{"id":412,"date":"2019-12-07T14:54:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-07T04:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?page_id=412"},"modified":"2019-12-10T14:14:58","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T04:14:58","slug":"further-reflection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The following contemplation, written by a Buddhist author, also has a universal appeal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First,\ncontemplate impermanence\u2014the progression from birth to old age and death,\npeople who have come and gone, possessions, shifting scenery, the kaleidoscopic\nplay of phenomena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think\nabout the universe in constant motion; think about the subatomic particles of\nyour own body, so kinetic that in any instant their existence and whereabouts\nare only a probability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemplate\ndeath, the countless deaths before and the countless deaths yet to come, the\nuncertainty of when and how death will happen next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine\nspecific ways death might occur, the sudden severance from friends and family.\nContemplate until you perceive the seeming cohesion of life as a transparent\nillusion. When weary of contemplation, rest the mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nthoughts arise, direct them toward compassion. Reflect on how we usually live\nin denial of impermanence, yet are undercut again and again when what we relied\non as solid and enduring disintegrates and disappears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember\nthe suffering at the moment of death\u2014the fear, the separation from loved ones\nand possessions\u2014and remember the tumultuous experiences in the bardo<\/em> after death. Think how most\nbeings, oblivious to impermanence, lose their sense of priority. Reflect in\nthis way until compassion for them surges forth, then rest, beyond concept. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again,\nwhen mind’s incessant creativity gives rise to thoughts, direct them toward\nprayer, that all beings may attain such profound realization of impermanence\nthat it totally purifies the tendency to hold to appearances as real, as well\nas all attachment and aversion that stem from that holding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pray\nthat you may go through death’s transitions maintaining recognition of mind’s\nnature and that your realization will become so strong that you can rescue\nothers from the turmoil of the bardo<\/em>. Then rest the mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, when thoughts present themselves, formulate the commitment to live and practice in unwavering cognizance of impermanence. Commit yourself to realizing the true nature of all phenomena, positive or negative, and to searching for the absolute essence. With this resolve, relax in uncontrived meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source<\/strong>: Tromge, Jane. Ngondro Commentary: Instructions for the Concise Preliminary Practices of the New Treasure of Dudjom.<\/em> Compiled from the teachings of H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Junction City, CA: Padma Publishing, 1995. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a PDF copy of this contemplation, please click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Like
Reflection: Like waves at the seaside, all things are impermanent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following contemplation, written by a Buddhist author, also has a universal appeal: First, contemplate impermanence\u2014the progression from birth to old age and death, people who have come and gone, possessions, shifting scenery, the kaleidoscopic play of phenomena. Think about …<\/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":"\nReflection - 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\/further-reflection\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reflection - End-of-Life Reflections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The following contemplation, written by a Buddhist author, also has a universal appeal: First, contemplate impermanence\u2014the progression from birth to old age and death, people who have come and gone, possessions, shifting scenery, the kaleidoscopic play of phenomena. Think about … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"End-of-Life Reflections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-10T04:14:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Impermanence-1024x768.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/\",\"name\":\"End-of-Life Reflections\",\"description\":\"Reflections on dying and death from a Buddhist view\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Impermanence-1024x768.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Impermanence-1024x768.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/\",\"name\":\"Reflection - End-of-Life Reflections\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-07T04:54:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-10T04:14:58+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reflection\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reflection - End-of-Life Reflections","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reflection - End-of-Life Reflections","og_description":"The following contemplation, written by a Buddhist author, also has a universal appeal: First, contemplate impermanence\u2014the progression from birth to old age and death, people who have come and gone, possessions, shifting scenery, the kaleidoscopic play of phenomena. Think about … Continue reading →","og_url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/","og_site_name":"End-of-Life Reflections","article_modified_time":"2019-12-10T04:14:58+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Impermanence-1024x768.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/","name":"End-of-Life Reflections","description":"Reflections on dying and death from a Buddhist view","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Impermanence-1024x768.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Impermanence-1024x768.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/","name":"Reflection - End-of-Life Reflections","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2019-12-07T04:54:18+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-10T04:14:58+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/further-reflection\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reflection"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/412"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":472,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/412\/revisions\/472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}