Living in the Light of Death

Larry Rosenberg

Shambala Publications, Boston
ISBN I570624259

Images and stories stand out strongly around the death and dying work. In Larry Rosenberg’s book, Living in the Light of Death, the story of a yogi  being attended on his death bed makes a profound impression. The yogi was a disciplined meditator. At 3 am the nurses would prop him up and he would recite his mantras, put sandalwood paste on his forehead and begin his meditation which lasted several hours. In his final days it had become increasingly difficult for him to go through his introductory ritual and it took some time. Nevertheless, he did it with great care and full attention. On his final day when one of the nurses tried to assist him by quickly applying the sandalwood paste he grew incensed claiming that it was no use to have the paste applied sloppily or incorrectly. Then, with great intention and concentration he applied the paste to his forehead and quietly passed away, living fully right up to the very end. What a deeply moving and instructive image this is, and what an impact it must have had on those around him.
What practices are going to help us to live so fully to the end of our lives?  In this wonderful book, Larry Rosenberg  gives us clues so that we can approach this question for ourselves. As it is said in Buddhism; “Of all footprints, that of the elephant is supreme. Similarly, of all mindfulness meditations, that on Death is supreme.” Can we handle inviting an elephant into our meditation rooms? It’s up to us to answer, but the variety of practices and meditiations offered in this text give us ways of approaching a largely ignored and forgotten art.
Learning how to live and learning how to die are inseparable. In fact they are the same thing. This is a  “koan,” or  “essence question,”  and can help us gain some understanding. Remembering his first teacher, Sivananda Saraswati, who was also a fierce meditator and who said “getting free is the only important thing in life,” Larry describes how his experiences and teachers shaped his understanding of this question. Respect for the body is a part of the picture but don’t get hung up on it. Saraswati said: “If you take care of your body and come to understand it you can have a relatively painless old age.” Human existance is an ideal mix of bliss and suffering. It is ideal for spiritual development. Bodily care is an awareness practice, so be as attentive as a calvary rider is to his horse. And, according to another teacher, the vipassana meditiations, deeply establishing awareness of the mind – body process, can liberate us from suffering.
We normally do everything that we can to put death out of our consciousness. We concentrate on our acquisitions and longing for permanence. So preparation for death involves ones outlook in life. As the Buddha taught: “Clinging to things, especially to a sense of self, is what creates suffering. The knowledge that we have to let go of our attachments in death might enable us to let go of them now and save us a great deal of suffering. If we die to our attachments now, we won’t need to later and we won’t feel so much fear of death when it comes. The shining light of death can liberate our life.” ( p14). This is practical, workable advice and pretty much sums the whole thing up in a nutshell. Death accompanies us from the moment that we are born. It is with us here in life. “It is not waiting for us at the end of the road. It is walking with us the whole time.” Acknowledge this and practice letting go…this is true preparation for death.