Death

One of my aunt passed away last Sunday. She has been suffering from cancer and doctor gave up on her eventually. She was counting her days and finally she departed. It was my first time getting involve in a showering and dressing the preta (body). Everybody was involved right from showering, dressing and I could see the teamwork. It was indeed a smooth transition where everybody prayed for her atma (soul).

It was my first experience going to the new crematorium too. I was amazed to see the high tech instrument used for the funeral. Everything was automatic. After some rituals done at parlour, the coffin moves automatically on the track and the door automatically opens to the next section. People were requested to move to the viewing gallery. You can then watch the coffin moving on the track and it moves to a forklift. When the forklift moves to next section, the spot-light in on. There you can see the coffin travelling through into the oven and you are watching it from a higher level.

It was a glimpse moment of myself. Yes, I just felt like I am in the place, the process is a glimpse of an individual destination one day. It was a reflection. What am I doing here? What is the purpose and my thoughts just went on. Why do people cry when we are immortal? Why do we cling to the body, the name when we know the atma(soul) is indeed immortal. What happens if my love ones die before me....
Will I blame God? Will I say it as "God's Plan"? or will I accept it as the person's karma?

I can only conclude that Death is inevitable. Every birth has it's death. If we can live one more day to see the world, do right action, have pure thoughts and speak the truth. One more thing...think of death at least once daily because that will make ones mind prepared

This morning...my day started with this saying ....

Only with the birth of the body do our worldly relations start and end with its death. But in each birth our relation with the Lord remains unchanged. Our present experience seems to be right the opposite and we are trying to make ever-lasting relations in the never-lasting world and thereby casting a spell of sorrows for ourselves. Understand and realise that our relation with the Lord is primary and permanent and all others are secondary and impermanent. Each individual has a primary relation with the Lord, whether he knows and accepts it or not. Ignorance of this is the cause of our suffering. - Swami Tejomayananda