drowning in a swimming pool and everyone was splashing and the lifeguards couldn't see me.

Thankfully, I actually didn't wake up way before I drowned. I got to the point where I knew I died after those few seconds. Then I thought: I'm at peace.

I looked it up and when someone is dying, as their body decays of course their nerves are dying too. So, when it gets up to that "point" the dying wouldn't feel anything. Acceptance is total body and mind.

Then when we are brought back to life, that peace probably is what stook with us. It can be a life changing experience especially if I experienced it in real life. But, I'm glad it was a dream even though it felt like a heart attack jumping from my bed and almost hitting the floor in the process. Hm
 

Audie

Veteran Member
I agree with you,. Audie.

Good enough.

Re difference between reading
something and underdtanding it-

The manxome one left himself so wide
open for a little swift sword work on my part,
with his thing about "reading Sunstone's post", it is
best I refrain from any response of my own.
 

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
Good enough.

Re difference between reading
something and underdtanding it-

The manxome one left himself so wide
open for a little swift sword work on my part,
with his thing about "reading Sunstone's post", it is
best I refrain from any response of my own.

I think that's best, too. Life is too short for some things.

I was inspired by your post to do some thinking, and I concluded your post was very insightful.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
I have no need to smooth out anything in life. i take life as it come both with good thing and bad things,

Mystical mumbo jumbo? Just because you do not believe you self ,does it make a spiritual path what you call it?

I dont mind your sceptic view of the Buddhist path i am on, But a little respect dont hurt

What is the meaning of not feeling suffering, if not to
"smooth" the way?

I too take the good and the bad, and, I bet I am
more adept at it than you are. At the least, I
do not need to be enlightened to the concept.

In the event, lets appreciste what we do have
in common.

I dont think obscurantism is respectful.

In response to it, I say mumjum.

It is nothing about "what I believe", it is
about what people who speakabout things
like "the spiritual life" fail to deliver. Ask what
"spiritual" is, and look at the responses!

I have a fair notion about Buddhism.

I grew up in a largely Buddhist city, my Mom
is her own kind of Buddhist.
Temper your notions of me accordingly.

Oh, and I do try to respond to what you say.
An aspect of respect is not to ignore or spin
what I say.

I know a cool Buddhist restaurant in Kowloon,
meet me there sometime! I would probably
enjoy the chat, I am not so privkly in person
as my impstient texting-self. :D

(Your fiancee need have no fear, I am spoken for! :D)
 
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Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I do not have the finance to travel and honestly i do not think we would have much to talk about in real life.

I will keep living my spiritual life here and be just fine.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
I do not have the finance to travel and honestly i do not think we would have much to talk about in real life.

I will keep living my spiritual life here and be just fine.


Whstevs. Let me know if you ever figure out what a spiritual
life is! : D
 
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