Quotes About Death

whatever state of mind we are in now, whatever kind of person we are now: that's what we will be like at the moment of death

The still revolutionary insight of Buddhism is that life and death are in the mind, and nowhere else. Mind is revealed as the universal basis of experience—the creator of happiness and the creator of suffering, the creator of what we call life and what we call death.

Para la persona que se ha preparado y ha practicado, la muerte llega no como una derrota, sino como un triunfo, el momento más glorioso que corona toda la vida.

Death is a vast mystery, but there are two things we can layabout it: It is absolutely certain that we will die, and it is uncertain when or how we will die. The only surety we have, then, is this uncertainty about the hour of our death, which we seize on as the excuse to postpone facing death directly. We are like children who cover their eyes in a game of hide-and-seek and think that no one can see them.

Life and death are in the mind, and nowhere else.

I often think of the words of the great Buddhist master Padmasambhava: "Those who believe they have plenty of time get ready only at the time of death. Then they are ravaged by regret. But isn't it far too late?" What more chilling commentary on the modern world could there be than most people die unprepared for death, as they have lived, unprepared for life?

the realm we are in—samsara—is an ocean of unbearable suffering. There is one way, and one way only, out of samsara's ceaseless round of birth and death, which is the path to liberation.

Milarepa wrote: In horror of death, I took to the mountains— Again and again I meditated on the uncertainty of the hour of death, Capturing the fortress of the deathless unending nature of mind. Now all fear of death is over and done.

You see, we are all dying. It's only a matter of time.

Of all footprints That of the elephant is supreme; Of all mindfulness meditations That on death is supreme.7

People will die as they have lived, as themselves.

But whether we fear death and refuse to face it, or whether we romanticize it, death is trivialized. Both despair and euphoria about death are an evasion. Death is neither depressing nor exciting; it is simply a fact of life.

nuestra sociedad nos trata como individuos completamente obsesionados por el poder, el sexo y el dinero, y como si hubiera que distraernos en todo momento de cualquier contacto con la muerte o con la vida real.

begin with a series of deep contemplations on the uniqueness of human life the ever-presence of impermanence and death the infallibility of the cause and effect of our actions the vicious cycle of frustration and suffering that is samsara.

With mind far off, not thinking of death's coming, Performing these meaningless activities, Returning empty-handed now would be complete confusion; The need is recognition, the spiritual teachings, So why not practice the path of wisdom at this very moment? From the mouths of the saints come these words: If you do not keep your master's teaching in your heart Will you not become your own deceiver?

First, they must give the person permission to die, and second they must reassure the person they will be all right after he or she has gone, and that there is no need to worry about them.

to die "like a new-born child," free of all care and concern about death.

words of the great Buddhist master Padmasambhava: "Those who believe they have plenty of time get ready only at the time of death. Then they are ravaged by regret. But isn't it far too late?" What more chilling commentary on the modern world could there be than that most people die unprepared for death, as they have lived, unprepared for life?

So if we wish to die well, we must learn how to live well: Hoping for a peaceful death, we must cultivate peace in our mind, and in our way of life.

Ah, yes," he replied, "that's true; this is such a civilized country. They have such marvelous houses for dead corpses. But haven't you noticed? They have such wonderful houses for the living corpses too.

Researchers have noted a startling range of aftereffects and changes: a reduced fear and deeper acceptance of death; an increased concern for helping others; an enhanced vision of the importance of love; less interest in materialistic pursuits; a growing belief in a spiritual dimension and the spiritual meaning of life; and, of course, a greater openness to belief in the afterlife.

Fear of death and ignorance of the afterlife are fueling that destruction of our environment that is threatening all of our lives. So isn't it all the more disturbing that people are not taught what death is, or how to die?

As they die, they enable their body to be reabsorbed back into the light essence of the elements that created it

It's interesting that the word for "Budddhist" in Tibetan is nangpa. It means "inside-er": someone who seeks the truth not outside, but within the nature of mind. All the teachings and training in Buddhism are aimed at that one single point: to look into the nature of the mind, and so free us from the fear of death and help us realize the truth of life.