P:<\/strong> Embedded in the desire for longevity is the yearning to not part with the people in our lives. As the old Korean proverb, \u201cA life in a heap of dung is still better than no life at all,\u201d implies, we are emotionally attached to life despite the suffering we experience in life for various reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People tell themselves they only want to live until their children get married, until they have grandchildren, or just until the grandchildren go to college. Better yet, they say they want to live just long enough to see their grandchildren get married, all in an attempt to postpone the separation from their loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how hard we try to avoid thinking about death, when we see people close to us die, we can\u2019t help but confront the futility of life and the fear of death. There was a person who wondered, \u201cDoes the spirit vanish when the body dies? If everything vanishes into nothingness, what is the point of holding onto life so dearly?\u2019 as he witnessed a family member, emaciated after years of illness, failing to swallow even a drop of water. Gradually losing weight when someone is at the very end of his life is a natural process, and it is not a bad thing. Like an oil lamp that quietly fades away, consuming every bit of your own energy as you pass away could be considered a good death. Additionally, if you can remain lucid until your last breath, that would be even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Heart Sutra, there is the phrase, \u201cdoes neither appear nor disappear.\u201d This does not mean the things continue to exist for eternity without changing. Rather it means even though we believe there are life and death, in truth, life and death are not two separate entities. When we go to the beach, we can see waves. The waves are formed and then they break once they reach the shore, and this process is repeated continuously. However, if you take a step back and view the sea as a whole, you will realize it\u2019s not that the waves are formed and then vanish, but rather the sea is just being turbulent. When you view life the way you view the sea as a whole, you will see that there is no life and death. When you observe individual waves, each wave is formed and then broken just as life seems to appear and disappear on the surface. However, this is not the actuality; it is simply a matter of our perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say a four-year-old boy filled a bowl with ice cubes and went outside to play. When he returned a couple of hours later, he saw the bowl filled with water instead of ice. What do you think the boy said?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMom, the ice cubes are gone, and there is water in the bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, the mother, knowing what has happened, is able to explain to the boy that the ice has simply melted and turned into water and that the ice cubes did not disappear into thin air or the water suddenly appeared from nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are like this child. We perceive the world with the perspective of what we can see in front of us. We are happy when we see things appear and we despair when we see things disappear from our eyes. However, when you are able to see the big picture, you will realize that things simply change. That is what the phrase \u201cdoes neither appear nor disappear.\u201d means. In other words, things do not appear or disappear from this world; rather, things only change their forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decomposition of a dead body and the daily regeneration of cells in a living body can be regarded the same in that they are both changes. In the same vein, the regeneration of cells in our bodies can be compared to the replacement of the old pine needles by the new ones, which makes the evergreen trees appear green all the time. Also, the rapid process of decomposition of the dead body is analogous to decaying of the fallen leaves, which makes the trees look dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the fact that change is the only constant phenomenon in this world, we believe something is alive when we can see it and something is dead when we can no longer see it. Furthermore, when something appears in front of our eyes, we think it is born. Thoughts also suddenly enter into our heads and just as suddenly they disappear. Even if we promise, \u201cI will love you until death do us part,\u201d love will diminish over time. Believing that love will last forever or hope that it won\u2019t change is wishful thinking. Suffering is caused by your desire for things to stay the same, not by the change of heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you fully accept that everything in this world changes, you will not feel so tormented when you see things change. Like the appearance and disappearance of waves, everything that comes into existence must come to an end. Once you fully grasp this truth, you won\u2019t have fears or regrets. However, since you only perceive fragments of the big picture, you miss the things you believe are gone and are afraid that things will disappear. After you realize that aging and death are simple changes, you will no longer be afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"Life And Death Are Nothing More Than Change In Form","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"life-and-death-are-nothing-more-than-change-in-form","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-07-22 14:43:47","post_modified_gmt":"2023-07-22 19:43:47","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16269","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14214,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2022-11-27 21:56:25","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-28 02:56:25","post_content":"\n

When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddha answered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said that they would take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on the customs of laypeople in India. And so, after the Buddha died, lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, the Buddha would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated in India, the local traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are, in fact, part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and they are classified into one of nine levels based on their deeds during their life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle, and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle, and low. And so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very highest category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving one room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes a day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is  the reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of deceased family members and help them to be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before doing so. Each year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony in the seventh month of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two lowest categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether or not this is true because it is a religious belief. As such, people are free to choose whether or not to believe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are usually cremated. In Tibet, the dead are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up on big rocks high in the mountains, where it is consumed by vultures and birds of prey. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed to a wooden board and exposed to the elements for a year until only the bones remain, after which a funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed their dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits quickly sever their attachments to their worldly bodies in order to be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual performed, once a person dies it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or afterlife; I am simply saying that the person who draws his last breath no longer exists in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, their spirit goes to heaven. From a Buddhist perspective, their spirit is reborn. So there is nothing more we can do for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For the Deceased","post_excerpt":"When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-03-02 06:41:26","post_modified_gmt":"2025-03-02 11:41:26","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14214","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14206,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2022-11-26 21:05:46","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-27 02:05:46","post_content":"\n

