Fear of Facing Death

When people are truly wise, 

They will always reflect 

That death in the tremendous strength 

Can yank out human at any time. 

~Visuddhi Magga~ 

Discussing about death is something that is not common, or we call it something that is not fun. 

When we discuss about death, as if the death was already close to us. 

Rarely do we hear or maybe none, whether in the cafes, in schools, in offices or anywhere else, talk about death. 

Almost never do we  hear? Why this kind of talk is rare we hear?  Because death is considered as something frightening, something that makes people tremble to face. 

Sabbe bhayanti maccuno, it is a sentence of Pali language which means that all living things are hideous to face a death. 

Who is the person who does not tremble and fear to face the death?

Almost the majority of people fear to face it. Therefore it is not surprising that the death is never become a topic for discussion. 

But we may not forget ... that we are also the target of the death, we will never escape from death. If we realize this situation properly we would explore what the best way to confront with death, not avoid it. 

Wherever we run, wherever we go hiding, the death will find us. This is a fact that we must face. 

Death is something natural, something that happens naturally because we are born, all that is born must face death. And why almost every person fear to face death? not only fear of death in ourselves, but we also fear the death of our parents, our brothers or our family  or relatives? 

Of course there are some reasons. 

When Buddha died at the age of 80 years in Kusinara, many of the students who wept, mourned, some rolled on the ground, and some yelled and cried. 

Even, many bhikkhu who had been also trained mourned, lamented why Buddha quickly left this world? They were hard to accept the reality. 

Often we see that where there is death, surely there is sadness, mourning and weeping tears. 

Can’t  we change such circumstances? 

Should it be like that when we face the death of our family or relatives? 

If we have understood Dhamma of Buddha correctly it may not need to happen, because it is no use. Those who have been dead will not come back to life  again through mourning and grief tears. 

Thus we must find the reasons why the fears come out  when the death will be coming. 

For those who have found the way how to face death will not feel afraid of death. But for those who have not found the way yet, the death is frightening.

In Anguttara Nikaya, Catukka Nipata, it is mentioned that there are four reasons why we fear of facing death. And this fear only comes to those who have not reached purity. The four are:

 1) because it is not free from lust of senses, not free from lust and love of pleasures, sensual, not free from thirst and longing to pursue it. When a serious illness come, He is thinking 'oh .. Those pleasures are going to leave me, and I am going to leave those pleasures. 

We need to realize that every time our five senses are always open, and naturally they love something interesting. Then it resides and records into our memory. When it comes again in the mind, thoughts will be ordered to pursue it. Because it makes so happy. Thus .... if someone can not leave the joy he will die in fear. 

2) because it is not free from lust and love of the physical body, not free from thirst and longing for the body. Some people are proud of their body, then it is not surprising that they spend much money to change their appearance to alter their body to remain interesting. The love to the body is also causing the emergence of fear, they are afraid that the body will become damaged.

 3) because they have not been doing anything good and useful, not created a protection for themself, but they have been doing evil deeds. Meaning they have not had time to repent, but death is coming to pick up. There are some people who belive that what is an important thing and sought first is money. If we have much money everything will be OK. So make as much money as possible then if it is already enough, do something good. But what happens if they never feel enough, but death is coming? Fear will surely appear, especially if the way they make money is not true.

 4) because they have a doubt and confusion about good Dhamma and have not reached the certainty in it. There was someone in this life who wanted to explore the meaning of life which had been never in his mind before. He began to realize  it after hearing or reading books. Then he tried to find the truth, but before he was done to understand it the death was coming, the people like this will also fear of facing death. If we do not want to fear in facing death, develop our judiciousness. Try to understand what death is, where it is from, why it can occur? By understanding the intricacy of death, certainly we will not be afraid of death anymore. The fear is coming from our own spiritual ignorance. **

By; Supadi, S. Ag