Death and Dying

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January/February/March, 2007

Death and Dying

 

The Hindu view of the grand departure and it's sacred rites of

passage

 

" Lead me from darkness to light, from death to immortality. " This

famed Vedic prayer proclaims the human urge to survive, to conquer

death and to know the joys of illuminated consciousness. People often

pilgrimage to an isolated place in expectation of a vision, be it a

jungle of fauna and foliage or cement and glass. Every person is on a

vision quest. But for all souls, at the time of the great departure,

mahaprasthana, a vision comes as a tunnel of light at the end of

which are beings of divine nature. Many having had the near-death

experience have sworn their testimony of such transforming

encounters. An American woman who " died " during childbirth, but was

brought back to life by quick medical action, recounted: " It was an

incredible energy--a light you wouldn't believe. I almost floated in

it. It was feeding my consciousness feelings of unconditional love,

complete safety and complete, total perfection. And then, and then, a

piece of knowledge came in--it was that I was immortal,

indestructible. I cannot be hurt, cannot be lost, and that the world

is perfect. " Hundreds of people report similar experiences, affirming

what Hinduism has always taught--that death is a blissful, light-

filled transition from one state to another, as simple and natural as

changing clothes, far from the morbid, even hellish alternatives some

dread. A Vedic funeral hymn intones: " Where eternal luster glows, the

realm in which the light divine is set, place me, Purifier, in that

deathless, imperishable world. Make me immortal in that realm where

movement is accordant to wish, in the third region, the third heaven

of heavens, where the worlds are resplendent " (Rig Veda, Aitareya

Aranyaka 6-11).

 

Most often, before our own death, we encounter its reality in the

passing of friends or family. Our thoughts during the rites, termed

antyesti samskara in Sanskrit, turn to God. We witness the end of

another's life and ask, " What am I going to do with the remaining

years of my own life? " All that is said during these times reminds us

that life on earth is temporary. All our possessions, power, ego and

learning will end. Seeing this truth we turn the mind toward God,

toward life's ultimate goal, moksha, liberation, and toward the path

of dharma that will take us there. We do this not in trepidation, but

in assurance, faith and gratitude for the opportunity to progress

spiritually in this physical incarnation.

 

Death is defined differently according to what people believe

themselves to be. If they are only the body and brain (as with

humanists or atheists), then death is the end of sensory experience,

of self. If we live once, death ends our only sojourn on Earth and is

naturally dreaded. If we are born again and again, it loses its dread

in light of the soul's pilgrimage to eternity. No matter how ill, how

infirm our condition, there is a serene and consoling center of our

being to which we can adjourn, the Source within. It is more us than

our body, more us than our mind and emotion. It will not die. It does

not hurt or fear. As physical debility and death draw near, we seek

this center, whether we call it Paramatma, God, Self or Divine

Consciousness. In the Krishna Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Yama, Lord

of Death, explains: " Death is a mere illusion which appears to those

who cannot grasp Absolute Reality. The soul is immortal, self-

existent, self-luminous and never dies. "

 

It is the soul's subtle body, linga sharira, that stores the " thought-

energy " experiential impressions of life, called samskaras. When the

body dies, this nonphysical sheath continues as a constellation of

subtle elements--dispositions, memories, desires, etc. It is within

this subtle body that the soul, if needed, reincarnates, as described

in the Shukla Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (4.4.5-6): " A man

acts according to the desires to which he clings. After death he goes

to the next world bearing in his mind the subtle impressions of his

deeds; and after reaping there the harvest of his deeds, he returns

again to this world of action. Thus, he who has desires continues

subject to rebirth. " Death, according to Hinduism, is not the

contradiction of life. Death and birth are two sides of life's cosmic

cycle. The culmination of that cycle is liberation. As the venerable

Satguru Yogaswami of Sri Lanka taught: " By getting rid of desire, man

can put an end to birth altogether. "

 

Resolving the Karmas: Many who have had a near-death experience speak

of having come back to complete unfinished obligations to children,

parents or friends. It is a great blessing to know of one's impending

transition. A Hindu approaching death works diligently to finish all

his " business " of this lifetime, the alloted portion of his total

karma carried into this birth to face and resolve. If death comes

while loose ends remain (misunderstandings unresolved, misdeeds

unatoned for or obligations unfulfilled), another lifetime may be

required to expire that karma. Thus, an aging or ailing Hindu will be

seen going around to friends and enemies, giving love, help and

blessings, working to resolve conflicts and differences, offering

apologies and fulfilling all known obligations. Ideally, he executes

his own will, distributing his properties and duties to heirs,

charities and endowments, not leaving such tasks to others.

