Dear Henry, Contemplate Daily
Dear Henry,
I am happy to see your practice.
It’s ‘funny’, but at the time of death, considering all of our activities in our lifetime, the ‘activity’ below are the ONLY ACTIONS that will help you at the decisive moment of death.
When you do your daily practices as written below, please add death meditation while you are doing them. Daily be focused on your death meditation. Be creative… sometimes see yourself dying in a car accident with all the pain and gore… see yourself with a disease and dying slowly, or suddenly in your sleep… die different ways daily in your practice…. Contemplate in detail the death of your body, how your body will rot and decay. How you have taken care of your body and give it so much ‘pleasures’ yet it is a traitor dying and rotting on you. Yes, your body is not yours. See your body rotting, stench filled, decaying and infested with maggots. See the maggots really eating away at your body, till it becomes bones… and identify that this body IS NOT HENRY. Henry is not this body, although Henry was connected to this body… think deeply on that while you do your black tea, mantras, recitations, and prostrations… Don’t imagine your body decaying, but ’see’ it with your mind’s eye. Make it real as possible as it will become real anyway eventually. Sometimes see your body being prepared for cremation, and see your body burning away. Do this type of death meditation daily… be aware of it… then your mind will shift even more… See your possession given away and your kids, friends, loved ones continuing after you are gone and how eventually you will be remembered less and less. People do not wish to forget you, but eventually will. Eventually they will be gone too. They will be forgotten… nothing but space remains… even that does not remain as we see it.
Everything that was identified as Henry’s or belonging to Henry will be gone. Then think within this ‘emptiness’ of non-existent Henry, what is important then? Think deeply. You don’t have to come out with any conclusions from this contemplation…just think. The purpose of this is not for a conclusion, but the whole process of death and visualizing it is highly important….Please do it Henry. Do it daily and do it creatively and do it with 100% conviction. Ask the Buddhas and Protector to give you realizations while doing this meditation. Add to the meditation on your own. Put more into than what I have written. Death meditation if done continuously is the one practice that will transform the mind, our actions, motivations and aspirations for a higher end. It will really change us for bigger and much better purposes.
With care, I’ve written this to you and now when I re-read it, I wish to share it with other liaisons and students also. Your email is private, but I will share as it will benefit. Don’t mind please. I recommend the liaisons and students to do it also please… Henry, when the time of our lives come to an end, smile for a better journey ahead because you’ve ‘packed your bags and made good travel plans’.
Doing your practice, living a good life of Dharma, having a positive eventual death/bardo/rebirth/ and continuing your practice in the future is the ONLY PURPOSE WE MET. I am happy to have met you.
Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
Henry is a long time student, everyday he does his sadhanas, prayers and prostrations as I have recommended specific ones for him. I added the above contemplations for Henry today to do while engaged in his daily recitations/practices/prostrations. I thought I’d share this email to him with everyone as it will benefit many I feel. Everyone may add the contemplations with their practice daily…
May everyone be ok always,
Tsem Rinpoche
Below is a sample of Henry’s email to update his daily practice to me:
Dear Rinpoche,
UPDATE
Below is the update of my practices for the month of:
MAY 2011
Om Mani Padme Hung – recited daily one mala since 4th June 2011. Also 10 mala since my Aunt passed away. Will continue until the 49th day.
Kangshag – read up to 5500, target 10,000.
Guru mantra – recited up to 316,000
A Gem to Increase Life & Wisdom – recited daily.
Peace mantra – recited daily.
Long Prostration – done 2800, started February 8th.
35 Confessional Buddhas – read daily, started February 8th.
Serkym and sadhana – daily.
APRIL 2011
Kangshag – read up to 4226, target 10,000.
Guru mantra – recited up to 220,000
A Gem to Increase Life & Wisdom – recited daily.
Peace mantra – recited daily.
Long Prostration – done 1710, started February 8th.
35 Confessional Buddhas – read daily, started February 8th.
Serkym and Sadhana – daily.
MARCH 2011
Kangshag – read up to 3665, target 10,000.
Guru mantra – recited up to 125,300
A Gem to Increase Life & Wisdom – recited daily.
Peace mantra – recited daily.
Long Prostration – done 1135, started February 8th.
35 Confessional Buddhas – read daily, started February 8th.
Serkym and sadhana – daily.
FEBRUARY 2011
Kangshag – read up to 3401, target 10,000.
Guru mantra – recited up to 562,000
A Gem to Increase Life & Wisdom – recited daily.
Peace mantra – recited daily.
