The Sacred Art of Dying: How World Religions Understand Death
"Those who die aware of the Self are at last released from the cycle of birth and death (31)."
The Hindu religious belief is that when the body dies, the Self (Atman) does not die. They believe that you are released from the trappings of the physical being. The physical body may die, but the the essence of that person continues.
"One who knows the Self," Yama said, "puts death to death" (30).
In the Hindu culture, they also believe that if you are committed to knowing the Self, you become spiritually aware or enlightened. You are assured of what will happen to you at death. By knowing the Self, you put death in its place.
"Those who die unaware of the Self are either reborn, or return to a lower evolutionary state as determind by their karmic life-actions" (31).
So what you do in life is important because it determines where the essence of your being will go at death and whether or not you will attain a higher state of being.
Hindu Death Ritual
"As a Hindu approaches death, he or she is surrounded with religious sites and ceremonies which support the dying person (38)."
In the Hindu culture, when they know a person is close to death, they take the opportunity to gather around that person and support them through this journey. Unlike, in the American culture, where many of us stay away when we know someone is dying. We wait for them to die and then show up to support the family members who have been left behind.
"Before a Hindu dies, the son and relatives put water taken, if possible from the Ganges, into the dying person's mouth. At this time, family and friends sing devotional prayers and chant Vedic mantras.
I believe that in the Hindu culture, they view the death ritual on the same scale of importance as being born or getting married. Life, as well as death, should be celebrated.
"Prior to cremation, the body is washed, anointed, the hair (and beard) trimmed, and it is given new or clean clothes (39."
In the Hindu culture, people show respect for the person that is dying. They say prayers for their soul and once that person dies, they embrace the whole process of dying. They lovingly wash and dress the dead person's body. They are not afraid to touch them and see them. Through this process, they are able to find closure and acceptance.
Unlike, in the American culture, we don't want to see or know what happens to our loved one's remains when they die. Not only don't we want to see them, we especially don't want to touch them. I think by distancing ourselves from this really important process, we cheat ourselves.
I know so many people in my life who have not grieved properly for the loss of someone they have lost. Because they did not allow themselves to go through all of the stages of grief. They get stuck and cannot get over or accept that person's death. A lot of people I know have turned to drugs or alcohol to numb their pain. Instead of allowing themselves to feel the pain, they stuff their emotions and eventually their grief begins to destroy their spirit. They are stuck and unable to move forward in their lives. By turning a blind eye to death, they become emotional cripples.
In my own family, I have had two brothers die. No one wants to talk about them. It is really sad. By not talking about them an honoring them, it is as if they never existed. Because their deaths were never fully dealt with, the dysfunction in my family runs rampant. I hope that when I die, I will not be forgotten in that way.
http://www.recover-from-grief.com/7-stages-of-grief.html
The Oxford Book of Death
"Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once,
Of all the wonders I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear,
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come" (42).
- Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
I think what Shakespeare is saying in the first line of this poem is that many people die spiritually and morally way before their actual physical death. I think the second line refers to people that live a virtuous life and have nothing to fear at death. The third and fourth lines talk to life and how many people do not see how precious our time is and just how beautiful life can be. If we could only embrace how fleeting our time hear on earth really is. I think the fifth line refers to the certainty of death and that it is an inevitable and unavoidable part of life. Death is something to embrace and not fear. The last line points to the fact that none of us knows exactly when the end will come; only that it will come.
Success Built to Last: Creating a Life That Matters
Love it or Lose - Passions and the Quest for Meaning
"You've got to love what you're doing or you can be sure there will be someone else who will" (47).
If you do a job that you don't love, on a spiritual level, you die a little more each day. You need to look forward to the thing you spend so much time doing. Your co-workers know when you are not happy at your job. Whether you lack enthusiasm, or you just complain constantly, they know. By having a bad attitude at work, you are only perpetuating negative feelings and passing them on to others. If you don't want to do your job, there is always someone else out there that would love to step into your shoes. We all like to think that we are irreplaceable. We're not. If you hate your job, find another one. Go find your passion. Something that you look forward to doing everyday.
Sometimes, in order to know if you like a job, you need to go out and actually do that job. There are so many people who go to college because they are expected to. They choose a major because they are expected to. They don't even really know what they want to do. Sometimes, you need to get out there and get a little bit of life under your belt in order to be able to make an informed decision.
So many people are afraid to fail. I know I am. I like to think that I can succeed at everything I do. Well, that has not always been the case. I think that when we do fail or things don't turn out like we expected them to, we can really learn a lot from that situation. If you spend your whole life worrying about making mistakes and failing, you'll never be able to move forward and appreciate what it is you worked so hard to achieve. If things come to you too easily in life, you won't develop the character needed to weather all of life's storms.
When you finally realize that your days are, in fact, numbered, you are motivated to spend that time wisely. I don't know if I would be back in college right now if my best friend Cathy had not died. I think I would have probably just kept going on the way I had been for almost ten years. Her death really woke me up and motivated me to really take a look at my life and make some really hard, but necessary changes, in order for me to make my life count. Before her death, I used to worship at the "Temple of Terri." I, like most people, was very egocentric and wasn't concerned with what was happening outside of my own little world. On some level, I can say that Cathy gave me a gift. A chance to live my life with purpose and meaning.
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