Embracing death

[Jakuden]

if death should come, I am ready to let it happen.

Thank you - I watched this twice because I wasn't sure of the meaning - the description is 'the day death fell in love with life'. There did seem to be some irony.

The message I got is that we tend to think of death as foe - the deer allowed death to be a friend. It's an interesting notion - the deer also seems to choose the time to die - (death - having fallen in love with life is now reluctant to place his hands on his new found friend -
bringing about the deer's death).

To be honest the film made me think about assisted dying. For some people - those who are terminally ill or in a lot of physical/mental
distress - death must feel like a friend. I guess the 'personification' was necessary for the animation - but death may also be the doctor at the assisted dying clinic - or a virus like pneumonia that used to be called 'the old person's friend'.

Death can take many guises - some a lot more frightening than others.

It would be good to be like the deer but 'life' isn't always that kind. To meet death with equanimity is grace indeed - but grace isn't always given so personally I'm reluctant to wax lyrical on what can be a really difficult subject.

Gassho

Willow/Jinyo

sat today

I felt a lot of the same things as you Willow, not reading too much into the movie other than death and life go hand-in-hand and sometimes death can be a friend.

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday

[Ishin]

I am reminded of Ramm Dass when he spoke in one of his lectures about he was going to start a charity to help people with counseling as they were going through the dying process. He began after awhile to discern that the dying people were helping him far more than he was helping them. In a sense they were feeling sorry for him that he was still alive, still in the struggle.
Personally I must confess, I still really don't understand the concept, " no birth and no death", not in my bones understanding anyway.

Gassho
Ishin
Sat Today

[Josan]

Wonderful teachings from everyone. Gassho.

Personally I must confess, I still really don't understand the concept, " no birth and no death", not in my bones understanding anyway.

Gassho
Ishin
Sat Today

We can intellectualize the concept but deep down in our bones do we really get it? I was recently watching an episode of Prof. Brian Cox's "Wonders of Life" and he spoke about the first Law of Thermodynamics - energy is neither created nor destroyed, and a light bulb went off in my head - this is the Heart Sutra I guess if we can see "ourselves" as packets of energy that just change from one form (of energy) to another then "we" are not born and "we" will never die.

Gassho,
David

sattoday

[Jishin]

...energy is neither created nor destroyed, and a light bulb went off in my head - this is the Heart Sutra

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Frank]

I hope to accept death with a smile, and show how to die gracefully. My wife is a hospice nurse and this is just a part of her daily life.
I feel it is like forms of water...liquid, steam, ice...but still.water.
Our physical appearance may change...but we go on in a differect form...hopefully, better each time.

Gassho
Frank
Sat today

[Rich]

Wonderful teachings from everyone. Gassho.



We can intellectualize the concept but deep down in our bones do we really get it? I was recently watching an episode of Prof. Brian Cox's "Wonders of Life" and he spoke about the first Law of Thermodynamics - energy is neither created nor destroyed, and a light bulb went off in my head - this is the Heart Sutra I guess if we can see "ourselves" as packets of energy that just change from one form (of energy) to another then "we" are not born and "we" will never die.

Gassho,
David

sattoday

Energy is a great way to describe existence - it flows, transforms, and in relation to the whole is neither created or destroyed.

For us individuals it is the minute energy pings called thoughts that we identify with which creates life and death. So the letting go of this identification process allows us to just be in God's (substitute any name for the whole) energy field.

Something like that.

Will sit now

[Entai]

This really touched me. We had to euthanize our dog, Gypsy last week and I've been grieving. In her last minutes, I held her the same way, her head on my shoulder.

Deep bows,
Entai
#SatToday

[Risho]

Dude I understand that feeling; dogs are the ultimate bodhisattvas. They leave pawprints on our hearts forever. Metta to you and your family.

Gassho

Risho
-sattoday

[lorax]

Gassho to all my Treeleaf family. What an appropriate time for this thread. Yesterday I learned that we lost a granddaughter in the making. This is the second time in two years that hopes and dreams fell short of reality. A lot of the thoughts shared in this thread as well as Jundo's teachings provided the basis for my response to my Son and his wife. They have accepted what has occurred, embraced their lost child and are moving forward. Treeleaf is a remarkable place.

SAT TODAY

[Jakuden]

Oh, so sorry to hear that Shozan. Metta and hugs to you and your family.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday

[Mp]

Gassho to all my Treeleaf family. What an appropriate time for this thread. Yesterday I learned that we lost a granddaughter in the making. This is the second time in two years that hopes and dreams fell short of reality. A lot of the thoughts shared in this thread as well as Jundo's teachings provided the basis for my response to my Son and his wife. They have accepted what has occurred, embraced their lost child and are moving forward. Treeleaf is a remarkable place.

SAT TODAY

I am so sorry to hear of your lose ... sending much love and metta to you and your family.

Gassho
Shingen

#sattoday

[Jishin]

Hi Shozan,

I have not walked in your shoes so can not offer much other than say that the hurt will always be present but time will make it less painful.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Entai]

Shozan,
My wife and I had a loss several months ago. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Metta and deep Gassho,
Entai
#SatToday

[Ongen]

My thoughts are with you Shozan.
Deep bows.

As for the main thread, a beautiful little movie, thanks for sharing it David! If all of us can reach this acceptance I do not know, but I've seen it happen in a few people. So why not all of us?
I would like to point to a little book by sir Terry Pratchett called Reaper Man. It's a great, comical issue of the Discworld Series, but between the lines there's a lot of wisdom in there.

Gassho

Ongen

Sat today

[Ishin]

Metta to your family, Shozan

Gassho
Ishin
Sat Today