Guest guest Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Dear Friends, I am trying to respond to Jagannath's message today on dying, but have unwittingly lost the entire email. I have three death stories to tell. 1) Many years ago an old devotee was dying and his family and friends gathered around to meditate and be with him. He was a very simple man, a carpenter. At the very end his wife wanted to hold his hand and another old devotee whispered urgently, " NO! Leave him alone! " His wife withdrew her hand and a few seconds later he intoned in a loud voice, " OM! OM! OM! " It remains in my mind because he was such a simple man to have called on the Impersonal at his last breath. And also of course because his wife was cautioned against bringing his consciousness to her. 2) 3 years ago a friend was dying. A mutual friend lived with her to run the house the last 3 years of her life. One day the Hospice nurse informed us that she had begun the " death rattle " . I went and the mutual friend and I sat quietly and meditated. After about 3 hours her breathing grew slower and we went to the side of her bed. The breathing stopped and a peace began to come over her face. The friend cried, " Oh, I can't stand to watch her suffering so! " Hearing this from wherever she was, she immediately took a gigantic breath inward and began the death rattle anew. I cannot but feel our mutual friend brought her back from a peaceful death. It took her another 2 days to finally let go. 3) I have a nephew, 65 years old, dying of newly discovered late-stage pancreatic cancer. He is a doctor and has dedicated his entire life to healing, to helping others. I think of him as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar reincarnated. I travelled to visit him a couple of weeks ago and found his eyes shining like depthless pools of compassion and love for humankind. They are quite beautiful -- and quite haunting because, with all the love and compassion they spoke, they lacked inward joy. I took him Thomas Byrom's beautiful translation of the Ashtavakra Gita, titled " The Heart of Awareness. " He has been reading it and meditating on it, and he is at peace. May he reach that depth of awareness he so cherishes. And to you who originally wrote requesting help on how to deal with someone close who was dying, may you find the strength to hold on so that you may pass that same strength and love to the one leaving. Edith Ramakrishna wrote: > > > ------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Ramakrishna , Edith Tipple <edtipple@e...> wrote: > Dear Friends, > > I am trying to respond to Jagannath's message today on dying > And to you who originally wrote requesting help on how to deal with someone close who > was dying, may you find the strength to hold on so that you may pass that same > strength and love to the one leaving. Namaste, On his last tour of USA in the early 90's, Bede Griffiths while lecturing at the Vivekananda Monastery in Ganges, MI, said his fervent wish, while he would be about to die, was to listen to the chanting of the last 3 verses of Isa Upanishad : 16 O Nourisher, lone Traveller of the sky! Controller! O Sun, Offspring of Prajapati! Gather Your rays; withdraw Your light. I would see, through Your grace, that form of Yours which is the fairest. I am indeed He, that Purusha, who dwells there. 17 Now may my breath return to the all—pervading, immortal Prana! May this body be burnt to ashes! Om. O mind, remember, remember all that I have done. 18 O Fire, lead us by the good path for the enjoyment of the fruit of our action. You know, O god, all our deeds. Destroy our sin of deceit. We offer, by words, our salutations to you. There are many verses in the Gita that address such an event, which benefit both the dying and the survivors. Regards, Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Regarding death and dying, I'd advise reading Stephen Levine, " Healing into life and death " or any of his other books. He is a devotee of Baba Neem Karoli. Edith Tipple [edtipple] Thursday, April 22, 2004 6:23 PM Ramakrishna Re: [sri Ramakrishna] Digest Number 1767 Dear Friends, I am trying to respond to Jagannath's message today on dying, but have unwittingly lost the entire email. I have three death stories to tell. 1) Many years ago an old devotee was dying and his family and friends gathered around to meditate and be with him. He was a very simple man, a carpenter. At the very end his wife wanted to hold his hand and another old devotee whispered urgently, " NO! Leave him alone! " His wife withdrew her hand and a few seconds later he intoned in a loud voice, " OM! OM! OM! " It remains in my mind because he was such a simple man to have called on the Impersonal at his last breath. And also of course because his wife was cautioned against bringing his consciousness to her. 2) 3 years ago a friend was dying. A mutual friend lived with her to run the house the last 3 years of her life. One day the Hospice nurse informed us that she had begun the " death rattle " . I went and the mutual friend and I sat quietly and meditated. After about 3 hours her breathing grew slower and we went to the side of her bed. The breathing stopped and a peace began to come over her face. The friend cried, " Oh, I can't stand to watch her suffering so! " Hearing this from wherever she was, she immediately took a gigantic breath inward and began the death rattle anew. I cannot but feel our mutual friend brought her back from a peaceful death. It took her another 2 days to finally let go. 3) I have a nephew, 65 years old, dying of newly discovered late-stage pancreatic cancer. He is a doctor and has dedicated his entire life to healing, to helping others. I think of him as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar reincarnated. I travelled to visit him a couple of weeks ago and found his eyes shining like depthless pools of compassion and love for humankind. They are quite beautiful -- and quite haunting because, with all the love and compassion they spoke, they lacked inward joy. I took him Thomas Byrom's beautiful translation of the Ashtavakra Gita, titled " The Heart of Awareness. " He has been reading it and meditating on it, and he is at peace. May he reach that depth of awareness he so cherishes. And to you who originally wrote requesting help on how to deal with someone close who was dying, may you find the strength to hold on so that you may pass that same strength and love to the one leaving. Edith Ramakrishna wrote: > > > ------ Sri Ramakrishnaya Namah Vivekananda Centre London http://www.vivekananda.co.uk _____ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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