This is divided into three sections: reflecting on (1) the certainty of death, (2) the uncertainty of the time of death, and (3) nothing aside from the Dharma can help us at the time of death.

1. Death is Certain 

This has three parts: (i) the inevitability of death, (ii) life can not be extended, but is always diminishing, and (iii) we can not avoid death through circumstances.

i. The Inevitability of Death

Generally all conditioned things are subject to four eventualities. As a sutra says:

Meeting must end in separation,

Prosperity must end in decline,

All that is gathered will be dispersed,

And life must end in death.

It is therefore needless to point out that this human body—weak and fragile as it is—will not last. As we find in the Letter to a Friend:

The ground, Mount Meru and the oceans too

Will be consumed by seven blazing suns.

And of things with form not even ashes will remain—

What need to mention human beings, who are so feeble?[1]

You might think that this applies only to some, but will not necessarily befall us all. However that is not so. As the Letter of Consolation says:

Have you ever, on earth or in the heavens,

Seen a being who was born but will not die?

Have you ever heard that this had happened?

Or even suspected that it might?

As these quotations indicate, death is inevitable for all who have been born. We should therefore reflect on this by means of examples, such as those given in the following quotation from the Lalitavistara Sutra:

This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds.

To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movement of a dance.

A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky,

Rushing by, like a torrent down a steep mountain.

ii. Life Can Not Be Extended, But Is Always Diminishing

From the moment we first enter the womb, we do not pause for even a moment, but move ever closer to the clutches of the Lord of Death. As a sutra says:

O bravest of men, from that very first night,

When a person takes his place in the womb,

From then on, every day, without pause,

He gets closer and closer to the Lord of Death.[2]

You might think that this is not true for vidyadharas and others who have gained the siddhi of longevity, so it is not true for everybody. But this is not so: although they may live long, these masters too must eventually die. The Letter of Consolation says:

Great rishis with the five superknowledges,

Can fly far and wide through the sky,

Yet they will never reach a place

Where they might go on living, never to die.

As this says, even great rishis with extraordinary powers of clairvoyance must eventually face death. What is more, even the nirmanakaya of the buddhas demonstrates impermanence. So what need is there to mention other beings, propelled as they are by the force of their past actions.

The same text says:

If even the vajra body of the buddhas,

Adorned with major and minor marks,

Does not last forever,

What need is there to mention other beings,

With bodies as insubstantial as plantain trees. 

Therefore, since our lives, which are propelled by our past actions, do not increase, but diminish constantly, without interruption, death is certain. As it says in the Introduction to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life:

Never halting, day or night,

My life is always slipping by.

Having gone, life can not be extended,

So how could the likes of me not die?[3]

iii. How we can not avoid death through circumstances

You might wonder: can death be avoided through some method such as the use of mantra or medicine? It can not. When the time of death has arrived, it can not be averted by any circumstances whatsoever.

The Sutra of Instructions to the King says:

Your majesty, it is like this. Imagine that from all four directions there appears a great mass of gemstones in the sky. The gems are extremely tough and solid, utterly unbreakable, indestructible, unyielding and hard. Gathering together in four groups in the sky and then falling to the earth below, they would crush to dust all the plants and trees, together with their branches, stalks and leaves, and all the animals and creatures. This would not be easy to escape through fleetness, to avert through strength or to avoid through the use of special substances, mantras or medicine. Your majesty, in the same way, these four great fears will come and difficult it will be to escape them through fleetness, or to avert them through strength, or to avoid them through the use of special substances, mantras or medicine. What are these four? They are aging, sickness, death and decline. Your majesty, aging comes upon us and destroys our youth. Sickness comes upon us and destroys our good health. Decline comes upon us and destroys our prosperity and success. Death comes upon us and destroys our life. It is not easy to escape these through fleetness, to avert them through strength, or to avoid them through the use of special substances, mantras or medicine.

Contemplate the certainty of death by reflecting on these three themes, and arrive at a firm decision to practise Dharma.

2. The Time of Death is Uncertain

This has three parts: (i) the lifespan of beings in this world of ours is not fixed, (ii) there are many causes of death, and few for sustaining life, and (iii) even the causes for sustaining life can become causes of death.

i. The lifespan of beings in this world of ours is not fixed

The lifespan of beings in this world of Jambudvipa is extremely uncertain. The Treasury of Abhidharma:

It is uncertain: at the end it’s ten years,

In the beginning, it’s immeasurable.

