How Does Buddhism Help Us Accept Mortality?

One aim of Buddhism is to help us accept our mortality and so come to terms with death. We'll look at how his mortality was the Buddha's concern when he began his search, how coming to terms with mortality functions in various forms of deep meditation practice, and even how it plays a central role in mindfulness. Finally we will compare such practices to the concept of "exposure therapy" found in contemporary psychology.
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✅ Videos recommended:
Playlist on deep states of meditative absorption in early Buddhism: • Deep Meditation in Bud...
✅ Books mentioned:
Alexander Wynne, The Origin of Buddhist Meditation - amzn.to/48ZanLM
Patrick Olivelle (trans.) The Early Upaniṣads - amzn.to/42Jpyqf
✅ Suttas mentioned:
suttacentral.net/mn26/en/sujato (The Noble Search)
suttacentral.net/sn45.8/en/su...
suttacentral.net/mn39/en/sujato
suttacentral.net/mn50/en/sujato
suttacentral.net/mn10/en/sujato
suttacentral.net/an10.72/en/s... (Thorns)
✅ Other references:
discourse.suttacentral.net/t/...
www.themindingcentre.org/dhar...
www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/pa...
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Thumbnail image courtesy the Metropolitan Museum: Buddha, 3rd c. CE Andhra Pradesh, India.
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00:00 Intro
00:42 Bodhisatta’s “noble search”
02:17 The formless attainments
05:43 The fourth jhāna
09:02 The cessation of perception and feeling
10:24 Mindfulness meditation and mortality
12:30 Psychological “exposure therapy”
13:35 Nirvana and death: the goal
Note: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are affiliate links where I will earn a very small commission on purchases you make, at no additional cost to you. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of making these videos. Thank you!

[@DougsDharma]

🧡 If you find benefit in my videos, consider supporting the channel by joining us on Patreon and get fun extras like exclusive videos, ad-free audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🙂 📙 You can find my book here: books2read.com/buddhisthandbook

[@stevebelzer4758]

I have become utterly convinced that entering 4th Jhana and Dharma Door Is available via disassociate state of consciousness, no past no future all equanimity Via medically supervised Ketamjne IV infusion I’ve listened to lotus sutra in this state - seen the Wheel of Life and Amitaba

[@ZenTeaNow]

Hi Doug, I just attended a dhamma class today by 70 year old Bhante Shravasti Dhammika. Someone asked him who are the good teachers that we can learn from online. Besides the usual well-known names like Bhikku Bodhi, Bhikku Anlayo, Ajahn Brahm and Ajahn Brahmali, he also said "Doug's Dharma", that you are very knowledgeable in early Buddhism, Buddhist history and the different schools and traditions. I was so happy he mentioned you and I couldn't agree more. I told the class to search for you on KZbin. Hope your work gets more known because it is very important and meaningful. It helps us to be informed practitioners. Thank you so much!

[@DougsDharma]

That's very kind of him to say! 🙏🙏

[@nickscurvy8635]

While I do not have access to a "charnal ground", while i was homeless the idea came to me to practice meditation in my hometown cemetary. I think one of the more "useful" parts of choosing this particular cemetary was that people i personally knew were buried at this cemetary, which added a more direct symbolic meaning and reminder of mortality to the headstones. I'm not sure how much benefit i derived from this to be honest. I only practiced sporadically for shorter periods. But i think between this and other practices and forms of therapy, my thanatophobia has improved to a great degree. But because I've been doing so many different things, I'm not sure how much i can specifically attribute to this.

[@johnhaller7017]

I'm sure that every little bit helps.😄

[@DougsDharma]

Interesting and thanks for that. 🙏

[@joltee9317]

It's the effort you put in that matters so I'm sure it did help

[@Paraves426]

This is very interesting to me because reading about the jhanas etc it did occur to me that this level of meditation is like a deliberate attempt to die, not a suicide done out of agony but calmly pealing away aspects of yourself until nothing is left. It’s fascinating but also honestly a bit disturbing to imagine doing this to oneself

[@fireatwill8143]

Thanks Doug, a very thought provoking video, and somewhat perfectly timed for me. I very recently lost my father, and the experience of being confronted with mortality is very fresh in my mind. I can honestly say that I've never overly feared death , it's just a profound feeling of sadness really. I've found myself looking at old photos of my father, when he was very much fit and well , and of course the teachings of non permanence have come to mind along with the corresponding philosophy of non attachment. However I can't help feeling a little conflicted in this ,, given life is so short, shouldn't we cherish every moment of it? 🙏

[@DougsDharma]

Sure, the problem is how to do that without attachment? 😊

[@stephenrizzo]

I think this is your best episode.

[@jorge.contreras.a]

The problem of death exists when you think in terms of an identity (sakkāya).

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, that's right. It's a very deeply ingrained tendency.

[@davidmendoza1300]

Excellent video! Very interesting!

[@DougsDharma]

Thank you very much!

[@paulomoreira995]

Amazing doug :-)

[@DamiDoria]

Thank you, Doug!

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure!

