What do you think of death? Is it something to be feared? What preparations should you make?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someday, you\u2019re going to die. This is an obvious, unavoidable fact of life. Yet, author Sadhguru points out that almost everyone in modern society has implicitly agreed to ignore it. This reluctance to acknowledge death leads to enormous and unnecessary suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Continue reading for a comprehensive overview of Sadhguru’s Death: An Inside Story<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Sadhguru’s Death: An Inside Story<\/em> argues that so many of us ignore death because we\u2019re afraid of it. But, Sadhguru adds, the only reason we\u2019re afraid is because we don\u2019t understand the true nature of the universe. If we opened our eyes to spiritual truths, we\u2019d see that death is nothing to be afraid of.<\/strong> According to Sadhguru, forming such a peaceable relationship with death will help you live a balanced, joyful life. More than that, it\u2019ll help you prepare for your death\u2014and what comes afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru is a spiritual teacher and founder of the Isha Foundation<\/a>, a nonprofit based in India. The foundation teaches spiritual practices including yoga and meditation<\/a>, offers holistic medical services, and organizes large-scale environmental activism. Although Sadhguru doesn\u2019t formally identify with any religion, many of his spiritual ideas overlap with those found in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll begin by explaining why ignoring death causes suffering and accepting death<\/a> brings joy. Then, we\u2019ll describe how to overcome the fear of death<\/a>, exploring truths about the universe that reveal why death shouldn\u2019t be frightening. Next, we\u2019ll cover how and why to prepare for your death, detailing Sadhguru\u2019s view of the afterlife. Finally, we\u2019ll offer tips on how to overcome feelings of grief and live a joyful life after a loved one has passed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people in today\u2019s society suffer because they constantly avoid thinking about their deaths. But, why is this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n For one, Sadhguru asserts that for some people, ignoring death causes suffering because it prevents them from appreciating the time they have<\/strong>. Unless someone recognizes that every second of their life is one they\u2019ll never get back, they\u2019ll frequently waste time and energy on things that don\u2019t matter. For example, they might get into petty fights with others and worry about parts of life they can\u2019t change. Such time-wasting only makes life less enjoyable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other people go to the opposite extreme: Instead of ignoring death completely, they try to avoid death at all costs. They want to live a comfortable, predictable, and unchanging life with as little risk and danger as possible. However, Sadhguru maintains that this kind of life is practically the same as being dead already, and it leaves these people depressed and aimless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, Sadhguru argues that acknowledging the inevitability of death helps you cultivate gratitude<\/a> for everything in life.<\/strong> When you were born, all of the wonderful things in your life were freely given to you. When you die, you\u2019re not losing anything\u2014only giving back life\u2019s gifts after having thoroughly enjoyed them. Recognizing this fact will help you enjoy life more: Rather than being constantly afraid of losing everything you have, you can focus on appreciating and enjoying life\u2019s gifts as much as you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru insists that accepting death is key to living a fulfilling life<\/a>. But, how do we do this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, once you realize that there\u2019s no reason to be afraid of death, you\u2019ll have an easier time accepting it. According to Sadhguru, people who fear death are actually afraid of two types of pain<\/strong>: First, they fear the pain associated with death itself. Luckily, he says, death itself isn\u2019t painful\u2014on the contrary, you can only feel pain if you\u2019re still alive. If you\u2019re sick, the moment you die is the moment the pain stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, Sadhguru states that people fear death because they\u2019re afraid of the pain of losing something important to them. However, the only losses you suffer in death are those that can\u2019t hurt you.<\/strong> You\u2019re not really losing anything at all. Let\u2019s explain how this could be the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru contends that, to be free of the fear of death<\/a>, you must become aware of certain spiritual truths. Specifically, he asserts that the individual self is an illusion<\/a>. What you perceive to be \u201cyourself\u201d primarily consists of two parts: karma<\/a> and life energy. However, the part of yourself that\u2019s conscious\u2014who \u201cyou\u201d really are\u2014is life energy alone<\/strong>, and this energy persists beyond death eternally. Let\u2019s break this down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru explains that \u201ckarma\u201d isn\u2019t a means of universal judgment, as some may assume. Rather, he defines karma as a broad category of information from the past that builds up over time and manifests in some form. Your genetics, personality, atomic structure, and conscious memories are all different kinds of karma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Sadhguru, the other main component that makes up who you are<\/a> is life energy, or consciousness. This word describes how self-aware someone\u2014or something\u2014is. Sadhguru asserts that everything in the universe is self-aware to some degree. The more self-aware a part of the universe is, the more of this kind of \u201cenergy\u201d we can say it has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you die, Sadhguru says, almost all of the karma that makes up your identity is destroyed. Your body, mind, and memories of past experiences no longer exist. However, your life energy\u2014the part of you reading these words right now\u2014lives on everywhere else in the universe.