Astrall
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Death is not the opposite of life, but rather its complement. It is not the end of life, but merely a transition to a new state of being. Life continues after death, just as it existed before birth. Life is not limited to the brief period between birth and death; rather, birth and death are merely two points on the infinite continuum of existence. There is nothing to fear in death; it is simply a natural part of life. But we must learn to live fully and to die gracefully. There is an art to living, and there is an art to dying, and the latter is perhaps even more important than the former. Only those who know how to live well can truly know how to die well...
Osho
From the day my grandfather died, death became my... constant companion. On that day, I too died, for I realized with clarity: it doesn't matter if you live for seven years or seventy - he was seventy at the time - you will still die someday. (c) Osho
He was a good, kind man, and he died so simply. What was the meaning of his life? This question haunted me: what was the meaning of his life? What did he achieve? For seventy years, he remained a good man, but what was the point of it all? Life vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind. My grandfather's death deeply troubled me. I began to contemplate serious questions even before his death. At the age of four, I started pondering issues that people usually only begin to consider towards the end of their lives. But I didn't want to waste time. I started asking questions to my maternal grandfather. He usually replied:
Oh, these questions! You have your whole life ahead of you, you are still very young, don't rush. - Grandfather, I've seen boys in the village die: they never asked such questions, they died without finding an answer. Can you guarantee that I won't die tomorrow or the day after? Can you guarantee that I will only die after I get answers to my questions?
I cannot guarantee that, because death is not subject to me, just as life is not. - Then don't tell me to wait until I grow up. I want to know the answer immediately. If you know the answer, please tell me. If you don't know, then just tell me honestly. Soon he realized that it wouldn't work with me any other way. Saying "yes"... you start having a hard time, because you have to answer follow-up questions, delve into the topic - you can't fool me. Grandfather honestly admitted that he didn't know the answers to my questions.
I said to him:
You are old and may die soon. What have you been doing all your life? On the threshold of death, you will be left only with your ignorance. I am not asking you simple questions; they are very important to me. You go to the Temple. I ask you: why do you go there? What do you find there? You have been going there all your life and trying to persuade me to go with you. He built this Temple. One day, he realized that the whole answer was that "I built this Temple. If even I don't go there, then who will? But I will tell you frankly: yes, it was all in vain. I went there all my life, but I didn't find anything there." Then I said:
Try something else. Don't die with a question, die with an answer. But he died with a question. The last time we talked - it was ten hours before his death - he opened his eyes and said: - You were right: don't put anything off until tomorrow. I am dying with many questions. I admit that I gave you bad advice. You were right: you shouldn't put things off until tomorrow. If you have a question, look for the answer as soon as possible.
Death remains the only exception: everything else in the world has already been spoiled by man.
When someone dies, when someone you knew, loved, lived with, and who became a part of your life dies, something in you also dies. Of course, you will miss them, you will feel a void - that is natural. But that same void can be transformed into a door. For death is a door to God. Death is the only thing that man has not yet spoiled. Man has already spoiled everything, desecrated everything. Only death remains untouched, unspoiled, unsoiled by human hands. Man would gladly take possession of death too, but it remains unconquered, it does not yield to him. Death is elusive; it remains a mystery. Man is confused. He doesn't know what to do with death.
Man does not understand death; it cannot be subjected to scientific analysis, which is why it still remains unspoiled. Death remains the only exception: everything else in the world has already been spoiled by man. Make use of these moments. When death unexpectedly penetrates your consciousness, all of life seems meaningless. It truly is meaningless. Death reveals the truth. When you unexpectedly encounter death, it seems as if the ground is falling out from under your feet. Suddenly, you realize that the death of this person also means your own death. Every death is a death for each of us.
Osho
Osho
From the day my grandfather died, death became my... constant companion. On that day, I too died, for I realized with clarity: it doesn't matter if you live for seven years or seventy - he was seventy at the time - you will still die someday. (c) Osho
He was a good, kind man, and he died so simply. What was the meaning of his life? This question haunted me: what was the meaning of his life? What did he achieve? For seventy years, he remained a good man, but what was the point of it all? Life vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind. My grandfather's death deeply troubled me. I began to contemplate serious questions even before his death. At the age of four, I started pondering issues that people usually only begin to consider towards the end of their lives. But I didn't want to waste time. I started asking questions to my maternal grandfather. He usually replied:
Oh, these questions! You have your whole life ahead of you, you are still very young, don't rush. - Grandfather, I've seen boys in the village die: they never asked such questions, they died without finding an answer. Can you guarantee that I won't die tomorrow or the day after? Can you guarantee that I will only die after I get answers to my questions?
I cannot guarantee that, because death is not subject to me, just as life is not. - Then don't tell me to wait until I grow up. I want to know the answer immediately. If you know the answer, please tell me. If you don't know, then just tell me honestly. Soon he realized that it wouldn't work with me any other way. Saying "yes"... you start having a hard time, because you have to answer follow-up questions, delve into the topic - you can't fool me. Grandfather honestly admitted that he didn't know the answers to my questions.
I said to him:
You are old and may die soon. What have you been doing all your life? On the threshold of death, you will be left only with your ignorance. I am not asking you simple questions; they are very important to me. You go to the Temple. I ask you: why do you go there? What do you find there? You have been going there all your life and trying to persuade me to go with you. He built this Temple. One day, he realized that the whole answer was that "I built this Temple. If even I don't go there, then who will? But I will tell you frankly: yes, it was all in vain. I went there all my life, but I didn't find anything there." Then I said:
Try something else. Don't die with a question, die with an answer. But he died with a question. The last time we talked - it was ten hours before his death - he opened his eyes and said: - You were right: don't put anything off until tomorrow. I am dying with many questions. I admit that I gave you bad advice. You were right: you shouldn't put things off until tomorrow. If you have a question, look for the answer as soon as possible.
Death remains the only exception: everything else in the world has already been spoiled by man.
When someone dies, when someone you knew, loved, lived with, and who became a part of your life dies, something in you also dies. Of course, you will miss them, you will feel a void - that is natural. But that same void can be transformed into a door. For death is a door to God. Death is the only thing that man has not yet spoiled. Man has already spoiled everything, desecrated everything. Only death remains untouched, unspoiled, unsoiled by human hands. Man would gladly take possession of death too, but it remains unconquered, it does not yield to him. Death is elusive; it remains a mystery. Man is confused. He doesn't know what to do with death.
Man does not understand death; it cannot be subjected to scientific analysis, which is why it still remains unspoiled. Death remains the only exception: everything else in the world has already been spoiled by man. Make use of these moments. When death unexpectedly penetrates your consciousness, all of life seems meaningless. It truly is meaningless. Death reveals the truth. When you unexpectedly encounter death, it seems as if the ground is falling out from under your feet. Suddenly, you realize that the death of this person also means your own death. Every death is a death for each of us.
Osho