DEATH IN THE FAMILY SHOULD BECOME AN OPPORTUNITY, TO SEARCH FOR THAT, WHICH IS DEATHLESS

Whenever, there is a death in the family, then what usually happens is that, we become more miserable and we, thus, add more to our misery. Sometimes, we also resort to some other compulsive or unconscious actions, in order to forget or sleep over, the misery. Not only, but it also happens that, sometimes, people take extreme steps, such as, leaving homes and going to the jungles in the name of sanysasa etc. 

Now, whether you become more miserable or you trying to sleep over, your misery or taking sanysa, fundamentally, what you are doing, is that you are trying to escape, from the reality. You thinking that doing all these things is a solution. It is like a pigeon who, upon seeing a predator, closes his eyes, assuming that by doing so, the predator would disappear, which is not true. The same is the case, with we human beings, too, because we are also doing the same thing i.e. closing our eyes, thinking that by doing so, the misery or suffering would disappear. 

We need to understand that, misery or suffering will not disappear by becoming more miserable, or by doing some unconscious things or running away from the reality. Instead, you need to take the reality, head-on, which is, that you should use death, in the family, as an opportunity to search for that, which is deathless. Doing that alone, is the lasting solution.  

Do you know, how a one-time prince, namely, Siddhartha, became Gautama the Buddha? Because he used, what he saw, i.e. a dead body, when he was out of his palace, on a visit, as an opportunity to search for that dimension, which is deathless. Had, he too become miserable or accepted the solace, given by his charioteer (saarthi) that ‘it happens to all’ then, Siddhartha, would have lived and died as Siddhartha i.e. as a common man and would have never become the Buddha – the one who has gone beyond death. It would also have been a big loss to the humanity, in the sense, that we would have never gotten, Gautama the Buddha. 

What, I am, trying to say is that, if not other routine happenings of the life, but death, at least, because, death is such a big happening, in one’s life that one must ask this fundamental question to oneself – Does, what I see around, is all? Or, is there something beyond this, which is eternal and hence, is beyond death? Now, you don’t have to run to the jungles, in search of the same which Siddhartha did. Siddhartha left home and went to the jungles because, that time, he did not know, as where to search for that dimension, which is deathless? In fact, post his enlightenment or Buddhahood, he himself admitted that, there was no need to leave home, because the work was internal and hence, could be done in the home as well, because your internal is always there, with you. 

Now, I just want you to ponder over one important fact, which is that, you know that you exist? Do you? Yes, you do. You can deny or dispute existence of everything else in this universe but you cannot deny or dispute that, you exist. Your existence is beyond all doubts and disputes. So, what is that, which makes you, so sure that you exist? I mean, what is the basis of your knowing or saying that you exist? Now, I can give you the answer and I am sure, that we all know the answer but theoretical knowledge will not help, will not release you. That is the reason that despite, we all having the book knowledge that sharir nashvar hai aur aatma ajar amar hai – body is mortal and soul is immortal and yet, all our dealings with others, are of the body and limited to the body only. 

Because, we know the body or have experience of body only and have no experience of the other dimension which we know as soul or aatma or whatever the name you give, we become miserable when someone in the family dies. Hence, only by experientially knowing, that dimension, which has no death, which is deathless, can release you - gyan vahi jo mukt kare. Thus, if you work in the direction of realizing that dimension which is the basis of your existence and which is deathless and which knows, no death, then you are on the path of Buddhahood because experientially becoming aware of that dimension which is deathless, is being Buddha or is enlightenment or Self-realization. Meditation is the first and the only step, in the direction of knowing that dimension, which knows no death.