Long Prostration – done 341, started February 8th.
35 Confessional Buddhas – read daily, started February 8th.
Serkym and sadhana – daily.
JANUARY 2011
Kangshag – read up to 2785, target 10,000.
Guru mantra (started January 22) – recited 11,400. Offering up and requesting Rinpoche to live long.
A Gem to Increase Life & Wisdom – recited daily.
Peace mantra – after completion of 114,000 mantras, reciting one mala daily.
Serkym and sadhana – daily.
Love always,
Henry Ooi
Liaison to H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
Director
Kechara Paradise Retail Outlets
Mobile: 012 216 0126
Email: henry.ooi@kechara.com
Website:
Yes, many are or try to avoid talking or even thinking about death as if it will never come. But as people get older, the fear of death is stronger… And that’s when most realized whatever they have accomplished whether it’s money, relationships, fame and recognition does not matter anymore. Because death is around the corner ANYTIME.
Worse is those who can not let go of their attachment and fear of death would think of hundreds different way to “program” their kids to accomplish what they have accomplished and pray that whatever they have, their kids will continue to bear the glory of the parents… It has been that way for decades.
Thank Buddha for us to meet dharma and prepare us for a bigger purpose than the regulars. Accepting death and look beyond that not only broaden our mind and also point of views… Nothing really matters in the end of the day.
Thankyou Rinpoche for this post. I hope it reach out to many and accept the beautiful truth eventually.
Thank you immensely, Rinpochela; and in fact,Brother Henry too, (for, if not for your question, i would not have the wonderful opportunity to benefit from the wonderful answer from Rinpochela. i thought the answer given by Rinpochela was truly appropriate for me (although my problem may vastly differ from Brother Henry’s). Only two days ago, i bumped into friends whom i thought should be working hard to ‘let go’ of their attachments to the ‘flesh’ (all of them were already “uncle-uncle” types). i pondered deeply after that meeting – how should i practice so as not to be influenced by them. Now i see Rinpochela’s wise counsel to Brother Henry as the answer. “kam-sia chhe-chhe!” Rinpochela, and Henry-la!
Hi Benji,
I hear from Patsy that you are actively engaging in your practices at your dharma centre, I rejoice to hear that.
I hope one day I may meet you again, perhaps in KL/PJ.
Take care, Benji.
Henry
Dearest Rinpoche, thank you so much for sharing the post about death and impermanence. Thank you for Rinpoche’s teachings and love. I am SO HAPPY to have met Rinpoche and Dharma. Life is so much ‘easier’ now.
We are very proud to be guided by Henry Ooi in many ways, be it work or play.
Hi Rinpoche, thank You for sharing Henry’s email and all the creative examples of death meditation. I will also do as what Rinpoche said and learn to meditate on that. Being able to practice Dharma is the most fortunate thing I consider having in this lifetime of mine. Thank You Rinpoche.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this with all of us. It will definitely benefit those who dare to use their creativities to imagaine the types of death that may come….perhaps just round the corners……
It is only by facing death directly that we will be able to overcome it.
May we all be able to gain realisations by meditation on death.
We can overcome it. Do we want to pay the price? Either way we have to pay a price, but if we avoid, the price will be higher. Are you ready for that? TR
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for sharing this powerful teaching on Meditation on Death and Impermanence which you gave to Henry.
I have been trying to do this meditation. Then last night, at our Lamrim class, which was also on Death and Impermanence, Mr Ngeow really jolted me ‘awake’ with his pointing out to us that everything,including the 18 opportune conditions of this our optimum human rebirth, is impermanent. If we don’t make full use of our time Dharmically, every moment that the 18 opportune conditions are still with us, then when they ‘disappear’ in part and then in total, we would be devastated!When death comes(which may even be before the 18 opportune conditions start to disappear!) it will be the end of all our hopes and dreams about our future rebirths, and our hope of Enlightenment. Nay, it will mean falling for sure into the lower realms!
Impermanence is ‘good’ provided we realize it and are aware of it every moment of our waking lives.Then , when we combine this awareness with regularly meditating on Death as vividly as Rinpoche has shown us, we will surely be propelled towards positive action and mind transformation.
Thank you Rinpoche for the most potent of contemplations. It is not easy to think of death and yet we must face it. If it wasn’t for Rinpoche’s reminders, I wouldn’t given much thought much to my death and the idea of mortality seemed so distant and yet when I do think about it, I get scared. Perhaps, a lot of attachment to this body and enjoyments.
hmm… looks like i’ll die twice a day for today onwards…