Let’s Have a Chat About Death

(IN-PERSON) Come along to an informal meeting for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Participants are welcome to talk about any aspect of death that they choose, or just to sit and listen if they prefer. All are welcome.

This monthly afternoon get-together is a way to start the conversation, in a safe and friendly environment, where questioning is encouraged, and where the usual taboo of this most important of topics need not hamper our explorations.

Reflecting on death and impermanence need not be confronting. This topic is visited again and again in Buddhism and is regarded as very important for two reasons:

(1) It is only by recognising how precious and how short life is that we are most likely to make it meaningful and to live it fully and
(2) By understanding the death process and familiarising ourselves with it, we can remove fear at the time of death and ensure a good rebirth.

The way in which we live our lives, and the state of our mind as we are dying, directly influences our future lives. Because of this it is said that the aim or mark of a spiritual practitioner is to have no fear or regrets at the time of death. People who practice to the best of their abilities will die, it is said, in a state of great bliss. The mediocre practitioner will die happily. Even the initial practitioner will have neither fear nor dread at the time of death. So we should all be aiming to achieve at least the smallest of these results!