OPENING QUESTIONS

Do you remember the case of a death of a closely known person?

What was going on in your mind at that time?

Were a lot of people feeling sad?

Why do you think they were sad?

CREATING INTEREST

Did you know that in every family someone had died before?

Did you know that every moment at least one person dies somewhere on earth?

Did you know that some people are not moved by someone else’s death?

Do you feel such people are wicked?

BACKGROUND

One of the corner-stones of Buddhist practice is to develop a true understanding of what goes on in the world around us. Birth and death always occur around us. Death makes a lot of people shocked, sad and confused. It is good to examine why it is so. What in fact is death?

THE CONVENTIONAL MEANING OF ‘DEATH’

The conventional, social, and legal meaning of death is what most people understand and get concerned about. i>It is the end of the period of usefulness of the body.. A doctor certifies that the body is dead and that it is no longer classified as a living being. That happens only once in a life time. Once a person is dead in this manner the body gradually disintegrates and finally becomes part of the earth. Things like teeth and bones stay intact for quite some time, unlike the skin, muscles and nerves etc.

A dead body keeps active as a biological mass for sometime but the person who lived is no more.

One way to explain this is that the mind of the person has left the body in which it had been residing all the time. The mind itself is illusory in that no one has seen it or managed to locate where it resided. All can however agree that the person is dead because his mind is no more active in association with the body.

TTHE REAL MEANING OF ‘DEATH’

According to Buddhism, all things in the world keep changing all the time. Given the correct conditions, a thing or being arises (is born) and stays for a short time and then it ceases (or dies) as the conditions for existence vanish.

Science tells us that even the smallest parts of our body consist of tiny molecules. These too arise and cease with changing conditions. That happens all the time. So, this body in effect dies every moment and is re-born the next moment. Hence death is a continual process if not continuous. The process is so fast that we do not notice it unless there is a significant single change that everyone can see.

At the same time the same happens to the mind. The death and rebirth of the mind occur even much faster. That is why we do not understand it unless our minds are really well developed. The mind keeps using the body as an operating base until the moment of ‘conventional death’ when the body is abandoned by the mind, so to say.

Even after conventional death life continues possibly in some other place. If a person is fully enlightened then life does not continue in this way. Then death is a real end.

WHEN DOES DEATH OCCUR?

The correct answer is that real death occurs every moment. Conventional death normally occurs only once in a life time.

ARE WE ALWAYS SORRY FOR THE DEAD PERSON?  

It is possible to genuinely feel sorry for a dead person if he led a really bad life and is likely to be reborn in a poor state. This is also true if a person died before he could see the good results of his efforts.

In most cases relatives feel sorry for themselves rather than for the dead person. If the dead person was the bred winner for a family then the children naturally feel sorry for themselves. Even that is meaningless as the dead person does not come back just because others are weeping.

As Buddhists a death should increase our understanding about life and it is a moment for reflection on impermanence and the urgency to check how we live while we are living.

WHY DOES DEATH OCCUR?   

The simple reason for death is that all things in the world are impermanent and a person is no exception. The more relevant and immediate reason is that the birth kamma of the person has expired.

IS DEATH ALWAYS THE END OF LIVING?  

It is the end if a person has attained full enlightenment. It is never the end for other people like most of us. So, in a way, people who like to keep living, should not worry about death, as they are likely to be born again somewhere. The point is to get concerned about how we live and try to do better.

THE DYING PERSON’S EXPERIENCE  

The Buddha has said that death is a painful experience. We should also remember that a lot of our experiences in life are also very painful. So, there is no reason to worry about death too much. Let it come when it is due! Others have faced it and there is no reason why we cannot face it.

RESPONSIBILITY OF CLOSE RELATIVES OF A DYING PERSON  

According to the theory of kamma, thoughts that occur in the mind of a person just about to die are very important as these thoughts might determine the next birth. Sadness at death is not helpful because it might attract anger and hatred. Hence close relatives must avoid crying and wailing within hearing distance of a dying person.

If possible especially if the dying person wanted to do so, he or she must be enabled to remember all the good things done during his or her life. Then good thoughts can rule at the time of death. This might enable the person to get a good birth. Some people will benefit from soft chanting or select sermons at the time of death. It depends on each individual.

If an individual wanted to be left alone to die, that wish must be respected.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE AFTER THE DEATH OF A PERSON

The only thing we can do is to do good things and confer merit on the departed whenever we can. If they are in a situation in which they can benefit then they will. 

Some people are very concerned about dead body identification, ‘decent re-burials’, tombs and other lasting memorials, when a relative is dead. As Buddhists all this is meaningless. What arose from dust has go:p>one back to dust, and our vanity should not cloud this plain truth.

OPENING QUESTIONS

Does Buddhism discourage worldly success?

Or, is Buddhism purely for spiritual development?

What has the Buddha said about studying, working, running business etc.? 

CREATING INTEREST

Did you know that the leading male supporter of the Buddha was a multi-millionnaire?

His name was Anatha Pindika. The leading female supporter, Visakha was also an active business person and a multi-millionnaire.

