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7/30/2019 Karmapa 17 - Death and Impermanence
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Gyalwang Karmapa
Ogyen Thrinle Dorje
Death and Impermanence
Next, I will continue to discuss death and impermanence, but I will not say much on thistopic as it is a striking shock to many people.
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7/30/2019 Karmapa 17 - Death and Impermanence
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There are three main points:
(1) The certainty of death
a. Up to now, no one can live without dying.
b. The body is perishable.c. Life can instantly decay.
(2) The time of death is unknown
a. Lifespan is impermanent.
b. The physical body is vulnerable.
c. The causes for death are many, and the causes for life are few.
(3) At the time of death, nothing can help
a. Riches can’t help.
b. Relatives can’t help.
c. We ourselves can’t help.
Speaking of Death and Impermanence, how should we visualize this practice?
We do the practice by using a day in our life as of it were our whole life time. For instance,when we get out of bed in the morning, we can imagine ourselves being born from our
mother's womb. The cleaning and washing that follows will be like a new born infant beingwashed, clothed and fed. We can use the activities of a day in our life to parallel that of our whole life-time. Finally, at night, when we lie in bed, we picture ourselves at the moment of death, and if when death really comes, we would prepare our last words, and our finalpractice.
In short, we should try hard to imagine this scenario before we fall asleep. When we areasleep, this represents death. This sleep condition is comparable to the dissolution in theBardo.
This practice of visualization is the practice of Death and Impermanence, as well as themethods used to practice the Bardo at the moment of death.
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