[@thegoodnamesaretaken]

Very interesting, thank you!

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure!

[@sonamtshering194]

From this video, I got reminded of the Dharmic teaching that says our death is predetermined with our first breath of life itself and that we get near our death with every second that passes. This is not to be a pessimistic or nihilistic point, but just illustrates the inevitability of death and can be used to a worthwhile life instead of just indulging in pointless sensual pleasures. On an another note, I read somewhere that some scholars believe that both Uddaka Rāmaputta and Āḷāra Kālāma are fictitious characters instead of real-life historical figures

[@DougsDharma]

Actually a recent argument by scholar Alex Wynne in his book On the Origin of Buddhist Meditation is that the Buddha's teachers seem to be historical figures.

[@sonamtshering194]

@@DougsDharma That's his stance. However neither the supporters nor the opposers have been able to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that both Āḷāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta were either historical figures or fictional characters. I also came across a third view saying that while the two of them may have indeed existed, it cannot be said that they taught Brahminic meditation from the Upanishads based on the similarity between their teachings and the Upanishadic Ones

[@DougsDharma]

@@sonamtshering194 I find his views on these issues convincing, though admittedly speculative. Indeed, it's not possible to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt very much of anything about the ancient world.

[@bronsonstone725]

Perhaps the “no breathing” goes along with the cessation of perception and feeling, because when your “consciousness” shifts from the body to beyond space and time the body continues to do what it does including breathing but you do not because the body is not you, you are no longer experiencing the sensations etc of the body, therefore you are no longer breathing. You are not mortal, so no mortality, samadhi provides this knowledge.

[@aaronrelyea1098]

❤❤❤ love your teachings

[@DougsDharma]

Thank you!

[@xiaomaozen]

It's a bit off-topic, but so what?! 😂 I don't like that cemetary death cult that we have here in the West. So, in my testament, I've ordered to be buried in a forest under a tree and there should be no name and dates on the sign, only these words: "Fools! What are you doing HERE? Go and care for the living!" 🐱🙏

[@DougsDharma]

🙏🙏

[@lakes836]

Hi Doug, I have been following your videos since some years now. I manage to find very satisfying and logical explanations in your videos, thanks a ton for that. However, I had a question unrelated to the topic of this video or something that has probably already being discussed by you. I understand being kind to all fellow humans is a virtue and is a reflection of Buddha's views on life, but what if people are rude and unkind that leaves lasting scar in one's mind or is so mentally damaging and unfair that necessitates a stern response ? should we still forgive and let it go?

[@DougsDharma]

Impossible to give a quick answer to this question. But for example see: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZK7m6V7mdV8oLs

[@kzrolf]

Hi Doug, You discussed the goals and practices for understanding and overcoming death in early buddhism, can you discuss some of the later buddhist (mahayana) ideas and practices on the subject? I realize that maybe a vast subject..Maybe vajrayana and zen would be good-?

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks, you're right -- vast subject!

[@mitrabuddhi]

Fear of death makes us always wish for rebirth after death because we are accustomed to Existence and afraid of non-Existence. However, by changing our perspective, we realize that death is not darkness; rather, existence continues to flow with the same clarity as before. Only our awareness of Existence has been severed. The fact that we are limited beings helps us understand that our comprehension of existence is also limited, and we cannot indefinitely reap the benefits of existence, for then we would be boundless. Therefore, we have received a share of the benefits of existence, and others have received their own share. Why should we worry about the benefits of existence that will not reach us (after death)? Each of us has benefited from existence in ways that others are unaware of. Should others be concerned that they are not aware of the benefits that have come to us?

[@aleksadenic9915]

Nice video Doug, have you read Ananda Comaraswamy's book Buddha and the gospel of buddhism, and if you have what is your opinion on it?

[@DougsDharma]

I'm not familiar with that book.

[@hammersaw3135]

I have been practicing this lately. It was tough at first, a lot of grief I thought I had moved past, was brought back to the "surface" in this practice, as well as feelings of anxiety about my own ultimate end I thought I was free from. I think that this contemplation is something very powerful, should be handled with upmost respect. I find myself going into this state/nonstate of in between you speak of, but I also do not find it helpful, its like 'channel fuzz' of the mind.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for your thoughts on this. 🙏

[@EpiphanyMindChange]

Memento mori

[@luizr.5599]

The good news is thay we are all freed. No more rebirths to anyone as they don't exist

[@arupkalita4557]

Sir can you please make a serious of videos of at least 100 suttas with explanation from pali canon so that we can learn more about Buddhist teachings.I have searched in Google but only got dhammapad in pdf.

[@be1tube]

Bhikkhu Bodhi has several sutta study videos on KZbin. (I don't know enough to say how accurate they are, but I can confirm he is a scholar and translator with a deep understanding of the Pali text.)

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, Bhikkhu Bodhi is a great place for this. He posts on KZbin, and has audio lectures as well that you can Google. I have done a few suttas and will do more but I have to find the right ones that can be dealt with in a relatively short video. Some might take hours.

