{"id":1528,"date":"2020-02-08T15:04:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-08T05:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?page_id=1528"},"modified":"2020-02-08T15:04:33","modified_gmt":"2020-02-08T05:04:33","slug":"reflections-and-contemplation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/reflections-and-contemplation\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections and Contemplation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The eight foundations or postures featured in this website\neach have five questions to reflect or contemplate on: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) Having a Precious Human Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(a) Do I take my present favourable life\u2019s opportunities<\/em>\nfor granted?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) Am I grateful for the well-being<\/em> I have at this\ntime?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) Am I appreciative for the conditions conducive for\nspiritual practice<\/em> that I have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) Am I thankful for the supportive group of spiritual\nfriends<\/em> that I have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) Do I realize that nothing happens without a cause<\/em>\n\u2013 therefore, the freedoms and fortune I am enjoying today must be due to accrued\nmerit in the past. And so, I must not waste the opportunities I have today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(2) Accepting Impermanence and Death<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(a) Know that death is definite and inevitable \u2013 for every\nperson alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) Realize that the time of death is uncertain \u2013 I don\u2019t know\nwhen I\u2019ll die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) Understand that my material possessions, as well as\nfriends and relatives, cannot help to prevent my death.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) Prepare for death now, seeing my mortality and transient\nnature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) Let me know and understand the importance of making my\nlife meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(3) Understanding Karma (Cause and Effect)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(a) Do I deeply know that karma is definite<\/em>?\nHappiness always comes from useful and beneficial actions \u2013 and pain from unhelpful\nand damaging ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) Do I realize that karma is expandable<\/em>? A\nseemingly small cause can lead to a large outcome or result. And small\nnegativity can likewise lead to a large effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) Do I appreciate that if a cause has not been produced<\/em>,\nthen an effect or outcome will not be experienced?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) Am I sobered by the fact that karmic latencies will\nnot get lost<\/em> \u2013 and that I will experience their results at some stage? [However,\nnegative latencies can be purified by the four opponent powers \u2013 power of\nregret, (not guilt); power of the foundation; power of turning away from\nfaults; power of remedial behaviour \u2013 but, positive latencies can be impaired\nby our getting angry or generating distorted views. (Chodron, Thubten. Guided\nBuddhist Meditations<\/em>, p. 87. Shambhala. Kindle Edition.)]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) Am I determined and resolute in watching and observing\nmy motivations<\/em> and actions<\/em> from now on \u2013 so that I can create the\ncauses of happiness and avoid the causes of suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(4) Recognizing the Inherent Suffering in Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(a) Can I imagine myself as an old, frail person \u2013 with the unavoidable\ndecline of my physical and mental abilities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) Have I experienced getting sick without choice, or even\ncontrol, on my part \u2013 or, the sickness of others in the same predicament (such\nas those suffering with Parkinson\u2019s Disease or dementia)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) Have I encountered problems, even though I did my best\nto avoid them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) Have I not worked so hard in trying to obtain something \u2013\nand yet did not acquire or achieve it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) Have I not found it difficult to contend with strong\nnegative emotions at times, that seemed to arise from nowhere?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(5) Having Equal Love for All<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(a) May I and all beings be happy and have the causes of\nhappiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) May I and all beings be free from suffering and the\ncauses of suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) May I and all beings have the happiness of complete\nAwakening that will never diminish or fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) Thus may we abide in great equanimity, unruffled by\nattachment and aversion and with equal love for all beings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Source: Hookham, Lama Shenpen. There’s More to Dying than Death<\/em>. Windhorse Publications Ltd. Kindle Edition.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) Another expression of the Four Immeasurables<\/em> (or Four Boundless Emotions) is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May all beings have happiness and its causes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May all beings be free from suffering and its causes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May all beings know pure joy untouched by suffering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May all beings live in peace untroubled by anger or\nclinging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Source: Neale, Miles. Gradual Awakening<\/em>. Sounds\nTrue. Kindle Edition.)  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(6) Being Prepared for Death<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(a) Have I made all the practical preparations for before\nmy death<\/em> approaches?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) Have I taken care of the practical preparations for after\nmy death<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) As far as spiritual preparation, have I given thought as\nto what to do for myself before I die?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) As far as spiritual preparation, am I prepared for what\nto do for myself as I die?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) As far as spiritual preparation, have I given thought\nfor what to do for myself after I die?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(7) Fulfilling Responsible Stewardship<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(a) Do I have an up-to-date will in place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) Have I streamlined and simplified my possessions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) Have I organized my living space for neatness and simplicity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) Have I simplified my expectations, activities (including\nsocial involvements and relationships), and pace of life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) Having downscaled and decluttered my life, am I able to\nnow devote more time toward lasting, spiritual pursuits \u2013 in preparation for\npeacefully leaving this life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(8) Embarking on a Spiritual Path  <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(a) Have I given thought to the value of a spiritual path \u2013 whereby\n\u201csuffering, its causes, their cessation and the path must in turn be understood<\/em>,\neliminated<\/em>, realized<\/em> and relied upon<\/em>\u201d (Maitreya<\/em>, Sublime\nContinuum<\/em>, VI, 55)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) Do I grasp the parallel thought to the one above: \u201cIllness\nmust be understood<\/em>, its causes eliminated<\/em>, well-being must be attained<\/em>,\nand medicine taken<\/em>\u201d (Maitreya<\/em>, Sublime Continuum<\/em>, VI, 55)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) Do I see the wisdom of listening<\/em> and hearing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) Do I understand the wisdom of contemplation<\/em> and reflection? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) Do I appreciate wisdom of meditation<\/em> and application. <\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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(b) Am I grateful for …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":""},"yoast_head":"\nReflections and Contemplation - End-of-Life Reflections<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/reflections-and-contemplation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reflections and Contemplation - End-of-Life Reflections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The eight foundations or postures featured in this website each have five questions to reflect or contemplate on: (1) Having a Precious Human Life (a) Do I take my present favourable life\u2019s opportunities for granted? 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