In this blog, I would like to briefly recount the story of a close friend of mine, Wangdu La, a Tibetan living in New York, who is terminally ill and very close to death. Even in this situation, he remains happy, peaceful, grateful, and ready to die. I believe that his attitude towards death is a great example not only for me but also for others, demonstrating the importance of Dharma and the consideration of impermanence which leads to a peaceful death and a fortunate rebirth. As I said in my blog, ‘Impermanence, the Essence of Meditation’:
“There are very many benefits of impermanence meditation, [yet meditation on impermanence] is the real preparation for death, a death that is blissful, peaceful, and fearless. There is no way to postpone death, regardless of our status. Everyone has to take the path of death. Buddhist scriptures explain that death is naturally with us as soon as we are born from the womb of our mother. For example, like a body and its shadow. The time of our death is uncertain. There is no certainty what may create the conditions for our death. At the time of death, nothing except the sacred Dharma will be of benefit. If we contemplate death from now on, when death suddenly and forcefully arrives we will have less fear and anxiety about it.”
