Death Is a Teacher For Truly Living

 

09.24.2021 DEATH IS A TEACHER FOR TRULY LIVING The headline from the new, November 2021 issue of Lion’s Roar magazine reads “How Awareness of Death Transforms Your Life.” And it’s true: being mindful of our death can transform our lives for the better. How we relate to our mortality is completely within our control, and doing so — in an intentional and meaningful way — is worth the effort. Scientific studies even back that idea up. Just the simple act of walking by a cemetery has been shown to prompt positive changes in people. In Buddhism, this type of practice is called maranasati, death awareness or mindfulness of death. Knowing our time is limited can cause us tremendous anxiety—but it can also be liberating. It depends on our perspective. I’ve incorporated death awareness practice into my life, and the results have been life-changing. I recently wrote an article on this very subject — “The Life-Changing Practice of Death Awareness.” You’ll find it here, along with two others from the Lion’s Roar archives. I hope you’ll check them out. By the way: you don’t have to be a Buddhist, or even consider yourself particularly “spiritual” to realize the benefits this practice has to offer. All you need is a little curiosity, an open mind, and the willingness to explore further. You can begin right here, right now, wherever you are on your path. Since becoming more mindful of my mortality, I’ve found myself procrastinating less, clarifying my values more, and prioritizing my day-to-day life with greater intention and purpose. I hope you can find time in your day to try it out for yourself, at your own pace. This one simple shift in perspective can change everything. —Chris Pacheco, Associate Editor, Lion’s Roar AV

The Life-Changing Practice of Death Awareness Chris Pacheco, Lion’s Roar’s Associate AV Editor, on why you might take up the Buddhist practice of maranasati, or mindfulness of death — even if you really, really don’t want to. Maranasati, also known as mindfulness of death, or death awareness, is a Buddhist meditation practice in which one frequently keeps death in the forefront of thought. This concept can seem off-putting to Western minds, for whom talk about death is often swept under the rug. But it holds the key to liberating oneself from death’s grip.

Death: The Greatest Teacher The Buddha said the greatest of all teachings is impermanence. Its final expression is death. Buddhist teacher Judy Lief explains why our awareness of death is the secret of life. It’s the ultimate twist. Whether death is something distant for us or we are in the thick of it, it haunts and challenges us. Death is a strong message, a demanding teacher. In response to death’s message, we could shut down and become more hardened. Or we could open up, and become more free and loving.

The Supreme Meditation Death is a fact, one that we all must face. Death awareness can serve as a real aid to practice, writes Larry Rosenberg. Understanding mortality often leads to awakening. Buddhism goes deeply into the practice of death awareness. Cemetery contemplations, for instance, are included in the Satipatthana Sutra, which I think of as the Declaration of Independence for vipassana meditators. It boldly declares that deeply establishing awareness of the mind-body process can liberate us from suffering.

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