Embracing death

[Josan]

Dear all,

Would any of us be able to meet death with the same equanimity?

http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/a-hauntingly-beautiful-short-film-about-life-and-death/

Gassho,

David

sattoday

[Myosha]

Hello,

Truly, living and death is one thing.

Thank you for the lesson.


Gassho
Myosha sat today

[Jundo]

I must confess that the message escaped me a little. I am sometimes slow on such things.

I was going to say that life and death need each other, without one no other, and the world turns thereby ...

... but the meaning of the ending is not clearly so. Or is it? Any guidance from anyone.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Mp]

Thank you David ... life and death are of supreme importance. When we are born, we are on the path to death - the path to death reveals the path to life. =)

Gassho
Shingen

#sattoday

[Rich]

Haven't watched the film but death is very interesting and hope to be there for it.

SAT today

[Jishin]

Hi,

Did not watch the movie but...

"The buddha way, in essence, is leaping clear of abundance and lack; thus there are birth and death..." - Actualizing The Fundamental Point - Dogen.

"Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again. Yet, do not suppose that the ash is after and the firewood before. You should understand that firewood abides in the phenomenal expression of firewood, which fully includes before and after and is independent of before and after. Ash abides in the phenomenal expression of ash, which fully includes before and after. Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, you do not return to birth after death.
This being so, it is an established way in buddha-dharma to deny that birth turns into death. Accordingly, birth is understood as no-birth. It is an unshakable teaching in the Buddha's discourse that death does not turn into birth. Accordingly, death is understood as no-death.
Birth is an expression complete this moment. Death is an expression complete this moment. They are like winter and spring. You do not call winter the beginning of spring, nor summer the end of spring." - Actualizing The Fundamental Point - Dogen.

Gassho, Jishin, ST

[Byrne]

This reminds me of a Eastern European folk tale. The first song I ever wrote with my wife was based on it. Here's the story:

Long ago a woman lived alone in a little cottage. One day a stranger appeared at her door looking for a place to sleep. Excited to see another face she made up a bed for him and prepared him a meal. That night she dreamed she was soaring through the sky with him on a chariot. She looked down and saw nothing but death. He looked at her and said, "This is my kingdom." In the morning she told him about the dreams asked who he was. He stood up and said it was time to. She grabbed his arm and said, "Please don't leave me." He said, "I will never leave you." And carried her off to the land of death.

We can embrace and understand death in many ways. Here is a very powerful quote from the Shin Buddhist tradition. Not Zen, but I think the underlying idea is applicable to people of many different perspectives and spiritual practices:

"As for myself, Shinran, I simply receive the words of my dear teacher, Honen, “Just say the nembutsu and be saved by Amida,” and entrust myself to the Primal Vow. Besides this, there is nothing else. I really do not know whether the nembutsu may be the cause of my birth in the Pure Land, or the act that shall condemn me to hell. But I have nothing to regret, even if I should have been deceived by my teacher, and saying the nembutsu, fall into hell. The reason is that if I were capable of realizing Buddhahood by other religious practices and yet fell into hell for saying the nembutsu, I might have dire regrets for having been deceived. But since I am absolutely incapable of any [other] religious practice, hell is my only home." -from the Tannisho

Gassho

Sat Today

[Shoka]

This is a stunning video. Both in the story it tells and also the animation. Truly beautiful.

For me the true impact of the piece didn’t come until the end, when life turns and faces death and walks to him. She has no fear or worry, she knows what is next and embraces death, allows him to finally actually hold someone in the end. Unlike the other animals that didn’t see it coming or turned away, the Life saw him and let him walk by her. And was completely willing to let him do his job, knowing it was just a part of life.

Gassho,

Shoka
sattoday

[Jundo]

This is a stunning video. Both in the story it tells and also the animation. Truly beautiful.

For me the true impact of the piece didn’t come until the end, when life turns and faces death and walks to him. She has no fear or worry, she knows what is next and embraces death, allows him to finally actually hold someone in the end. Unlike the other animals that didn’t see it coming or turned away, the Life saw him and let him walk by her. And was completely willing to let him do his job, knowing it was just a part of life.

Gassho,

Shoka
sattoday

Ah, thank you. I completely missed the meaning of the ending.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Jishin]

Dear all,

Would any of us be able to meet death with the same equanimity?

Just watched the movie.

The answer is don't know. I am not dead.

Beatifull movie. It evoked happy emotions and sad emotions, but just emotions.

Gassho, Jishin, ST

[Doshin]

This is a stunning video. Both in the story it tells and also the animation. Truly beautiful.

For me the true impact of the piece didn’t come until the end, when life turns and faces death and walks to him. She has no fear or worry, she knows what is next and embraces death, allows him to finally actually hold someone in the end. Unlike the other animals that didn’t see it coming or turned away, the Life saw him and let him walk by her. And was completely willing to let him do his job, knowing it was just a part of life.

Gassho,

Shoka
sattoday

Nice video. I watched it several hours ago and thought about it. I do understand your view of the doe knowing death was coming and embracing it. What still remains unclear is the meaning of why Death was having second thoughts until the very end.

Gassho
Doshin
Sattoday

[Risho]

I don't know - I mean from one perspective I think that I won't know until I'm on my death bed. At the same time, I think zazen is very good with this because it trains us to be with our thoughts and not push or pull and just be there, be there with this. But death is no small thing, and no amount of fancy poetry or words will take the place of the actual experience of it.

That was a moving video; it reminded me quite a bit of putting my dogs to sleep, which is one of the hardest things I've had to do.

Gassho,

Risho
-sattoday

[Heisoku]

Embracing death

Hi all, the problem I have is in the personification of death as such, but as a metaphor for embracing death with acceptance this is a great animation.
In life there is no death per se, as life is all this, and death is not present. Death is an absence, and we only know it through the material remnants of life. Facing the great unknown based on our knowing of the remnants of life (decaying corpses) in most people produces a fear, but for those who have been present in the moment of death of others, then perhaps equanimity and acceptance is the only way to face our absence from this world. What else can we do? Complain, lodge a writ against unfair removal of life? We have no choice in this, so why not just accept the change, with a gratefulness for our life given and the love within this life.
Gassho Heisoku
Sat today.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Jinyo]

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

[Tai Shi]

I have come to Treeleaf in part to ready myself for Death. In 2010 I began a curious dance with death. Over a period of several weeks I began to show signs of dementia. Shortly after I lost almost all control. My wife and daughter dressed me, rushed to ER where I began to undergo treatment, and eventually learned that a medication I had taken many years was poisoning me with a byproduct of ammonia, and it took months to recover. Then the following months I experienced a GI bleed requiring 10 pints of blood, and 4 pints of platelets, then in the spring I experienced total kidney shutdown and had to be treated with massive IVs of saline solution. Out of these near death experiences, I began to meditate based on what I'd learned over the years--no books, just what I knew. Then I found Treeleaf on Google through a friend on Facebook, and that was where I began to study and practice in earnest. During all of this a lifelong disease of arthritis of the spine almost crippled me. And I was told I have treatable mental illness. Out of all of this I have vowed never again to reach death unprepared. I could die tomorrow, and nothing of my life would be left undone. Now I practice almost everyday, and I attempt to deal with leaving all behind. Actually now with level 10 pain, I would welcome death. Yet I savor every moment, a chocolate bar, a cool drink, a short walk. I take 22 pills each day because I want to savor life as best I can. I see my doctors as I need to. And I try to accept those around as I study Buddhism, and attend the Unitarian Universalist Church online. I no longer drive, so much is done online, and if death should come, I am ready to let it happen.

Elgwyn
Tai Shi
sat today
Gassho