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Variety: April 2008

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Let's Live Every Moment So We Die Well, Too

Spiritual longing comes to you not because you think of God. If people think of God, they will not become spiritual, they will only think of how to acquire more. If God comes and blesses them, they will want more money, property, health, everything. Only when you think about death, these questions come up: What is this about, where will i go, what will happen to me? This wanting to know will come naturally. Yoga is not just about life; when we talk about living well, we are also talking about dying well. Dying gracefully, joyfully, is important. It is the final thing you get to do; but most people are doing it horribly. When we say a spiritual possibility, a space, there is also room to die. Spirituality is a means to live; it is also a means to die because living and dying are not different. Right now i can say you are living, or i can say you are dying. The process of dying is on; one day it will be complete. It is just that so much negativity is attached to the word "death". But death is a part of life. One who does not know how to die, or is unwilling to die, cannot live. If you are afraid of death, you will only avoid life, you cannot avoid death. Every day of your life you need to be aware that you are mortal. In Shoonya meditation everything that you consider as "myself" will become nothing; it is as if you die. Again, when you open your eyes, it is all there. If you practise this consciously, twice a day, when the time to die comes, it will no more be a big issue. The process you refer to as life is something that can be constantly improved upon. Not everybody is living with the same quality, level of understanding and grace. Even if you live a thousand years and do everything that you wish to do, still something better could be done. This is the way of life. But death is perfect and absolute when it happens; death does not need anybody's assistance. You don't have to think about it; you don't have to reflect upon it. But the limited nature of life needs to be reflected upon. So always the first training for a spiritual aspirant is to go and sit in the cremation ground. You are just like a miracle happening and one day you are gone. Busy in between, but you are like a bubble: when the bubble is on, it is so real; one prick — gone! Look at this life right now: inhalation, exhalation. If the next inhalation does not happen, that's it... That is how fragile this life is. People always think death is something that happens to somebody else; it's not so, it will happen to you and me. If you remind yourself every day that you will also die, you will move towards knowing higher perception. If you are aware of the mortal nature of your life, is there time to get angry with somebody, to quarrel or do anything stupid? Once you are conscious that you will die, you will want to make every moment of your life as beautiful as possible. Those who are constantly aware of the fragile nature of existence, they don't want to miss a single moment; they will naturally be aware. They can't take anything for granted; they will live purposefully, becoming aware
 
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