Did you know that despite being business people both had attained the first stage of enlightenment?

BACKGROUND

If a starving person were to come before the Buddha, he would not start preaching to him but will see how his hunger could be quenched. The Buddha was quite aware of the conditions in which normal lay people (not monks and nuns) were living. He accepted that people like us need to earn a living and have reasonable success in a material sense. Stability in life helps a person to concentrate on practice.   

THE SET OF FOUR BASES OF WORLDLY HAPPINESS

In some of his discourses the Lord Buddha has taught that for lay people it makes sense to achieve worldly success. Monks and nuns and others who might devote their lives to the practice of Buddhism at a higher level, at a purely spiritual level there are different considerations.

However, there is nothing wrong with lay people who work and earn a living to raise their families. They need to earn a living according to the principles set out in the Dhamma. They can accumulate wealth and take action to protect heir wealth. They can be active in society and associate with other people for common benefit. Even for them there are certain principles to be followed if they are to ensure success in whatever they might do.

The following is a list of four such bases on which one’s success could be ensured:

1          Working with commitment

2          Protecting one’s assets

3          Having noble friends

4          MMaintaining a balance in life

Each base is discussed in some detail here.

Working with commitment to GENERATE RESULTS AND TO BUILD UP ASSETS (Utthana Sampada in Pali)

This is the first requirement of worldly success.

You might be a student part time or full time. You might be employed or running business. You could be helping to raise your parents’ family or someday your own family. Whatever your situation is, you are trying to achieve some goals, in studies, in generating income, in improving your health or in whatever other way. You are trying to build up assets that can be used for a long time.

The results of your effort will be good, only to the extent you are committed to whatever you are doing. Without commitment, you will be wasting time and energy with no comparable achievement. Working with commitment implies that you are (a) earnest about what you are doing and that (b) you are energetic about the activity. In the context of studies this means that you have to be keen about studies, and you must work hard.

Even in the case of sports you need to be keen and train hard to achieve results.

If you are committed to studies, you will acquire the necessary skills and methods of study. You will read about methods of study and apply the techniques other successful students have applied, such as planning, programming, development of concentration, checking your progress etc. 

Having learnt those skills you will need to get the best results for the optimal time, effort, money and other resources put in. This implies efficiency and efficacy. Learning from others including fellow students is important.

A committed person is always bound to succeed.

Rahu Sarath-Chandra’s book on Methods of Study contains a great deal of details on how you could organize yourself to get the best results from the effort you put into studies. A copy of this book might be available in the BESS library.

PROTECTING YOUR ASSETS (Arakkha Sampada in Pali)

This is the second requirement of worldly success.

From the point of view of a student you need to take action to protect what you have gained. If you have learnt some thing then you keep revising it often, so that you knowledge is protected for future use.

If you have prepared notes those things must be protected; if it is recorded in a computer, then the material should be copied on to a memory stick or diskette just in case the computer goes wrong.

Your b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">clothes, sports paraphernalia, shoes, books and other things need to be protected, from the whether, and other likely ways of loss.

If you earned money say through a part time job, the money must be protected by having a savings account.. You do not keep too much money in your pocket.

If you have built up your health, you need to protect it via good habits and conduct,, for instance from the sun.

Through regular meditation you need to protect your mind at all times.

HAVING NOBLE FRIENDS ((Kalyana Mittata in Pali)

Having noble friends is the third requirement for worldly success.

We all have associates and friends but who are noble friends? Are all associates noble friends? That is very unlikely. Those who are generally good, and practise the Dhamma earnestly, can be called noble friends.

In a way we should treat Lord Buddha as our number one noble friend even though he is not living at this time. Such an idea is useful in practice. Monks and nuns come next as they are always interested in guiding us through bad times. Teachers and parents too help us in the same way. Any of our friends who actually lead exemplary lives can be treated as noble friends. At least they can be treated a good friends.

How do you find them? Can you buy them? Can you advertise?

Be good to others and become a noble friend to others. Your reputation spreads. Then good people come to you as noble friends.

Why is it important? Your future is largely shaped by friends. They influence you.

There is a story about two parrots. One that lived in a hideout of criminals was very harsh in speech just like the criminals. The one that lived with good people was soft and sweet in speech. When one looks around it is easy to see how friends change the lives of people.

A BALANCED LIFE STYLE ((Sama Jivikata in Pali)

This is the third requirement for worldly success in this set.

Spending reasonably and living within one’s means is an indication of balance. Most people in the western world borrow far too much that after interest is paid on credit cards there is no way you can repay the actual debts. This is bad habit and is not in keeping with Buddhist principles. The credit crunch in the world in 2008 illustrates this point. How much do people suffer as a result of excessive borrowing?

We must not spend too much. We should not ask for too many things. You might become a burden to parents. When you become big you will be a poor person having wasted money on things that are not necessary. Learn to distinguish among needs, wants and desirables. Keep luxuries away as much as possible.

In the same way we need not live like beggars, wearing dirty clothes. If I do not apply soap my body will become smelly. That is where balance is important.

We should be balanced in spending money and using things, in earning, in investing, in accumulating wealth and so on.