<\/strong> Because of this, Sadhguru goes as far as to say that death doesn\u2019t really exist; it\u2019s just a transition to a different form of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only reason you fear death is because you mistakenly believe that \u201cyou\u201d are karma rather than life energy.<\/strong> You believe that your body is \u201cyou,\u201d your emotions are \u201cyou,\u201d and your memories are \u201cyou.\u201d Once you realize that these are all things that occur outside of \u201cyou,\u201d you\u2019ll understand that losing them won\u2019t be painful, and you\u2019ll no longer be afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding these ideas is one thing, but it\u2019s unlikely that learning about these ideas is enough to remove your fear of death. Thus, Sadhguru suggests three specific actions you can take to help you make peace with death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru recommends spending five minutes a day thinking about the fact that you\u2019re going to die.<\/strong> Doing so will quickly improve your life\u2014you\u2019ll find it easier to appreciate life as it happens, and you\u2019ll feel compelled to seek the meaning of life<\/a> and other important truths, furthering your spiritual growth<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Sadhguru, another way you can overcome your fear of death is through meditation.<\/strong> In a sense, meditation is a way of practicing death. Once you can quiet the mind, the karmic components of your illusory self will fade out of your experience, and you can temporarily feel what it\u2019s like to be dead. In doing so, you come to understand that this disappearance of the self isn\u2019t painful or anything to fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, Sadhguru states that you can conquer your fear of death through a certain kind of spiritual experience: disembodied awareness. He explains that you\u2019re afraid of losing your body and mind because the only kind of life you\u2019ve experienced has been through these parts of yourself<\/a>.<\/strong> If you can experience a little of what it\u2019s like to exist outside of your body and mind, seeing through the universe\u2019s eyes, you won\u2019t be afraid to die. Certain advanced spiritual practices train your ability to control the various life energies inside of you, giving you access to these kinds of experiences on demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overcoming your fear of death and acknowledging its inevitability will significantly improve your life. Sadhguru notes that increasing your awareness of death has another equally important purpose: motivating you to prepare for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll start by explaining which part of death you need to prepare for and why. Then, we\u2019ll offer several tips you can follow to increase your odds of dying well<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru asserts that your state of mind at the moment of death has an enormous influence on your afterlife experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you die, most of the karma that makes up your worldly self is destroyed. However, according to Sadhguru, the karma that creates your illusory self while you\u2019re alive is powerful enough to influence the part of you made of life energy that persists after you die. Thus, after death, most people are still convinced that they’re a separate entity rather than one with everything<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru explains that dead people not only lose their bodies\u2014they also lose the ability of the rational mind to discriminate between what\u2019s desirable and undesirable. Thus, they can no longer make decisions to control or change their lived experience. Instead, the only things they experience are uncontrolled impulses. Specifically, whatever interior experience they had at the moment of death will continue for as long as they remain disembodied.<\/strong> Dead people will feel this internal experience to an extremely intense degree, since they lack the control to rein in their impulses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why preparing for the moment of your death is so important, explains Sadhguru. If you successfully maintain awareness and equanimity while you lose your body, you\u2019ll have a heavenly experience after death; if you panic and try to cling to what you\u2019re losing, you\u2019ll have a hellish experience after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru states that, unlike Western views of heaven and hell, karmic afterlife experiences don\u2019t last forever. Eventually, the dead person finds and inhabits a body that\u2019s about to be born. They sense what various lives have to offer, then choose\u2014on instincts established by karma\u2014the one they think will give them what they desire most. This is how reincarnation works: Enduring karmic patterns push a \u201cself” of conscious life energy from body to body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru asserts that, because most people in modern society ignore the fact that they\u2019re going to die, they neglect to internally prepare for their death. They spend their lives accumulating physical things\u2014money, a family, professional success\u2014and end up panicking when they realize that they\u2019re about to lose it all. This panicked, clinging state is exactly what you want to avoid in the moment of your death,<\/strong> as it\u2019ll lead to an unpleasant afterlife and a similarly ignorant next incarnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given that clinging leads to a difficult afterlife, Sadhguru contends that your ultimate goal should be to die without any attachment or desire for anything another physical life could give you.