[@ChillAndPeaceful]

•The 3 marks of existence Everything is suffering, impermanence, and non self,, •Suffering - all living beings suffer in different ways, mental and physical suffering, mental suffering like stress, depression, worry, etc. and physical suffering like disease, skin or organs problems, wounds, etc... •Impermanence - nothing last forever except change, everything or everyone will die or will change, like people, house, plants, possession, gadgets, perspective etc... •No self - everything is made out of 4 elements, fire water earth air, example is the house, how to build a house? Need stone blocks, how to create stone blocks? Need some earth or dirt, combined with water, then shaping to blocks after that need heat to be cooked and steady then need air to make the blocks dry and finish product, and humans and other living beings too are created by the 4 elements, People have heat in their body to not get cold, and water like blood, and air to breath, and earth is the physical form of humans and other organisms (living beings), Humans are just like cars, humans have organs, 6 senses, hormones, chemical reactions to the brain and the nature of mind, nature of the mind is greedy for sensual pleasure to the 5 senses, and car have engine, wheels, fuel, lights, windows, etc.. That's why humans are just like animals, humanity just invented sense of self, the sense of "me" "mine" "I'm this" "I'm that" but in reality all living beings are just an organism in the environment, So everything are just organism trying to survive everyday, name, labels is an illusion it's not real because truth is beyond words and beyond ordinary people and ordinary living beings understanding What do you think? What's your perspective on 3 marks of existence?

[@stevebelzer4758]

I hope to “look to the West , past the 10,000 Buddhalands . To with cultivation of merit eliminate Kalpas of bad karma And arrive at the PureLand - to sit at the feet of Amitaba and end the cycle of retrogression “ He is teaching there NOW Shaiputra “❤

[@deanyanko3326]

(i) have gone Advaita It was to troubling to accept nothingness . As deep as you go isn't it still all constructs of the mind ? Self or no self ? I worked in a nursing home before retiring to see and condition (my) self to death. "A cloud never dies" we get recycled and many lifeforms benefit after the body dies."we go round and round and round in the circle game "

[@DougsDharma]

Yes I have a video on rebirth as a kind of metaphor: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIGUi4qsoq-Ehdk

[@ravindrabagali8823]

How long have you been practicing Buddhism Doug?

[@DougsDharma]

On and off since I was in high school ...

[@branimirsalevic5092]

A question arose, and I was born. The question ceased, and I died. A dog barks... I will die again... Already so many births, as many deaths. What's one more.

[@Giantcrabz]

i knew an unironic Breatharian at a previous job lol

[@DougsDharma]

Hmmm ... 🤔

[@KeyboardPlaysGames]

Yeah, but then later on in the Pali cannon we get the plot twist that the Buddha, and all Buddha's (It is the rule DG11-14ish?) that all Buddha's descend fully aware and mindful, they also exit the womb fully aware and mindful, so the 3 signs where a bit of a ruse.

[@DougsDharma]

This is a later interpretation probably related to the sutta on the Buddha's purported first steps. It doesn't fit with the rest of the early dhamma. I did a video on the topic awhile back: kzbin.info/www/bejne/omLEfHh8ht6Upq8

[@KeyboardPlaysGames]

@@DougsDharma Thanks Doug :) it is correct it doesn't align with the early dhamma, but we see this again in DN 16 as well, which is the Buddha's paranibbana. I think it's safe to day DN 16 is one of thr most crucial suttas of the entire cannon as it's the death of the Buddha an iconic event. In DN16 we once again, under the causes of earthquakes see that Buddha's descend into the womb mindfully and aware, and born mindfully and aware. So, we can't lean on "It disagrees with early sutta" and so must not be true, when that begs what else can be taken out of DN16 the death of the Buddha? We also see this parallel of Buddha's descending mindfully and clear into the womb show up again in the Khuddaka Nikaya, specially the Buddhavampsa (Of which Saudayaw has the only English translation I believe? I have it photocopied, I don't think it's in print) so we see three locations in the Sutta Pitaka this occurs. I think it's a deeper conversation than that it doesn't line up with the early suttas so it just be understood differently. I'm not a fact of "forcing together puzzle pieces", although I'm also not saying you are attempting to do that either. I'm just saying it's clear what it says, and it says it in some pretty significant Suttas.

[@saralamuni]

Aum Tryambakam yajaamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam Urvaarukamiva bandhanaan-mrityormuksheeya maamritaat

[@devs.4254]

Early Buddhism confirmed cult of Nurgle

[@saralamuni]

a sort of cucumber

[@michaelthompson7217]

concombre

[@saralamuni]

@@michaelthompson7217 ouin genre

[@Koanisphere]

Is a cucumber a raw pickle, or is a pickle a pickled cucumber?

[@user-bs4qu7tb2g]

​@@Koanisphere a pickle is indeed a pickled kukumba

[@saralamuni]

@@Koanisphere both

[@phassahara]

what's wrong with avoiding death at all costs? sure even the buddha himself will dodge a car coming his way😅

[@DougsDharma]

Sure, the point isn't to seek out literal death. It's to become comfortable with death so as to cease clinging to existence.