How to Live and Die

How to Live and Die

Cover Page
Title Page
Contents
Editor’s Preface
1. Remembering Death
- The Most Important Education
- Why Should We Be Scared of Death?
- Being Aware of Death
2. The Shortcomings of Not Remembering Death
- We Do Not Remember to Practice the Dharma
- We Remember but We Postpone Our Practice
- We Practice but We Do It Impurely
- We Practice Purely but Not Continuously
- We Create Nonvirtue
- We Die with Much Worry and Fear
3. The Advantages of Remembering Death
- We Avoid the Lower Realms and Attain a Perfect Human Rebirth
- We Attain Great Power to Destroy the Negative Mind
- We Gain Great Benefit at the Beginning, Middle, and End
- We Have No Fear at the Time of Death
4. Overcoming the Fear of Death
- Death Is Not Frightening from Its Own Side
- A Healthy Fear of Death
5. The First Root Truth: Death Is Certain
- No Being Has Ever Escaped Death
- Our Lifespan Is Constantly Decreasing
- We Must Practice Dharma
- The Heart’s Utmost Need
6. The Second Root Truth: The Time of Death Is Uncertain
- The Lifespan of Human Beings in this World System Is Not Fixed
- More Factors Endanger Life than Support It
- Our Body Is Extremely Fragile
- We Must Practice Dharma Now
7. The Third Root Truth: Nothing Can Help at the Time of Death Except Dharma Practice
- Wealth and Possessions Cannot Help
- Friends and Relatives Cannot Help
- Our Body Cannot Help
- Meditating on Attachment to Possessions, Friends, and the Body
- We Must Practice Dharma Purely
8. Death and Rebirth
- Reincarnation
- The Death Process
- The Intermediate State and Rebirth
9. Preparing for Death
- The Need for Purification
- The Real Solution Is a Good Heart
- The Transference of Consciousness
- The Five Powers
- Helping People with Terminal Illnesses
- Helping Others Die Well
- We All Need an Education about Death
10. Impermanence
- Gross and Subtle Impermanence
- See Conditioned Things Like a Flash of Lightning
- Subtle Impermanence
- We Have No Choice but to Prepare for Death
Appendices
- 1. Three Meditations on Death
- 1. The Nine-Point Death Awareness Meditation
- 2. The Death Process Meditation at Bedtime
- 3. A Meditation on the Experience of Dying

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How to Live and Die

The Transformative Power of Meditating on Impermanence

Lama Zopa Rinpoche