How do you to get over the fear of death?

[Jishin]

heart sutra shares no birth, no death.

There is no Heart Sutra.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[jake]

happiness, peace and metta wished to you with all of my heart.

heart sutra is certainly real...

peace and loving-kindness,
j

[Jishin]

Hi Jake,

Read the Heart Sutra and it will tell you it does not exist. Its not an object. What is it?

Gassho, Jishin

[lorax]

Hi, I think the answer has been stated. Live the moment. The fact is that until the switch is thrown, you are alive. You may be living in happiness and joy, pain, sorrow, but you are alive until that last moment. There is nothing to fear, unless you are afraid of life. At the end moment you may be looking at two types of transitions one like a dimmer switch and one that is instantaneous. Let me elaborate from my experience of near death. The first was when I was young and adventurous and was exploring a cave. Standing at the edge of a pit, my feet went out from under me and I pitched forward into darkness falling some thirty feet. During that fall I was very aware of what was happening and it was a "ah crap" moment, knowing I was about to die. I have talked to numerous climbers and cavers who have also had a near death accident and all had the same feeling, not panic, not the movie scream to the end, just "ah crap". The second type of near death occurred several years ago and I call it the dimmer switch. One where you are aware you are slowly drifting off. I had just been flown into a major hospital by med flight and was not expected to live due to advanced lung infection. I remember all the ER noise then, a quiet time like a wave washing onto the beach, each wave was smaller and the sound of the receding sand quieter. No big deal.... So after these experiences, I really believe in living the moment. You are alive until the switch is thrown...you are never dying, always living till that last moment... nothing to fear... and as Jundo once posted, what is after that moment, "let the mystery be"

SAT TODAY

[Jakuden]

That's very illuminating Shozan, we've probably all had accidents or moments of fear (though perhaps not as actually close to death as you were!) What good will it do us to wonder or worry about how and when that moment might happen? Perhaps more logical would be to fear illness, but there is no good that can come from that either other than consciously trying to live in a healthy way as much as possible... the rest will be what it will be.

Gassho,
Sierra
SatToday

[Jinyo]

[QUOTE=Jishin;165601]How do you get over the fear of death?

You die.

Gassho, Jishin


Thanks - that's actually helpful

It's probably instinctive to fear death - depending on our personalities some of us have a harder time getting free of death anxiety than others.
'
Living in the moment (for me) means accepting that I am fearful of death and also increasing disability/ill health as I get older. I must have read a shed full of books on death (including Thich Nhan Hahn's 'No fear - No death' several times) but I am still 'looking deeply into this' as Hahn instructs - because I'm not there yet.

I'm at that time of life when close friends have died and others are left widowed - and I seriously would not be speaking Zen philosophy
to ease their pain because the level of stress/distress is raw. It is also very real and I would prefer to accept that this is part of life and to want to banish fear - though understandable - could also be seen as a level of attachment to 'non fear'.

The existential reality of living and dying is that at times it's pretty scary but it's good to find ways of not being paralysed by our fear. This is the most I would say of Zen - which is not to undervalue the enormity of the gift.

Gassho

Willow

sat today

[Washin]

Hello Mr. K,

Over come the fear death, by living in this moment. Over come the fear of old age, by living in this moment. Life and death are of great importance to this very moment, so it is up to us to not waste this very moment. =)

Gassho
Shingen

#sattoday

Thank you Shingen.
Gassho
Sergey
sat today

[Kakunen]

I am at Sesshin.I die every breath,I born every breath.


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[RichardH]

Fear does not feel the same as it used to. It does not go all the way down to the gut. Fears about things still happen, but they don't go deep in the body. No deep gut fears. This is just from sitting lot, and not from an understanding. It seems like just sitting through fear wears fear down over time. Just my own experience here.

Gassho
Daizan

sat today

[Jinyo]

Fear does not feel the same as it used to. It does not go all the way down to the gut. Fears about things still happen, but they don't go deep in the body. No deep gut fears. This is just from sitting lot, and not from an understanding. It seems like just sitting through fear wears fear down over time. Just my own experience here.

Gassho
Daizan

sat today

Yes - I really relate to this Daizan,



Willow

sat today in some lovely Autumn sunshine and felt very glad to be alive.

[jake]

Yes, Willow - same with me, doing healing and peace work with people, is not about teaching but about sharing.. Simply to empathize, and let them know I am here.. And especially - one of the very best practices is to allow others the space to be who they are, without projecting or rejecting.. to me, that has been one of the most profound aspects of the path; then it can really be transforming, and peace and healing work and do so much good.

Gassho,
peace and metta,
j
sattoday.

Also autumn sunshine helps me to be in touch. metta and peace
j

[Jinyo]

Peace and metta Jake

'may all beings be well and happy
and free from fear.'



Willow

[Joyo]

From my experience, the longer I practice, the more things fall away, the more things I unlearn--including the fear of death. I'm sure this unlearning will continue until I take my last breath.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today

[Jeremy]

How do you to get over the fear of death?
How do you to get over the fear of became old?

Pay attention, and do not be afraid to be afraid.

Jeremy
st

[Ongen]

Hi Mr. K,

My two cents: Every moment we die. Every moment we arise. Really, we're already used to it...
What's there to fear?

Gassho
Ongen