Why do we fear death? The thought that everything will end when we die may trigger a sense of sorrow about others as well as ourselves. These sentiments fuel fear. Our human fear of death has spawned legends and religions that promise a beautiful afterlife, devised to alleviate the terror we feel about the unknown. We feel less fearful when we think that it doesn\u2019t end when we die, that we will live on in some way or go to a better place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether or not the afterlife actually exists is not important. What matters here is that a belief in the afterlife helps us to overcome our fear of death. How empty would we feel to think that our loved ones will disappear completely when they die? Thinking that they are in a better place gives us great comfort. For this reason, instead of asking whether or not life after death exists, it\u2019s better to examine whether or not the belief of its existence is beneficial. It appears to be more beneficial than harmful, so it\u2019s best to accept the age-old methods that humans have established to overcome the fear of death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, we should refrain from placing too much emphasis on the idea of an afterlife because we know from history that it can also have negative side effects. Some examples include churches demanding large donations in exchange for a \u201cticket to Heaven\u201d and Buddhist temples overcharging for 49-day prayer rituals for the dead (49 jae<\/em>: a Buddhist-Confucian ceremony for the deceased). These examples show how religion can take advantage of people\u2019s fear as a means of extortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the perspective of Buddhist practice, fear of death is no more real than a daydream. When our fear of death disappears and we can accept our inevitable demise as part of the natural order\u2014it will become irrelevant whether or not the afterlife exists and whether our spirits will go to a good place or a bad place. When fear melts away, everything that stemmed from fear becomes nothing but a dream. While dreaming, there are good dreams and bad dreams. However, when we wake up from the dream, regardless of whether it was good or bad, we realize that it was a dream. In the same vein, when we grasp the essence of fear, all of the issues that originated from it will disperse like clouds. This is how we transcend life and death. Transcending life and death doesn\u2019t mean not dying. Instead, it means realizing that life and death do not actually exist. The afterlife is a frequently visited topic in Buddhism. According to Buddhist beliefs, people go to paradise when they die or are reincarnated, but this cannot be proven. Every religion has different beliefs about the afterlife, but none of them has been proven. There is no point in debating endlessly which belief is right when all is but theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo matter what evil deeds you have done, bathing in the holy Ganga River will wash away your sins and you will go to heaven upon your death. But if you do not bathe in the Ganga River, no matter how good you have been throughout your life, you will not be accepted into heaven.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a common belief among people in India during the Buddha\u2019s lifetime. Therefore, they washed their bodies in the holy river, and those who had never bathed in the holy river during their lifetime were dipped in it posthumously. They all believed they had to do so in order to enter heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day, a person who had heard of this belief went to the Buddha and asked if the Brahmans were telling the truth. The Buddha answered with a smile on his face:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf what they say is true, the fish in the river will be the first ones to go to heaven.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddha was saying that if a man can go to heaven for being dipped in the Ganga River after his death, the fish that live in the river will go to heaven before anyone. The Buddha\u2019s words help us reach an important realization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, Buddhists believe that the greedy will be reincarnated as swine, the lazy as cows, and the nasty as serpents. But are pigs really that gluttonous? They eat when they are hungry, and they stop eating when they are no longer hungry. They don\u2019t prevent other pigs from eating the remaining food. Humans, on the other hand, do not share the food stored in their homes, even if there is someone starving right before their eyes. People are much greedier than pigs. Similarly, lions are wild and ferocious, but they will not kill a hare that crosses their path when they are not hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have created an image of a gluttonous pig, perhaps based on the sound they make when they eat, and made them synonymous with greed. There is no proof that a greedy person is reincarnated as a pig. Besides, reincarnation originated with Hinduism, so it\u2019s not originally a Buddhist belief. Over 90 per cent of Korean Buddhists believe in Hindu doctrines that they mistakenly think are Buddhist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An old lady came to consult me about her worries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: I pray to the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the Goddess of Mercy, but I am afraid my prayer will not be answered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

P: What are you praying for?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: My granddaughter is a senior in high school. I am praying that my granddaughter gets accepted into a good college.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

P: What are you worried about?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: My granddaughter is a Christian.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She felt that her prayer would not be answered however hard she prayed to the Goddess of Mercy, a Buddhist bodhisattva, because her granddaughter attended a Christian church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P: You don\u2019t have to worry at all. The Goddess of Mercy is very kind and generous.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would the infinitely compassionate Goddess of Mercy care whether a high school senior goes to a church or a Buddhist temple? She wouldn\u2019t be the Goddess of Mercy if she did, would she? Our religious beliefs are limited by our ignorance, and we disparage God or the Buddha by bringing them down to our own level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to our subject, there is no need to worry about the afterlife. If heaven and hell actually exist, you will go to heaven, not to hell, when you do good deeds. Your future is decided by how you live your life now. Living well today will ensure a better tomorrow. Hoping for a better tomorrow while living an improper life today is like trying to catch a cloud. People who do bad deeds rightly deserve punishment, but when they refuse to accept the consequences and ask to be sent to heaven, they demonstrate a complete lack of awareness. Wanting to go to heaven when they have done nothing to deserve it and refusing to go to hell when they have performed deeds that warrant it is no different from desiring a good harvest after planting rotten seeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A true Christian shouldn\u2019t worry about living and dying. Since God decides whether to send someone to heaven or hell, you should just follow his will. If you are a Buddhist who believes in the law of cause and effect, and know that everything originates from the mind, you just need to cultivate your mind without worrying about what will happen tomorrow. Then your tomorrow will be better, so there is nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"How to Overcome the Fear of Death (Dec 03, 2022)","post_excerpt":"Why do we fear death?","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"pomnyun_221203","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-12-02 20:40:57","post_modified_gmt":"2024-12-03 01:40:57","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14206","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};