As this says, lifespan is uncertain because eventually it will be just ten years, and in the beginning we were capable of living countless years. Human beings of this day and age in particular grow decrepit after around sixty years, but we can see directly how due to various adverse conditions, both outer and inner, many die without completing their allotted span of life. A sutra says:

Some die old and some die young,

Some die in the prime of youth,

Some die before they learn to crawl,

And some die even in the womb.

ii. There are many causes of death, and few for sustaining life

The Precious Garland says:

The Lord of Death awaits, closeby,

As you live, like a candle in the wind.

Like a candle in the breeze, any number of adverse circumstances could bring about our deaths, and we would be powerless to resist. There is nothing whatsoever about our life that is reliable. There are countless conditions and circumstances which could steal our lives: external influences such as human and non-human beings, the elements of earth, water, fire and wind, and so on, and internal conditions such as illness caused by imbalances in the three humours of wind, bile and phlegm. As it is said in the Arya Mahaparinirvana Sutra:

Our life is always surrounded by countless enemies,

With each passing moment it diminishes,

And it can not possibly be extended.

iii. Even causes for sustaining life can become causes of death

We can see for ourselves that sometimes even those things we presume to sustain life, such as food and clothing, our homes, friends and relatives and so on, can become causes of death. And some, driven crazy by harmful influences or despair, even use poison or weapons to take their own lives. So, since causes for sustaining life can certainly become causes of death, the time of our death is far from certain. The Precious Garland says:

Causes of death are numerous;

While causes of life are few indeed,

And even those may cause death,

So practise Dharma at all times.

Contemplate the uncertainty of the time of death by reflecting on these three themes, and arrive at a firm decision that you will practise the Dharma this very instant, without putting it off till later.

3. At the Time of Death, only Dharma can help us

This has three parts: (i) our possessions can not help us; (ii) our friends and relatives can not help us; (iii) our body can not help us.

i. Possessions can not help us

When we die, we must give up all the various possessions we have so painstakingly acquired, and we will not even be able to look at them, so what need is there to mention that they will not afford us any benefit.

The Sutra of Instructions to the King explains this in detail. It says:

Your majesty, it is like this. Imagine a man or a woman who sleeps and dreams of delightful gardens, magnificent mountains, pleasant forests, beautiful rivers, attractive ponds, fine estates and magnificent mansions. Upon waking, he or she will not see any of them. Your majesty, in the same way, your kingdom, your life, the pleasures of your kingdom, the pleasures of royal power, the pleasures of satisfying desire, and the pleasures of all your desirable possessions are all just like the contents of a dream.

 

Your majesty, it is like this. Your elephants, horses, chariots, infantry, wives, homes, consorts, ministers, astrologers, closest advisors, bodyguards, attendants, parents, siblings, children, male and female servants, workers, volunteers, friends, relatives, countrymen, money, gold, jewels, pearls, sapphires, conches, crystals, corals, refined gold, silver, clothes, ornaments, pantries, granaries, and storehouses and so on must all be left behind. They are all impermanent, unstable and unreliable. They are changing and short-lived. They do not remain as they are; they fluctuate. They are transient and momentary, and ultimately unwholesome. They lead to loss and dispersal. They perish in the end. They will ultimately be dispersed, but in the meantime they bring all manner of fear, harm, anguish and strife. They cause loss and downfall. They will be divided up, separated and destroyed. They will disintegrate entirely. Your majesty, you should therefore regard them as impermanent and as leading to loss and dispersal, and since you will die, be fearful. Your majesty, let the Dharma alone be your kingdom. Since these are not the Dharma, do not pursue them. Act in accordance with the Dharma. Do not do anything that is incompatible with the Dharma.

ii. Our friends and relatives can not help us

When we are tormented by the feeling of our life being taken away, even if we are surrounded by a thousand friends and relatives, all of them valiant and courageous, they will be quite incapable of helping us in the slightest way. They can not take away even some small fraction of the pain of dying, nor  extend our lives, nor guide us on our journey. We must experience all the pain of dying by ourselves. As it says in the Introduction to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life:

While I lie there in my final bed,

Friends and family may be by my side,

But I alone will be the one

To feel the severing of all ties to life.

 

When I am seized by the emissaries of Death,

What help will be my family or my friends?

At that time it is merit alone that can protect me,

But upon that, alas, I have failed to depend.

iii. Our body can not help us

When the time comes to leave this world for the next, our body from this present life will not be able to help us in the slightest, and even while the bardo consciousness wanders without support, it will not be an appropriate vessel even for a day.

As the same text says:

This body arose as a whole,

But its flesh and bones,

Will break up and separate.

So what need to mention friends?[4]

In short, we must know that the Lord of Death will certainly come, but when he will come is uncertain. When we understand how he is, in this sense, unreliable, it is only right for us to curtail our plans and preparations for this life. As the same text says:

The Lord of Death is fickle, unworthy of our trust,

Whether life’s tasks are done or not, he will not wait.

