Consider the moment of your death. What state of mind – what outlook – feeling will you bring to that moment?
This question was the spark for my commitment to the practice of Buddhism.
I lost my father to a heart attack in 1989. I had never felt such an overwhelming sense of loss. Somewhere in this experience I understood the finality of my birth. I don’t think I connected the dots; death, antidote, Buddhism, but I wanted to bring focus to the experience of living. And living implies dying.
So here I am. It’s a gradual journey. Taking time to study, to contemplate the teachings, follow instructions as well as I can. There have been many days of confusion, longing for greater understanding.
The ground that supports me through the hours and days of questions, of doubt, is my faith in the Lineage; of teachers and masters of Tibetan Buddhism. Beginning with my familiarity with HH the 14th Dalai Lama, a true example of compassion in action, I have discovered a host of true practitioners. Over time I have experienced their presence in my life and, as recommended by the Buddha himself, I have experienced their presence positive influence of the teachings and the teachers in my life.
Am I prepared to die? Perhaps not completely. But I know the proof will be in my experience of this present moment. So… practice.