<\/strong> If you do this successfully, you won\u2019t be reincarnated at all. The karmic influences pushing you around will have vanished, leaving you as a body of pure consciousness energy. There will be no more \u201cyou\u201d left to identify with a separate self\u2014instead, you\u2019ll be at one with the universe<\/a>, a seamless whole. This is a divinely euphoric experience. According to Sadhguru, every being craves the end of their individual self even if they don\u2019t consciously realize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can you do to increase your odds of dying well and achieving this unification with the universe? Sadhguru offers the following advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, cultivate the habit of mindfulness at all times.<\/strong> Sadhguru explains that when you\u2019re mindful of the nature of life and your immediate experience, you\u2019ll realize that there\u2019s nothing more you need. Once you make this state of mind a habit, you\u2019ll have no trouble maintaining it through death, no matter how and when you die. Thus, you\u2019ll break the cycle of reincarnation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Sadhguru, one way to practice mindfulness<\/a> is to intentionally focus on the experience of hunger.<\/strong> Just before you\u2019re about to prepare or eat a meal, sit and wait for a short time. Pay attention to the experience of hunger and notice that although food is something that your physical body needs, it\u2019s not something that your consciousness\u2014your true self\u2014needs. This will help you become aware that your body isn\u2019t really part of you. The ego-reducing effect of this experience is why fasting is such a common tradition in many world religions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, in the last years leading up to your death, live in a space with as few barriers as possible between your body and the rest of the natural world<\/strong>, like an open-air cabin. Sadhguru states that close contact with nature helps you experience how fragile your physical body is outside of the protected human world. This experience will remind you that your body is temporary and not a part of your true self<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadhguru discourages the choice to die in a hospital. Many terminally ill patients use medical technology to prolong their lives for as long as possible. However, stretching your life past its natural expiration date will only preserve the body, not the mind, making a mindful death more difficult. Sadhguru is clear that you shouldn\u2019t avoid hospitals and modern medicine if you\u2019re sick and need to recover. But if the doctors declare that it\u2019s likely you\u2019re going to die, prolonging your life further may do more harm than good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In your attempt to break the cycle of reincarnation, Sadhguru recommends surrendering as much of your individuality as you can at the time of your death.<\/strong> Specifically, make sure that there are no photographs or other items that remind you of your worldly life in the place you\u2019ve chosen to die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, Sadhguru recommends dying alone, rather than being surrounded by loved ones.<\/strong> If you focus on the faces of your closest friends and family while you\u2019re dying, it\u2019ll strengthen the attachments to your illusory self that you\u2019re trying to break. You\u2019ll be recalling emotional memories you have about these people rather than maintaining equanimous mindfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve covered how to overcome the fear of death and how to work toward a better afterlife by preparing for death<\/a>. We\u2019ll conclude with practical advice for people who are still alive but have been impacted by death: how to overcome painful feelings of grief after someone close to you has died.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOverview of Sadhguru’s Death: An Inside Story<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ignorance About Death Causes Suffering<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Overcome the Fear of Death<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Part of You That Dies Isn\u2019t Really You<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Component #1: Karma<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Component #2: Life Energy<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tips for Overcoming Your Fear of Death<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Tip #1: Regularly Think About Your Death<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tip #2: Meditate<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tip #3: Experience Disembodied Awareness<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
How to Prepare for Death<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why Prepare for Death?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How Reincarnation Works<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
How to Die Well<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Tip #1: Practice Mindfulness Throughout Your Life<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tip #2: Spend Your Final Years in Nature<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tip #3: Surrender Your Individuality as You Die<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
How to Overcome Grief<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Is Grief?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n