Death is a certainty in life; All of us must
have contemplated this ultimate reality at some point in time in our lives,
regardless of age. That one day all that we see around us will cease for us is not a comforting thought; yet – none
of us can escape this ultimate reality. Most, I daresay all – must be
terrified, or worried at the contemplation of the coming surety, be it 50 years
away or more. One day, we will simply cease to be, that seems to be certain. At
least until you begin to deeply contemplate this reality from your innermost
being – your antahkaran, not out of fear – but out of curiosity… therein lies
the first trigger for your release!
UNDERSTANDING LIFE
In order that we understand this feared “death”,
we need to understand the true nature of our existence, alongside an acceptance
of our Aatmaa {soul}. Not awareness of the Aatmaa, but acceptance, faith that
it exists inside us. That is the real “Me”, all the rest is a setoff sheaths
around our true self, a mirage as it were. When we die, what dies are these
sheaths – and, along with these sheaths, die our memories, our conscious
perceptions, all connections to other sheaths {people / relatives / friends},
etc. It is this severance of the connections to the outer world that scares us;
the day we learn to rise
above these connections, see them for what they are- temporary anchorages in a
journey – death will seem friendly, enticing and completely natural.
Life as we know it is a mere expression of
these perceptions – interactions with outer sensory triggers, which have absolutely
nothing to do with life itself, or our continued existence. Life is, until we reach deeper into our antahkaran, {loose
translation – conscience}, our interplay with the sensory perceptions &
ripples created by our mind, eyes, ears, nose, etc… what we perceive, and how
we react to it. We remain driven by our senses, of which the Mind is a key
part. We live to satisfy the cravings of our senses – desire, ambition, love,
greed, hunger, security and more… unless we find a deep anchor, we continue to
drift in the sea of the sensory perceptions, when we should be driving the
sensory perceptions, using them for our deeper purpose.
RISING ABOVE
Rising above these sensory perceptions and
finding a deeper anchor is never easy; and no one can help either – not unless
you yourself receive an inkling or desire for this deeper anchor. The anchor
can be faith, belief, purpose, Love for God, any of these; but unless it is
triggered from deep within, we continue to exist at the superficial level of
our sensory perceptions. Rising above, in a nutshell, involves understanding
that our sensory perceptions are merely vitally essential tools that we use
{not they – the senses - use or drive us}
so as to aid ourselves to survive by giving us security, food etc – while we go
in pursuit of our true purpose, the reason for the existence of the Aatmaa.
While the body exists, the needs of the
body are real; there is no escape. Its responsibilities
are also real – you need to provide for family, self; you need to fulfill your
duty to your nation and your society and so on and so forth. Where we go wrong is that we treat the body
as being our own self, and live purely for these sensory perceptions. We
work to earn more and ever more, not as a duty towards nation, society and
family, for example. We love our family because
they love us back & they are relatives. However, these relatives are
also mere sensory perceptions created by your senses, and have no connection with
your antahkaran & your real self. They are related to the body, not to you!
Your body came into this world alone –
and will die alone. You, on the other hand, are immortal.
MOVING ON…
Death is not an easy subject to deal with;
this article is the first in a series of contemplation on this ultimate
reality. My objective here in this article was to highlight the fact that we
exist at a sensory level, and it is these sensory perceptions that cease upon
the advent of death. Till such time as you exist at a sensory level, the fear
of death is likely to remain. After all, all you would ever have known is these
sensory perceptions; not being aware of any other plane of existence – your entire
world as you know it ceases to exist! Thus, those who believe that there
is no re-birth are also correct, insofaras all of their extant reality ceases
to be. But, if you find a deeper anchor, the entire way you perceive life and
death changes permanently, and death ceases to be fearful; rather, it becomes
comfortable….
Superbly artivilsted
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