For the sick and for the healthy alike,

This fleeting life is not something on which we can rely.[5]

And it also says:

One by one, he’s taken all your kind,

Yet perhaps you have not noticed?

For still you go on resting idly by,

Like cattle sleeping near a butcher.[6]

Though we may spend our time carelessly asleep or resting idly, which are only inferior forms of conduct, the Lord of Death will arrive, all of a sudden, without any concern as to whether or not we have finished whatever we have begun. When this happens, we will be tortured by regret. As the same text says:

When I’ve not done this, and this is barely started,

And this is only halfway through,

Then, the Lord of Death will suddenly arrive,

And I will think, "Oh no, I am no more!"[7]

At that time, even if we think we must devote ourselves to the Dharma, it will not be possible, because the mind will be too disturbed by all the pain of dying, and with time running out, there will be no opportunity. As Shantideva says:

Their eyes red and swollen,

And their faces stained with tears,

Your loved ones will finally lose hope,

As you glimpse the messengers of Death.

 

When remembering your past wrongs,

And when hearing hellish sounds,

You will soil yourself in terror—

Delirious, whatever will you do?[8]

Therefore, by reflecting along these lines, you must firmly decide that you will not leave Dharma practice to chance. It is certain that we will die, and at the time of death, nothing but Dharma will afford us refuge or protection. This point is expressed very clearly in the Sutra of Instructions to the King:

Your majesty, it is like this. The lion, the king of beasts, enters into a herd of other animals and captures one as it pleases. When that poor creature is caught in the lion’s terrible jaws, it is powerless to resist. Your majesty, in just the same way, when we are impaled on the stake of the Lord of Death, we will not be complacent. We will have no protection, no refuge and no defender. Our condition will be destroyed, our joints torn apart, our flesh and blood dried up, our body tormented with sickness, our mouth dry, and our expression changed. Our limbs will flail about, and we will be powerless, unable to act. We will stain our bodies with tears, mucus, urine and faeces. Our senses—eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body—and the mental faculty will cease to function. We will hiccough uncontrollably and cry out in a harsh and rasping voice. The doctors will desert us. We will have no appetite for medicine, food or drink. We will lie in our very final bed, until departing for another destination. We will fall into the beginningless cycle of birth, aging and death. Only a fraction of our life-force will be left. We will be frightened by the henchman of the Lord of Death, and fall prey to misery. The movement of our breath will cease. Our mouth will hang open, our nostrils flared and our teeth tightly clenched. We will pray for some kind of redemption. Our karmic propensities will be transferred to our future existence. We will be utterly alone, without friend or companion. We will leave this world behind. We will go on to the next world. We will move on. We will enter the great darkness. We will fall into the great abyss. We will enter the great charnel ground. We will set out into the great wilderness. We will be swept away by the great ocean. We will be carried along by the winds of karma. We will journey to the place without rest. We will enter the great battlefield. We will be caught by the great demon. We will clutch helplessly at the sky[9]. We will be surrounded by our parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, all congregated around us. Our breathing will grow shorter. We will hear talk of our belongings being divided up. In anguish and despair, we will call out to our mother, our father, and our children, and we will pull our hair.

 

When all that can help is generosity, spiritual practice, and the teachings, nothing but the Dharma can protect us. There is no other refuge, no other defender. Your majesty, at that time, the Dharma is like a sanctuary, a safe haven, or a guide in whom we can place our trust.

By recollecting death in these ways, you will know that the happiness and suffering of this life are just like a flash of lightning in the sky, or like the happiness and suffering in a dream. As it says in the Introduction to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life:

Suppose a person should awaken from a dream,

In which he knew a hundred years of happiness,

And another person awakens from a dream,

In which he experienced just a moment’s joy.

For both these dreamers, now awake,

Happiness has gone, never to return.

Likewise, when the time of death arrives,

Our lives, however long or short, are over.[10]

Therefore, we must turn our minds away from the pursuit of the fleeting pleasures of this life, and keep the pursuit of long-term happiness and virtue deep within our hearts. Knowing that there is no better method for this than bodhichitta, put all your energy into contemplating ways to arouse, sustain and increase it. In order to keep these points in your thoughts, recite these words from the Sutra on Impermanence[11].

Good health does not last, youth does not last,

Prosperity does not last, even life itself does not last.

When a person, who is by nature impermanent,

Indulges the senses, how could that bring joy?

Contemplate the meaning of these lines.

Alas, it is certain that the fearsome Lord of Death will take me,

Terrified and alone, and powerless to resist.

At that time, nothing but the Dharma will protect me—

Intelligent friends, set your minds upon the Dharma!