 

That done, he turns to God, reads scriptures, attends temple and

amplifies meditation and devotion. He may pilgrimage to sacred spots

or retire to a secluded place to practice japa and yoga sadhanas. The

family takes care not to disturb these efforts, nor his retirement

from social obligation or interaction, realizing he has entered

life's final stage, that of the renunciate, or sannyasin.

 

Making the Transition Consciously: Knowing that a conscious death is

the ideal, the Hindu avoids excessive drugs or mind-numbing medical

measures. He cultivates detachment as death approaches, knowing that

loss is not suffered when something is given up voluntarily, only

when it is taken from us by force. He is grateful for life, but not

angry with or fearful of death. Dying is not unlike falling asleep.

We have all experienced death many times in past lives. The astral

body separates from the physical body, just as in sleep. The

difference is that the silver cord connecting the two breaks at the

moment of transition, signaling the point of no return.

 

Scriptures speak of leaving the body through one chakra or another,

departing in a level of consciousness of a particular chakra, which

then determines where in the inner worlds a person will find himself

after death. Those who depart full of hatred and resentment go to the

world of those who also died in lower consciousness. Those with love

in their heart enter a world where abide others with similar

attainment. Therefore, during transition a person must strive to be

in the highest possible state of consciousness, concentrating on the

top of the head and holding to lofty thoughts as he succumbs. A woman

in California narrated: " Shortly before my husband died, he held my

hands and asked me to recite the Lalitha Sahasranama and to say the

mantra we were initiated into. He repeated after me in a loud voice

when suddenly his face began to shine with a luster, and he became

overjoyed and beaming. He started almost shouting in joy that he was

seeing the temple and the Deities--Siva, Ganesha and Muruga--smiling

at him. In this glowing way he passed away shortly thereafter while I

recited the mantra in his ear. "

 

Those who die suddenly, through accident or murder, have no time to

prepare. Traditionally, full death rites are not performed after such

deaths, because rebirth is expected almost immediately. For the same

reason, rites are not accorded children who die young, before

adolescence. In India, bodies of accidental-death victims and

children are buried in a common grave or put in a river. Since

neither is possible in Westernized countries, cremation is accepted.

 

Funeral and Memorial Rites: Hindus traditionally cremate their dead,

for swifter, more complete release of the soul. Burial, which

preserves the bond, is generally forbidden. Death's anniversary is

called Liberation Day. For saints, it is celebrated rather than the

day of birth. To some extent, the funeral rites serve to notify the

departed soul that he has, in fact, died. It is possible for a

disoriented soul, not understanding that he is on the other side, to

linger close to the physical plane. He can still see this material

world, and even observe his own funeral. Some of the ritual chants

address the deceased, urging him to relinquish attachments and

continue the journey. The rites are also for the living, allowing the

family to say a respectable and dignified " farewell, " to express

grief, loss and the mosaic of emotions they naturally encounter. The

deepest significance of the funeral rites lies in their yoking the

inner and outer worlds, Bhuloka and Devaloka, and their recognition

that a family consists not just of its living generations, but its

ancestors as well. Often a group of souls will sequentially incarnate

into the same extended family, so that, for example, a grandson may

be the returned soul of the father. In this way collective karma and

dharma are worked through. Those in the inner worlds help relatives

living in the outer world. When their turn comes in the outer world,

they strive to attain spiritual progress that is only possible in

physical incarnation. Ceremonial uniting of the deceased with his

forefathers and yearly honoring of ancestors keep open the inner

communication which makes the family prosperous and preserves its

longevity.

 

The Vedas proclaim, " When a person comes to weakness, be it through

old age or disease, he frees himself from these limbs just as a

mango, a fig or a berry releases itself from its stalk " (Sukla Yajur

Veda, Brihadharanyaka Upanishad: 4.3.36).

 

January/February/March, 2007